Latest news with #HB441
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Higher cigarette tax clears key Hawaii Senate committee
GEORGE F. LEE / FEB. 6 The University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Kakaako. GEORGE F. LEE / FEB. 6 The University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Kakaako. A bill proposing a 2-cent increase in the state cigarette tax that would boost funding for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center passed its first hearing before a key Senate committee Monday despite ongoing opposition from retailers who worry about increased shoplifting and lost cigarette sales. The latest version of House Bill 441 crossed over into the Senate at the midpoint of the legislative session and moved out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday. If approved this year and signed into law, Hawaii's per-cigarette tax would jump to 18 cents from 16 cents on Jan. 1. The increase would go to the Hawai 'i Cancer Research special fund while simultaneously making it more expensive to buy cigarettes across the islands, with the goal of reducing cancer rates. But UH officials have pushed back against a Senate amendment to HB 441 that would dedicate the additional 2-cent tax to reducing the cancer center's debt on capital improvement costs. Cigarette tax revenue funded construction of the cancer center and its efforts to fight cancer, including reducing tobacco use. 'However, due to the success of smoking cessation efforts, this allocation has declined, indicating both progress in public health and a concerning decrease in resources for the initiatives that have fueled this advancement, ' according to testimony submitted to the Ways and Means Committee by Cancer Center Director Naoto Ueno and UH Manoa Provost Michael Bruno. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'Now providing less than half the funding compared with that of 2009, this source of allocation is no longer able to support its original intent to provide a top-notch facility, and to invest in the most promising cancer research, clinical care and community outreach.' Increasing the cigarette tax to fund the cancer center has been endorsed by state agencies including the Department of Health and health organizations such as The Queen's Health Systems, Hawai 'i Public Health Institute, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association and 38 people who submitted individual testimony of support. Opposition includes testimony from Tina Yamaki, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii. She wrote that an increase in the cigarette tax would disproportionately burden lower-income smokers, 'who are already struggling with the high cost of living in Hawai 'i.' A higher tax also could hurt small businesses, leading to job losses and potential business closures 'in an already fragile economic climate, ' Yamaki said. They could also lose cigarette sales through increased shoplifting and from the loss of customers who might ask military friends and family to buy them tax-exempt cigarettes through Hawaii's military bases, she said. Yamaki also criticized linking cigarette sales to fund cancer center research. 'Cigarette consumption has been steadily declining due to increased awareness and existing tax measures, ' Yamaki wrote. 'Tying funding for critical research and other special funds to an unstable revenue source creates long-term financial uncertainty for the Hawai 'i Cancer Research Special Fund. Alternative, more sustainable funding mechanisms should be considered for this or any other special fund.' A separate Senate bill, SB 1204, would have forced the cancer center to merge with the UH medical school, which UH previously said would jeopardize the center's accreditation. SB 1204 appears dead this session. It represented the latest effort by state Sen. Donna Kim, who chairs the Senate Higher Education Committee, to merge the cancer center with UH's John A. Burns School of Medicine and have the center's director report to the medical school dean. A similar bill Kim introduced in 2020 was opposed by then-UH President David Lassner. Earlier this legislative session, new UH President Wendy Hensel told Kim and other members of the Senate Higher Education Committee that UH would return with a recommendation over whether to merge the cancer center into JABSOM.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Total abortion ban in Ga? Advocates talk new bill in state house
ATLANTA, Ga. (WSAV) – A bill introduced in the state house could effectively ban elective abortions in Georgia. The legislation, House Bill 441, is called the Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act, and it would remove the 6-week timeframe where it is still legal to have an elective abortion under current Georgia law. It would also remove exceptions that allow for an abortion in cases of rape or incest. The only remaining exception in the proposed legislation would be in rare cases where the mother's life is in imminent danger. Supporters and those against HB 441 lined the halls of the Capitol this week. 'We saw state troopers have to show up in numbers to make sure that things stayed civil,' Allison Coffman, Executive Director of the Amplify GA Collaborative, said. At a Wednesday hearing, the room was full, but many more waited outside the doors to make their voices heard. 'This would create a crime scene and force doctors and nurses to choose between risking their livelihoods and providing necessary care,' Alicia Stallworth, GA campaigns director for Reproductive Freedom for All Georgia, said. 'Especially when we have rural hospital closures, and we have maternal mortality rates going up a result of these abortion bans.' Advocates for the legislation argued that they are trying to ensure equal protections for the unborn. 'A child, why should they be murdered for the sin of a person?' State Rep. Emery Dunahoo (R-GA-31, a sponsor of HB 441, questioned during the hearing. The bill would give protection to human embryos from the moment of fertilization. Some argue the proposed restrictions could lead people to seek abortion care outside of a medical setting. 'We need legislators to understand that to keep our community safe within Georgia, we have to say no to HB 441 because people are going to take it in their own hands.' Leah Jones, Director of Maternal Health and Birth Equity Initiatives at SisterSong, said. 'These types of bills kill. They're dangerous, and they're violent.' Others remarked on the fact that, under the proposed legislation, homicide charges could be brought against a pregnant person as well as a medical professional who participates in an abortion or provides follow up care from a miscarriage. 'If there's a loss of pregnancy and they need any kind of additional termination process or procedure, the physician may be too terrified, maybe laws are too restrictive for them to understand how they can move forward in their practice,' Jones said. HB 441 did not get a committee vote, and the Georgia legislative session ends next week, meaning it's unlikely the bill will pass this session. However, advocates say, the bill is likely to be reintroduced next session. 'As somebody who has experienced multiple miscarriages on my journey to becoming a mother, it is heartbreaking and quite scary to imagine a Georgia where myself, my friends, other folks I know, would encounter the legal system when trying to navigate a devastating experience of pregnancy loss.' WSAV reached out to every representative that sponsored this bill but has not yet received a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Georgia lawmaker ‘super happy' after IVF bill passes state Senate, heads back to House
Georgia families seeking in vitro fertilization could soon see it protected under state law. The state Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill on Thursday with some small changes. Families that use IVF, including one in the Senate, are overjoyed. Lorie Franklin can forgive her husband, Statesboro Republican Lehman Franklin, because he's been busy getting legal protection for in vitro fertilization passed through the General Assembly. Their little girl is due in May, and she was conceived through IVF. So, they have a personal stake in this legislation. 'We're not quite ready. We've still got some things to do. But he's been so busy, but she's due on May 27,' Lorie Franklin said. Thursday, the state Senate overwhelmingly approved the measure, which codifies IVF protections into Georgia law, protecting it from any potential future bills like HB 441, which would ban and criminalize abortions. RELATED STORIES: Bill to protect IVF passes unanimously in Georgia House, now heads to Senate Lawmaker's journey with IVF leads to new bill in Georgia House of Representatives House Speaker Jon Burns says he's still committed to supporting IVF treatment in Georgia Trump has signed an executive order on IVF. Here's what you should know about the procedure 'Definitely, the process will be there for them. There won't be that fear of them not having the IVF process. That was our goal for this bill, so we're super happy about it,' Lehman Franklin said. When Alabama passed a similar measure, it inadvertently criminalized IVF, something House Speaker Jon Burns wanted to avoid when creating this measure. Savannah Republican state Sen. Ben Watson, himself a doctor, said this bill would guard against that. 'Putting this in code to allow that and to make sure that in law, recognizing the definition recognizes that it is something in this state of Georgia will be protected,' Watson said. The Franklins now say their toughest challenge is keeping their baby girl's name secret for now. 'We have a name, but it is a secret. But it is a girl. A lot of people come up to me guessing two, three times, every time they see me,' Lehman Franklin said. Georgia Democrats were 100% behind the bill. The bill now goes back to the House because the Senate changed it a bit. But with the House Speaker's support, it's expected to pass as soon as Friday.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hearing over new GA bill that equates abortion to murder got so crowded troopers had step in
Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that would essentially equate abortion to murder at the time of conception. The room got so full for Wednesday's hearing over HB 441 that troopers had no choice but to clear it. 'We're going to get everybody to step out. There's way too many people in here,' the troopers told the crowd. While the mass of people stood outside the committee room door, inside, Gillsville Republican Emory Dunahoo presented his bill which would grant 'personhood' to an embryo upon fertilization, and so, he says anyone who intentionally terminated that pregnancy could be guilty of murder. RELATED STORIES: Georgia Republicans want to limit early voting sites to just 1 location per county in revised bill Georgia Secretary of State's Office to purge 455,000 registrations from voter rolls Georgia Senate passes tax-free military retirement legislation, sending it back to the House 'Tens of thousands of babies made in the image of God continue to be murdered in our state every year,' Dunahoo said. 'This bill simply ensures that the same laws that protect the lives of people after birth equally protects the lives of people before birth.' Democrats peppered Dunahoo with questions about miscarriages, invitro fertilization and exceptions for rape and incest. 'So, there's no exception, tell me if I'm right or wrong, for rape or incest in this bill, is that accurate?' state Rep. Shea Roberts asked Dunahoo. 'Yes,' Dunahoo said. The bill has no chance of passing or even getting a vote this session, especially since it would eliminate the GOP-backed bill protecting IVF in Georgia, but that didn't stop Democrats from demanding answers. 'So, the answer to my question is yes, this would be a total ban? Tell me if I'm wrong,' state Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick asked Dunahoo. 'I pretty much would agree, I would say yes, sir,' Dunahoo said. That IVF protection bill was one of House Speaker Jon Burns' key pieces of legislation. The Senate is supposed to be taking it up Thursday.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Cox signs Utah law letting cake shops stay closed on Sunday without penalty
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a new bill into law on Monday that will allow a group of nearly two dozen Nothing Bundt Cakes stores in Utah to stay closed on Sundays without facing legal repercussions from their corporate franchisor. The stores could have faced a difficult alternative if the Legislature had failed to pass HB441, Franchisee Protection Act, which will go into effect immediately after receiving supermajority support from lawmakers. Nothing Bundt Cakes owners were notified midway through the 2025 legislative session that they had until March 7 to comply with a new rule mandating that they open for at least five hours on Sundays or risk losing their bakeries. The bill received a final unanimous vote on March 7, with just hours left in the session. 'We are so grateful for the passing of the Franchisee Protection Act,' said Kelly Clayton, the owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes locations in St. George and Spanish Fork. 'This bill not only protects us but all franchisees from unfair practices by big corporations. Most of all we owe our thanks to the Lord for helping us to maintain our right to rest, be with family and worship him on his Sabbath day.' HB441 was introduced after multiple business owners approached Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, about a recent policy change requiring them to open on Sundays contrary to their original contract — and their religious beliefs. Ivory brought the issue to Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, who owns a Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise in Taylorsville. Fillmore answered Ivory's questions but chose not to involve himself in the bill, Ivory said. Ivory described the situation facing franchisees as having an 'an economic gun to their head' because many Nothing Bundt Cakes owners, including Clayton, had invested their life savings into opening up shops with the understanding that they could stay closed on their day of worship. Utah's new law prohibits a franchisor, like Nothing Bundt Cakes, from requiring a franchisee to open on a day of worship if it conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief, unless the original franchise agreement clearly includes the requirement. Franchisors will be allowed to renew a franchise agreement to include 'a religious day operation requirement' but they cannot refuse to renew agreements based on a franchisee's decision to not accept the religious day operation requirement. If a franchisor violates the statute, then they will be liable to pay damages to the franchisee and to pay civil penalties of up to $10,000 for the first violation, $25,000 for a second violation and $50,000 for a subsequent violation. 'There's something about that opportunity and ability and sanctity of recognizing worship that is very central to American liberty,' Ivory told the Deseret News. While there was some debate about whether the bill infringed on economic freedom, lawmakers appeared to arrive at a consensus that because franchise agreements are a creation of state code they can be amended to balance the relationship between franchisor and franchisee. Many Nothing Bundt Cakes owners reported that the reason they were attracted to the franchise in the first place was that the organization insisted that their company culture valued faith and family. But after the company was sold to a private equity firm, franchisees were notified that at the beginning of 2025 all locations must be open for 62 hours a week with a five-hour minimum on Sundays. Alyssa Morrison, who is the operator at the American Fork Nothing Bundt Cakes store, told the Deseret News that the new law will enable her family to continue balancing good customer service with their personal religious values. 'This bill begins to level the playing field so that franchisors are prevented from putting small business owner's lives and life savings at risk by making promises about their 'family culture' to entice their investments, and years later change the agreement to force franchisees to be away from their families and open their stores on their originally agreed upon day of worship,' Morrison said. Nothing Bundt Cakes' chief legal officer messaged some franchisees on March 13 stating that the company would follow the state's new law, Clayton said. In a statement to the Deseret News, Nothing Bundt Cakes reaffirmed that the company is 'committed to following all federal, state and local laws in the communities we serve.' 'Guests can check with their local bakeries for hours of operation, and we look forward to being part of Utahns' celebrations and everyday moments for years to come,' the statement said.
