Latest news with #Emrich
Winnipeg Free Press
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Families of trans kids worry about what's next after Supreme Court rules on gender-affirming care
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court decision Wednesday upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors is leaving transgender children and their parents uncertain and anxious about the future. The court handed President Donald Trump's administration and Republican-led states a significant victory by effectively protecting them from at least some of the legal challenges against many efforts to repeal safeguards for transgender people. The case stems from a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors. Opponents of gender-affirming care say people who transition when they're young could later regret it. Families of transgender children argue the ban amounts to unlawful sex discrimination and violates the constitutional rights of vulnerable Americans. Student says ruling creates an unwelcome world Eli Givens, who is transgender and testified against Tennessee's gender-affirming care bill in 2023, said it's devastating that lawmakers 'who have called us degenerates, have told us that we're living in fiction' are now celebrating the court's ruling. Givens, who received mastectomy surgery in 2022 at age 17, said the legislation inspired their advocacy. The 20-year-old college student from Spring Hill, Tennessee, attended the Supreme Court arguments in the case last December, on their 20th birthday. 'We're not making a world that trans youth are welcomed or allowed to be a part of,' Givens said. 'And so, it's just a really scary kind of future we might have. Again, we won't stop fighting. But it does feel like the rug is kind of being swept under our feet just a little bit.' Jennifer Solomon, who supports parents and families at the LGBTQ+ rights group Equality Florida, called the ruling a decision 'that one day will embarrass the courts.' 'This is a decision that every parent should be concerned about,' she said. 'When politicians are able to make a decision that overrides your ability to medically make decisions for your children, every family should worry.' Fears of what's next after Supreme Court decision Rosie Emrich is worried the court decision will embolden legislators in New Hampshire, where legislation banning hormone treatments and puberty blockers for children is expected to reach the governor's desk. Lawmakers are weighing whether to block the treatments from minors already receiving them, like Emrich's 9-year-old child. 'It's definitely disappointing, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to talk to my kid about it,' Emrich said. Emrich said she and her husband have considered moving from New Hampshire and are waiting to see what will happen. 'The hard part is, like, I've grown up here, my husband has grown up here, we very much want to raise our family here,' she said. 'And we don't want to leave if we don t have to.' Conservative activists take credit Chloe Cole, a conservative activist known for speaking about her gender-transition reversal, posted on social media after the court's decision that 'every child in America is now safer.' Cole was cited as an example by Tennessee Republicans as one of the reasons the law was needed. Matt Walsh, an activist who was one of the early backers of Tennessee's law, applauded the high court. Three years ago, Walsh shared videos on social media of a doctor saying gender-affirming procedures are 'huge moneymakers' for hospitals and a staffer saying anyone with a religious objection should quit. 'This is a truly historic victory and I'm grateful to be a part of it, along with so many others who have fought relentlessly for years,' Walsh posted on social media. Mother says gender-affirming care saves lives Sarah Moskanos, who lives near Milwaukee, said her 14-year-old transgender daughter went through nearly a decade of counseling before she started medical gender-affirming care. Moskanos said that even before therapy, her daughter, who she declined to name for safety concerns, said that even at age 4 she was sure she identified as a girl. 'I would say that there is decades of research on this very thing,' she said. 'And we know what works and we know what will save trans kids' lives is gender-affirming care.' Even though Wisconsin doesn't have a gender-affirming care ban, getting her daughter that care has not been easy. Moskanos said she now worries about what the future holds. 'We live in tumultuous times, and we are but one election cycle away from disaster for my kid,' she said. Vowing not to disappear Mo Jenkins, a 26-year-old transgender Texas native and legislative staffer at the state Capitol, said she began taking hormone therapy at 16 years old and has been on and off treatment since then. 'My transition was out of survival,' Jenkins said. Texas outlawed puberty blockers and hormone treatment for minors two years ago, and in May, the Legislature passed a bill tightly defining a man and a woman by their sex characteristics. 'I'm not surprised at the ruling. I am disheartened,' Jenkins said. 'Trans people are not going to disappear.' ___ Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press journalists Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Kenya Hunter in Atlanta; Laura Bargfeld in Chicago; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; and Daniel Kozin in Pinecrest, Florida, contributed to this report.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FEMA plans to shift more responsibility for hurricane recovery on states, local municipalities
FEMA's acting chief plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to the states. This is as we're just two weeks from the start of the hurricane season. If FEMA makes some of its suggested changes, it will place a large financial burden on the state and local municipalities. Emergency Management sources across the state tell Eyewitness News that cities and counties could have to raise millions to pay what FEMA typically would. 'Someone will have to pay for it,' said Christopher Emrich, emergency management professor at the University of Central Florida. FEMA's new acting administrator David Richardson told staff in a meeting Thursday, he's following President Trump's vision on how disasters like hurricanes should be managed, by pushing the states to do the majority of recovery and response. The Stafford Act states that FEMA typically covers a minimum of 75 percent of the cost for most projects, such as repairing public infrastructure. States or local jurisdictions cover the remaining 25 percent or so. But now, FEMA is looking to shift more of the financial burden on states and local municipalities. 'There are some states that can probably handle that additional burden better than others. I think Florida's situated well to do that as a state. I don't know about some of our counties and cities that might have a lower capacity,' Emrich said. Emrich says this may slow down disaster recovery. The other concern is how the state and local municipalities can cover the costs-- where they can find that extra revenue stream. 'Do we charge the tourists that come here more? Do we charge the homeowners more in property taxes? Do we have a sales tax increase?,' Emrich said, about if these changes come to fruition. 'You know, I don't know how they answer that.' Uncertainty over covering disaster relief comes as there's still questions about grant cuts. In Volusia County, two EMA positions are being funded in anticipation of a $100,000 cut. Emrich says EMA directors are discussing the swirling uncertainty as the state approaches hurricane season. Channel 9 reached out to FEMA for comment about the potential changes. We also asked if current disaster recovery projects would be grandfathered in without states, cities, and counties paying extra. We have not heard back. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Montana Senate tables two bills aimed at restricting libraries
The Great Falls Public Library photographed on June 7, 2023. (Photo by Nicole Girten/Daily Montanan) The Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee on Friday tabled two bills seeking to put limitations on public libraries. The bills, both sponsored by Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, would have put stricter rules around how the state's public libraries handle 'sexually explicit' material and prohibited libraries from offering services 'not related to their core function.' During a hearing on Feb. 27, Emrich described how sad he was that his local library was bereft of books and no longer focused on 'library related things,' which prompted Senate Bill 451. 'My local library has decided that they would rather, you know, become a resource for offering homeless people, you know, getting them signed up for public services. That sort of thing really has nothing to do with the library,' Emrich said. 'This bill just says, get back to being a library and quit trying to be a public outreach for services that are otherwise covered by other, government organizations or governmental entities.' No one spoke on behalf of his bill but critics decried the insinuation that libraries should strictly stick to books and information. Susan Gregory, director of the Bozeman Public Library, wrote in testimony read in committee that a library's services 'vary from one community to another, depending on local choices and patron requests.' 'Some examples of these services include providing test proctoring, notary and passport services, partnering with local food banks to provide free lunches for children who don't have access to free and reduced hot lunches,' Gregory wrote. 'Last year, six Montana libraries worked to address the epidemic of loneliness by hosting artists and residents that offered classes to lonely seniors, offering free health and wellness classes. And the Belgrade community library supports wellness through a fitness library.' Susie McIntyre, director of the Great Falls Public Library, also opposed the bill and added that she welcomed Emrich to visit the library and see the work they do in person. 'The mission of the Great Falls Public Library is that we serve as a connection point,' she said. 'We empower the community and enhance the quality of life by providing individuals access to information and social, cultural and recreational resources. We work to serve our community based on our community needs.' One example McIntyre provided was when a retired nurse asked if the library could find a way to support families dealing with dementia. The library applied for a grant and began hosting educational workshops on Alzheimer's, and monthly social spaces for people experiencing dementia and their caregivers. 'This falls in line with our mission of connecting people to the resources that they need,' she said. Emrich pushed back against his critics, saying the bill was worded to describe a core function of a library as accessing information, including printed, digital and onsite information. 'That's pretty darn broad, and could cover anything,' Emrich said, but noted that the bill was meant to put some guardrails in place, eliminating uses such as healthcare and fitness. 'Childcare has never been a function of a library in any stretch of the imagination. That's an extracurricular that really has nothing to do with a library being a library.' 'The library seems to have forgotten what their purpose is,' Emrich said. 'If we fund them as libraries, people expect them to be libraries.' The committee tabled SB 451 in an 8-6 vote. Emrich's other bill, Senate Bill 396, would have required libraries to house materials of a sexual nature within the adult or young adult collections, even if they're intended for a younger audience, and directed chief librarians to develop cataloging standards for materials. But opponents to the bill said it infringed on the local control of library boards and discounted the expertise of degree-carrying librarians. 'Local library boards and professional librarians already established policies to ensure that materials of any subject in any section of the library contain the resources that are appropriate for that section's target audience and subject,' said Danny Hess, on behalf of the Montana Library Association. 'These policies are grounded in professional standards and best practices and also outline the process by which patrons can challenge books in their libraries.' Two proponents for SB 396 are current trustees of the Flathead County Library, which went through several years of turmoil after the conservative-leaning board ran off multiple library directors and attempted to censor the library's collection. The trustees argued that the bill is in the best interest of families and kids. 'Placing sexually explicit material in the adult section, as this bill demands, empowers parents and caregivers to choose whether to expose their children to the material or not,' said trustee Dave Ingram. 'It also creates children's and teen sections where all parents can let their children wander freely, knowing that no child will encounter sexually explicit content until the parents decide to expose them to it.' Many librarians testified against the bill, including Bozeman Public Library children's librarian Ellie Newell, who said the law could have unintended consequences with its definitions. 'The bill's fault lies in its overly broad and incorrect description of public library materials of 'a sexual or graphic nature,'' Newell said. 'Historically, such language has been used to exclude materials that discuss anatomy and physiology, puberty, consent and sexual abuse. While these topics may cause discomfort for some people, my experience is that many Montana families need and value age-appropriate material on these subjects from their public library.' The committee tabled the bill in a 9-5 vote.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Judicial reform bills stalling, cast aside
Senator Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, votes 'No' during a session of the Montana Senate on February 12, 2025. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) The GOP-controlled Montana Legislature laid out reining in the judicial branch as a priority at the start of the 69th legislative session currently underway, but that ambition has not smoothly born out as almost a third of its planned actions have failed. The push for judicial reform centers on a suite of 27 bills that came from the interim Judicial Oversight and Reform committee, formed by former Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, following several court decisions that went against Republicans' favored outcomes. Six weeks into the 90-day session, almost all of those judicial bills have been debated on a chamber floor, with a majority receiving at least one passing vote. However, several bills deemed most important by members of the interim committee have been foiled by a voting bloc comprising all Democrats, who chose not to participate in the committee because they did not want to legitimize its efforts, and a group of moderate Republicans. One bill that died on the Senate floor late last month was Senate Bill 44, carried by Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, which would have codified the separation of powers doctrine in the Montana Constitution into statute, and defined the powers of the Board of Regents of Higher Education and the Board of Public Education. Emrich previously said the bill is 'one of the most important bills you may see this session.' The bill passed second reading in the Senate in a 32-18 party line vote, but the next day failed on third reading 23-26 with eight Republicans switching their votes. More recently, Senate Bill 43, sponsored by Emrich, and House Bill 30 also failed to garner enough support to pass the Senate during the chamber's first Saturday floor session on Feb. 15. SB 43 would have limited the injunctive powers of courts by narrowly tailoring them to the plaintiffs of a case — instead of applying to all Montanans. 'I'm struggling with this one because I didn't fully understand the consequences of how this could be, I guess, abused,' said Ellsworth, who noted the bill came from his committee. 'We've seen activist judges across the country, and I don't think this actually solves that problem, I think it compounds it.' Two Democratic senators, both lawyers, laid out scenarios where a narrowly tailored injunction that applied to specific counties or regions could leave the rest of Montanans having to file their own lawsuits to receive the same protection from an alleged constitutional violation. 'It's unfair to all Montanans,' Sen. Andrea Olsen, D-Missoula, said. 'If you have a constitutional violation to one person, it's a violation to everybody.' The Senate voted down SB 43 in a 21-28 vote. House Bill 30, which passed by a single vote in the lower chamber, was defeated by the same one-vote margin in the Senate. HB 30 would have required the state Supreme Court to uphold legislative acts as constitutional unless challengers can prove otherwise 'beyond a reasonable doubt.' On Valentine's Day, the Senate indefinitely tabled two more bills from the House that failed to garner enough support to pass the upper chamber, but moved a few others through the process. House Bills 35 and 36, which would have moved the Judicial Standards Commission — a body that can discipline and recommend removal of judges for conduct violations — to the Department of Justice and altered its structure, also died. The Senate did pass Senate Bill 20, carried by Ellsworth, prohibiting retired judges from hearing constitutional cases. Lawmakers also approved of House Bill 39, allowing political parties to financially contribute directly to judicial candidates. The bill is now headed to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte, who has also called for judicial reform. HB 39 is one of three related bills seeking to make Montana's judicial elections partisan affairs, along with HB 169, which allows judges and judicial candidates to take part in political activities, and SB 42, which will require judges to declare a political party for the ballot. The Senate also passed HB 65 to perform a performance audit of the State Bar of Montana. That bill will have a hearing before the Senate Finance and Claims Committee before returning for a final vote in the Senate. That bill will have to be accepted by the House again after an amendment changed the audit from focusing on finances — as the House approved — to focusing on performance — which was initially rejected by the lower chamber's vote. Two bills have been withdrawn — SB 16 and SB 52 — dealing with legislative committee contempt subpoenas and the creation of a new court. The latter proposal, which would have created a Chancery Court to hear cases dealing with constitutional, land use and business suits, was withdrawn by bill sponsor Sen. McGillvray, who said it was getting too complicated. Instead, he is working to draft a new version of the specialized court for the session, but narrowing the scope to focus to remove the land and business portions. The new version, a 'Governmental Claims court,' would be 'more streamlined and simple, and I think it's gotten more buy-in from more parties,' McGillvray told press last week.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills to support missing persons advance despite ‘woke' allegations in Montana Legislature
The Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Photo by Mike Clark for the Daily Montanan) A bill to require the Office of Public Instruction to create human trafficking curriculum passed the Senate this week — after a debate over whether it pushed a 'woke' agenda. Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning, said Senate Bill 107 intends to protect children by teaching them the signs of sex trafficking and human trafficking. Webber said Tuesday the country and Montana both have done a lot in recent years to address the problem, including the creation of a Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force. A separate bill this session, House Bill 83, would allow the task force to raise money, and it also passed the House floor last week after avoiding an allegation it was 'woke.' Although Webber ticked off a long list of work Montana has taken up, she said SB 107 is the first preventive measure to stop the problem before it starts, and it would help all youth in Montana. Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, said he wasn't completely sold on the idea and proposed an amendment to 'encourage' rather than 'require' OPI to create the lessons. Emrich said he worried the bill came with 'woke' concerns after hearing comments from a supporter, and he argued its terms are complex and could confuse children. In support of the change, Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, said the Legislature shouldn't 'dictate' to another statewide official, and he believed doing so would be 'an egregious violation' of the body's authority. Generally, Fuller said he approved of the bill but the amendment would make it more palatable. Opposing the amendment, Sen. Derek Harvey, D-Butte, argued lawmakers have not had problems mandating directives to another branch of government — Republicans are keen on changing the courts this session — and he offered a different interpretation of how the bill dealt with one concept of being 'woke.' 'There's parents that woke up without their kids in their bed,' Harvey said. 'There's kids laying in places that they've never been before. And guess what? They woke up this morning in fear. 'So if we're going to talk about woke, let's talk about the reality of what these people are waking up to every day.' Sen. Cora Neumann, D-Bozeman, said Montana is a major trafficking corridor, and she said the amendment would void the bill altogether because OPI already is 'encouraged' to develop those lessons. Neumann also said teachers can handle complexity. 'To say our teachers wouldn't understand how to teach this is disrespectful to our teachers,' Neumann said. 'We give them very complex curriculum all the time to learn and to pass on to their children.' The amendment failed, and the bill passed second reading 44-6, with Emrich voting no, but Fuller in support. In the House last week, a bill from Rep. Tyson Running Wolf to allow the MMIP Task Force to accept grants and donations passed with significant support, although it also faced an allegation it was a 'woke' idea. Rep. Lukas Schubert, R-Kalispell, said the problem of missing people is 'significant,' but he alleged the legislation discriminates because many people who aren't Native American also go missing. Schubert pitched an amendment to prohibit state appropriations to the account and said he would 'fight back against the woke far-left agenda.' Running Wolf described the amendment as unfriendly and said he 'adamantly' opposed it, and Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, offered a short rebuke of the idea. 'I recommend we send this amendment back to the playground where it belongs,' Nikolakakos said. A recent report from the task force, under the state Department of Justice, said Indigenous people make up 6.5% of Montana's population, but account for 30.6% of people reported missing. Of the 2,263 persons reported missing in 2023, 1,570 were non-Indigenous and 693 were Indigenous, the report said: 'These numbers have remained consistent in previous years of study.' Schubert's amendment failed on a 96-4 vote, with Republican representatives Caleb Hinkle, Fiona Nave, and Tracy Sharp joining Schubert in support of it. The bill passed second reading with 100 members in support. It appropriates $1. Schubert didn't vote in the third and final reading, when the bill passed with 97 yes votes. A vote roster counted two members excused and Schubert absent, although the Montana State News Bureau reported he was present in the chamber.
