Latest news with #HB102
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would add restrictions to where registered sex offenders can live
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – While registered sex offenders in Ohio cannot live within 1,000 feet of any school or childcare center, there is currently no law stopping them from living next door to their victims. House Bill 102, sponsored by Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township) and Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland), would change that. Introduced in February, the legislation would ban sex offenders and child-victim offenders from living within 2,000 feet of their victim's residence or loitering within 1,000 feet. Ohio group asks U.S. Supreme Court to allow student opt-outs for LGBTQ+ lessons 'Under no circumstance should a child fear their safety in their own home,' Williams said in a news release. 'It is critical we act swiftly to close this dangerous loophole and ultimately, protect our kids and other victims of sexual assault.' In Ohio, child-victim offenders are defined as individuals who have pleaded guilty to, or were convicted of, certain offenses against children that were not sexually motivated. Those classified as sex offenders have been held legally responsible for certain sexually oriented offenses, whether the victim was an adult or minor. Both types of offenders are required to register with local authorities and appear on the state's database of sex and child-victim offenders. If an offender were to break the rules laid out in the bill, property owners, lessees or local prosecutors would be permitted to seek a court order to compel the offender to move or stop loitering. The offender could also be criminally charged, with the severity of the charges varying depending on the original offense and any prior violations. 'Eighty percent of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows,' Klopfenstein said in a statement. 'Updating current law to prohibit offenders from living near their victims is critical to ensure the safety of our children and greater communities.' Delaware Hayes High School students win NASA app development challenge The legislation would not apply if a victim moves or chooses to live near their offender. All sex and child-victim offenders would be required to abide by the living requirements within the bill, regardless of whether the offense was committed prior to the legislation's implementation. The bill's sponsors said it was modeled after legislation in Oklahoma that passed unanimously in 2018 and has since been adopted in five other states. HB 102 was referred to the Public Safety Committee, where it awaits its first hearing. It has one Democrat and 18 Republican cosponsors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Community College System approves legislative agenda
Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs for the Alabama Community College System, speaks at the monthly board meeting on March 12, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama. Kinard presented a legislative update to the ACCS Board of Trustees. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Community College System approved its legislative agenda at its monthly board meeting on Wednesday. With the Legislature almost halfway through the 2025 session, some of ACCS' priorities have already made it through both chambers of the Legislature. Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs, told the board that HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Jeanna Ross, R-Guntersville, passed and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Kay Ivey. 'Every kid in the state, regardless of your zip code, who wants to take advantage of a dual enrollment course, this bill will allow them to do that,' Kinard said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation prohibits school districts from preventing students from entering dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to take college courses for college credit at community colleges and universities. A request for comment from Ivey's office was sent Wednesday afternoon. Kinard also highlighted HB 266, sponsored by Rep. Mat Woods, R-Jasper, also known as the Restoring Educational Advancement of Completing High School (REACH) Act. The legislation would create a program for high schoolers that drop out of high school to get their high school diploma from their previous high school. 'So this bill would expand this program and would allow more students to take advantage of it,' Kinard said. 'It would also require us to work with the State Department of Education to get better data.' The bill has passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Kinard also said the system requested an amendment for a paid parental leave bill that would include community college educators. SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, would provide up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave to state employees in most cases. 'Community college employees were inadvertently left out of the original version of the bill. We've engaged with the governor's office,' Kinard said. 'We've been able to add an amendment to the bill to add our community college employees to make sure that they can receive this benefit should this bill pass.' The system's agenda also supports the creation of a state lottery to fund scholarships for any Alabama resident to attend a state public, two-year community and technical college. Legislation for a state lottery and gaming failed on the last day of the 2024 session. So far, there have not been any bills filed to create a lottery. The board will meet on April 9 at Jefferson State Community College for its next meeting. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill requiring schools to allow students to take dual enrollment classes
A sunset over the Denny Chimes on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Thursday June 20, 2024. The Alabama House Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill requiring local boards of education to allow students to participate in dual enrollment programs. (Will McLelland for Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill aimed at improving Alabama high school students' access to college courses they can take for credit. HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Jeana Ross, R-Guntersville, passed the chamber on a 102-0 vote. The legislation requires local boards of education to allow students to participate in dual enrollment programs offered by institutes of higher education. Currently, the program is only available to students at K-12 schools that have partnerships with local community colleges, although Ross said she was not aware of any instances where students have been denied access to the dual credit program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'House Bill 102 would require dual enrollment classes to be available to eligible high school students through all education agencies,' Ross said. In dual enrollment, students are enrolled in a course that is equivalent to college and will earn credit for having passed the class for both high school and college. It is separate from an Advanced Placement class where students can earn college credit if they receive a high-enough grade on an AP exam given near the end of the school year. Ross' bill does not require the high school to incorporate the course into its curriculum. It requires the student to meet with either a school counselor or career coach who 'shall evaluate the dual enrollment courses selected by the student and shall determine the appropriateness of those courses based on the preferred college and career interests of the student.' Students must also speak with staff of their preferred dual enrollment program. The school does not have to pay for the cost for offering the dual enrollment course. The House Education Policy Committee approved the bill on Wednesday. Several Democrats voiced support for the legislation. 'I just want to say that you came out of the shoot with a great bill,' said Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile as it was Ross' first bill introduced on the House floor. 'As I said to you in committee, this is a bill that I think Alabama has it right. And I think this bill is going to benefit every student that is qualified.' The bill moves to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House committee approves bill protecting access to dual enrollment programs
Rep. Jeana Ross, R-Guntersville, checks her phone during a meeting of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 6 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Ross is sponsoring a bill that would ensure high school students have access to dual enrollment programs. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill aiming to protect Alabama high school students' access to dual enrollment programs won unanimous support in the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday. HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Jeana Ross, R-Guntersville, prohibits community colleges and universities from denying students access to dual enrollment programs. Ross said the bill aims to expand accessibility to dual enrollment, but said that she did not know of any specific incidents of students being denied access. 'The main purpose of this is to just ensure that students have the option and the availability to take dual enrollment classes,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A substitute bill from Rep. Marcus Paramore, R-Troy, incorporated universities in the language of the bill. The substitution was adopted unanimously. Although the bill aims to expand access to dual enrollment, Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, said she wanted to see more marketing for dual enrollment courses. 'I just find that so many of the students who fit into the criteria don't know the program exists,' she said. Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, echoed Drummond saying participating in dual enrollment gives students a head start on their career. 'I've been personally involved in watching what dual enrollment can do, and what a leg up it gives our students,' he said. 'Many of them graduate high school, sometimes with a dual certificate, because they've had this opportunity.' The bill now goes to the full House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
