Latest news with #House-Senate
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Down to the wire: Setback for Paxton, no deal on voting bill ahead of final session's day
Sunday was the second to the last day of the 2025 legislative session, and more importantly, the final day to push legislation over the finish line and onto the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott. Much of the action in both chambers focused on measures not identified as priorities of either Abbott or legislative leaders. But a few pieces of significant legislation were debated and a couple of priorities of top state leaders fell by the wayside. Typically, the final day of the legislative session is mostly ceremonial. Legislation that would have granted state district judges their first pay raise in a dozen years has appeared to fall victim to a House-Senate standoff in closing days of the session. But some members of the House and Senate spent Sunday trying to put a deal together in the effort to pass on the final day of the session. It would require suspending several rules, but it could be done. Senate Bill 293 passed the House last week without much controversy after the sponsor, state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, made clear that members would not be voting themselves a backdoor increase to the pensions they earn for extended service in the Legislature. Lawmakers' pensions would still be calculated as if judges' pay remained $140,000 per year, and not at the $175,000 the bill would have paid judges. Under state law, lawmakers are paid only $7,200 a year. However, once they reach eight years of service, they are eligible for state pension that is in line with a salary-linked pension that judges can draw. The more years of service, the more valuable the pension of judges — and lawmakers — is. When SB 293 returned to the Senate, the upper chamber sought to nullify the decoupling of judge-lawmaker pensions without consulting the House. With the legislative session ending Monday, the two chambers would have to agree on SB 293 by midnight Saturday. That deadline came and went with no deal on the bill. Stay tuned. A proposal that would have granted Attorney General Ken Paxton new powers to enforce Texas' election laws died on Sunday after House and Senate lawmakers failed to reach a compromise. The Senate's expansive version of House Bill 5138 would have empowered Paxton to prosecute any election code violation at any time. In contrast, the House version allowed the attorney general to take on election fraud cases only if the local district attorney waited more than six months to prosecute. The legislation was all but certain to face legal challenges if it went into effect. The all-Republican Texas Court of Criminal Appeals struck down a similar law in 2021, ruling that the state Constitution forbids the executive branch from taking on the judicial-branch duty of prosecuting crimes. District attorneys are considered to be part of the judicial branch, while the attorney general is not. Legislation that would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote was left languishing as the clock was running out of the session. Though state and federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting, Senate Bill 16 filed by Mineola Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes would have required voters to prove their citizenship to their local voter registrar. The bill sought to create a bifurcated voter registration system and would require applicants and already-registered voters to provide a document like a birth certificate, passport or naturalization certificate to be eligible to cast a ballot in state or local elections. If a voter does not provide citizenship documents, they would be able to vote only in federal races. Legislation to broaden the umbrella of the state's medical marijuana program to including chronic pain and Crohn's disease was sent to the governor. If signed into law, House Bill 46 would allow patients eligible for the state's medical marijuana program to use products like cannabis patches, lotions, prescribed inhalers and vaping devices. The list of qualifying conditions would also expand to include chronic pain and terminal or hospice care. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas legislative session ends Monday. Here's what's left to finish
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Down to the wire: A $338B Texas budget, new rules for faculty senates at universities
Day 138 of the 140-day session of the Legislature resembled a volleyball game where the ball was the scores of bills trying to make through the process and the net was the Capitol rotunda that separates the House from the Senate. Here are some of the highlights from Saturday's action. Both Houses signed off on the $338 billion spending plan to fund state government for the two-year cycle that begins Sept. 1. The total — the product of negotiations and compromises hammered out by a House-Senate conference committee — was slightly more than either chamber proposed when each passed its own version of the budget. The spending plan, which is subject to certification by Comptroller Glenn Hegar, includes $65 billion for the state's sundry education programs and $44 billion for health and human services programs. Assuming that certification is granted, Gov. Greg Abbott can either sign it into law or veto it. A third option for Abbott is the line-item veto that allows the governor to redline individual appropriations if he chooses. The budget represents an increase of 1.2% from the present two-year budget. The document would also, to some degree, tap the breaks on Abbott's border security plan known as Operation Lone Star, which so far has cost Texas taxpayers more than $11 billion since 2021. The 2026-27 budget would allocate $3.4 billion for border security. That's down from about $6.5 billion proposed in the chambers' earlier versions. Now that President Donald Trump has returned to the White House, federal allocations for border security are expected to be stepped up. Both chambers have approved and sent to the governor, sweeping legislation that seeks to limit faculty authority over university governance. The bill also expands the governor-appointed board of regents' control over core curriculum, degrees and hiring, and create an investigative office to handle complaints of noncompliance against universities. The bill also includes provisions to initiate a review of all core courses to ensure alignment with workforce readiness and prohibits any required class from advocating or promoting the idea that one race, sex, religion or ethnicity is "inherently superior to any other." Public school students would no longer be allowed to use cellphones in school under legislation that is now on its way to the governor. House Bill 1481 would allow local school boards to decide how the law would be applied. Exemptions would be available for students who require phones for medical and personal safety purposes. If Abbott signs the measure, students could not use their cellphones during the school day. Here's how the Texas Legislative Reference Library explains the process by which the governor signs or vetoes bills that pass both chambers and arrives at his desk: "Bills that pass the House and Senate are sent to the Governor to sign or veto. The Governor has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to return the bill to the Legislature with objection. If after 10 days the bill is not returned to the Legislature by the Governor with objections, the bill becomes law as if the Governor had signed it. "If the Legislature has adjourned sine die, or if the bill is presented to the governor less than 10 days (not counting Sundays) prior to final adjournment, the Governor has 20 days (counting Sundays) after the final day of the session to sign or veto the bill. If neither action is taken, the bill becomes law without the Governor's signature." The last day in the process this go-round is June 22. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature tries to pass last bills in the final weekend
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Preliminary audit of YDC fund lacks any smoking gun
Anyone expecting that a preliminary audit of the Youth Development Center Settlement Fund would have an explosive, smoking gun finding is bound to be disappointed. Carson requested and Legislative Fiscal Committee ordered YDC fund audit Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, requested and the Legislative Fiscal Committee approved a report reviewing the finances of the Youth Development Center Settlement Fund created in 2022 to consider damage awards to victims of alleged sexual and/or physical abuse. The 18-page report addressing seven bullet points the Legislative Fiscal Committee had called for at the urging of Senate President Sharon Carson does not cite any concern that the fund, created in 2022, has been improperly managed. Christine Young, director of audits under Legislative Budget Assistant Michael Kane, said four members of her team conducted interviews over the last four weeks of employees involved in the program with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the YDC Claims Administration (YDCCA) staff group. They've also been reviewing all policies and reports. A final report from Young's group is due in early June. Carson said she requested the review because she didn't know enough about how the fund was dispensing awards, especially since June 2024 when a new law allowed fund administrator John Broderick and his legal team to pay out awards over time rather than in lump sums. The law allows awards to be paid in up to 10-year terms, but the report found that only five of 80 approved awards would be paid over 10 years, while 50 of the 80 awards will be paid out in four years or less. Awards already agreed to are going to cost the state budget at least $20 million in the two-year period that begins July 1, according to the report. The House-approved state budget has earmarked only $10 million for the fund in each of the next two years. Broderick has requested $150 million, which would equal the $75 million the fund is allowed to spend in any given year. Payments to lawyers Carson and other fiscal members raised questions about how lawyers representing the victims are paid. The report found the average attorney fee paid to date has been 30.8% of the award, below the 33% cap allowed by state law. Young's report confirms that 18 firms representing more than 75% of the victims have agreed to receive their fees over a three-year period. But the report found 50 claims had attorney fees totaling $11.2 million that had been paid in lump sums while their clients were all getting paid in installments. The report does reveal that Broderick has chosen not to act upon requests from Attorney General John Formella's staff for more fact finding on his cases. Preliminary financial report on YDC settlement fund released A House-Senate budget oversight committee approved an immediate audit into the finances of the state-created claims fund that approves damage awards to victims of sexual and physical abuse at the Youth Development Center in Manchester (pictured). The AG hired the Verrill Dana law firm of Portland, Maine, to review claims by the administrator to assess completeness and areas of agreement or disagreement. From 2022 to 2024, the AG had to provide its position whether it agreed 'fully or partially' with the administrator's claim decision. Since June 2024, that view from the AG has been optional though the practice 'remains substantially in place,' the report said. Young said the Verrill Dana firm has 'in certain cases' requested Broderick refer the case to a fact facilitator, but Broderick has not done so. 'YDCCA staff reported requests have not been granted by the administrator to conduct an additional independent investigation because statute requires timely processing of claims, and the resolution proceeding uses trauma-informed professionals to address verification and credibility questions in addition to controls throughout the claims process,' the report said. 'Contracts for these professionals include fact facilitation in the scope of work should it ever be needed.' Other details in the report included: * Inmate victims: Nearly one in five who have brought claims are currently prison inmates. Only 17 of those inmates are in out-of-state jails while the other 181 (91.4%) reside in New Hampshire prisons. * Administrative costs: Formella's staff spent 61.6% for the fund with the YDCCA has accounted for 38.4%. * Size of awards: The average award has been $543,000. Among the 296 completed claims, 54 of them were more than $1 million and 242 were less than that benchmark. klandrigan@
Japan Today
13-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Tax the rich? Slash spending? Republicans wrestle with economic priorities in the Trump era
By LISA MASCARO FILE - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined from left by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., talks to reporters about his push for a House-Senate compromise budget resolution to advance President Donald Trump's agenda, even with opposition from hard-line conservative Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) What, exactly, the Republican Party stands for in terms of economic policy in the second Trump administration is a question reaching an inflection point. Is it the party that promotes free-market prosperity or a 21st-century populism? Does it stick with the 'No new taxes' pledge that has been GOP political orthodoxy for decades or do Republicans tax the rich, as President Donald Trump suggests? Roll back the Obama-era's health care expansion and the President Joe Biden's green energy investments or protect the federal flow of investment dollars generating jobs in the states? Slash deficit spending or spike the nation's now $36 trillion debt load? Free trade or Trump's tariffs? As House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republicans race to draft Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' of $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, the final product will set the party on a defining path. It's still a work in progress. 'This idea of the American dream where we are the best country in the world — which I believe we are – will be gone and it'll be our fault, so we have to do something right now to address it,' said Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga. 'And everybody wants to say, 'Oh, yeah, we should do something,' but nobody's willing to say what that hard choice is.' The GOP is shape-shifting its economic policy priorities in real time, transforming from a party that once put a premium on lower taxes and smaller government into something more reflective of the interests of the working-class coalition that depends on the federal safety net and put Trump in the White House. On the one side, there's the old-school Republican stalwarts who have guided policy thinking for years. Among them are former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who says tax increases would be 'stupid, destructive' and the influential Club for Growth, which pours millions into political campaigns. But a rising neo-populist power center with proximity to Trump carries clout, with Steve Banon and others who reject the traditional trickle-down economic policies and propose a new direction that more benefits Americans. Divisions run strong within the Republican Party, which holds the majority on Capitol Hill, and is bulldozing past Democratic objections to push its package forward on its own. GOP lawmakers are under mounting pressure to set aside their differences by Johnson's Memorial Day deadline, especially as Trump's tariffs stoke unease, and they are eager to signal that the economy is under control on their watch. 'This is a once in a generation bill,' said Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a large group of House conservatives. He said not only would the emerging package extend the tax breaks and cut spending, "it also gives us a mentality just to settle the markets, to give some predictability, to give everybody in our country the ability to go, hey, our economy is going to be strong.' This weekend, Republican leaders are working to finish the 11 separate sections that will make up that big package before potential public hearings in the coming week. But the final three — on tax policy, Medicaid and green energy programs, and food stamp assistance — have proved to be the most difficult, posing the biggest political risks. Moderate conservative Republicans in the House have signed on to letters opposing steep cuts to Medicaid, which provides health care to more than 70 million Americans. The Medicaid program has expanded in the 15 years since the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, became law, as more states signed up for federal cost-sharing allotments, and people benefited from enhanced federal credits to pay their insurance premiums. Republicans who pledged to 'repeal and replace' the health law during Trump's first term are now insisting they only want to target what they say is waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, as many fight to save its more popular parts. Many of those same moderate GOP lawmakers also oppose rolling back the green energy tax breaks that Democrats approved under Biden as companies invest in wind, solar and other renewable energy development. At the same time, the more conservative Republicans are roaring back, insisting on deep cuts. Some 30 Republicans said the party must hold to the original GOP budget framework of up to $2 trillion in spending cuts, which they argue are needed to prevent the tax cuts from piling on annual deficits that are fueling the nation's debt load. The cost of the tax cuts, first approved by Republicans in 2017, during Trump's first term, is expected to grow if Republicans add other priorities, including no taxes on tipped wages or Social Security income. Estimates put the final costs beyond $7 trillion. 'We must hold that line on fiscal discipline to put the country back on a sustainable path,' wrote Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., and colleagues. Meanwhile, Johnson is negotiating with a core group of five Republicans from the highest tax regions in New York, New Jersey and California who claim they will not vote for any plan unless it reinstates a bigger state and local tax deduction, called SALT, for their constituents. They called the latest proposal to triple the cap on state and local tax deductions, which is now $10,000 a year, to $30,000 'insulting.' Trump himself has waded into the debate in uneven ways. The president told Johnson this past week that he wanted to see a higher tax rate on incomes of $2.5 million for single filers, or $5 million for couples, only to sort of back off the idea Friday. 'Republicans should probably not do it, but I'm OK if they do!!!' Trump wrote on social media. With Republicans going it alone, over the objections of Democrats in the House and Senate critical of the tax package as a giveaway to the rich that will hurt Americans who depend on federal services, leaders will need almost every Republican on board. One Republican, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, implored his colleagues not to worry about the politics of the next midterm election and to stick to party principles. 'How about we do the job we got elected 5 months ago to do and see where the chips fall,' he posted on social media. 'Cut Spending. Shrink the Deficit. Cut Taxes. Lead.' __ Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Leah Askarinam contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers negotiating Missouri budget add $300M to public schools spending
A screenshot from the livestream of the House-Senate budget conference committee meeting Wednesday night. Members began work about 8:30 p.m. and settled their differences on eight spending bills at 11:30 p.m. (Screenshot from livestream video via Missouri House Communications) Missouri's public schools would be fully funded and a policy some blame for undermining a child care subsidy program would be fixed, legislative budget negotiators decided Wednesday night as they worked through eight of the 13 spending bills for state operations in the coming year. Over about three hours, the conference committees of five lawmakers from both the House and Senate resolved differences between the spending bills, more often than not by selecting the option that spent more money. Tracking by The Independent shows the eight bills completed Wednesday would spend $450 million more general revenue than Gov. Mike Kehoe's January budget proposal, $636 million more than the House version approved in April and $118 million more than the version approved in the Senate last week. The committees will reconvene Thursday to finalize spending decisions on five more bills, with the full House and Senate scheduled to vote Friday in advance of the constitutional deadline. The differences that must be resolved are between the $49.4 billion plan for day-to-day operations approved in the Senate and the $47.9 billion plan approved in the House. The education budget that will go to the chambers for final approval includes $4 billion for the public school foundation formula, including a $297 million increase that Kehoe opposed. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education budget will also include $107 million Kehoe recommended to revamp how child care providers are paid, basing it on enrollment instead of attendance. House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, tried to defend the decision to back Kehoe's view that the money shouldn't be spent. But he was outnumbered, with Democratic House members joining unanimous backing from senators for Senate Appropriations Chairman Lincoln Hough's position that state law required the money to be appropriated. 'This is the most important thing we're going to do today, and this is a statutory minimum that we have in a commitment that we've made to our kids back home,' state Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Springfield Democrat, said as she advocated for the foundation formula increase. As he agreed to the increase, Deaton looked forward to the commission Kehoe created to consider changes to the formula. 'I do hope, when you look at the formula, if we have an opportunity to rewrite it, that we won't let unelected bureaucrats make a $300 million call or something similar to future general assemblies,' Deaton said. Along with the two big items in the education department, the conference committees: Adopted Kehoe's pay plan proposal for state employee raises, which will reward longevity. State workers will get a 1% raise for every two years of state employment, capped at 10% for 20 years. Agreed to increase the base budgets for all state colleges and universities by 3%, which was the amount approved in the Senate. The House had adopted Kehoe's recommendation for a 1.5% boost and added $27.1 million for campus maintenance needs, which was cut by the negotiators. Removed language directing the Missouri Lottery to begin a three-year pilot program for lottery courier services. The budget negotiators began working about 8:30 p.m., about 12 hours later than the scheduled start. The day began with tensions between Deaton and Hough. As Hough was wrapping up a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee two rooms away, Deaton was announcing that because Hough was absent, the conference meetings would begin at 10 p.m. Deaton said he was kept waiting six hours Monday before Hough met with him. They worked for about seven hours to resolve issues that they could present to the conference committees, then for 15 minutes on Tuesday. He said he was not informed of Hough's intent to be ready to work in the afternoon after a recess of the committee for short floor sessions. 'I've not heard anything since yesterday at 1 o'clock,' Deaton said. Hough said he worked with Senate leadership to plan time for the conference meeting. He thought it was communicated to the House. 'It was stated by me on multiple occasions that my intention was to get together this afternoon after a few hours of floor time,' Hough said. Hough tried to get the conference committees together about 3 p.m., after both chambers had adjourned for the day, but Deaton was not willing and did not appear. The budget negotiations, when they finally began, went relatively quickly and without rancor. Deaton and Hough took turns reading through the budget lines and stating the intent to take the House or Senate position, or a compromise number in between. Members interrupted often, usually to challenge a decision about an item among the 166 new earmarked items for programs or projects added to the eight bills. Only 12 added at some point didn't make the final cut. State Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, spoke up in favor of one threatened with a cut, $50,000 for Global One Urban Farming in Kansas City. 'This really helps the children in that community with growing food,' Washington said. 'It is only $50,000. It's so little. I know I ask for a lot, but I don't ask for a lot of money.' Instead of being cut, the organization will receive $25,000. Hough and Deaton both got the earmarks most identified with them in the budget. Deaton cut $8 million to restore a historic footbridge in Springfield and Hough cut $19 million to buy land for a state park in McDonald County. Unsurprisingly, both made it into the budget. State Sen. Brian Williams, a University City Democrat, questioned Deaton on the decision to cut $500,000 slated for an urgent care program for veterans in Kansas City. It was one of three earmarked items for veterans alongside $1 million for temporary housing for veterans in St. Louis and $1 million for a veterans housing program in Columbia. Williams said one consideration for earmarked appropriations of general revenue should be where the money is generated in taxes. Kansas City and St. Louis need to be treated fairly as the richest areas of the state, he said. 'Jackson County makes up a significant amount of the economy in our state, we need to ensure that our budget reflects that,' Williams said. Deaton said one factor in the decision was the amount being dedicated to veterans programs and the limited nature of state funds. 'There's the give and the take, there's money in, money out,' Deaton said. 'We can't do everything, unfortunately and be all things for all people at all times. We're doing a lot for veterans in this budget.' The final budget will have $500,000 for the Kansas City urgent care program and $500,000 for the St. Louis temporary housing program. No one challenged Hough or Deaton when they said they were approving earmarked spending that was in or near their districts. Fogle, however, challenged Hough when he cut $4 million from an economic development organization called Innovate SOMO. 'I know you feel like you gotta give a little bit, but I would rather not give with our community,' Fogle said. 'I think,' Hough replied, 'our community is fairly well served in this legislature.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
