Latest news with #Bill1430
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North Dakota Senate defeats amended conversion therapy bill
Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, speaks in favor of a bill to legalize conversion therapy at a House Human Services Committee meeting on Jan. 21, 2025. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor) The Senate on Thursday defeated a bill 22-25 that originally sought to legalize conversion therapy. Initially, House Bill 1430 bill would have authorized social workers to provide 'a treatment plan or counseling plan that aligns with heterosexuality or the individual's biological sex,' so long as it was freely chosen by the client. The bill was introduced by Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, who said people should have the right to seek treatments that affirm their religious beliefs about sexuality or gender. She previously told lawmakers that she is concerned most counseling is now LGBTQ-affirming and therefore would not be helpful for someone with anti-LGBTQ beliefs. 'To prohibit counseling that aligns with traditional or biblical viewpoints is religious discrimination,' she said. Bathroom bill would make schools less safe, opponents, LGBTQ advocates testify The North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners and North Dakota Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers opposed the bill, arguing that it endorsed a form of treatment widely denounced as ineffective and unethical, and was grounded in misunderstandings about how counseling works. Licensed social workers are already barred from providing conversion therapy under regulations set by the Board of Social Work Examiners. In committee hearings, multiple social workers testified that they don't try to force people to accept their gender identity or sexual orientation. They said counselors are trained to support their clients, not tell them what to think. The Senate Human Services Committee adopted an amendment that sought to address many of those concerns. The amendment said social workers may provide counseling to an individual who 'wants to align their sexuality or gender with the individual's personal or spiritual beliefs,' but also specifically held that conversion therapy is illegal. Sen. Tim Mathern, a Fargo Democrat and licensed social worker, opposed both versions of House Bill 1430. He said on the floor Thursday that the amended bill wouldn't accomplish anything since it parrots existing regulations. 'This bill essentially says, 'Do what you're doing — listen to people and help make choices,'' Mathern said. 'It's a total waste of the Century Code.' Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, also opposed the bill. She said if the bill passed it would have been the first time North Dakota put ethical standards set by a occupational board into Century Code, which raises questions about government overreach. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tribune-Star Editorial: Child care bills deserve attention
There is momentum at the Statehouse to address child care affordability and availability. Most of the momentum is fueled by the realization — finally — that child care affects the workforce, therefore it affects the ability for Indiana to compete in a national and global market. 'What we hear from not only our small businesses but our large businesses is the need for workforce. The harder we make it on our workforce to enter the workforce, the worse off our businesses are going to be,' Rep. Kyle Miller, D-Fort Wayne, minority chair of the House Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee, told The Statehouse File. Vanessa Green Sinders, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, echoed those remarks. 'Indiana, we are such a great state to do business in, and we have so much economic development going on, … but that enthusiasm and that economic development is going to take more workforce,' she said. Research conducted during March 2024 by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce suggests that insufficient child care availability is costing Indiana $4.22 billion in lost economic activity each year. It also found over half of Indiana parents miss work or class due to child-care problems. Child care-friendly legislation has been filed by two Democrats so far this session. House Bill 1430, filed by Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser, D-Jeffersonville, will create the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership program. And, Senate Bill 115, filed by Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, will give workers and caretakers increased access to paid family and medical leave. Both bills have a long way to go to gather support and with a Republican-led supermajority may not have legs to stand on by the end. But they should. Both Democrats and Republicans are affected by the crisis and both support a healthy workforce for this state. Both of these bills deserve consideration and debate, but also movement. The General Assembly is uniquely positioned to play a role in solving the child care crisis. They should get serious in doing so. Affordable and reliable child care also affects families' well-being, the ability to live, work and play in their communities — their quality of life. Don't we want a state that can support families who want to stay here?
