Latest news with #HB277
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shroud Award given to bill updating vehicle safety guidelines for children
Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, smiles as he holds up The Shroud Award in the Alabama House of Representatives on May 14, 2025. Bolton received the award, given to "the deadest bill of the session," for legislation that would have revised weight and height standards for children's safety seats. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The House of Representatives' annual Shroud Award Wednesday went to a bill that died on the House floor in February. HB 18, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, would have updated safety regulations for children in vehicles for the first time in almost 20 years. The award is given to the 'deadest bill of the session.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'There's no question of Rep. Bolton's good intentions, but to say his bill was complicated is being just a little bit kind,' Clay Redden, the House public information officer, said as he read a resolution presenting the Shroud. 'Representative Bolton's bill read like chapters from a pediatrician's anatomy book or an instruction manual and manual of how to operate a nuclear reactor.' The bill failed a procedural motion known as a budget isolation resolution (BIR) on Feb. 27 amid pushback from both Democrats and Republicans. 'And let's not forget what Rep. Marcus Paramore pointed out just before the BIR failed, this bill would have made it nearly impossible for him, Rep. Leigh Hulsey and Rep. Susan DuBose to drive themselves to work,' Redden read from the resolution Wednesday. Bolton signed the back of the Earl Mitchell Memorial Plaque, joining an 'illustrious group of people' who have received the Shroud Award. Bolton's bill won the award over HB 489, sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika, HB 277, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, and an unnumbered bill by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range. HB 489 would have brought name, image and likeness to high school athletics. It was not voted on in the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee. HB 277 would have created a sales tax exemption for firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. It was not voted on in the House Ways and Means Education Committee. Albritton's nonexistent bill would have been another attempt at legalizing gambling in the state. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri bill cracks down on 'organized retail theft'
A proposed Missouri law recently heard in the state senate suggests cracking down on organized retail theft from businesses, a growing concern in St. Joseph and nationwide. HB 277, sponsored by Missouri House of Representatives Rep. Lane Roberts (R-Joplin) creates a new defense within state legislature to deter retail theft. Language in the proposed legislation states if the amount stolen in 120 days is between $1,500 and $10,000, the crime becomes a class C felony and if the value is over $10,000, it becomes a class B felony. "In this case, you have an agreement among several people to engage in this,' Roberts said. 'The head of a group will send four or five different people to various locations to commit a theft, but this bill will make everyone a part of the agreement and everyone responsible for the conduct to be charged with the aggregated amount.' Roberts added that organized crime is a growing issue statewide which is landing business owners in a tough financial situation. 'They'll steal property then sell it online or will bring it back for an exchange for the money,' Roberts explained. 'That's the sort of conduct that ultimately costs the retailer, which drives and pushes the price up for the rest of us. This is an effort to try and better the livelihoods of everyone.' The bill additionally applies to anyone who commits the offense of organized retail theft if they attempt to return the merchandise to the merchant for value or resells, trades, or if they barter the merchandise for value in any manner, including, but not limited to, through the use of an internet or network site. For smaller law enforcement agencies such as the St. Joseph Police Department, prosecuting these cases can be complex and time-consuming. With a full plate of responsibilities, SJPD struggles to keep up with the increasing number of retail thefts. 'We do as much as we can to try and catch these incidents as they're in progress,' said SJPD Sergeant Jeremy Peters. 'So having this bill is a good thing. Any time we get a little bit more help on the law enforcement side, where we have some repeat offenders or people that are doing this on an organized level, that's a step in the right direction. There needs to be tougher penalties for people that are victimizing others.'
