Latest news with #EmmaMurphy
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers push to anonymize people receiving Oklahoma's private school tax credit
Lawmakers sent a bill to Gov. Kevin Stitt Wednesday to stop the names of Oklahomans receiving a private school tax credit from being included on a publicly available list of tax credit recipients. Students, parents and educators are pictured gathering at Oklahoma's state Capitol to celebrate the "success" of the program on March 12. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — In an effort to 'protect family privacy,' Oklahoma lawmakers fast-tracked a bill to the governor on Wednesday that will no longer allow the public to view the names of Oklahomans who received a controversial private school tax credit. If signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt, Senate Bill 684 would also remove individual names that were recently published to an existing state database of recipients of many tax credits. It listed those who received a share of hundreds of millions of state dollars allocated to the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program. House Democrats opposing the measure said it doesn't align with how other tax credit program recipients are treated and will create a lack of accountability on where tax dollars are spent and who receives them. The voucher-like program offers a refundable income tax credit of up to $7,500 to families who attend eligible private schools in the state. When creating the program, lawmakers gave priority to families earning $150,000 or less, and promised it would help lower-income students have the ability to attend private schools. A recent report showed over 46% of participants made over $150,000. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said the bill is about protecting the privacy of children and families. The publicly posted information does not list any children's names or schools, just the taxpaying adult who applied for and received the funds and how much they received. 'And while it does not list the names of students, it absolutely is to expose the students via their parents about the fact that they receive tax credits,' he said. The measure also requires participating private schools to be accredited by March 2027. Democrats argued that the tax credit program has benefited high-income families, not underprivileged children. A recent analysis of the recipients by Oklahoma Watch found less than 3,000 of recipients had attended public school the year prior to the credit and only 9% were families that qualify for income-based public assistance programs. The recipients of other tax credit programs are publicly available online because that's how tax credits in Oklahoma work, said Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City. Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, said as a taxpayer he would feel uncomfortable not knowing where his tax dollars were going and who they were really benefitting. He said he was bothered by 'dismissive' answers from the bill author to questions from other lawmakers on the House floor, specifically responses saying that questions weren't specific to the bill language. 'It behooves us, I think, to acknowledge that everything that we vote on is done in context,' he said. 'And if I had a nickel for every time I have to talk about this issue, we could fund the voucher program, I think.' While most of the debate and discussion focused on the privacy aspects of the tax credit program, the bill also would give priority consideration for the credit to those who received it the prior year. First priority would go to families with income below $150,000 and second to any others who received the credit the prior year, regardless of income. The Senate unanimously approved the measure Wednesday morning, while the House voted 68-23 to approve the measure Wednesday afternoon. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House resoundingly rebuffs Walters' plan to collect Oklahoma student immigration info
Oklahoma House lawmakers, pictured Jan. 7, unanimously rejected rules that would have required public schools to collect immigration data from students and force teachers to take a naturalization test for certification. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — With bipartisan support, House lawmakers on Wednesday sent a series of altered education rules to the governor that eliminate the requirements for public schools to collect proof of U.S. citizenship and for teachers to pass the U.S. Naturalization Test. Lawmakers unanimously approved Senate Joint Resolution 22, which now heads to Gov. Kevin Stitt. The Republican has repeatedly vowed to block efforts by the state Department of Education to require schools to collect the immigration status of children. With the same measure, lawmakers also rejected a rule requiring all public school teachers to pass a written version of the U.S. Naturalization Test to earn or renew their certifications. Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, attempted to amend the measure to reinstate the controversial immigration rule, but it failed 75-12. Under the rule backed by state Superintendent Ryan Walters, districts would have been required to report to the state the number of children unable to verify U.S. citizenship or legal residency. The Republican said it would help schools accurately provide the resources needed to serve those students, but also said he would turn over such information to federal immigration authorities if asked. Jenkins said the amendment would have collected 'aggregate' data, not any individual student names, and would help to better allocate funding throughout Oklahoma public schools. Opponents on both sides of the aisle said the rule was unenforceable. The numbers could still be traced to students and could create a strain on the public school system, they said. Schools already provide services to immigrant students without requiring proof of citizenship. Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, said the immigration rule does not have statutory authority. Kendrix, the measure's author, said the process is about ensuring the rules have statute backing them up, not about policy. State agencies are supposed to create rules that expand on existing law relating to the policy. The Legislature and the governor then review every agency's rules and can accept or reject them. If approved, the rules have the force of law. The same measure also passed the Senate unanimously. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
ITV News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Abduction, rape and torture: ITV News hears accounts of 'savagery' by Russian troops in Ukraine
Ukraine Russia war As efforts to broker peace in Ukraine continue, ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy speaks with survivors of alleged Russian war crimes on their fight for justice One of the saddest phrases I have heard about war had nothing to do with explosions or ambushes. It was spoken by a young girl in Kyiv, about the impact of her rape by a Russian soldier. 'Realistically, no one will ever love me… not like a real person, not like a girl. They just want… it,' she told me. What a tragedy at 18 to already feel so discarded. Had she been hit by a bullet, the long-term damage may have been easier to contain. Daryna* was getting ready for school when she heard the war had started. Her teacher wrote it in a class WhatsApp group and said lessons were going online. That was the last normal morning of Daryna's life. Soon after the Russians were in Kherson, patrolling the streets with their guns and tanks. She explains this to me calmly and with composure, a composure that barely changes as she goes on to tell me those soldiers grabbed her from the street and raped her. She has lived with the emotional consequences ever since and is one of thousands of civilians now trying to survive what has happened to them during this war. Rape in war is war crime; so is torture, so is abduction, so is illegal imprisonment. In the past days, we have heard examples of them all: - Young boys who were taken to Russia and indoctrinated to fight against their homeland - Children whose parents have disappeared into Russian detention - Men who have endured such torture in Russian cells that it is incredible they survived Their testimonies build a horrifying account of the savagery inflicted on civilians in this war. Russian troops are accused of carrying out more than 140,000 war crimes in the space of the last three years. Such is the scale, that the Ukrainians have set up a special department to look into all the allegations. If they have a soldier in their custody, they will try them. If they are back in Russia, they will be tried in absentia. It is an attempt to hold to account those who committed crimes under the supposed cover of war. Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, said locating missing and abducted Ukrainian children was incredibly difficult. The police department in Kyiv is constantly receiving new reports of further rapes, torture, disappearances or killings. They will investigate every one. The past days have seen a focus on finding peace in Ukraine, but whatever the external pressure, the Ukrainians are determined not to accept peace at any price. They want a just peace for the victims of this war, those who lost their lives to it, living or dead. Daryna* is a pseudonym.
ITV News
20-05-2025
- ITV News
‘It was inhumane, it was like a zoo': Survivors of Russian war crimes in Ukraine speak to ITV News
• ITV News' International Editor Emma Murphy speaks with survivors of Russian war crimes & those seeking justice for them. Warning, contains graphic content.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DEI ban on Oklahoma college campuses signed into law
Under a newly signed law, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education will need to create rules to require Oklahoma's colleges and universities to comply with a DEI ban. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill banning the use of state funds for 'diversity, equity and inclusion' jobs, activities or programs at Oklahoma college and university campuses. Senate Bill 796 also prohibits schools from requiring DEI statements on applications, disclosure of pronouns, and DEI-related training or education. Critics of the bill who debated against its passage previously said the measure claws back at advancements in civil rights and inclusion. Democrats debating against the bill said they were worried the ban would bleed into other inclusion programs like Oklahoma Promise and affect access to students with disabilities. Supporters said that DEI discriminates against white men and merit-based outcomes. The ban also prevents schools from requiring people to adhere to specific viewpoints or favor a particular religion, race or sex. Debating in favor of her bill on May 6, Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, said students have been forced to take courses irrelevant to their degree because of DEI, extending the time and money spent on a degree. She did not provide an example. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the governing board for the state's public colleges and universities, must create rules to comply with the law. Lawmakers passed the bill with an emergency clause, meaning it takes effect July 1. Schools have until July 1, 2026 to comply. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
