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Senator Webb awarded by SUNY for dedication to equal opportunity

Senator Webb awarded by SUNY for dedication to equal opportunity

Yahoo12-03-2025

ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Senator Lea Webb was recognized as an advocate for higher education during an award ceremony over the weekend.
Webb was honored with the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Champion Award during the 2nd Annual Alumni Reception at the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators Caucus Weekend.
The award was presented by the State University of New York's Office of Opportunity Programs. Webb was given the award for her dedication to the Educational Opportunity Program.
'As a member of the Senate's Higher Education Committee, I am deeply honored to receive the EOP Champion Award, especially as an EOP alumnus,' said Webb. 'This program gave me the opportunity to succeed and it's a privilege to give back by advocating for others who are pursuing higher education. I remain committed to ensuring that all students, particularly those from underserved communities, have access to the resources and support they need to achieve their dreams.'
During the event, distinguished alumni of the New York State Legislature were recognized for their contributions to higher education as they celebrated the future leaders of tomorrow.
Senator Webb awarded by SUNY for dedication to equal opportunity
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Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones announces bid to succeed Sylvester Turner in Congress
Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones announces bid to succeed Sylvester Turner in Congress

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones announces bid to succeed Sylvester Turner in Congress

State Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, on Monday jumped into the race for the congressional seat left open by the death of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, the former Houston mayor. 'The simple fact is no one will fight harder to stop Republicans from taking away our social security, our public schools, our health care, our constitutional rights and more,' Jones said in a statement announcing her campaign. Jones, an attorney and former Houston City Council member from 2008 to 2012, joins a slate of candidates running in the special election, including Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and fellow former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards. 'I am the only candidate in this race who has fought for our families in the Legislature, in the courtroom, on city council and on the school board,' said Jones, who was elected to the Texas House in 2022. 'I helped shut down Houston's corrupt crime lab, helped extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers and their babies and cut taxes for seniors and homeowners.' Turner, who also served in the Texas House before his turn in Congress, died March 5, two months into his first term representing Texas' 18th Congressional District. The district, which contains historically significant neighborhoods for Houston's Black community, had been long represented by former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who also died in office last year amid a battle with pancreatic cancer. The special election to fill the seat will take place Nov. 4. Gov. Greg Abbott called the election for November a month after Turner's death, leaving a solidly blue seat open for most of 2025 as Republicans work to push through President Donald Trump's agenda in a closely divided House. In Congress, Jones said she would 'fight to stop Trump cuts to healthcare and Medicaid, Social Security, education and veterans,' and work to expand healthcare coverage and affordability. She also emphasized bringing back the right to an abortion. 'I've been fighting my entire career for women's rights, bodies, and voices, and will never stop working to restore abortion rights to make sure women — not politicians — make their own healthcare decisions,' said Jones, a criminal and family lawyer with her own practice. The district is a Democratic stronghold, meaning the Democratic nominee is almost certain to win the election and could hold onto the seat for years. Menefee was the first to launch his campaign, and has secured high-profile endorsements, including former U.S. Reps. Colin Allred and Beto O'Rourke, who both challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Jackson Lee's daughter, Erica Lee Carter, is serving as his campaign chair after briefly representing the district after her mother's death. Jones said she 'deferred' her decision to run until the legislative session concluded this week so that she could focus on representing her constituents in the Texas House, where she served on the criminal jurisprudence, public health and redistricting committees. She was also the vice chair of the subcommittee on juvenile justice. 'I promised my constituents I would fight for them every day through the end of the legislative session — and I did exactly that,' she said. During the session, Jones worked closely with both Republicans and Democrats, including on legislation to ensure that certain criminal defendants are not held behind bars pretrial for periods longer than the maximum sentence for the alleged offense. Jones, a four-time national track and field champion, one-time contestant on CBS' Survivor and LGBTQ advocate who often speaks about her upbringing in poverty and familial tragedy, previously served on the Houston ISD Board of Trustees. One of her Republican colleagues, whom she worked with on the criminal jurisprudence committee, quickly gave a word of praise upon her announcement. 'This woman,' Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, posted on social media, 'is truly a forced to be reckoned with.' Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

While Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker scored wins during legislative session, cellphone ban, other initiatives fell short
While Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker scored wins during legislative session, cellphone ban, other initiatives fell short

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

While Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker scored wins during legislative session, cellphone ban, other initiatives fell short

CHICAGO — Entering a legislative session amid questions about whether he'd run for a third term, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker outlined an ambitious agenda that ended with mixed results. In a State of the State and budget address in February that will be remembered mainly for Pritzker invoking Nazi Germany to describe the new presidential administration, there was also a litany of policy initiatives — some of which passed and will now have a tangible impact on Illinoisans and others that went nowhere in the spring legislative session that just wrapped up. 'You don't get everything done in one year. I think the Senate president can back me up on that, and lots of people in the General Assembly,' Pritzker said Sunday at his end-of-session news conference in Springfield, flanked by Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park. 'Sometimes they spend two years, four years, six years trying to get something big done. I think we've been hyper-successful about getting things done in a shorter period of time than expected.' But Pritzker's mixed scorecard also revealed tensions between his agenda and those in the Legislative Black Caucus. More than once, Black caucus members balked at Pritzker's plans as they didn't see their wants and needs fully addressed during a legislative session that focused heavily on fiscal issues and a tight budget. Indeed, while the governor's backing puts political capital behind any policy proposal, that didn't mean it was guaranteed to pass through the sometimes splintered Democratic supermajorities in the state House and Senate. Here are some examples of where the governor accomplished what he set out to do — and a few places where he came up short. What Pritzker said: 'This session, I'll move forward with legislation requiring all school districts in Illinois to adopt a cellphone policy that bans the use of phones during classroom instruction. More focus on learning will bring even greater success for kids across our state.' Status: Did not pass. A coalition of Illinois House lawmakers blocked the measure when it came to the House late in the session over concerns about unequal disciplinary impacts, according to bill sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg. Concerns about enforcement disproportionately affecting Black and brown students became more pronounced as lawmakers reviewed the phone restriction alongside another bill limiting police from ticketing students for minor misbehavior, according to Mussman. Legislators were hesitant to pass a statewide school mandate while also debating a measure meant to scale back school discipline practices, she said. Rep. Curtis Tarver, a Chicago Democrat and a member of the Black caucus, told the Tribune in February he worried about the 'unintended consequences' of a phone ban, including inequitable enforcement. The legislation against ticketing and fines passed both chambers and now heads to Pritzker's desk for his signature. A Chicago Tribune and ProPublica investigation found school districts used local law enforcement to fine students, and Black students were twice as likely to be ticketed at school as their white peers, a pattern lawmakers aimed to end. Pritzker's cellphone policy will have to wait for another session when there's more time to work out the enforcement aspect, Mussman said. The measure would have required school districts to adopt guidelines prohibiting students from using wireless devices, such as cellphones and smartwatches, during instructional time, while providing secure and accessible storage for the devices, before the 2026-2027 school year. The legislation also included a few exceptions, such as permitting students to use phones in emergencies. In the end, negotiations around the measure came down to a 'dance' between ensuring local school boards had control over their own policies while also protecting students from 'inequitably applied' policies, Mussman said. Moreover, representatives were unsure how to implement guidance on 'how a phone might be returned if it was confiscated, or what to do if anything was lost or broken,' she added. Also not quite making the mark: Pritzker's push to expand so-called evidence-based funding for K-12 schools by $350 million. The final plan would boost funding by $307 million, cutting $43 million that usually would go to a grant program designed to help school districts with high property tax rates and low real estate values. What Pritzker said: 'I'm proposing that we allow community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees for in-demand career paths — like nursing, advanced manufacturing, early childhood education, and beyond.' And: 'I propose we pass the Public University Direct Admission Program Act introduced by Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford last year. It would allow students to know before they apply whether they qualify for admission to any or all of our state's public universities.' Status: One for two. The Pritzker-led initiative to let community colleges offer four-year degrees didn't make it to the finish line even after the sponsor, Democratic Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl of Northbrook, filed a significant amendment following months of negotiations. The bill was intended to create more paths for students to get affordable, accessible bachelor's degrees in areas that need more workers. However, it initially faced opposition from existing four-year schools that warned it could duplicate degree offerings. 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Building on sweeping health care legislation last year, the General Assembly this session voted on a bill to expand a ban on prior authorization for outpatient behavioral health care, meaning patients will no longer need permission from insurance companies before receiving mental health treatment in many more cases. The same legislation also puts insurers on the hook for travel costs in some instances where closer options aren't adequate. What Pritzker said: 'I'm introducing the Prescription Drug Affordability Act to rein in the unfair practices of PBMs.' Status: Passed. Critics often blame large so-called pharmacy benefit managers, such as CVS Caremark and UnitedHealth Group-owned Optum Rx, for inflating prescription drug costs while pushing independent pharmacies out of business, and Pritzker was largely successful this session in barring these practices, as a bill carrying language to restrict PBM costs passed the legislature with broad bipartisan support. The bill now heading to Pritzker's desk would prohibit PBMs from charging insurance companies more for drugs than they are paid by pharmacies and pocketing the difference; prohibit them from giving better reimbursement rates to pharmacies that the same company owns; and require them to pass along rebates negotiated with drugmakers to health plans and patients. Pritzker indicated Saturday that he would sign the measure, which would also require PBMs to submit annual reports on pricing and other practices to the Illinois Department of Insurance. The measure would charge PBMs an annual $15-per-patient fee, with the first $25 million collected going to a grant fund to support local pharmacies. Supporters of PBMs during the session argued Pritzker's plan was flawed, as they see PBMs as saving patients and employers money partly by negotiating with drugmakers. What Pritzker proposed: As part of the package of policies he announced in February, Pritzker said he'd push several other initiatives, including funding to remediate dilapidated state sites and an easier path for voters to reduce or eliminate local township governments. Status: State site funding passed; township idea stalled. Pritzker received his requested $500 million in state capital funds for two key programs on state sites, including $300 million to remake five or more largely abandoned properties, which would help develop properties 'sitting idle' in areas that are 'ripe' for economic growth, according to his budget proposals. The state's previous investments in site readiness have generated over $1.5 billion in private investment and the now-passed initiatives could attract more than $4.7 billion in investment, the governor's office said in February. Yet an effort to consolidate smaller townships across the state did not gain much traction as neither bill in the House nor the Senate made it out of committee. Pritzker's office said in February that many of the more than 1,400 townships operating across the state — which levy over $750 million in property taxes — provide services that are duplicative or could be managed more efficiently by municipalities or counties. Townships often provide maintenance and services for rural areas, such as road maintenance and transportation for seniors. Still, several Illinois townships have been tangled with corruption, such as the recent federal investigation of Dolton Mayor and Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard over improper spending of taxpayer dollars. The idea of consolidating townships has faltered for a century, partly due to opposition from politicians seeking to preserve their power, as well as concerns that downstate rural areas could lose their civic identity. ____

Full List of Democratic Leaders Who've Left the Party Since 2024 Election
Full List of Democratic Leaders Who've Left the Party Since 2024 Election

Newsweek

time2 hours ago

  • Newsweek

Full List of Democratic Leaders Who've Left the Party Since 2024 Election

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. With news of Karine Jean-Pierre's departure from the Democratic Party making waves, the former White House press secretary joins a growing list of high-profile Democrats distancing themselves from the party in the wake of the 2024 election. Newsweek has reached out to several political scientists and historians for comment via email on Thursday. Why It Matters Last November marked a pivotal election in the United States, with Donald Trump returning to the White House after winning both the popular vote and the Electoral College. The scale of the Republican Party's triumph in November—taking the White House, flipping the Senate, and maintaining control of the House—has sparked widespread soul-searching within the Democratic Party over what went wrong and how to rebuild. Democratic leaders have come under criticism from within, some for pushing the party too far left, and others for appearing too conciliatory toward Trump, and a number who have felt disillusioned with its agenda have left the party entirely to either identify as independent or as a Republican. Democrats Who've Left The Party Jean-Pierre, once a staunch defender of the Democratic Party and then-President Joe Biden, announced she has left the party to become an independent. The move coincides with the upcoming release of her book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, which is set for release in the fall. Others have already left the Democratic party, including a number of state-level lawmakers. Kentucky State Senator Robin Webb While some Democrats have switched to become independent, Webb flipped parties, now identifying as a Republican, which is relatively rare in American politics. She was the last Democrat representing Eastern Kentucky in the state Senate. "While it's cliché, it's true: I didn't leave the party—the party left me," Webb said in the statement. "The Kentucky Democratic Party has increasingly alienated lifelong rural Democrats like myself by failing to support the issues that matter most to rural Kentuckians." She wrote that she no longer felt the party represented her values amid a "lurch to the left" and a "hyperfocus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development" in the region, which is known for its coal industry. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva Florida State Representative Hillary Cassel In December, Cassel framed her decision to become a Republican around several key themes. She emphasized her roles as both a mother and a Jewish woman, expressing desire to "build a world where our children are judged on their character and their actions not their labels." Cassel specifically cited growing concerns about the Democratic Party's stance on Israel, pointing to what she described as its "failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism." She also highlighted frustration with the party's ability to "relate to everyday Floridians." Florida State Representative Susan Valdés Nearly a month after the November election, Valdés announced her decision to flip from being a Democrat to a Republican. In her statement noting her departure, she noted that she prefers to follow the agenda that Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez has laid out, which she says focuses on "empowering House members to work on real problems facing our communities." She added that she is "tired of being the party of protesting when I got into politics to be part of the party of progress." Florida State Senator Jason Pizzo In April, Pizzo, who was then the Senate Minority leader, said on the floor of the Florida Senate that the "Democratic Party in Florida" was "dead," criticizing modern partisanship as "a mess" and calling for practical leadership over politics. "Stripping myself of the title of a party designation allows me to run free and clear, clean and transparent," he said, a nod to his rumored 2026 gubernatorial ambitions. He is currently nonaffiliated. Democratic National Committee fundraiser Lindy Li "It's like leaving a cult," Li said in December, explaining that she was ostracized for questioning then-Vice President Kamala Harris's political ambitions and Biden's leadership abilities. Li was part of the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) finance committee and has been critical of her party since Harris' election loss, calling it a "$1 billion disaster." Even ahead of the 2024 election, some Democrats have signaled frustration and disillusionment with the party, with Senator Joe Manchin notably leaving the party to identify as an independent. Others, like State Representative Shawn Thierry, switched parties after losing her Democratic primary. However, on the flip side, this week, former Republican Congressman David Jolly announced his Florida gubernatorial run as a Democrat. What People Are Saying Professor Michael Kazin, an expert on U.S. politics and social movements in Georgetown University's history department, told Newsweek in an email Thursday: "In the past, politicians switched parties either when they felt their old party no longer represented their views (examples include Charlie Crist in FL, Wayne Morse in Oregon, and Ronald Reagan) or when they thought they had a better chance to win a primary or general election as the candidate of the other partisan battle-lines are pretty rigid, and it's become perilous for a politician to cross them." U.S. Representative James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, on X, formerly Twitter: "Congratulations to my dear friend Sen Robin Webb for switching parties. Like so many good honest people with common sense who work hard and pay taxes, the Democrat party has abandoned them. Robin will make an excellent addition to our great Kentucky State Senate Majority!" Then-president-elect Donald Trump said on Truth Social in December: "Congratulations to Hillary Cassel for becoming the second State Representative from the Great State of Florida to switch her Party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, once more expanding the GOP Supermajority in the State House! I would further like to invite other Disillusioned Democrats to switch Parties, and join us on this noble quest to Save our Country and, Make America Great Again - GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. THANK YOU HILLARY!" What Happens Next Some of the former Democrat lawmakers who have changed their party affiliations are up for reelection in 2026.

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