Latest news with #HB30
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would mandate free feminine hygiene products for inmates
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Former Ohio inmates and equality advocates are pushing for a bill that would require correctional institutions to provide free feminine hygiene products. House Bill 29 would require all jails and prisons in the state that house women to provide an 'adequate supply' of free pads and tampons in a 'variety of sizes.' Sponsored by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Marilyn John (R-Richland County), the bill also would require facilities to allow at least one shower a day for inmates who are menstruating. 'The absence of a formal policy leaves decisions to the discretion of prison staff, creating inconsistencies and opportunities for abuse,' Humphrey said at the bill's first hearing. 'Some inmates receive hygiene products without issue, while others must beg or face punishment.' The bipartisan legislation, introduced in February, would also ban prisons from denying an inmate feminine hygiene products and require facilities to implement formal policies surrounding the distribution of the products. Humphrey introduced a similar bill in the last legislative session that passed the House unanimously but stalled in the Senate. The bill did not receive any opponent testimony. Kayelin Tiggs, who has led research projects for the U.S. Military, voiced her support for the legislation. 'Can you imagine having to use loose paper, dirty socks, cleaning rags, mattress padding, torn sheets or makeshift pads to prevent accidents, all because you are denied an adequate number of products,' Tiggs said in 2023 testimony. 'This is the reality for thousands of women across the state.' The current bill had its second hearing last week, where a dozen people conveyed their approval of the legislation. Ainslee Johnson-Brown, a representative with the nonprofit Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, expressed similar concerns about what items inmates may turn to when left without products. 'Lack of access to the necessary products forces menstruating individuals to resort to unhygienic alternatives – leading to infections, discomfort and worse,' Johnson-Brown said. 'Access to menstrual products is a direct extension of Ohio's obligation to maintain humane conditions within its correctional facilities.' Throughout testimony for both the current and former bill, multiple former female inmates detailed how they were often denied products, forced to use makeshift pads and how male guards would 'humiliate' them or request 'favors' when they asked for feminine products. Currently, there is no Ohio law requiring jails and prisons to provide feminine hygiene products. In 2022, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction issued policy to ensure women receive free, unlimited feminine hygiene products. However, during testimony, multiple people claimed access is not always reliable. Humphrey additionally pointed out that a policy is not permanent, and can be rescinded at any time. 'HB30 ensures these protections remain law, safeguarding the dignity and health of incarcerated women regardless of future administrative changes,' Humphrey said. If the legislation were to pass, Ohio would join 25 other states that have laws protecting menstrual products in correctional facilities, according to The Prison Flow Project. The bill awaits possible opponent testimony in the House's Government Oversight Committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House approves bill mandating post-election audits
Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, speaking on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 18, 2025. Wood's bill mandating election audits passed the chamber along party lines except for three Republicans that voted against it. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives last week passed a bill mandating election audits, mostly along party lines. HB 30, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, requires local probate judges to conduct a post-election audit after every countywide and statewide general election to verify accuracy. One race from the entire election, selected at random, will be audited. Wood said the legislation is not for recounts but to ensure the electronic machines that count votes are working properly. Wood said Alabama is one of nine states that do not audit elections. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Imposed election audits ensure public confidence in the election process,' Wood said on the House floor. 'Audits increase transparency and demonstrate that elections are fair and accurate.' The legislation passed 63-30 with seven abstentions and three Republicans voting 'no.' Rep. Van Smith, R-Clanton, said in an interview last week after a committee meeting that he voted against it because his county's probate judge was worried about compliance. 'I wasn't against the audit, but I was concerned about the workforce needed to do it,' Smith said. The legislation requires the audited race to be recounted by a machine, except for 30 ballots that must be verified by hand. Democrats pushed back on the legislation saying that it gives the impression that Alabama has voter fraud. 'You don't have to do an audit to have integrity,' Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, said. Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Matthews, offered an amendment that requires election volunteers to oversee the audits. 'That way both parties can have a say,' he said. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, said the state ranked high on an election integrity ranking by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing organization that developed Project 2025, a plan to advance conservative policies through the executive branch. 'I am for an audit,' she said. 'I just don't see the rationale for this one.' The bill now goes to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Native leaders press for more action to address crisis of missing, murdered Indigenous people
As Utah lawmakers weigh legislation to maintain the task force investigating the disproportionately high number of missing and murdered Indigenous people, a coalition of Native American leaders gathered to say such action is needed. "We're here today because our work is far from finished," said Kassie John, one of several speakers who addressed a conference Thursday focused on the issue. "The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives continues to devastate families across not just Utah but the United States as well. Our communities cannot bear this burden alone. We need everyone's support. We need your support. We need our state and local officials' support." State lawmakers created the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force in 2020, and the body issued a report in late 2023 highlighting the disparate rates of missing and murdered Native Americans in Utah, an issue that extends to the national level. Among one of the oft-repeated stats from the report, cited at Thursday's conference, is that though American Indian and Alaska Native people account for around 1.6% of Utah's population, they account for more than 5% of murder victims. A measure is up for consideration in the Utah Legislature, HB15, to extend the task force's duties, which were to have ended last November, until July 1, 2027. But while supportive of the task force's efforts, the participants at Thursday's conference, held at the state Capitol in Salt Lake City, emphasized that additional action is needed on top of that. The efforts "can't just be in legislation. It has to be an action, a collaboration, an unwavering commitment to justice for Indigenous people," said John, Miss Indian World 2024-25 and a member of the Navajo Nation. Separately, but also in the Capitol Thursday, Utah Rep. Angela Romero organized a rally to promote HB30, the Indian Family Preservation Act, meant to bolster the role of tribal officials in foster care cases involving Native American children. Romero, D-Salt Lake City, is the sponsor of HB15 and HB30. "Tribes want to be at the table to know where their citizens are going," said Tamra Borchardt-Slayton, health director of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and a speaker at the HB30 rally. Dena Ned, a member of the board of directors of Restoring Ancestral Winds Inc., or RAWI, the group that hosted the conference on the missing and murdered Indigenous people issue, called on participants of the event to join the cause. Those in the room, she said, are "going to help make the change happen." Yolanda Francisco, the executive director of Restoring Ancestral Winds Inc., which is focused on ending violence in Native communities, also emphasized the importance of collective attention and action to the issue. The help of tribal representatives, Utah lawmakers and others working together is vital. "May our voices resonate with others and give peace, safety and healing to Native communities so that one day we can live and thrive in society without fear and truly be free from violence," Francisco said. The 2023 report outlined some of the issues that might factor in the higher rates of missing and murdered people in the Indigenous community. It also outlined a range of recommendations to address the issue, including stronger ties between tribal and state law enforcement officials and medical examiners. HB15 calls for another report by Sept. 30, 2026, looking into new ways to approach unsolved cases of missing and murdered people and ways to increase outreach to communities most impacted by the issue, among other things. The measure received a favorable recommendation from the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday and now awaits consideration by the full House. HB30 hasn't yet gotten a committee hearing, but its proponents are pressing for action. Borchardt-Slayton said the bill is important as it would give tribal representatives added assurance they would have a role in foster care cases involving Native American children, something that doesn't always occur. "You have to remember, in the state of Utah as of 2022, 4% of (child) removal cases were actually Native American, and we only make up 1.6% of the population of the state of Utah," she said. Queried on HB30, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said he understands the federal government addressed the issues at play. He views the state proposal as "duplicative" of action federal lawmakers have already taken. "Not to say that it may not get heard," Schultz said, but the issue is "something the federal government addressed last year." Contributing: Bridger Beal-Cvetko
