Latest news with #HB198
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
New Hampshire House Passes Another Cannabis Legalization Bill
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed a bill to legalize marijuana possession for ... More the second time this legislative session. The New Hampshire House of Representatives last week approved legislation to legalize cannabis, the second time in just over a month the chamber has passed a bill to end the prohibition of marijuana. Lawmakers in the House approved HB 198, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jared Sullivan, by a vote of 208-125 on March 26. If passed by the New Hampshire Senate and signed into law, the legislation would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis flower. The bill would also legalize possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates and other marijuana products containing no more than 2,000 milligrams of THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis. 'It is 2025. Let's stop arresting people and ruining their lives for possession of cannabis, something that many states in the country have already legalized,' Sullivan said before Wednesday's vote, according to a report from Marijuana Moment. The bill would not legalize commercial cannabis production and sales. The public consumption of cannabis would also remain against the law. The sponsor of the legislation said that lawmakers seem to agree that cannabis should be legalized. The remaining disagreements center on how cannabis sales should be legalized and regulated. 'Once we get it legal, we can continue to have that debate. That seems to be where the sticking points [are]: Do we want it to be a private, industry-based model? Do we want to be a state-run model?' Sullivan asked his colleagues in the House. 'These things are where we're getting kind of caught up in the weeds, and it seems like most people agree that we should legalize it.' The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved two separate bills to legalize marijuana ... More possession this year. The passage of HB 198 came about five weeks after the New Hampshire House passed HB 75, a different bill to legalize the possession of marijuana without authorizing regulated sales of cannabis. If passed, the bill from Republican Rep. Kevin Verville would remove criminal penalties for possessing and using cannabis by adults aged 21 and older. Like Sullivan's bill, the legislation would not create a regulated cannabis industry or legalize sales of recreational marijuana. Public consumption of cannabis would also remain illegal. Marijuana would still be illegal for those under age 21 under Verville's bill. Those under age 21 caught using or possessing marijuana would be guilty of a violation. Minors under age 18 found to be possessing or using cannabis would be referred for substance use disorders screening. The same day House lawmakers passed HB 198, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who took office in January, repeated her opposition to legalizing recreational marijuana. 'I've been very clear on this,' Ayotte told reporters on March 26, Marijuana Moment reported on Monday. 'I ran on this issue, and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it. I don't support it.' 'I don't think it is the right direction for the state for a lot of reasons,' she told reporters, according to a report from InDepthNH. 'I believe, if you think about our quality of life, if you think about some of the concerns that can flow from that. I know…we talked about safety on our roadways. I think that there are a number of issues that states who have legalized cannabis have experienced in those regards that I just don't think can be addressed at the moment with the existing technology.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas bill proposes mandatory cancer screenings for firefighters
The Brief House Bill 198 would require cancer screening for all Texas firefighters. Screenings would begin in the firefighter's fifth year of employment and focus on the colon, prostate, lungs and brain. Some have voiced concerns about how these screenings would be paid for as the bill currently does not provide any state funding. AUSTIN, Texas - A proposed Texas law would require mandatory cancer screenings for firefighters across the state. On Monday, a Texas House subcommittee on County & Regional Government under the Texas House Committee of Intergovernmental Affairs considered House Bill 198. What we know House Bill 198 is also known as the Wade Cannon Act after a Flower Mound firefighter who recently died from cancer. HB 198 would require political subdivisions to provide free cancer screenings for their firefighters. The tests would focus on the colon, prostate, lungs and brain. The free screenings would start in the fifth year of a firefighter's employment and then happen once every three years following the initial screening. What they're saying State Rep. Ben Bumgarner (R-Flower Mound) filed the bill in November, marking his second attempt at passing this legislation. His first attempt two years ago failed to clear the Senate. "It was a timing issue. It was. It was heard later on in the session. And this time around we had a low bill number. And it's going to be one of the first Bills heard over in the Senate from the House side. So, I feel really good about it," said Bumgarner. Among those to testify in support of the legislation was Tim Mackling who worked with Wade Cannon, the namesake of the bill. "Unfortunately, Wade was too young for our health insurance to cover his cancer screenings. At 31, you go in for a colonoscopy screening, your insurance tends to deny it. They screen at 45. "So, Cannon was caught in a weird situation between health insurance and worker's comp," said Mackling. By the numbers Between 2002 and 2019, cancer caused 66% of the line-of-duty deaths of career firefighters, according to data from the International Association of Fire Fighters. Research by the CDC/National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety determined that firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general U.S. population and are 14% more likely to die from cancer. The other side The committee was told Monday that testing can cost about $500. State Rep. Sheryl Cole (D-Austin) noted the bill does not provide any state funding. "We're saying, shall, to a municipality and we get, you know, called on the carpet about that quite a bit. And I used to be a city council member," said Cole. Covering the cost on the local level is a concern for Chief Roger Esparza with the El Paso County ESD #2. "I'm a small ESD, West Texas, lowest taxing entities. Right now, there's 26 bills that are going to target the way we do ad valorem taxing. And I think it's one of those things that I think it's a great idea. Phenomenal. I think we need it, but I'm concerned of how I'm going to pay for that," said Chief Esparza. Bumgarner believes the bill can save money and lives. "Preventive care is so much cheaper than what it is for costs of workman's comp occupational therapy. These guys can't come back to work, death benefits in the in the in term that they pass away and just the cost of savings on having to replace that institutional knowledge and the firefighter itself," said Bumgarner. Local perspective Austin pays for an annual wellness physical, which has caught some medical conditions, according to Bob Nicks with the Austin Firefighter's Association. Big picture view Early screening laws have been filed in Louisiana and Connecticut. New Hampshire passed a law last year and allocated $5 million. A bill proposing a federal screening law has also been filed in Congress. The Source Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin chief political reporter Rudy Koski.
