Latest news with #Bill246
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan Senators try again for legislation to keep out hazardous waste
Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) during a meeting of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee on June 5, 2025. | Kyle Davidson Members of the Michigan Senate are once again weighing efforts to deter out-of-state companies from dumping hazardous waste in the state while updating standards for managing landfills and potentially harmful materials. Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) on Thursday laid out a renewed proposal for revamping the state's approach to hazardous waste management before his colleagues on the Senate Energy and Environment Committee. During his testimony, Camilleri noted the bills are a response to recent attempts to ship hazardous waste from the East Palestine train derailment, as well as radioactive material from the Manhattan Project, into disposal sites within his district. 'I've had countless conversations with residents and local municipal leaders who are horrified about that potentially harmful material being transported to their communities on their roads and disposed of in their backyard,' Camilleri said. 'Frankly, it is ridiculous that these facilities are located in these dense population centers in the first place.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX If passed, Camilleri's Senate Bill 246 would require the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to create a hazardous and radioactive waste management plan and issue a moratorium on licensing new hazardous waste storage and disposal facilities or expansions of existing facilities. It would also place stricter siting requirements on hazardous waste facilities to keep them away from large population centers and cap the amount of hazardous waste disposed of within Michigan by tying it to the amount of waste the state produces. While federal law prevents Michigan from banning trash from other states, Camilleri said his policy is a creative effort to try and skirt federal regulations on commerce between states by preferencing Michigan's waste, and allowing other states to send their waste on top of that. 'It's not a perfect solution to that out of state problem, but it's our version of trying our best to take care of home first,' Camilleri said. Additionally, Senate Bill 246 increases the fees for disposing of hazardous waste from $10 a ton to $25 a ton, radioactive waste from $5 per ton to $12.50 per ton, with a portion of the increased fees going towards redevelopment. Another percentage would go toward a new community surcharge reimbursement fund, and another piece would go toward a grant fund to support communities that host hazardous waste disposal facilities. Camilleri's proposal would also increase the waste tipping fee, or the charge to dump in Michigan landfills, from 36 cents a ton, to $1.20. In her budget proposals for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 fiscal years, Whitmer asked lawmakers to increase the state's tipping fee to $5 in order to combat out-of-state dumping and increase revenue for environmental remediation, brownfield redevelopment, local waste management assistance and grants and recycling initiatives. Alongside Senate Bill 246, Camilleri's Senate Bill 247 targets a liquid waste injection well in Romulus, creating a $100 per ton tipping fee for the waste that goes into those wells. 'The city of Romulus is, right now, on the hook for all types of public safety,' Camilleri said. 'In the event of a disaster with this type of well, they will be the ones forced to pay for additional equipment, additional public safety, including fire and EMS. … This type of fee would help offset some of those costs.' During the meeting, local officials from Romulus and nearby Van Buren Township and Canton Township shared their support for the bills. They cited concerns about out-of-state dumping, and the public health and environmental threats that could come from storing more waste at facilities like the Wayne Disposal Inc. Hazardous Waste Landfill in Van Buren Township. Canton Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak noted that the landfill is three miles south of Canton and sits next to two schools in a residential neighborhood. It's also surrounded by environmental justice communities, she said, neighborhoods where people of color and low-income individuals are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. Kevin Krause, the director of community safety and development for the city of Romulus, said the city is inadequately prepared to respond to an emergency at the Romulus injection well, not only from the perspective of the local fire department, but from the regional and county level, as well. 'We are under-resourced, under-trained and underprepared at this particular location,' Krause said. Should there be an issue with the injection well, the response will fall solely on the shoulders of local firefighters to mitigate any threat to the environment and population, while agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan EGLE would only be able to provide administrative support. Supporting Senate Bill 247 would give the city the ability to develop proper pre-response plans, raise awareness, and incorporate surrounding departments and regional hazardous materials teams into their planning, Krause said.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor's desk
Education Secretary Jacob Oliva speaks at a press conference on Feb. 14, 2025 as Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders listens. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Legislation that would overhaul the state's higher education system awaits the governor's signature following the approval of identical bills by the Arkansas Legislature on Monday. Arkansas ACCESS, a legislative priority for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, would make changes to the state's funding model, scholarships, course credits and the admissions process, among other things. After Republicans Sen. Jonathan Dismang of Searcy and Rep. Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado filed Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 last month, the legislation continued to be 'a work-in-progress' for weeks, House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, told the Advocate Monday. 'We had a lot of input from stakeholders, both from higher ed to the public, and feel like the end result is a very good compromise piece of legislation,' Evans said. 'It looks like the support in both the House and the Senate has been very strong. There's even been some bipartisan support on that, so we appreciated that understanding.' Speaking from the House floor Thursday, Rep. Lincoln Barnett, D-Hughes, said even though he appreciated parts of Arkansas ACCESS, the legislation should have been run separately instead of a large 123-page bill, which allows lawmakers 'to sneak in the bad along with the good.' Arkansas ACCESS reduces the size and membership of a variety of boards and councils, and Barnett said he was particularly concerned about the removal of 'critical stakeholders' from a council designed to close the achievement gap. 'This bill aims to erase and ignore continued realities of existing disparities when it comes to the field of education,' Barnett said. '…I am strongly opposed to this bill for the manner in which it was run. The process has been rushed. Input from others was sought on the back end rather than on the front end, and voices of our youth, our educators and key stakeholders have been ignored or at best, half-listened to.' Several students voiced their displeasure during last week's Joint Education Committee meeting over a prohibition on granting excused absences to public high school and college students who participate in political protests or attempts to influence legislation or other governmental policymaking. As someone who visited the Legislature as a teenager, Evans said he understood the importance of involving youth in the process of the General Assembly. The implications of the bills' original language 'was an unintended consequence,' he said. 'I think there were some House members that felt like that may need to have been amended in order so that we could encourage and let it be a part of a field trip, let it be a part of coming and seeing the process of how legislation moves, special events, special interest topics…it would have just been an error in not allowing that, so I think it was good to get those discussions,' Evans said. Higher education bill receives initial approval from Arkansas lawmakers The committee did adopt an amendment presented by the bill's sponsors that would allow high school students to be granted an excused absence for engaging in governmental policymaking with parental consent. School districts would also be required to submit an annual report to the state education department on the absences. The amendment left the original prohibition intact for college students, who also could be found liable for property damage that occurs during a protest. Under the legislation, students would not receive their degree or credential, or have their credits transferred to another Arkansas school until they pay for the damaged property. Additional provisions of the legislation include a focus on 'accelerated learning' that will expand high school students' access to courses beyond the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. The legislation also has provisions aimed at supporting participation in concurrent credit courses that allow high school students to take courses for college credit. As part of an effort to streamline participation in higher education, Arkansas ACCESS proposes creating a universal college application, a common-course numbering system among state institutions and a program that would establish provisional admission to students who meet basic standards. Both the Arkansas House and Senate approved Arkansas ACCESS Monday without discussion. Reporter Tess Vrbin contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the ninth week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
Video: Arkansas legislature activity for March 12 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Week nine of the 95th General Assembly showed an increasing number of bills becoming law. Forty-one bills were signed into law this week, alongside legislation changing the nature of electrical utilities for ratepayers, movement on the governor's signature higher-education bill and legislation on nitrogen gas execution to the governor's desk. University of Arkansas among 60 universities under federal investigation over DEI practices NEW LAWS Alongside more mundane items like budget appropriations, 41 bills signed into law Thursday included legislation on campaign contributions, medical marijuana and election laws, including laws for write-in candidates. This makes 299 bills signed into law this session. ELECTRIC UTILITIES A bill that has garnered a lot of debate in the Senate cleared that chamber and was sent to the House on Wednesday. Senate Bill 307 changes the relationship between the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) and electric utilities by charging rates on construction projects in process. League of Women Voters submits Arkansas ballot question to roll back initiative changes A related matter is a bill filed on Friday by Sen. Matt McKee (R-Pearcy) requiring the PSC to approve any power plants being closed. Part of the support for SB307 by senators, including McKee, was that Arkansas is due to lose two of its coal-fired power plants in 2030. HIGHER EDUCATION The House and Senate passed identical bills to put Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' higher education revamping Arkansas ACCESS for 'acceleration, common sense, cost, eligibility, scholarships, and standardization,' closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 were transmitted to their opposite chamber, where they were voted and moved to committee on Thursday. One sticking point with legislators was the original legislation's language stating that absences for public policy advocacy or attempts to influence legislation and political protests would count as unexcused absences. Sponsors made an amendment Monday afternoon for schools to allow an excused absence for public policy advocacy or to influence legislation if parents provide written permission, but political protests would remain unexcused. University of Arkansas among 60 universities under federal investigation over DEI practices NITROGEN GAS Legislation allowing the state to use nitrogen gas to execute death-penalty inmates has passed both chambers and been sent to the governor for signature as House Bill 1489. Arkansas currently has 25 inmates on death row. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers introduce ‘Momnibus 2.0' bill to address maternal health in New Hampshire
Julie Mudd, a doula from Bedford, speaks in support of the Momnibus bill while holding her son in Concord on Feb. 19, 2025. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) Eleven maternity wards have closed in New Hampshire since 2000, and the leading cause of maternal mortality in the state is behavioral health, including substance abuse. In an attempt to address these issues — which have been reported by the Bulletin and the New Hampshire Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition — and others related to motherhood, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced Senate Bill 246, which they have dubbed the 'Momnibus 2.0' bill. If enacted, the bill would require Medicaid to cover maternal depression screenings for new mothers at their well-child visits. It would also require health insurance policies to cover mothers' prenatal and postnatal depression screenings, as well as depression screenings for the mother at the child's 1-month, 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month well-child visits and home visits. This also extends to people who lost their pregnancy due to a stillbirth, miscarriage, or medical termination, as well as adoptive or foster parents within 12 months of assuming care of a child. This comes as doctors and the general public become increasingly aware of how common prenatal and postpartum depression is. The bill would also forbid employers from denying employees time off to attend fertility treatments, childbirth, pregnancy checkups, and postpartum care. And those employees can't be fired for attending these appointments under the bill. The bill also seeks to establish a perinatal psychiatric provider consult line. It would authorize the state to spend $275,000 on that consult line and allocate $75,000 of state funds for rural EMS providers to spend on maternal health-related training. It also would instruct the state Insurance Department to examine what barriers are preventing the sustainability of maternity wards in New Hampshire and report their findings to the Legislature and governor's office by November 2026. 'Making sure moms and babies have the support they need is something everyone can get behind,' Sen. Denise Ricciardi, the bill's prime sponsor and a Bedford Republican, said at a rally in support of the bill in Concord Wednesday morning. 'Supporting out moms and families is a shared value across the state and across party lines.' The legislators behind the bill have cast it as a successor to the so-called 'Momnibus 1.0,' a piece of legislation passed in 2023 as part of the budget. That legislation extended the time Medicaid will cover postpartum care from 60 days to a full year; required Medicaid to cover lactation services, donor breast milk, and doulas; allocated funding to family resource centers; and expanded mental health services for children. 'We are already seeing positive effects of this legislation with many more moms able to get the postpartum care that they need,' Ricciardi said. 'But the work is not done. Moms need support.' Heather Martin, who spoke at the rally Wednesday, works as a maternal mental health advocate at Dartmouth Health. Martin's only sister died of a maternal suicide three weeks after the birth of her first child. 'No family should have to endure that pain, and no mother should have to suffer in silence.' she said. 'Right now, too many moms don't know where to turn for help.' Martin said having these depression screenings at the child's appointments is crucial. 'By meeting moms where they already are, we can catch maternal mental health struggles early and connect them with help they need before a crisis,' she said. 'Moms in our state need help.' 'We are losing too many moms to preventative outcomes, like my sister,' she said. At a hearing later on Wednesday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard powerful testimony from a number of proponents of the bill, including Jessica Crowley, of Hampton, who spoke about the mental health challenges she faced during her challenging pregnancy. She explained that her first ultrasound visit came with the news that her baby may not be able to survive outside the womb. 'That day, and in the 10 days waiting for the test results, did any mental health professional check in with me to see how I was doing,' she asked rhetorically. 'No one did.' Her baby survived but still required surgery and time in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. 'When my baby was born, I spent the next five weeks by her bedside in the NICU alone,' she said. 'During that time, did one mental health professional check in with me to see how that lonely scared mom was doing. Not one for five long weeks.' She said when nurses — which she noted had another pressing job to do — asked her how she was doing, she said she was fine. 'But I was not fine. How could I have been fine? I was watching my infant struggling to survive without being able to hold her.' 'My journey to motherhood was vastly different than I imagined it would be,' she continued. 'When I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mother to two, but the reality is that I felt abandoned and betrayed by the same society that told me my greatest value as a woman was becoming a mom. This bill would've helped me when I was that lonely, scared new mom and I know it will help New Hampshire families.' The American College of OBGYNs and the New Hampshire Medical Society have endorsed the bill. 'When New Hampshire moms thrive and New Hampshire babies thrive, then New Hampshire families and the community that they live in thrive,' Sen. Suzanne Prentiss, a West Lebanon Democrat and co-sponsor of the new bill, said at the rally. 'They are the bedrock of the Granite State.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas ACCESS higher education bills entered in legislature
VIDEO: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces Arkansas ACCESS legislation LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Promised higher education reform legislation was entered into the Arkansas legislature on Monday. The Arkansas Access Act was entered as a bill in both the House and Senate. In both cases, the bills, House Bill 1512 and Senate Bill 246, have had their floor reading and are now before the House and Senate Education Committee. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces Arkansas ACCESS higher education reform legislation As promised by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a Friday announcement, the bills make several changes to the higher education process in the state. Among the changes is moving the state's School Leadership Coordinating Council from 17 members to five members, with the ability to add members 'as deemed necessary.' The legislation includes provisions for accelerated learning in every public high school, where students can access college-level and technical coursework. The term 'advanced placement' would be struck from Arkansas regulations. It also forbids student walkouts for political or social protests, classifying them as an 'unexcused absence.' Any student who causes damage during a protest will be liable for the cost of repairs. The legislation maintains that 'An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or contractor of a state-supported institution of higher education shall not adversely or advantageously treat students of the state-supported institution of higher education differently on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national origin except to the extent otherwise allowed by federal law.' Free school breakfast bill advances in Arkansas legislature It also prohibits state higher-education teachers from compelling students or staff to adopt a political, philosophical or religious viewpoint. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
