Latest news with #AB321
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NV Energy cites outages, dangerous line work as bill outlawing balloon releases progresses
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — When the power went out on Sunday, March 2, for more than 10,000 customers in downtown Las Vegas, the lights were out for a little over an hour. The culprit? A balloon, according to an NV Energy official who spoke at the Nevada Legislature Monday. 'Just in the past five years alone, balloon-related incidents have caused over 400 outages impacting hundreds of thousands of customers,' Anthony Ruiz, NV Energy's government relations manager, told lawmakers during a hearing on Assembly Bill 194 (AB194). Those outages affected about 600,000 people, he said. Ruiz said there are also problems associated with regular balloons, often overshadowed by risks from Mylar balloons. He said regular balloons can melt into the power lines, requiring dangerous cleanup by a line worker. A ban on balloon releases aims at what Democratic Assem. Sandra Jauregui described as a safety hazard with a wide impact. 'When released, balloons frequently end up as litter in waterways or natural habitats where they harm wildlife and contribute to microplastic pollution. Mylar balloons, in particular, are nonbiodegradable and can cause power outages or fires when they come into contact with power lines,' Jauregui said. Even with all the publicity about Mylar balloons, a lot of people are unaware of the risks of power lines arcing when foil balloons come into contact. Republican State Sen. Lisa Krasner asked, 'If a child on their birthday intentionally releases one balloon to watch it fly up into the air, are they now in violation of this law?' Jauregui said that's not the intent of the legislation, which has been approved in the Assembly and was receiving a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. 'The goal of the bill isn't to like find people and fine them. It's more about prevention,' Jauregui said. 'It's about getting the education out there.' AB194 contains exemptions for hot-air balloons, weather balloons and other scientific research balloons, and indoor balloon releases. The bill builds on AB321, which was signed into law in 2023. That law phases in restrictions on foil balloons beginning in 2027 and takes full effect in 2030. AB321 carries fines of $50 per balloon, with a maximum $2,500 fine. This year's ban on balloon releases carries a $250 fine. But that's not really what lawmakers are focused on, Jauregui said. 'Ultimately, we don't enforce the laws. It would be up to the local law enforcement agency,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court hears case on disagreement over literacy programs and Evers' partial veto
The seven members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court hear oral arguments in 2023. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner) The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a case related to a statewide literacy program that considers Gov. Tony Evers' partial veto power and lawmakers' handling of emergency funds. The case comes as the result of the last state budget and efforts by state lawmakers, Gov. Tony Evers and the Department of Public Instruction to overhaul literacy programs in Wisconsin. During the 2023-25 budget cycle, lawmakers placed $50 million aside in an emergency fund controlled by the Joint Finance Committee that was meant to go towards funding new literacy programs. Lawmakers also passed AB 321 — now 2023 Wisconsin Act 20 — to establish the policy portions of the initiative, which included creating a new office in the Department of Public Instruction and instructing the agency to hire literacy coaches and create a grant program. Lawmakers subsequently passed SB 971, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 100, to create a mechanism for DPI to spend the money when the funds were transferred. A partial veto by Gov. Tony Evers caused lawmakers to sue, saying it wasn't an appropriations bill therefore not subject to a partial veto. Evers argued that the law included an appropriation and further asserted that DPI has been urging lawmakers to release the funds, which will lapse back into the state's $4 billion budget surplus if not used before June 30. Before the Supreme Court heard the case, a Dane County judge had ruled Evers' veto proper, but said there wasn't a case for the release of the funds. Both parties appealed to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to take the appeal directly Assistant Attorney General Charlotte Gibson, the Department of Justice lawyer for DPI and Evers, argued that lawmakers don't have the power to withhold the money and the court should order the release of the money to DPI. The issues at hand, Gibson said, 'reflect an interlocking strategy to control how the executive branch spends funds and to limit the governor's partial veto power. It involves dissecting appropriations into multiple bills and crediting funds set aside for executive agency programs to [the Joint Finance Committee] to control their destination and use. Those efforts are illegal, and they misread the governor's veto authority.' Gibson said that the intention of the law, and the money being placed in the emergency fund, was to give money to specific agencies for specific purposes. A brief notes that 'over the past few decades, the Legislature has increasingly used that appropriation not for emergencies, but rather to fund anticipated expenses through a legislative committee that purports to retain veto power over how the executive branch spends appropriated money.' Gibson said that the purpose of the emergency fund statute was not to serve as 'a holding pen for lots of money that the Legislature wanted to give [the committee] power over,' but lawmakers are using it 'to say, actually, we can spend it on whatever purpose…' 'We think to correct the constitutional violation here, this agency can order those funds to be released,' Gibson said. Justices questioned Gibson on why the funds would need to be released to DPI if there was never an appropriation. 'The reality is the money's sitting in a fund right now, and it hasn't done anything with it,' Justice Rebecca Dallet said. 'For all, we know they are going to use it for an emergency and not give it to anybody for anything else … that just hasn't happened yet.' Gibson replied that DPI has asked for the money and lawmakers haven't given it to the agency. 'But, I'm saying, [JFC] hasn't appropriated it anywhere,' Dallet said. 'Is DPI having an emergency where you think this is emergency money that you should get…?' 'No, we think it's unconstitutional for DPI not to get the money.' Gibson said. 'Even if you were right, that the statutory structure here is constitutionally problematic, I still don't see how you win and get the money, because that is not what the law says,' Justice Brian Hagedorn said. 'There's no provision of law that actually gives the money to DPI or appropriates the money to DPI.' Gibson noted that the co-chairs of the committee Sen. Howard Marklein and Rep. Mark Born have said the money is earmarked for the purpose of the literacy programs. 'What we're struggling with is that we understand that there are hints and clues, earmarks — so different from an appropriation — and the way I'm looking at it, it could probably be parked in that fund indefinitely and that's where I'm struggling with what's the legal nexus,' said Justice Janet Protasiewicz. Ryan Walsh, the attorney representing the Legislature, argued Evers' veto was inappropriate because the bill was not an appropriation bill, and that the remedy should be that the bill is law as passed by the Legislature, without Evers' veto. 'You can't have an appropriation bill that makes no appropriation. It just doesn't make sense,' Walsh said. However, he also said that if he is wrong then it means the law was improperly enacted because lawmakers passed it by voice vote, not roll call as is required of appropriations bills. Walsh said that under his argument the money would stay in JFC and go back to the treasury at the end of the biennium. 'It doesn't go to DPI,' Walsh said. 'There is no obligation for [JFC] to disperse this money.' Justice Jill Karofsky said that she didn't disagree about the discretion of the committee, but asked about the potential for lawmakers to abuse the discretion. 'There aren't really any guardrails here,' Karofsky said. Walsh said abuse 'just doesn't happen.' 'What would stop the Legislature from emptying every last dollar of the Wisconsin treasury into a [JFC] emergency account?' Karofsky asked further. Walsh said many things could prevent that from happening, including the governor refusing to sign a budget that does so. Walsh also said the emergency account is a small portion of the state budget. He said that in the last 10 years the percentage of the budget that has gone to the supplemental account has ranged from 0.06% in the 2017-19 budget to 0.33% in the 2021-23 budget. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said she thought 'part of why we are here [is] that some want us to take a look at this structure — allowing JFC to have this discretion — and that to not address it would be a rather lame opinion.' Walsh said that he didn't think the Court needed to reach the constitutional question. 'I don't think anybody is insisting that you decide whether [Wisconsin should retain the] supplemental funding structure, which has been in place a long time, and by the way, the governor and the Legislature are assuming it's still in place,' Walsh said. 'We have a new budget pending… There are lots of reasons to be cautious here.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Breastfeeding, second chances and student trustees: A look at new bills in the Nevada Legislature
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A mother-daughter team from Las Vegas had an important message to deliver Friday in Carson City. Breastfeeding is OK, and more people need to know about it. Democratic Assem. Cecilia González, who represents District 16 in Clark County, had a special assistant as she presented a bill to strengthen Nevada's law that protects a mother's right to breastfeed her child. González brought her 11½-month-old daughter to the front as she presented Assembly Bill 266 (AB266) to the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services. The bill adds education components to inform mothers of the benefits of breastfeeding and provides for counseling and other types of lactation support. She said 60% of moms stop breastfeeding sooner than they would like due to lack of support and resources. 'A lot of people don't understand that you are also learning as well as your child,' González said. The bill would strengthen legal protections by prohibiting places of public accommodation from discriminating against individuals because they are breastfeeding. Other bills at the Nevada Legislature on Friday: SECOND CHANCE: AB321 would create a 'Certificate of Second Chance' available to some offenders. When an inmate finishes serving their sentence, they can apply for the certificate through the court. The certificate would get rid of any disqualifications from obtaining a professional or occupational license based on criminal history. Anyone with a conviction involving violence, sex offenses or crimes against children would not be eligible. The bill also opens a path to serving as a wildland firefighter, giving people first dibs on jobs at the State Forestry Department. Notably, the bill is sponsored by first-term Democratic Assem. Jovan Jackson, who is a former felon. The bill is co-sponsored by Democratic Assem. Reuben D'Silva. STUDENT TRUSTEES: AB 316 puts a student voice into the mix, creating a non-voting position on school boards across the state. The bill sets up a complicated nomination process that depends on the size of the school district. Each student trustee would serve for one year and have access to district business equal to any other trustee. The student would be required to attend at least 75% of the board's meetings. AB316 is sponsored by two Democrats, Assem. Duy Nguyen and Sen. Angela Taylor, who chairs the Senate Committee on Education. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
