Latest news with #Bill307
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed Louisiana bill would require citizenship check for public benefit applicants
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A proposed bill that would require state agencies to verify the citizenship or immigration status of those applying for public benefits has moved to the House floor. House Bill 307, authored by Rep. Chance Henry (R-Crowley), passed the committee with amendments on Wednesday. According to the proposed bill, all individuals looking for public assistance who are not citizens of the U.S. would be reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If an applicant is found not to be a U.S. citizen, all public benefits, including welfare, food assistance, housing, and education assistance, would be cut off. State agencies must submit an annual report with the number of individuals who were reported to ICE and those who lost their benefits. 'So this isn't necessarily about benefits, it's about informing people to the government so that they can be deported?' asked Rep. Mandie Landry (D-New Orleans). Henry replied, saying, 'Yeah, so I do not know what's [going to] be done with that information once the feds have it. I can't attest to that, but this is about notifying the proper entities of their being here illegally. Yes, ma'am.' The bill will eventually be debated on the House floor. Attorney for boater involved in deadly Florida ferry crash explains client's side of events Senate resolution to scrap Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs fails despite some GOP support Proposed Louisiana bill would require citizenship check for public benefit applicants US, Ukraine sign mineral deal Bill aims to establish Louisiana's official Christmas children's book Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the 10th week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
Video: Arkansas prison funding bill back to Senate after amendment fails in subcommittee LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas legislature had a busy week as it worked to pass several impactful bills. Bills covered a range of issues, but some of the bigger ones were: ELECTRIC UTILITIES Without fanfare, a bill signed into law this week changes the relationship between the Public Service Commission and the electric utilities it regulates and, ultimately, outcomes for ratepayers. Senate Bill 307 created the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025 by becoming Act 373. For ratepayers, rates will increase incrementally as power plant construction projects are undertaken, as opposed to rates going up a lot in a short period after a power plant is completed. Arkansas legislators vote for ivermectin over-the-counter sales, heads to governor's desk The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), said it was motivated by Arkansas losing two of its five coal-fired power plants in 2030 against an ever-rising demand for electrical power. ARKANSAS ACCESS Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law this week the higher-education-changing Arkansas ACCESS Act. The legislation is the higher education version of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which was passed in 2023 to change K-12 education. Bill to bring online gaming to Arkansas filed in legislature The legislation includes provisions for accelerated learning in every public high school, including technical training, where students can access college-level coursework. ACCESS stands for acceleration, common sense, cost, eligibility, scholarship and standardization. PRISON FUNDING After an at-times full-throated debate in the Joint Budget Committee, the bill to finance the remainder of a proposed $825 million prison in Franklin County received a do-pass vote and is scheduled to return to the Senate floor on Thursday afternoon. Legislators speaking against the bill were concerned with what they saw as a lack of planning and the possible cost of resources not included in the bill, like wastewater treatment and road improvements. Arkansas constituents voice concerns at town hall meeting for 2nd Congressional district If the bill receives a favorable vote in the Senate, it will move to the House for further debate. 89 BILLS This week, the governor signed 89 bills into law in two separate signing sessions. Legislation ranged from routine allocation acts to acts clarifying abortion laws, enhancing human trafficking penalties and for dealing fentanyl, creating sports raffles, and protecting property owners when dirt bikes are ridden. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas lawmakers approve legislation aimed at mitigating energy bill spikes
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, presents Senate Bill 307 to the Arkansas Senate on March 5, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) The Arkansas House signed off on legislation Tuesday that supporters said will mitigate expected electricity rate increases by altering the current process for constructing power plants. Senate Bill 307 will allow utility companies to begin recovering the costs of building a new generating plant during the construction phase instead of having to wait until the end of the project to do so, which will result in lower costs for customers over the long term, bill sponsor and Searcy Republican Rep. Les Eaves said. With two coal-fired plants set to go offline in the next few years, Eaves said Arkansas will need to generate or purchase energy to keep up with current demand. Ratepayers' bills will go up regardless, Eaves said, but the process outlined in the bill could ease a sharp spike in prices and will provide the Arkansas Public Service Commission more oversight of the projects. Additionally, the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025, could help the state attract economic development projects like data centers, which could lead to more jobs, Eaves said. Failing to approve SB 307 would result in those companies moving on to other states, he said. 'And those other states will benefit from the economic development projects and those jobs that come with it,' Eaves said. 'There's also the very real possibility that one or more of these data centers will invest hundreds of millions of dollars here in new power generation and this will result again in overall lower power costs to our ratepayers.' Stalled energy bill advances out of Arkansas Senate In a House committee meeting Monday, Eaves said the bill would attract more than data centers but other big users of electricity, such as aerospace manufacturers and lithium processors. Allison Thompson, president and CEO of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, spoke in favor of the bill in Monday's hearing, saying one of the first questions she's asked by new project proponents is whether there is reliable and abundant available energy. Jefferson County is home to the White Bluff Power Plant that's scheduled for closure. Speaking in favor of the legislation from the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Stephen Meeks, R-Greenbrier, said he really liked the forward-thinking nature of the bill. 'I support the bill, that we're trying to ramp electric bills and not have those sharp cliffs, that we're building base generation that we need for a reliable grid here in the state of Arkansas, and this bill is always looking to the future at new technologies and how we can implement them to help make sure we have a reliable grid,' Meeks said. No one spoke against the bill, which the Arkansas House approved by a vote of 77-13. Nine members voted present. SB 307 passed in the Senate last week by a vote of 23-9. The bill now awaits the governor's signature. 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
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amendment may bolster Arkansas legislation restructuring electrical utilities
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A 62-page legislation package to impact Arkansans who pay for electricity continues to raise questions in the Senate. Senate Bill 307 would impact the relationship between electrical utilities and the Public Service Commission (PSC) from the current model. Called the Generate Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025, it would alter long-standing precedent, in turn impacting electric bills. Bill in Arkansas legislature intends to promote expansion of electric power infrastructure, could cause rate increase Sponsor Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) pointed out that, as the bill was introduced, Arkansas was about to lose two of its five coal-fired power plants by 2030, leading to a loss of capacity for the state. Less capacity means that the electricity available will be worth and cost more, leading to higher electric bills for consumers. Under the bill's terms, utilities could bill consumers as new projects—such as those replacing coal plants—as they are constructed, leading to an incremental increase in electricity costs as a project progresses. Under the current model, consumers are charged after a project is completed, leading to a sticker-shock-inducing sudden jump in the electric bill. Petit Jean Electric customers seek explanation for jump in bills Senators who opposed the bill in a Wednesday vote, where it failed 17-11 with four abstaining, were concerned that under the bill's terms, oversight would be taken from the PSC and left with the utilities, a point Dismang disputed. Through a Senate procedure, Dismang reintroduced the legislation after it failed. On Thursday, Sen. Jimmy Hinkey (R-Texarkana), who had voted against the bill, introduced a Senate amendment for the PSC to review the bill and submit its considerations to the Senate by 9 a.m. Monday. After the amendment had passed, Hinkey told the chamber that the bill was, in his opinion, one of the bigger pieces of legislation the body had ever faced. He also said that a Committee of the Whole should be considered for its next hearing. The rarely-used Committee of the Whole allows both houses to participate in the debate and bring in outside people as witnesses. Arkansas electric utility bill fails Senate vote, due to return later The amendment was passed unanimously by voice vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
