Latest news with #Bill709
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri House passes bill to void NDAs in child sex abuse cases
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A bill that would void non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in child sexual abuse cases received unanimous approval from Missouri's House on Tuesday, April 22. Sponsored by Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz from Branson, the bill is now headed toward the Missouri Senate. House Bill 709 supporters say that NDAs are often used to silence underage victims of sex abuse. 'The only way healing occurs in trauma is to give the victim back their voice and freedom,' Christa Yandell, the mother of a boy who was a victim of sex abuse at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, testified to the House. 'An NDA protects the abuser, not the victim. NDA's have no place in sexual abuse cases.' Man serving life sentence for Kanakuk sexual abuse denied parole The bill — titled 'Trey's Law' — is named for Trey Carlock, who was a victim of sexual abuse at Kanakuk and later died by suicide at the age of 28. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The state pension system has a $16 billion deficit, NC treasurer tells legislators
NC Treasurer Brad Briner tells the House Oversight Committee about the state pension plan deficit. (Screenshot from NCGA video feed) The state pension system has a $16 billion deficit, state Treasurer Brad Briner told a legislative committee Thursday morning, and the department's investment division needs a new strategic direction. Briner used his appearance before the House Oversight Committee to talk up his proposal for changing how investment decisions are made. He also faced pointed questions from Democrats on the committee about potential crypto investments. A bill moving through the state House, one backed by House Speaker Destin Hall, would allow the Treasurer's office to invest in Bitcoin. Right now, the state Treasurer makes all the investment decisions. The office has investment advisory boards, but the Treasurer doesn't have to listen to them. Briner wants the state to create a board, called the Investment Authority, that would make investment decisions. His proposal is in House Bill 506 and its Senate twin, Senate Bill 709. The Treasurer would sit on the board with appointees from the House Speaker, the Senate leader, the Governor and the Treasurer. Members would have a minimum of 10 years' experience in investment management. Coincidentally, Briner's committee appearance coincided with a sharp drop in stock market indexes triggered by President Donald Trump's tariffs. 'Today is going to be a very interesting day in U.S. capital markets history,' he said. 'The temptation for everyone is to do something, anything,' Briner said. 'The right answer is probably going to be to wait.' For a political office holder, the temptation is greater, he said. Having an investment board would be a guard against that temptation and still provide political accountability, he said. North Carolina is one of three states where one person is responsible for investment decisions, he said. 'I think more heads are better than one when it comes to having a disciplined, long-term investment strategy,' he said. 'I think having this kind of concentrated power in a single individual, elected or otherwise, doesn't really make sense.' Former Treasurer Dale Folwell had an unorthodox approach to investing that was out of step with other large public pension funds, NC Newsline has reported. The pension fund held a far greater percentage of its money in cash than other public pension plans, which was a drag on returns. Pension investments have fallen short of the 6.5% rate of return, Briner said, and the state pension fund ranks 49th or 50th in returns. With a sole fiduciary, 'it is easy to be overly conservative in that model, and hard to be appropriately risky in that model, because you get all of the blame, and you get none of the credit. And I understand from a human emotion perspective why you'd end up where we are, and that's not a good place.' Democrats on the committee asked repeated questions about investments in crypto currency. Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake) said constituents are wondering about it. Briner said Bitcoin is 'the best method to bet against the value of the U.S. dollar' but it's also extremely volatile. 'There probably is a role for them over time in a very modest proportion,' he said.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Oklahoma woman testifies before Texas lawmakers on sexual abuse and non-disclosure agreements
AUSTIN, Texas — An Oklahoma woman who accused former disgraced megachurch preacher Robert Morris of sexual abuse testified before the Texas House of Representatives, asking them to ban the use of 'non-disclosure agreements' in sexual abuse cases. Cindy Clemishire publicly accused Robert Morris in 2024 of sexual misconduct ranging from inappropriate touching to rape by instrumentation. Almost two decades after the alleged abuse, Morris's attorneys offered the Oklahoma woman $25,000 if she would sign a non-disclosure agreement and remain silent. She declined. Texas House Bill 748, also called 'Trey's Law,' and Missouri House Bill 709, would make non-disclosure agreements unenforceable in child sex abuse cases. Clemishire waited 43 years for her voice to be heard. Although her voice trembled and she choked back emotion, her words spoke loudly before the Texas House of Representatives, Judiciary, and Civil Jurisprudence Committee members. 'I am a survivor of child sexual abuse.' Cindy Clemishire, Texas House of Representatives Clemishire spoke of the years of abuse she allegedly suffered involving Morris that started on Christmas night in 1982 when a then-married father was a traveling evangelist and stayed at the Clemishire home while holding revival services in Hominy. Morris, the founder of a Texas-based Gateway Church, one of the largest megachurches in the country, is free on $50,000 bail after being charged in Osage County District Court with five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child. Clemishire's accusations of sexual assault continued until Clemishire was 17 years old and, in 1987 told her parents about the abuse. Her father told Morris's pastor that if Morris didn't get out of the ministry, he would report him to the police. It was a losing fight for the family. 'The first time he made the premeditated decision to violate and defile my purity, he told me, 'You can never tell anyone because it will ruin everything,'' Clemishire said. 'When I did finally tell someone, it seemed as though Robert Morris was right,' Clemishire said. 'It ruined everything.' Clemishire testified how all the relationships in her life 'took a shift.' 'At 17 years old in 1987, I felt like it was all my fault. As I began the lifelong journey to sort through these emotional challenges, my life seemed to attract more shame while Robert's attracted fame.' Cindy Clemishire Through decades of off-and-on counseling, Clemishire said she has 'found my way to understand child sexual abuse, forgiveness, and healing.' She said that at age 37, through her attorney, Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond, who was in private practice in 2007, she asked Morris for $50,000 to cover past and future counseling. Morris's attorney responded with a letter accusing 'an innocent 12-year-old Cindy of pursuing Robert and making Robert sound like the victim,' she said. Morris offered a $25,000 settlement as long as Clemishre would sign an NDA. 'Because I refused to sign an NDA, my abuser is finally being held accountable for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,' Clemishire said. 'Because I refused to sign the NDA at 37, I can sit here at 55 and share my story and be the voice of so many people who don't have the courage – hoping I can help them. Trey Carlock was a victim of child sexual abuse at the Branson-based Kanakuk Kamps. As part of his settlement, he was required to sign a 'restricted NDA.' He died by suicide in 2019 and called his settlement 'blood money,' according to his sister, Elizabeth Carlock Phillips, who also testified before Texas legislatures on Wednesday. In addition to Clemishire and Phillips, Kathryn Robb, director of the Children's Justice Campaign, testified. Morris's next court date is May 9, when a preliminary hearing on the allegations will be set. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Renters hope ‘good cause eviction' bill will overcome Senate committee hurdle
Renter advocates gather Tuesday in the cold in Annapolis to call on lawmakers to pass "good cause" eviction legislation. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters) Renter advocates are hopeful that this will b the year 'good cause' evictions finally become law in Maryland — but first it has to get past the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, where it died last year after passing the House. 'We're seeing progress … Now, all eyes are on the Senate to do the right thing for the state of Maryland,' said Matt Losak at a midday rally of more than two dozen advocacy groups Tuesday outside the State House. 'We've been fighting for just cause or good cause eviction for more than a decade. 'Good cause eviction' refers to legislation that would let counties and the city of Baltimore adopt policies that require a landlord to cite a specific reason before ending a lease agreement with a tenant. 'In our view, this is the most important piece of legislation facing the Maryland General Assembly this year, short of the budget,' said Losak, the co-founder of Montgomery County Renters Alliance. 'We are seeing countless tenants losing their homes for no other reason other than forming tenants' associations, seeking promised or required services or trying to negotiate a fairer rent.' The House and Senate both held hearings on the proposal Tuesday. The House Environment and Transportation Committee took up Del. Jheanelle K. Wilkins' (D-Montgomery) House Bill 709 and the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard Senate Bill 651, co-sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's) and Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard). 'If your landlord can't give a good reason for the eviction, then your family shouldn't be evicted,' Muse said at the rally. 'When families can stay in their homes, they can stay near their jobs, near their schools, near their family and their friends.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE But with Maryland facing a 96,000-unit housing shortage, officials are trying to encourage new development to increase housing supply. They worry that developers may veer away from the state if there are too many regulatory hoops to consider. For that and other reasons, good cause legislation may still face a difficult path this session. The bills outline 10 broad circumstances that a landlord could cite when not renewing a lease, including substantial breach of lease or damage to the premises, a series of minor lease violations that negatively affect the property, or routine disorderly conduct that disturbs other tenants. Other 'good causes' include situations when residents habitually pay rent late, engage in illegal activities on the premises, or refuse to let the landlord access the property. A landlord would also be able to take back property for their own use or a family member's, take it back for significant renovations, or just because they want to take it off the rental market. All of those are 'good cause' for lease non-renewal under the bill. But Robert Enten, representing the Maryland Multi-Housing Association, told the Senate committee the bill has too many undefined terms that need clarification. 'Tenant engaging in 'routine disorderly conduct' – what does that mean?,' Enten asked. 'A tenant 'repeatedly' committing 'minor violations' — what does 'repeatedly' mean? Once? Twice? Three times? … If you want to pass a bill to deal with this, this bill needs a ton of work.' A final out would be if the tenant refuses an offer of a new lease. Sen. Mike McKay (R-Western Maryland) asked if that could 'create a new loophole that will just automatically increase rent?' 'If I just don't want to rent to somebody for whatever reason, to get around it all, I just say, 'It'll be another $500,'' McKay said. His question hung in the air for a moment, as bill supporters reached for an answer before Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) jumped in. 'I think this question is very important, because it speaks to the interconnectivity of all these regulations across the state,' Smith said. 'He is absolutely right to ask this question, which shows you that nothing happens in isolation.' Smith said that if counties do not have protections such as rent stabilization, then McKay's hypothetical could be real. 'But if you have rent stabilization in your jurisdiction, then you would not be able to raise the rent,' he said, referencing Montgomery County, which has created some rent stabilization policy. 'These are things that you have to kick around in your head when you're thinking about this,' Smith said. 'I like the notion of good cause, but we have a responsibility as a committee to be intellectually honest in how those things fit into the issues of other jurisdictions.' Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore and Carroll counties) asked would the bill 'advance the state's goals of creating more rental housing?' Bill Castelli, representing Maryland Realtors, said the bill could be a deterrent for developers and landlords. 'I think the more control property owners lose in terms of that property – the less control they have of tenants in the property, the less control they have on the property itself in terms of what they charge – that provides less incentive for people to invest in,' Castelli said. Despite the committee's questions, Losak said he is still 'a bit optimistic' about the bill's chances this year. He said that passing the bill 'changes the dynamic' between tenants and landlords by providing tenants with tools to fight back against unfair landlords. 'The bill itself is fair, just, sensible,' Losak said, 'and it's common sense.' Later Tuesday, the House Environment and Transportation committee brought up HB 709 as one of last bills of the day. Last year, the good cause legislation passed the House on a 96-37 vote, but without the Senate counterpart, the bill died. The bill is widely expected to pass the House again this session. 'I'll be happy when the Senate passes it,' said Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery), chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee, 'because that's what has to happen for us to get something to the governor.'
