Latest news with #HouseBill103
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority bill moves to Senate with bipartisan support
The bill, if passed, would give a state appropriation to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority for the first time Rep. Denise Baum was ecstatic following a 63-35 House vote on Saturday morning to move HB 848, creating the Big Sky Rail account, over to the Senate. The Billings Democrat is carrying a bill that would, if passed, give a state appropriation to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority for the first time. The authority would receive $2 million annually until a sunset date on June 30, 2031. 'I'm extremely excited,' Baum said Saturday morning. 'This is such a truly momentous piece of legislation, building out infrastructure and just having people understand that the infrastructure is already there.' If passed, the bill would support planning, outreach and organizational work. It would also help local governments apply for larger grants and help the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority decide which places passenger rail would stop at. The money is not going toward large capital projects or building new railroads. The bill got support in the Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee hearing from the Montana Economic Developers Association, the Missoula Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO and various local elected officials from across the state. It also had some bipartisan support on the House floor. Rep. Ed Byrne, R-Bigfork, and Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings both urged a pass on the legislation on the floor. 'When you have issues such as this that are so extremely impactful to Montanans across the state … political party lines blur,' Baum said. The fiscal impact led to some opposition. Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, and Rep. Tom Millett, R-Marion, both spoke against the legislation, with Millett bemoaning the Legislature for spending money 'like a drunken sailor.' Two routes through Montana were selected as 'preferred routes' in the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study. It was a federal nod from the Federal Railroad Administration that the routes were viable. Much of the rail lines are already in use for freight cargo, and proponents of the bill have said repeatedly passenger rail and freight can coexist. The money comes from a railroad tax fund, which has been looked at as a funding source for several bills this session. House Bill 103, brought by Rep. Zolnikov, would have created funding for railroad inspections and was looking to use funding from the railroad tax fund. The bill was tabled in committee and Baum said it 'unfortunately' went down. The Legislative Services Division released a letter on that bill, which included an estimate of railroad tax revenue — about $4 million per year. The money previously went to the general fund. An amendment to House Bill 2 added some money for train inspections back into the budget.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A new bill could punish parents if their child brings gun to school
ALABAMA (WHNT) — House Bill 103, introduced Tuesday, states that a parent or legal guardian could be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor if their child unlawfully possesses a firearm on public school property. Lawmakers agree that gun safety efforts need to be a priority, but the two parties disagree on how it should be enforced. Decatur Police searching for two missing children, possibly in danger House Minority Leader Representative Anthony Daniels said the bill could be useful in reminding parents of the importance of securely storing a gun at home. 'We've got to do a better job of protecting our weapons,' Daniels said. 'Making certain that our children don't have easy access to it, so it could serve as a wake-up call to parents.' Daniels emphasized the urgency of more gun safety after several tragedies across the country. 'A lot of times these kids have gotten these weapons from their parents,' Daniels said. 'You end up losing so many precious lives as a result of it.' Man turns himself in for exposing himself in Toney, sheriff's office says Alabama GOP Chairman John Wahl sits on the other side of the aisle regarding this bill. He said you cannot blame a second party for an individual's actions. 'We need to teach our children how important it is that they are respectful for any tool or firearm or vehicle or for anything that could be dangerous to another person,' Wahl said. 'You can't hold one person guilty for another person's actions.' Wahl added that he believes lawmakers should focus more on prevention rather than punishment. 'It does not actually accomplish the root goal which is bringing down crime and bringing down these tragedies,' Wahl said. 'It only addresses them after they happen.' The bill does make exceptions, one being for firearms left in students' vehicles. Daniels said that each instance of a child with a parent's gun should be handled on a case-by-case basis and that it's possible the parent did everything right. Wahl said the bill, as it stands, leaves too much uncertainty in the burden of proof and could lead to a 'slippery slope' in the law. BamaCarry, Inc., a statewide gun rights organization, sent News 19 a statement on their opinion of the bill. 'HB103 is another example of government over reach. In essence it saysyou will educate your child and store your possessions in the manner wedictate or you will be punished. Each instance is different. No blanketbill will cover all situations. A six year old manages to bring a B-B gun to school for show and tellthat was a Christmas gift versus a 16 year old that brings a firearm toschool with malicious intent, or as in the past, students in rural areascarried various firearms to go hunting after their school day had situations are quite different and would require differentactions by authorities. This bill does not allow for that. Our time would be better spent by parents educating their children onproper handling of firearms instead of trying to pass alarmistlegislation as in bill HB103. For the reasons states, BamaCarry opposes this bill.' Linda McKinney, BamaCarry, Inc. President The bill is currently with the House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. If passed, it will go into effect Oct. 1, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
