Latest news with #HouseBill1096
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill passes PA House incentivizing buying healthy food with SNAP
A bill incentivizing healthy eating and stretching SNAP dollars has passed in the PA House. House Bill 1096, called Food Bucks, is meant to enhance the SNAP program and is being championed by State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne). City of Erie seeking home rule charter candidates for Nov. election The legislation would establish a statewide program that provides benefit incentives of 40 cents for each dollar a SNAP participant spends on certain healthy foods. Representative Pashinski said a program like this can reduce hunger, support local farmers and improve the health of Pennsylvanians. Better bee-lieve it — Buzz at Copperleaf Cafe to host soft opening this weekend 'it is still our tax payer dollars and we have invest the wisely so as people look at this its not only taking care of the health espcially of the children and allowing them to learn to and grow but were also taking care of our agriculture industry the farmers the tranporters anybody and everybody thats involved in processing it and transporting the food to where we have to go,' Pashinski said. The bill now moves to the state senate for further consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Pashinski bill providing healthy eating, stretching SNAP dollars passes House
Jun. 3—WILKES-BARRE — Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski said on Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Food Bucks Program would support PA's agricultural economy while simultaneously increasing access to nutritious food at a time when many Pennsylvanians' budgets are tight. Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, celebrated the passage of his legislation establishing a statewide program to provide benefit incentives — called Food Bucks — to SNAP recipients purchasing qualifying fruits and vegetables. Rep. Pashinski said under the Pennsylvania Food Bucks program established by H.B. 1096, a Pennsylvania nonprofit would administer the program, providing benefit incentives of no less than 40 cents for each dollar a SNAP participant spends on certain healthy foods at participating retailers. Rep. Pashinski said that similar programs have been passed and implemented in other states and have been proven to improve diets through increased fruit and vegetable consumption. "SNAP nutrition incentive programs like this can reduce hunger, support local farmers and retailers, and improve the health of Pennsylvanians," Rep. Pashinski said. "I thank my colleagues for ensuring that Pennsylvania families who rely on SNAP have more consistent access to the essential fruits and vegetables needed for balanced nutrition and a healthy life." The incentives — often taking the form of a paper or digital coupon issued when a shopper pays with SNAP/EBT — would allow shoppers to purchase additional fruits and vegetables at participating food retailers. In addition to any state funds allocated, Rep. Pashinski said matching dollars may be available from the federal government to stretch these investments even further. House Bill 1096 is supported by Feeding Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, and The Food Trust — a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to delicious, nutritious food for all. "The Pennsylvania Food Bucks program would be a game-changer for our Commonwealth — delivering a triple win for families, farmers and the economy," said Mark Edwards, president and CEO, The Food Trust. "Pennsylvania's farmers stand to gain significantly — as families fill their tables with fresh, local food, farmers expand their customer base, increase revenue and scale up production." "The PA Food Bucks Program is a win for food retailers and families," said Alex Baloga, president and CEO, Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association. "It drives produce sales, increases SNAP customer traffic, and strengthens relationships between stores and their communities." Julie Bancroft, CEO, Feeding Pennsylvania, said, "Ensuring children, seniors and families have access to adequate nutrition is not a partisan issue. Access to healthy food items like fruits and vegetables is proven to reduce long-term health care costs, increase lifetime earnings, and will make Pennsylvania a healthier, better place to live." House Bill 1096 moves to the state Senate for further consideration. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma House approves bills to accept Classic Learning Test, remove chronic absenteeism metric
Students walk in a line before entering the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on Feb. 25. House lawmakers approved two bills on Tuesday regarding student absenteeism and college entrance exams. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — Education policies that passed the Oklahoma House on Tuesday would remove chronic absenteeism from school evaluations and permit scores from a lesser-known college entrance exam to qualify for state-funded scholarships. Both measures now advance to the state Senate for consideration. Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, who leads the chamber's Education Committee, is the Senate author of both bills. House lawmakers spent almost an hour discussing legislation that would allow students to use scores from the Classic Learning Test when applying for the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship or the State Regents for Higher Education Academic Scholars Program. House Bill 1096 ultimately passed 74-15 along party lines. State law currently requires students who attend a non-state-accredited school or who are homeschooled to make at least a 22 on the ACT to qualify for Oklahoma's Promise. Those attending a state-accredited school don't face a test score requirement, but they must earn at least a 2.5 grade point average. The regents' Academic Scholars Program awards applicants who are National Merit Scholars, Presidential Scholars or who scored at least in the 95th percentile on the ACT. House Bill 1096 would change the ACT requirement to allow top performers on any 'nationally norm-referenced college entrance exam.' Multiple House Democrats debated against the bill, contending the Classic Learning Test doesn't meet the same academic rigor and anti-cheating measures as the ACT. Only six small private universities in Oklahoma accept the test, which places an emphasis on classical literature and historic texts. The bill's author, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, said HB 1096 would expand access to college scholarships. The legislation specifies students would have to take the Classic Learning Test in person at a testing center, which eliminates the exam's at-home option. 'This is not harming anybody,' Hasenbeck said while debating on the House floor. 'It is only giving more students more opportunities.' Another measure would delete the student absenteeism metric from the Oklahoma School Report Cards, which assign an A-F grade to each public school. The bill would replace chronic absenteeism with an opportunity for bonus points for giving students more time in the classroom. HB 1412 passed with bipartisan support in a 74-15 vote. The instructional time metric would award a school more points on the report cards if it exceeds the state-mandated minimums of 165 school days or 1,080 classroom hours. Chronic absenteeism grades the number of students who have missed 10% or more of the school year. Republican and Democrat authors of the bill said it was unfair to evaluate schools based on whether parents make sure their children have good attendance. 'We can all agree that chronic absenteeism has not been a good measure for accountability of schools,' one of the authors, Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, said in a statement. 'We have worked to find a new measurement that is something within the district's control and can provide an incentive for schools to get students in front of our state's amazing teachers even more.' If the bill is signed into law, the U.S. Department of Education would have to approve the change to the state report cards. The measure would take effect for the 2025-26 school year if the federal government agrees. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma House approves bills to accept Classic Learning Test, remove chronic absenteeism metric
Students walk in a line before entering the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on Feb. 25. House lawmakers approved two bills on Tuesday regarding student absenteeism and college entrance exams. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — Education policies that passed the Oklahoma House on Tuesday would remove chronic absenteeism from school evaluations and permit scores from a lesser-known college entrance exam to qualify for state-funded scholarships. Both measures now advance to the state Senate for consideration. Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, who leads the chamber's Education Committee, is the Senate author of both bills. House lawmakers spent almost an hour discussing legislation that would allow students to use scores from the Classic Learning Test when applying for the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship or the State Regents for Higher Education Academic Scholars Program. House Bill 1096 ultimately passed 74-15 along party lines. State law currently requires students who attend a non-state-accredited school or who are homeschooled to make at least a 22 on the ACT to qualify for Oklahoma's Promise. Those attending a state-accredited school don't face a test score requirement, but they must earn at least a 2.5 grade point average. The regents' Academic Scholars Program awards applicants who are National Merit Scholars, Presidential Scholars or who scored at least in the 95th percentile on the ACT. House Bill 1096 would change the ACT requirement to allow top performers on any 'nationally norm-referenced college entrance exam.' Multiple House Democrats debated against the bill, contending the Classic Learning Test doesn't meet the same academic rigor and anti-cheating measures as the ACT. Only six small private universities in Oklahoma accept the test, which places an emphasis on classical literature and historic texts. The bill's author, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, said HB 1096 would expand access to college scholarships. The legislation specifies students would have to take the Classic Learning Test in person at a testing center, which eliminates the exam's at-home option. 'This is not harming anybody,' Hasenbeck said while debating on the House floor. 'It is only giving more students more opportunities.' Another measure would delete the student absenteeism metric from the Oklahoma School Report Cards, which assign an A-F grade to each public school. The bill would replace chronic absenteeism with an opportunity for bonus points for giving students more time in the classroom. HB 1412 passed with bipartisan support in a 74-15 vote. The instructional time metric would award a school more points on the report cards if it exceeds the state-mandated minimums of 165 school days or 1,080 classroom hours. Chronic absenteeism grades the number of students who have missed 10% or more of the school year. Republican and Democrat authors of the bill said it was unfair to evaluate schools based on whether parents make sure their children have good attendance. 'We can all agree that chronic absenteeism has not been a good measure for accountability of schools,' one of the authors, Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, said in a statement. 'We have worked to find a new measurement that is something within the district's control and can provide an incentive for schools to get students in front of our state's amazing teachers even more.' If the bill is signed into law, the U.S. Department of Education would have to approve the change to the state report cards. The measure would take effect for the 2025-26 school year if the federal government agrees. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thurston County median home price is still very high. Could this new legislation help?
The median price of a single-family home in Thurston County rose to $530,000 last month, up 6% from February 2024, according to new data released this week by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. That's probably welcome news for anyone interested in selling, but will likely elicit another round of groans from prospective buyers — especially first-time buyers wondering if they will ever be able to afford a home here. House Bill 1096, which was passed by the state House on Thursday and is now on its way to the Senate, aims to bring relief to the situation. If ultimately signed into law, it seeks to increase the supply of missing middle-type homes — accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes and triplexes — as well as single-family homes with a simplified lot-splitting process. 'By cutting through unnecessary red tape, the bill would help homeowners build new housing units faster and more affordably while still meeting zoning requirements and infrastructure needs like water and sewer access,' said the bill's primary sponsor, state Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, in a statement. Thurston County has been mired in a housing market that favors sellers because the supply of homes is so low, according to Northwest MLS data. The county had about 400 active listings and 200 sales last month, which equates to two month's supply of inventory. A housing market that doesn't favor either sellers or buyers is thought to have four to six months' worth of inventory. Remember those days? Perhaps not. Mitch Dietz, the owner of Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty, said the county last had about 1,000 active listings in one month 10 years ago. A lot has happened since: home building slowed, then demand and housing prices soared when mortgage interest rates hit record lows of 3% during and after the pandemic. Interest rates are now closer to 7%. So where would the lot-splitting idea work best? Barkis said the city of Lacey makes for a good example — particularly older, central Lacey where the homes are typically smaller and the lots larger. For example, a number of homes on 13th Avenue Southeast, near Brooks Park, occupy lots that are one-third of an acre. Here are some of the lot-splitting details, according to a House Bill report about the legislation. ▪ The application process for a lot split would only require an administrative decision through which the application is reviewed and approved or denied by the planning director or other designee without a pre-decision public hearing. ▪ Lots that are not buildable include critical areas, shorelines, stormwater retention areas, setbacks and impervious surface areas. ▪ Any lot resulting from a lot split may be divided under other land subdivision processes if the lots meet size requirements. During public testimony on the bill, it won support from the building community but also attracted some environmental concerns, according to a summary of comments from those opposed to it. 'This bill threatens our environment and does not help us achieve affordable housing targets,' the comments read. 'It would allow property owners to sell their backyards while preempting critical area regulations.' ▪ Single-family home sales fell about 1% to 202 units last month from 204 units in February 2024. ▪ Single-family home median price rose 6% to $530,000 from $499,990 over the same period. ▪ Single-family home pending sales fell 13.5% to 255 units from 295 units over the same period. ▪ Condo sales fell to seven units from 14 units over the same period. ▪ Condo median price fell about 20% to $322,000 from $401,950 over the same period. ▪ Condo pending sales were unchanged at 15 units over the same period. Source: Northwest MLS.
