Latest news with #HB114
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC House committee OKs bill expanding state job preferences for veterans
Veterans, nurses, and union members protest job cuts outside of the Durham V.A. on April 2, 2025 (Photo: Greg Childress) A bill expanding eligibility for hiring preferences for military veterans, spouses and dependents in state government got a favorable hearing Tuesday in the Committee on Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs. While veterans are already granted an employment preference under current state law, House Bill 114 would: Remove the requirements that service be related to a period of war. Include people serving on active duty. Include members of the U.S. Armed Forces Reserve. Include the spouse or dependent of a qualified person. 'It [HB 114] addresses an employment preference statute that's a little bit antiquated,' said Rep. Charles Smith (R-Cumberland), one of the bill's co-sponsors. Under current law, for example, veterans must have served during a period when the nation was at war. Current law defines the Vietnam War as the nation's last such conflict. 'Time has passed and so to expand that preference to a greater pool of veterans, it strips away that language [defining the Vietnam War as the nation's last],' Smith said. Expanding eligibility for state job preferences could help fill vacancies in state government, Smith said. In March, NC Newsline reported that the state's job vacancy rate was 20%. The turnover rate was 12%, but significantly higher within an employee's first year — 31%. Key sectors have especially high vacancy rates: 33% for health care, and 26% for corrections. Smith said the changes in the law — particularly a provision extending the preference to spouses — would help North Carolina keep former military personnel in the state once they leave the service. 'As we strive to be a military friendly state, if we want to retain service members as they transition into civilian life, I think having a spouse with a career in state government is a good way to do that,' Smith said. The veteran unemployment rate was 3.7% in March, which was down from 4.0% the previous month and up from 3.0% the prior year. Meanwhile, the civilian unemployment rate was 4.2%, which marked a slight increase over the 4.1% rate in February. HB 114 comes amid uncertainty in federal employment as the Trump administration slashes jobs as part of its efforts to streamline the federal government. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 700,000 veterans worked in federal departments and agencies as of September 2024. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, reported in March that the Trump administration's federal workforce cuts may jeopardize the careers of nearly 900,000 veterans, spouses of veterans and spouses of active military personnel. They makeup 30% of the entire federal government workforce. The federal government also gives hiring preferences to veterans. Veterans comprise just 5% of all employed Americans. The Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care for millions of veterans, is planning to cut 83,000 jobs. In North Carolina, there are 84,900 civilian federal employees, according to EPI. Nearly 28,000 of them are veterans. Meanwhile, 33,200 are spouses of veterans or spouse of active-duty military service members. A quarter of the VA's 482,000 employees are veterans. Rep. Eric Ager (D-Buncombe), Rep. Edward Goodwin (R-Chowan) and Kyle Hall (R-Forsyth) are also primary sponsor of HB 114. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee Senate puts restriction on private prisons with high death rate
The Tennessee legislature is considering a measure to force private prison contractor CoreCivic to lower the size of inmate populations in facilities with high death rates. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Tennessee's Senate passed legislation Monday that would force the state's private-prison operator to lower the inmate population in facilities with high death rates. Senators voted 30-0 in favor of Senate Bill 1115 sponsored by Republican Sen. Mark Pody of Lebanon, who wants to renew the legislature's correction oversight board and take action if the private operator, CoreCivic, can't bring down death rates. The bill would require the inmate population at CoreCivic-run prisons to be reduced by 10% if the death rate there is twice as high as the rate at a comparable state-run prison. It also requires the company to resolve problems causing high death rates. The House version, HB114, backed by Republican Rep. Clark Boyd of Lebanon isn't expected to be considered until House members approve a budget, likely within two weeks. Pody said he anticipates no problems getting the House version passed. Lebanon resident Tim Leeper said after Monday's vote he believes prison privatization has no benefits, except for CoreCivic shareholders. The Senate vote sends a message that lawmakers aren't satisfied with private prisons, he added. 'It puts us on record and it puts legislators on record, now we have a problem. If we didn't have a problem, we wouldn't have legislation that has proceeded up to this point, unanimously,' said Leeper, whose son died of an overdose at Trousdale Turner prison, one of four the company runs in Tennessee. State Comptroller audits show Trousdale Turner had a 146% employee turnover rate in 2023, making it more difficult to check on prisoners and avert murders and drug overdoses. Trousdale Turner, which is under a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, has a correction officer vacancy rate of 33.7%, compared with 26% at state-run prisons, officials said earlier this year. Still, the state is seeking a $6.8 million contract increase for the private prison operator despite penalizing the company $44.78 million since 2022 for contractual shortfalls, $15 million in the last half year. CoreCivic, which is paid based on the number of inmates it houses, doesn't pay those penalties but simply forgoes state payments. A spokesperson for CoreCivic said in a recent email statement that prisoner safety, health and well-being is 'top priority' and that each facility has emergency response teams to handle medical care. All deaths are reported immediately to the state for investigation, he said. Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada has called the company an important 'partner.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
