Florida rethinks use of cameras to enforce school speed zones
The big story: In an attempt to deter speeding in school zones, municipalities across Florida over the past year have set up cameras to record violations and established fines for wrongdoers.
The effort has yielded thousands of citations in several areas. It also has generated a growing number of complaints by drivers who contend they were wrongly accused.
Similar issues have arisen with the use of cameras to catch drivers illegally passing school buses.
The problems have led some officials to reconsider their participation in the programs, which lawmakers approved just over a year ago. The Manatee County Commission on Tuesday decided to walk away from its school zone cameras in the face of rising opposition.
'We have the data,' At-Large Commissioner Jason Bearden said in a county news release. 'Now, let's take that data and give it to the Sheriff's Department.' Read more from the Herald-Tribune.
College sports: Florida State University and Clemson University ended their legal battles with the Atlantic Coast Conference after securing a new financial deal with the group.
Homework: Pasco County teachers will be allowed to grade student homework again, starting in the fall.
Legislation: A House subcommittee advanced legislation along party lines that would make it easier to convert district schools to charter status, Florida Politics reports. • A Pasco County mom urged a state House subcommittee to consider expanding laws on hazardous walking conditions to include middle and high schools, WFTS reports.
Naming rights: The Martin County school board is nearing approval of a plan that would allow companies to pay to have their names on high school stadiums, TC Palm reports.
Pay raises: The Broward County school board approved 3% raises for teachers, principals and educational support employees, WSVN reports.
School health: A Miami-Dade County high school student was reported to have Florida's first measles case this year. The school will offer free vaccinations with parental consent.
Student-teacher relationships: The Duval County school board delayed action on a proposal to tighten requirements for employee communications with students, WJXT reports.
Transportation: The Lee County school district is increasing its incentives to attract bus drivers as it faces a 65-driver shortage, WBBH reports.
Weather report: Leon County schools are delaying their start by one hour today because of expected severe weather, WTXL reports.
Websites: Florida State University has begun scrubbing its websites of terms such as 'diverse' and 'women' in response to state and federal orders to eliminate programs and practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
From the police blotter ... A Leon County high school student was arrested on allegations of making a threat of violence against the school. She said she didn't want to be at school, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Today in Tallahassee ... The House Careers and Workforce Subcommittee will hear a presentation on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act when it meets at 10:15 a.m. • The Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee will review state university system funding when it meets at 11 a.m.
Don't miss a story. Here's a link to yesterday's roundup.
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27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NC doctors, legislators, and cancer survivors push for prostate cancer screening money
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San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Big changes are being proposed for a US food aid program. Here's a breakdown by the numbers
President Donald Trump's plan to cut taxes by trillions of dollars could also trim billions in spending from social safety net programs, including food aid for lower-income people. The proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would make states pick up more of the costs, require several million more recipients to work or lose their benefits, and potentially reduce the amount of food aid people receive in the future. The legislation, which narrowly passed the U.S. House, could undergo further changes in the Senate, where it's currently being debated. Trump wants lawmakers to send the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' to his desk by July 4, when the nation marks the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Here's a look at the food aid program, by the numbers: Year: 2008 The federal aid program formerly known as food stamps was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, on Oct. 1, 2008. The program provides monthly payments for food purchases to low-income residents generally earning less than $1,632 monthly for individuals, or $3,380 monthly for a household of four. The nation's first experiment with food stamps began in 1939. But the modern version of the program dates to 1979, when a change in federal law took effect eliminating a requirement that participants purchase food stamps. There currently is no cost to people participating in the program. Number: 42 million A little over 42 million people nationwide received SNAP benefits in February, the latest month for which figures are available. That's roughly one out of every eight people in the county. Participation is down from a peak average of 47.6 million people during the 2013 federal fiscal year. Often, more than one person in a household is eligible for food aid. As of February, nearly 22.5 million households were enrolled in SNAP, receiving an average monthly household benefit of $353. The money can be spent on most groceries, but Trump's administration recently approved requests by six states — Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah — to exclude certain items, such as soda or candy. Dollars: $295 billion Legislation passed by the House is projected to cut about $295 billion of federal spending from SNAP over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A little more than half of those federal savings would come by shifting costs to states, which administer SNAP. Nearly one-third of those savings would come by expanding a work requirement for some SNAP participants, which the CBO assumes would force some people off the rolls. Additional money would be saved by eliminating SNAP benefits for between 120,000 and 250,000 immigrants legally in the U.S. who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents. Another provision in the legislation would cap the annual inflationary growth in food benefits. As a result, the CBO estimates that the average monthly food benefit would be about $15 lower than it otherwise would have been by 2034. Ages: 7 and 55-64 To receive SNAP benefits, current law says adults ages 18 through 54 who are physically and mentally able and don't have dependents need to work, volunteer or participate in training programs for at least 80 hours a month. Those who don't do so are limited to just three months of benefits in a three-year period. The legislation that passed the House would expand work requirements to those ages 55 through 64. It also would extend work requirements to some parents without children younger than age 7. And it would limit the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas that lack sufficient jobs. The combined effect of those changes is projected by the CBO to reduce SNAP participation by a monthly average of 3.2 million people. Percentages: 5%-25% The federal government currently splits the administrative costs of SNAP with states but covers the full cost of food benefits. Under the legislation, states would have to cover three-fourths of the administrative costs. States also would have to pay a portion of the food benefits starting with the 2028 fiscal year. All states would be required to pay at least 5% of the food aid benefits, and could pay more depending on how often they make mistakes with people's payments. States that had payment error rates between 6-8% in the most recent federal fiscal year for which data is available would have to cover 15% of the food costs. States with error rates between 8-10% would have to cover 20% of the food benefits, and those with error rates greater than 10% would have to cover 25% of the food costs. Many states could get hit with higher costs. The national error rate stood at 11.7% in the 2023 fiscal year, and just three states — Idaho, South Dakota and Vermont — had error rates below 5%. But the 2023 figures are unlikely to serve as the base year, so the exact costs to states remains unclear. As a result of the cost shift, the CBO assumes that some states would reduce or eliminate benefits for people. Margin: 1 House Resolution 1, containing the SNAP changes and tax cuts, passed the House last month by a margin of just one vote — 215-214. A vote also could be close in the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats. Democrats did not support the bill in the House and are unlikely to do so in the Senate. Some Republican senators have expressed reservations about proposed cuts to food aid and Medicaid and the potential impact of the bill on the federal deficit. GOP Senate leaders may have to make some changes to the bill to ensure enough support to pass it.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What's targeted in Trump's request for $9.4 billion in budget cuts from Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is looking to cancel $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress. That's just a sliver of the $1.7 trillion that lawmakers OK'd for the budget year ending Sept. 30. The package of 21 budget rescissions will have to be approved by both chambers of Congress for the cuts to take place, beginning with a House vote expected Thursday. Otherwise, the spending remains in place. The White House is betting that cutting federal investments in public media and some foreign aid programs will prove politically popular. Republicans say if this first effort is successful, they hope more rescission packages will follow as they look to continue work by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency once run by billionaire Elon Musk. Democrats describe the cuts as inhumane and say they would rip life-saving support from hungry and sick people across the globe. Republicans are describing the cuts as 'modest' and say the U.S. will continue to play a critical role in helping the world's most vulnerable people. Here's a look at some of the spending the White House is trying to claw back: Public media on the chopping block The Republican president has asked lawmakers to rescind nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which represents the full amount it's slated to receive during the next two budget years. Congress has traditionally provided public media with advanced funds to reduce political pressures. The corporation distributes the money mostly to public television and radio stations around the country, with some assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System to support national programming. The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. Much of the conservatives' ire is focused on NPR and PBS. 'We believe that you all can hate us on your own dime,' said Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, during a hearing in March. But about two-thirds of the money goes to more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations. Nearly half of those stations serve rural areas of the country. 'They want to punish the national guys, that's fine,' said Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican who said he was undecided going into this week's vote. 'But I'm trying to get a handle on what it means for my stations in Nevada, because the ability to fundraise at the national level ain't the same as the ability to fundraise in Reno.' The association representing local public television stations warns that many of them would be forced to close if the GOP bill passes. Those stations provide emergency alerts, free educational programming and high school sports coverage and highlight hometown heroes. Meanwhile, local radio stations say their share of the allocation provides funding for 386 stations employing nearly 10,000 people. Dozens of stations rely on the public grants for more than half of their budget. Many others for nearly half. Some Republicans say they worry about what the cuts would mean for local public stations but tough decisions are necessary. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said South Dakota Public Broadcasting does a 'really good job of covering the state Legislature" and other public affairs. 'So these rescissions are not going to be comfortable for South Dakota to deal with,' Johnson said. 'That being said, we're $37 trillion in debt." Funding to combat diseases Trump's administration is looking to claw back about $900 million from $10 billion that Congress has approved for global health programs. That includes canceling $500 million for activities related to infectious diseases and child and maternal health and another $400 million to address the global HIV epidemic. The administration says the $500 million rescission for infectious diseases would not reduce treatment but would 'eliminate programs that are antithetical to American interests and worsen the lives of women and children, like 'family planning' and 'reproductive health,' LGBTQI+ activities, and equity programs.' It makes a similar assurance on the HIV funding, saying it would eliminate 'only those programs that neither provide life-saving treatment nor support American interests.' Scores of humanitarian aid groups have asked lawmakers to oppose the proposed cuts. Catholic Relief Services called on donors to contact their members of Congress to urge them to vote against the bill. Without the U.S. assistance, "countless lives are at risk, and the needs will continue to rise,' said the plea to supporters. The importance of the United States' contribution to the global HIV response cannot be overstated, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. It says the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has saved more than 26 million lives and averted almost 5 million new HIV infections since it was launched in 2003 under President George W. Bush, a Republican. 'Instead of facing a death sentence, people supported by PEPFAR are raising families, building their communities, and helping their communities grow and develop,' said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. Refugee assistance The Trump administration is looking to cancel $800 million, or a quarter of the amount Congress approved, for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation, and family reunification for those forced to flee their own country. The program also helps vetted refugees who come to the U.S. get started in their new country. The White House says 'these funds support activities that could be more fairly shared with non-U.S. Government donors, providing savings to the U.S. taxpayer.' Refugees International urged Congress to reject what it described as a reckless proposal. Promoting stability About 45% of the savings sought by the White House would come from two programs designed to boost the economies, democratic institutions and civil societies in developing countries. The administration wants to claw back $2.5 billion of the $3.9 billion approved for the Development Assistance program at the U.S. Agency for International Development and about $1.7 billion, or nearly half of the funds, dedicated to the State Department's Economic Support Fund. The administration says in its request to Congress that the Development Assistance account is supposed to fund programs that work to end extreme poverty and promote resilient democratic societies, but in practice many of the programs 'conflict with American values' and bankroll corrupt leaders' evasion of responsibilities to their citizens while providing "no clear benefit to Americans.' U.S. leaders have often argued over the years that helping to eradicate conditions that lead to political upheaval abroad is not just the right thing to do but also the smart thing. 'By helping stem pandemics and war and helping countries become healthy, free-market democracies, we are actually helping our own country,' said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Republicans are rejecting the dire warnings. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., said ' waste, fraud and abuse is what this is all about.'
