Latest news with #HB1001
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
From Schools to Taxes: How Recent Indiana Laws Impact Gary
What happens at the Statehouse certainly doesn't stay there, and for cities like Gary, the ripple effects are impossible to ignore. As Indiana lawmakers wrapped up this year's legislative session, several key bills, namely SB 1 and HB 1001, emerged that could reshape how Gary collects tax revenue and even communicate major decisions to residents. Local and state lawmakers warn these changes could threaten Gary's finances and strain the public school district. The long-standing compact between the cities of Gary and Chicago that established the Chicago-Gary Regional Airport Authority is set to be formally dissolved. Under the new legislation, the Gary Common Council is required to take specific steps to terminate the agreement, which was originally enacted in 1995, by Jan. 1, 2026. By July 1, 2025, a majority of Gary's appointed representatives to the airport authority must adopt a resolution endorsing the termination, and the Gary Common Council must pass an ordinance to make it official. The law also directs the dissolution of a separate airport authority board previously established by Gary. This marks a significant shift in regional transportation planning and governance, raising questions about the future of the Gary/Chicago International Airport and its role in cross-state economic development. The Common Council created a new committee to exclusively address state legislation that Council President Lori Latham recognized as a persistent roadblock for Gary's progress. 'It's not lost on us that every time we try to either build, establish or maintain an economic development driver in our community that the state has something to say or do about it,' Latham said, addressing the prescribed changes. Councilman Darren Washington, who will chair the committee, questioned the legality of the bill, stating the council would be conferring with its legal counsel as well as the administration's. ''To arbitrarily, at the last minute — it was literally the night before [the] session ended that language was stuck in House Bill 1001 to put the onus of the Gary Common Council to end the compact,' he said. 'I don't know if that is legal.' Local state legislators like state Rep. Vernon Smith expressed concern over the bill's impact on Gary schools. 'I fail to see how this budget invests in our communities and our families,' Smith said in a statement provided to Capital B Gary. 'Our schools will have just enough to stay afloat, but they won't have the funding they need to thrive. Like always with the state legislature, Gary will get little.' 'The funding for urban schools in this budget is insufficient,' Smith continued. 'It puts Gary Community School Corporation in a difficult position. The state takeover of our school board due to financial distress just ended in 2024. GCSC has to stay in the black, and the state isn't doing anything to help.' If the city of Gary or the Gary Community School Corporation wants to raise property taxes through a referendum, they now have stricter rules to follow. These ballot questions — where voters are asked to approve extra funding for things like school improvements or city projects — can appear only during general elections in November. Local officials also have a firm deadline: They must submit the request by noon on Aug. 1 to get it on the ballot. And for school districts in Lake County, including Gary, any referendum passed after May 10, 2023, could require some of that new tax money to be shared with nearby charter schools — even if the vote was intended to support traditional public schools. Gary's last referendum vote was during the 2020 general election, when voters approved a $71.2 million property tax measure to support the Gary Community School Corporation. By Jan. 1, 2026, the state will launch an online portal designed to make property taxes easier to understand. For Gary residents and taxpayers across the state, this tool will let residents see how their current property tax bill compares to what it would be if proposed tax rates change in the future. The website will also break down what deductions and credits they might be eligible for and give them a chance to share feedback directly with state and local officials. State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., who voted against both bills, said he didn't see any benefit for Lake County. 'Along with the impact of House Bill 1001, Lake County is set to lose hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to Senate Bill 2,' he said. 'This budget will do nothing to help Lake County residents, who will pay much more in local income taxes while getting minimal property tax relief. No one wins under this budget.' The post From Schools to Taxes: How Recent Indiana Laws Impact Gary appeared first on Capital B Gary.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill sets aside $807.5 million for Maui wildfire claims
Hawaii legislative leaders have agreed to fully fund the state's share of Maui wildfire damage claims slated to be paid out over four years. A select group of lawmakers in the House and Senate agreed Tuesday to terms for a bill that would deposit about half of the state's $807.5 million obligation into a trust fund next fiscal year followed by the balance a year later. State attorneys in August agreed with five other defendants in mass litigation over the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires to settle all loss claims for about $4 billion, with payments spread over four years. The fire killed 102 people, destroyed around 3, 500 homes along with other property and resulted in more than 650 lawsuits seeking damages. The total number of loss claims subject to settlement payments is expected to be over 17, 000. House Bill 1001 was sought by Gov. Josh Green to fund the state's portion of the settlement, and essentially would prefund much of the payout intended to be made in four annual installments. During one public hearing on the bill last month, Sen. Glenn Wakai, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, expressed concern over other defendants possibly not being able to pay their share. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Wakai singled out Hawaiian Electric, which agreed to pay about $2 billion, representing the single biggest share. 'So it looks like you are in good shape to cover your first two payments, so about half of the $2 billion, ' Wakai said to Scott Seu, president and CEO of the utility's parent company, Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., during a March 18 hearing. 'How are you going to pay the last billion dollars ?' Seu told Wakai that HEI anticipates raising the sum by issuing debt and by selling new shares of stock in the company. The committee led by Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Pearl Harbor ) amended HB 1001 in part to require that other settlement payers have a plan for making their payments approved by the state Department of the Attorney General and to make their payments a little ahead of state contributions. Subsequently, the Senate Ways and Means Committee eliminated those new proposed terms in its own draft of HB 1001 after the Department of the Attorney General raised concerns about the terms conflicting with the settlement agreement overseen by a state court judge. On Tuesday, a joint House-Senate committee made agreed-upon tweaks to the bill before a Friday deadline to hash out differences. 'This is a very important measure, ' Rep. David Tarnas, chair of the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, said during the committee meeting after an agreement with Senate negotiators was announced. 'We have a bill, a very important bill.' Final legislative approval still depends on votes by the 51-member House and 25-member Senate before the end of this year's legislative session on May 2. If the Legislature balks at funding the state's share of the wildfire settlement, it could delay or derail the resolution of costly litigation and getting financial help to victims. 'By resolving these claims quickly, victims and their families can begin rebuilding their lives much sooner than if litigation were to drag on for years, ' the Department of the Attorney General said in written testimony on the bill. Other contributors to the settlement are Kamehameha Schools, which is responsible for $872.5 million, and Spectrum Oceanic LLC, Hawaiian Telcom and affiliates of West Maui Land Co., collectively responsible for about $300 million. Most or all of settlement payers previously contributed $175 million to a victim-compensation fund led by the state that recently began paying personal injury and death claims detached from the litigation, though this sum is being credited to the $4 billion settlement deal. If the settlement receives final court approval, a settlement administrator will decide how much to distribute to each claim holder. Attorneys representing plaintiffs in the litigation are also expected to receive a significant share of settlement proceeds. Seu said in February that the utility company anticipates making its first wildfire settlement payment toward the end of this year or in early 2026. If HB 1001 becomes law, $400 million would be deposited into a trust account overseen by the Department of the Attorney General during the fiscal year starting July 1, and then the $407.5 million balance would follow in the following fiscal year. The department would be in charge of using the fund to make the planned four annual installment payments compensating fire victims.
Associated Press
23-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Lawmakers agree to pay $807 million into Lahaina wildfires settlement fund
It's not often that applause breaks out in the audience after a vote at the Hawaiʻi Legislature, but that happened Tuesday afternoon. The measure was House Bill 1001, and the subject was settling claims related to the August 2023 Maui wildfires. 'This is a very important measure, and I appreciate the support of the Finance Committee to approve this, and the Senate and your Ways and Means Committee to approve this as well,' Rep. David Tarnas said to Sen. Karl Rhoads, his counterpart in negotiating passage of HB 1001 in conference committee. If approved by the full House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Josh Green, as is widely expected — HB 1001 was part of the administration's package of legislation this session — the state of Hawaiʻi will deposit $807 million into the Maui Wildfires Settlement Trust Fund over the next four years. That is the state's share of a $4.04 billion global settlement that includes $1.99 billion from Hawaiian Electric Co. and $872.5 million from landowner Kamehameha Schools. The rest of the monies are expected to come from West Maui landowners and telecommunications companies, including Hawaiian Telcom and Spectrum. The trust fund will be used to settle lawsuits from more than 1,000 homeowners, businesses and others harmed by the fires, which took 102 lives. It will be used to compensate individuals or representatives of the dead who suffered real and personal property damage, personal injury, wrongful death, emotional distress and inconvenience, or economic loss as a result of the wildfires, according to the legislation. The bill says the settlement 'will offer a timely and compassionate resolution to those affected by the Maui wildfires while relieving the burden on the judicial system and contributing to the rebuilding of lives and community.' In February, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court approved the settlement, rejecting a challenge from the insurance industry. Nearly 200 insurers had paid out more than $2.3 billion to home and business owners and were looking to recoup that money from lawsuits against HECO, Kamehameha Schools and other parties that allegedly allowed the fire to spread. The fires were investigated by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez, the Maui Fire Department, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and HECO itself. The allocation of state funds and the determination of individual compensation amounts have yet to be finalized, according to HB 1001. Kamehameha Schools still needs approval from the state probate court and the IRS for its portion of the settlement before it can be finalized. Since last year, HECO has raised $500 million needed for the first installment of its share. About one-third of the settlement is expected to go to the victims' lawyers. The state's wildfire settlement amount is in addition to a state contribution of $65 million to the One ʻOhana Fund for wildfire assistance. That fund was set up by the Green administration to help aid the recovery of families who lost loved ones as well as people who suffered severe injuries in the disaster. HECO contributed $75 million to the One ʻOhana Fund, $17.5 million came from Kamehameha Schools, Maui County's share was $10 million and Charter/Spectrum, Hawaiian Telcom and West Maui Land Co. $2.5 million each. ___ Civil Beat reporters Stewart Yerton and Blaze Lovell contributed to this report. ___ This story was originally published by Honolulu Civil Beat and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis says House is taking ‘an obstructionist bent,' slams inaction on boating bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis announces his proposed budget from the Capitol on Feb. 3, 2025. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Gov. Ron DeSantis' latest jab at the Florida House came during a press conference Monday, when the governor criticized the lower chamber's lack of action on a bill that would prohibit police from stopping boats to conduct safety inspections. This legislative session has been marked by DeSantis' public condemnation of the House's moves to override his budget vetoes, cut the sales tax, and question executive agency heads. The governor's comments during the press conference in Panama City Beach focused on legislation (SB 1388 and HB 1001) the chamber hasn't taken up, as the time to do so is beginning to wind down. 'If it doesn't pass the House, it's only because of them taking an obstructionist bent, not because it doesn't have support from the vast majority of folks throughout the state of Florida,' DeSantis said during the event in Treasure Island Marina. While the legislation, known as the 'Boater Freedom Act,' hasn't moved in the House, it is scheduled for its second of three hearings in the Senate on Thursday. Panama City Republican Sen. Jay Trumbull joined DeSantis but refrained from bashing the House, instead saying that Republican Rep. Philip Griffitts of Panama City Beach 'is working hard to try to get the bill up in the House.' Aside from making violations of safety and marine sanitation regulations a secondary offense, the bill preempts local governments from restricting use of water vessels based on their power source, such as gas or diesel. House Speaker Daniel Perez on Thursday told reporters that his conversations with DeSantis remained cordial but said the governor's videos slamming him and the House on X were 'mind-boggling' and 'disheartening.' 'For some reason, it seems the last week or so the governor has been a little more emotional and has been upset and has done on his videos to voice his opinions in another way. He has every right to do so,' Perez said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top Indiana school districts urge lawmakers to stop SB 1, warn of cuts to education
Some of Indiana's wealthiest and highest performing school districts are urging lawmakers to reverse course on a bill that could significantly impact their operations budget. Last week Hamilton Southeastern School District superintendent Pat Mapes sent an email to parents urging them to reach out to their lawmakers to share how much Senate Bill 1 could hurt the district's property tax revenues and ultimately the services they provide students. In the email Mapes said the bill, as it is currently amended, could have a significant impact on HSE and other school districts potentially leading to 'fewer academic programs, increased class sizes, and staff reductions – directly affecting the learning experience of our students,' the email said. SB 1 in its current version aims to limit how much local governments can increase property tax levies each year, which should curtail property tax increases, among other provisions. More on SB 1: Gov. Mike Braun threatens to not sign property tax relief bill passed by Senate Mapes also encouraged parents to reach out to their state legislators and 'ask them to find a way to provide tax relief without jeopardizing the future of our schools.' The district north of Indianapolis is poised to lose around $10.8 million in the next three calendar years if SB 1 is approved as is. HSE would be the district with the second-highest loss under the bill, just behind Fort Wayne Community Schools, which is set to lose $12.6 million in the next three years. Out of the Top 5 districts at risk of losing the most property tax revenue, three are school districts in Hamilton County, with Carmel Clay School District being the third most with a total loss of $9.4 million and Westfield-Washington School District with a total loss of $7.7 million. Those school districts are also typically listed as some of the top scorers on the state's standardized testing each year. Carmel Clay Superintendent Michael Beresford also posted a message to its social media pages on March 14 stating that SB 1, along with the state budget bill House Bill 1001, could impact the district's operations drastically. 'As the final versions of SB 1 & HB 1001 take shape, we want to emphasize how vital appropriate school funding is to maintain the qualify of education in CCS and across the state,' the post said. More Bills impacting schools: This IPS-charter school bill died in the first half of session. Now it's back. If SB 1 is approved in its current form, schools across the state are at risk of losing over $370 million in total property tax revenue over the next three years. However, Gov. Mike Braun has already said that he would not sign the bill in its current form saying it did not go far enough in providing relief to taxpayers as he initially set out to implement. The bill is awaiting a vote in the House Ways and Means Committee. The legislative session must end April 29. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter. IndyStar reporter Brittany Carloni contributed to this reporting. Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@ Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: HSE and Carmel schools urge lawmakers to halt SB 1, citing education cuts
