Senate Bill 110 sparks hope for rural counties
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Jackson County school officials hope to continue making improvements but are worried about the recent state and federal budget-cutting mindset.
They're moving ahead with upgrades to facilities and academics. They say there is a beacon of hope for future projects in the form of Senate Bill 110, or the rural renaissance bill, filed last month.
It would, among other things, require the state land planning agency to give preference for technical assistance funding to local governments located in rural areas.
Bay County leaders to discuss local needs with State Legislators
'Senate bill 110, Senator Simon has put that in the house and hopefully if it proceeds to the capital and some other issues, it will help small rural districts like ourselves funding future projects and I just appreciate him and all the hard work that's going on in Tallahassee right now for some of the small districts like Jackson county,' Superintendent Hunter Nolen said.
The first of three committees heard the bill yesterday and passed it unanimously.
Nolen says he will be following the bill closely.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
an hour ago
Primary day in New Jersey governor's race could offer hints on how voters feel about Trump
TRENTON, N..J. -- New Jersey voters on Tuesday will settle the Democratic and Republican primaries for governor in a contest that could send signals about how the public is responding to President Donald Trump's agenda and how Democratic voters think their leaders should push back. New Jersey is one of just two states with a race for governor this year — the other is Virginia — and the fact two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited has created fresh drama for the open seat. There's a six-way race on the Democratic side that features several seasoned political figures. Trump's endorsement of former state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli may have given him a boost on the Republican side, where he faces four primary challengers. Polls are open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday, but it's not the only day of voting. Early in-person voting was held from June 3-8. Mail-in ballots were sent to voters beginning in April. The contest hinges in part on New Jersey issues, including high property taxes and the soaring cost of living, but national politics are sure to figure in. Trump, who has long had a strong presence in New Jersey, waded into the race with his endorsement, attacking Democratic control of state government. Democrats are looking for a winning message and leadership after the sting of bitter losses in 2024. "Because these are the first major elections since Donald Trump's return to the White House, there's a tremendous amount at stake simply through public perception," said Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship. For Democrats? 'They'll just get further in a hole if they don't hold this seat,' he said. For Republicans? They could win because New Jersey tends to be purple during gubernatorial years, Dworkin said, but that would be viewed as a tremendous victory for Trump. The Democrats running are Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City; U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill; teachers union President Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. The Democratic campaign has been hard fought and pricey, with tens of millions spent in one of the country's most expensive media markets. On the Republican side, most of the candidates declared their support for the president's agenda, pressing for a state-level version of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency. They've also said they would end so-called sanctuary policies and, in a New Jersey-specific pitch, called for the end of the state's 2020 law banning single-use plastic bags. Ciattarelli has said he would sign an order on his first day in office ending New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive, which bars local police from cooperating with federal officials on civil immigration matters. He has also said he would direct whomever he names attorney general to end lawsuits against the Trump administration, including a case aimed at stopping the president's order ending birthright citizenship for people whose parents were in the country illegally. Murphy, who became the first Democrat to be reelected in more than four decades in 2021, is barred from running again by term limits and hasn't endorsed a successor in the primary. Both parties will look to build their general election campaigns on widespread voter frustration. For Democrats, that means focusing on the parts of Trump's aggressive second-term agenda that are unpopular. Republicans, meanwhile, are casting blame for economic hardships on Democrats who've run state government for the last eight years. New Jersey has been reliably Democratic in Senate and presidential contests for decades. But the odd-year races for governor have tended to swing back and forth, and each of the last three GOP governors has won a second term. Democrats have the largest share of registered voters in the state, followed closely by independent voters and then Republicans, who have roughly 800,000 fewer registrations than the Democratic Party. But the GOP has made gains in recent years, shaving the Democrats' lead of more than 1 million more registrations to the current level.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How state funding is affecting Illinois college tuition
State universities in Illinois are facing a growing problem. State funding has not kept up with rising costs, leading schools to raise tuition. That move is causing lagging enrollment. Students from low- and middle-income families are disproportionately affected, as are students of color. Legislation to help equalize funding is pending in the Illinois State Assembly. House Bill 1581 and Senate Bill 13 (Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act) call for establishing a funding structure like the Evidence-Based Funding formula for K-12 education. The legislation supported by nine of the 12 public universities, but not the three University of Illinois schools. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rep. Norma Torres: Let the LAPD do their job for protests
Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., joins NewsNation to discuss protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration's handling of mass deportations, particularly involving ICE. In response, the White House is deploying 700 Marines to the area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
