Latest news with #Bill87
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC House panel advances bill restricting K-12 student cell phone use
Photo: Daniel deA bill requiring North Carolina school boards to adopt policies restricting student cell phone use during instructional time cleared a state House committee Tuesday. The House Judiciary 2 Committee approved House Bill 87 on a voice vote. The bill would allow individual school districts to create their own policies regarding cell phone restrictions. The bill differs from Senate Bill 55, which passed the Senate earlier this month and is far stricter. The Senate bill would require local education agencies to implement policies that ban students from using 'wireless communication devices' during instructional time. The bill defines a wireless communication device as 'any portable wireless device that has the capability to provide voice, messaging, or other data communication between two or more parties,' including cellular telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, paging devices, two-way radios, and gaming devices. During Tuesday's committee meeting, several members of the public called for a 'bell-to-bell' policy, which generally means restricting phone use from the start to the end of the school day. 'Our children need a policy that provides strong guardrails all day to keep them from this addictive behavior, particularly between classes, when they are vulnerable to mental health insults from inappropriate content and cyberbullying,' said Mary Ann Tierney, a nurse and executive director of Safe Tech NC. Lina Nealon, a national expert on child online safety and a parent of Durham public school students, also voiced her support for a 'bell-to-bell' policy. 'When kids' faces are pressed to their phones outside of instruction time, they lose moments of closeness and critical thinking,' Nealon said. 'A bell-to-bell policy would prevent second-hand smartphone harm.' But the bill's sponsors — Republicans Neal Jackson, Brian Biggs, Mike Schietzelt, and Blair Eddins — say they would leave it to individual school districts to decide how to implement the policy, opposing a one-size-fits-all approach. Opponents of the bill have argued that limiting cell phone access could prevent students from communicating in emergencies. Tech advocates contend that restricting devices could stifle new avenues for learning. Currently, around 77 school districts in North Carolina have their own cell phone policies, according to legislative staff. The proposed bill would require all districts to implement a policy. The bill includes exceptions for: Remote charter academies Remote academies Virtual charter schools participating in a pilot program authorized by state law The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee before potentially advancing to a full House vote.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill expanding ‘ethnic intimidation,' defining antisemitism in Ohio reemerges at Statehouse
The Ohio Statehouse. (Photo by Jake Zuckerman, Ohio Capital Journal.) An Ohio Senate Republican has reintroduced a bill to expand criminal charges of 'ethnic intimidation' and define antisemitism in state law, aligning the definition with a previous executive order by Gov. Mike DeWine. State Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, brought Ohio Senate Bill 87 to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. He said one of the drivers for the bill was the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, after which, he said, 'a concerning wave of extremist demonstrations' on Ohio college campuses included 'disturbing displays of aggression and intolerance.' With antisemitism 'seemingly on the rise' particularly at 'pro-Gaza' protests on college campuses, Johnson said he wants Ohio law to include an expansion of the charge of ethnic intimidation, when combined with other charges. 'Ethnic intimidation is already against the law here in Ohio and can be added as an additional charge for violations such as aggravated menacing, menacing, criminal damaging, or endangering and criminal mischief,' Johnson told the committee. 'This legislation would expand that charge to also include aggravated rioting and rioting committed by reason of race, color, religion, or national origin of another person or group.' A charge of riot can be leveled when five or more people 'participate in a course of disorderly conduct' for the purpose of committing a misdemeanor offense. It can also be charged to a group of five or more people accused of intimidating a public official or employee 'into taking or refraining from official action, or with the purpose to hinder, impede or obstruct a function of government,' according to the bill. Rioting can also be charged when a group is accused of trying to 'hinder, impede or obstruct the orderly process of administration or instruction at an educational institution.' If someone is charged with a riot offense, the charge of ethnic intimidation would be a fifth-degree felony. A charge of aggravated riot would bring an ethnic intimidation charge considered second, third, or fourth-degree felony 'depending on the circumstances of the offense,' according to an analysis by the Legislative Service Commission. A bill on which S.B. 87 is based was brought by Johnson in the last General Assembly, and it received both praise and criticism in committee hearings. Those who stood against the bill called it 'un-American' and said it conflated 'legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies with hatred.' Critics like the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio chapter Executive Director Faten Odeh said the previous bill would dampen dissent and could have placed the government 'in the role of silencing political opposition.' Opponents also questioned how words used at protests will be interpreted, and who will decide what is considered illegal. 'Who will interpret my words,' asked Patricia Marida in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in December. 'How far can I go in criticizing the state of Israel? How might I be pointed out, sanctioned, or even targeted by those who disagree with me?' Along with expanding the criminal offense of ethnic intimidation, the bill codifies a definition of antisemitism 'for the purpose of investigations and proceedings by state agencies.' The definition is taken from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance — the same definition used in a 2022 executive order by DeWine. It encourages state agencies to use it for agency investigations, including those at higher education institutions. 'An executive order is a handy thing, executive orders are easier to change than things that are actually placed in law,' Johnson said when asked on Wednesday why the bill is needed if DeWine's executive order already exists. 'I think this is a weighty enough situation that it needs to be in law.' Under the definition, antisemitism is 'a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish Community institutions and religious facilities.' Supporters of the bill in its previous form included Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and the group Ohio Jewish Communities, whose president and CEO, Howie Biegelman, said the alliance's definition would help authorities determine whether incidents rise to the level of 'actual antisemitism.' Biegelman said he was confident the bill would still allow First Amendment rights to continue, only jumping in 'when that hatred morphs into a crime or other action covered by a school or work policy.' Groups such as the Jewish Voice for Peace are opposed to the Holocuast remembrance alliance definition of antisemitism, saying it 'conflates criticism of the state of Israel with anti-semitism' and warning about the legislation 'possibly tying it to enforcement mechanisms like firing critics of Israel for organizations, and schools getting government funding.' In introducing the new bill, Johnson said it is 'explicitly stated that this legislation shall not be construed to diminish or infringe on any right protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution or Ohio Constitution.' 'The freedom of speech and public demonstrations are ingrained in our American way of life,' Johnson told the committee. 'It is crucial for such protests to adhere to the principles of respect, empathy and constructive dialogue between all perspectives.' While the previous bill passed the Ohio Senate, it didn't make the cut as the General Assembly term drew to a close at the end of 2024. Johnson also said the bill hit some 'unexpected roadblocks from House leadership' that kept it from moving forward, though he didn't specify what those roadblocks were. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to ban phones during classes clears NC Senate
RALEIGH — The state Senate passed bipartisan legislation Tuesday directing schools to ban the use of cellphones, laptops and other wireless devices during classes, with a series of exceptions including educational use. Senators voted 41-1 to approve Senate Bill 55 and send it to the House, where lawmakers have advanced a bill of their own. The House's bill is less restrictive and only covers cellphones, unlike the Senate's bill, which covers tablet and laptop computers as well. One of the primary sponsors of the House bill is Rep. Brian Biggs, R-Randolph. Biggs filed House Bill 87 last month. The Senate's bill would require school boards and charter schools to create their own policies on wireless devices that, at a minimum, prohibit students from using, displaying, or having any 'wireless communication device' turned on during classes. School boards would be responsible for establishing consequences for violating the policy, which could include confiscation and disciplinary measures as prescribed by each school's code of student conduct. The policies adopted by school boards would be required to allow cellphone use either by permission of a teacher for educational purposes; in case of an emergency; if required for a student's individualized education program or section 504 plan; or to manage a student's health care. Two lawmakers who joined forces on this bill, GOP Sen. Jim Burgin, one of the bill's three primary sponsors, and Democratic Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, the Senate Democratic whip, previously filed legislation last year to study the impact of phones in schools. Chaudhuri said after Senate Bill 55 was filed last month that in today's society, the ubiquity of smartphones and other electronic devices has led to 'a collective action problem where we've created a phone-based childhood as opposed to a phone-free childhood.' At least 19 states have already passed laws banning phones in schools or recommending local school districts enact their own restrictions, according to an analysis by Education Week. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Conceived children' could be dependents under new Ohio House bill
File photo of an ultrasound. (Stock photo from Getty Images.) Ohio taxpayers could claim 'conceived children' as dependents on their taxes under a bill recently introduced in the General Assembly. The bill began after state Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, championed a 'personhood' bill that would have created rights for embryos and fetuses at the moment of conception. That bill wasn't moved by the legislature, but a critic of the bill asked Click if the bill allowed embryos and fetuses to be claimed on taxes. 'Somebody that was trying to nitpick at me actually gave me a good idea,' Click said. And thus came a bill last year with similar language on creating tax credits for 'conceived children,' which has been reintroduced this year as Ohio House Bill 87. Click said it's had time for improvements that weren't available in the short time frame the bill had at the end of last General Assembly. 'We took some input from some folks that we received last year and tried to improve it,' Click told the Capital Journal. The bill language adds certain items like cribs and pack-and-plays to the list of things that are tax-exempt, in an attempt to give breathing room to expectant families, Click said. 'These seem like little things, but when you're just a little couple starting off, every cent matters,' he said. An announcement of the reintroduction of the bill cited a 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of health costs related to pregnancy, child birth and postpartum care, which found costs averaged $18,865 nationally, with nearly $3,000 in out-of-pocket costs. But the bill also allows couples, and the pregnant individual if a couple is filing separately, to include 'each child conceived, including each child conceived by assisted reproduction that has been placed inside the taxpayer or taxpayer's spouse's uterus' as a dependent on their yearly taxes. Pregnancies lost to 'spontaneous miscarriage' are also included in the bill in a change since the last bill was introduced. Click said he 'thought that might be a little heartless to exclude them.' In including pregnancies conceived through 'assisted reproduction,' Click said he wanted at least state tax support of a child to 'begin at implantation.' 'They don't become a dependent after they're born, they become a dependent as soon as you know the child,' Click said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX One exception made in the bill is to any pregnancy terminated through abortion, something critics have said flies in the face of the constitutional amendment passed in November 2023 that established the right to abortion in the Ohio Constitution. 'If you think a tax credit can undo a constitutional amendment, you need to go back to school,' Click said in response. Currently, in order to claim dependents on state taxes, they have to be included in a 'schedule of dependents,' which must include the names of the dependent, their Social Security Numbers, their dates of birth, and the relationship to the tax filer, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation. It's not clear how the language in the schedule of dependents would change under the bill to include fetuses who would not yet have a Social Security Number or birth date. In terms of proving the conception, Click likened that information to business travel mileage, which would only need to be proven in the case of an audit. But he said that a doctor's official notes or medical diagnosis could possibly be used to prove the time of the conception. Blaine G. Saito, an assistant professor of law at the Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law with expertise in tax law and policy, said there are a fair amount of items on tax forms that 'do not always have reporting,' for example, cash transactions. 'People are just supposed to report honestly,' Saito said. Saito also noted prior to a federal change in 1986 that required Social Security Numbers in dependent filings, 'there were a lot of dependents, and they suddenly disappeared.' 'A lot of the tax system then requires people to make estimates in general and report in good faith, and quite a bit may not be subject to third party reporting or easily found,' Saito said. There may be ways to prove 'conceived children,' he said, 'though a requirement to 'document' it when claiming the dependent may be considered onerous.' H.B. 87 was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee earlier this month, where it will be subject to hearings before a committee vote can bring it to the House floor. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
