Latest news with #HouseBill1218
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills on school inclusivity, AI and rent fixing among casualties in WA Legislature
The Washington state Capitol on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Tuesday's latest deadline in the Washington Legislature provided the last rites for numerous proposals tackling everything from penalties for environmental crimes to union bargaining over artificial intelligence. But with just a few weeks left in the legislative session, just about all of the big-ticket items lawmakers are considering remain alive. Bills to cap residential rent increases, deal with the rights of parents with children in public schools, require a state permit to purchase a gun, mandate clergy report child abuse, overhaul the recycling system and allow striking workers to access unemployment benefits all remain in play. Legislators in the House and Senate will now work to pass proposals from the opposite chamber off their floors. Their deadline to pass measures from the other chamber is next Wednesday. Proposals that affect state revenue are exempt from the deadlines as they are considered necessary to implement the budget. Lawmakers can also use more creative ways to save bills. The session is scheduled to end April 27. Here are some notable bills that lawmakers gave what will likely be their final death knell. Democratic lawmakers looked to expand protections for students from discrimination in Washington's public schools. Senate Bill 5123 would have added protections for ethnicity, homelessness, immigration status and neurodivergence. It also would have established new classes to specifically defend against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity. The measure, sponsored by Sen. T'wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, didn't make it out of the House Appropriations committee. House Bill 1622 would have required public employers to bargain with unions over the use of artificial intelligence if it affects worker wages or performance evaluations. Opponents, including business groups and city officials, said the measure would skew the balance of power between employees and managers too far toward workers. The Senate Ways & Means Committee did not advance the bill Tuesday. Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, plans to fine-tune the legislation and bring it back next year. 'We have to jump on it,' she said. House Bill 1218 sought to, among other things, establish an incentive program for cities and counties to reduce referrals to state hospitals for inpatient treatment of criminal defendants who are mentally ill. The measure, originally requested by then-Gov. Jay Inslee, came in light of a long-standing court order pushing the state to more quickly get people evaluated and admitted for competency restoration treatment. The bill sought to reduce the number of people coming into state care and instead get them into local programs. After passing the House along largely party lines, a state Senate policy committee 'effectively gutted' the bill, said sponsor Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Seattle. 'We saw pretty quickly that there was a fundamental difference of opinion' with the Senate, between tackling the problem on the front end or by addressing it simply through more state beds for involuntary treatment, she said. This bill also lapsed in the Ways & Means Committee. Farivar plans to work on the legislation and revive it next year. Legislation looked to ban algorithmic price fixing by prohibiting the collection of data that feeds recommendations for rental rates. Senate Bill 5469 would have also barred landlords from obtaining those recommendations. This practice, led by software company RealPage, reportedly helped price an estimated 800,000 leases in Washington between 2017 and 2024. But after state Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit on the issue against RealPage last week, 'there was less motivation to move the bill forward, pending the outcome of that lawsuit,' its sponsor, Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, said in a statement. Senate Bill 5649 would have created a new program to provide grants and loans to ports to keep Washington's supply chain on par with competitors. The Senate passed it unanimously, but it stalled in a House committee. Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, the bill's author, said he hopes the provisions could be included in a final transportation budget. 'With President Trump's tariffs already disrupting global trade, it's critical that we ensure Washington's supply chain remains competitive,' he said. And legislation looking to strengthen criminal penalties against corporations responsible for environmental crimes has stalled in the House. Advocates hoped Senate Bill 5360 would have served as a deterrent against violating state clean air, clean water and hazardous waste laws, and bring the state into alignment with federal punishments. Supporters said increased penalties were needed immediately given the Trump administration's overhaul of the Environmental Protection Agency that they say will result in less environmental protections. Opponents argued it went too far.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Larry Rhoden gives nod to Mitchell's economic development triumphs
Mar. 24—MITCHELL — Gov. Larry Rhoden paused for a moment Monday afternoon following lunch at The Depot in Mitchell. As part of his Open for Opportunity Tour, he had earlier in the day taken a visit of Boyds Gunstocks, Trail King and High Plains Processing, the new soybean crush plant currently under construction along Highway south of Mitchell. Later he would be touring a local housing development. As he spoke briefly with local officials following lunch, he took a moment to show off the 2024 Governor's Cup, for which South Dakota had been named the recipient for the second year in a row by Site Selection Magazine, the premiere publication for economic development in the nation. He said it was appropriate to bring the trophy along during his outing Monday in Mitchell. "(South Dakota) won the 2024 Governor's Cup. It was a repeat from last year, and South Dakota was again number one in per-capita economic development. And we bring (the trophy) with us to Mitchell because Mitchell has certainly done their part in helping the state earn this award," Rhoden told the assembled leaders. "I mentioned it in a few interviews today, about how encouraging it is to come to Mitchell and to see the example they've set." Rhoden had seen plenty of examples of the economic development upswing even before the local tours came to an end during his visit. He opened up his visit with tours of Trail King and followed that with Boyds Gunstocks, the latter of which played host to the signing of a handful of bills meant to support Second Amendment rights in the state. Rhoden signed Senate Bill 100, which provides greater freedoms to exercise gun rights on college campuses; House Bill 1218, which protects the Second Amendment rights of employees, officers and volunteers of local governments; and House Bill 1222, which clarifies that if a parent comes on school property and has a gun on them, they can lawfully leave it in their car. In addition to the bills, Rhoden also signed a letter to United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, asking them to eliminate the seven-day waiting period to purchase a firearm or associated accessories, including silencers, over state lines. Rhoden said the time was right to reexamine the seven-day waiting policy now that President Donald Trump was back in the White House. "Once (Trump) was out of office the last four years, we've been on the defensive, just trying to hold things down and kind of hold your position," Rhoden said. "Now we have the opportunity once again to be on the offensive. There's no reason to have (the seven-day waiting period) on the books anymore with the Brady Act because they're already going through a background check. So why make our people wait seven days arbitrarily for no good reason?" Rhoden also took a tour of Boyds Gunstocks, the largest aftermarket gunstock manufacturer in the world , where he saw many of the processes that go into crafting its product. It was a return visit to the business, where he recalled having stopped by about 15 years ago looking for a stock to buy, not realizing the outfit is more a manufacturer than a retailer. He did eventually get a new stock from Boyds, and officials with the business told the Mitchell Republic they were excited to be able to share their space and process with the governor. "Obviously we're in the Second Amendment space being in the firearm industry. Anything that goes pro-Second Amendment, we're always for," Rob Carstensen, a co-owner of Boyds Gunstocks, told the Mitchell Republic following the tour. "South Dakota in general is a pretty lenient state when it comes to that stuff, so it was nice that he could stop here and sign a couple bills." The business, located just west of Mitchell, boasts about 70 employees engaged in a number of specialized and skilled positions. The number of employees can fluctuate, but Carstensen said when business is up there can be in excess of 100 employees hard at work on site. There was also plenty of work being done at the High Plains Processing plant, the under-construction multi-seed crush facility under the management of South Dakota Soybean Processors, LLC. The new facility has long been expected to have a major impact on the local economy, in part for its drawing employees to the area. Officials with the plant estimated a workforce of about 77 people, with a potential for a handful more. Of the hiring, the workforce at High Plains is expected to be from a diverse background of locations, including places like the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and Missouri to local natives from communities like Alexandria returning home to take advantage of the new employment opportunity. Officials estimated that they were about 20% of the way through the hiring process, but for all intents and purposes, that work had gone well despite the low unemployment figures in the state. "We really thought we were going to have to reach out a long way because we know labor's tight. But we've had a tremendous response from the community as far as the jobs that we've posted to date," said Tom Kersting, CEO of the South Dakota Soybean Processors and High Plains Processing. "A lot of the folks have been local." Rhoden and local development leaders took a tour of the plant, which comes in at a cost of around $500 million. Kersting noted to the gathered group that the work continues to be on time and on budget. It is expected to open in October this year. The employment impact is huge, but so is the value added to South Dakota soybeans as they make their way from the fields to plants like the one soon to be running outside Mitchell. The impact of the new plant will not only be felt in and around Mitchell, but all of South Dakota, he said. "35 million bushels of soybeans. That translates to 50 million gallons of oil and millions of tons of soybean meal. The economic development that represents for the state of South Dakota is huge," Rhoden said. The day in Mitchell was a chance for the governor to celebrate both South Dakota's receiving of the Governor's Cup award as well as Mitchell being named Community of the Year at the South Dakota Governor's Conference on Economic Development earlier this year. Following lunch at The Depot, Rhoden took a moment to present Jordan Hanson, mayor of Mitchell, with a declaration naming Mitchell as the 2025 GOED Community of the Year. There was still more on the schedule for Monday. The governor and his staff were scheduled early in the afternoon to visit a local housing development, another ongoing effort by local leaders to boost economic growth by providing potential future workforce members with an affordable place to live so they can work and contribute to the fabric of the community. Rhoden said that economic development progress like that which has emerged in Mitchell is a key reason why the community is receiving kudos and getting attention as an economic development leader in the state. When it comes to innovative and focused efforts on maintaining and improving the local economy, Mitchell exudes an energy that keeps its economic development plans on track and moving ahead. That's exciting, the governor said. "I've been really impressed when I come to Mitchell and talk to people and hear the excitement in their voice about what they have going for them in Mitchell. So, yeah, it's a shot in the arm to come here," Rhoden said.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Dakota bill allowing concealed weapons in bars awaits governor's signature
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (KCAU) — On March 12, South Dakota legislators passed a bill that would allow concealed guns in bars. It's now sitting on the governor's desk, waiting for him to sign it into law. The South Dakota Legislature amended House Bill 1218, repealing a section of state law that prevents everyday gun owners from carrying a concealed pistol into a 'licensed bar that sells beer and liquor.' The provision only applies to bars and other businesses that make more than 50% of their total income from the sale of alcoholic beverages. North Sioux City receives petition to halt Union Crossing housing development 'I'm not 100% thrilled that every person that walks in could carry a concealed weapon, but at the same time, I understand the right to bear arms and I also understand there's a lot of unstableness and craziness in the world,' said Kimberly LaFleur, owner of Beano & Sherry's Casinos in North Sioux City. 'Sometimes it can come in handy. Sometimes it's not handy. It's kind of a catch-22 in my opinion.' If Governor Larry Rhoden signs the bill into law, South Dakota will join Iowa and Nebraska in allowing concealed weapons in bars. The obvious concern is mixing alcohol with firearms. 'You don't want to combine the two,' LaFleur said. 'You don't want to be under the influence. It's the same thing as driving a vehicle or whatever. You have a couple of drinks or whatever, you're under the influence. It's going to affect things.' Another concern is that South Dakota is one of 29 constitutional carry states. That means any law-abiding adult can carry a firearm without any special training or permit. 'With great power comes great responsibility,' J.T. Grover with Rev-Tac Firearm Instruction said. 'If you don't know the laws and you don't have any skills, it's amazing how many people that think they have that skill. Even the people, we see some through our conceal carry classes that have to shoot to qualify, the talent is typically not there. It's important to recognize that even though there is a bar, that bar is extremely low. And now with constitutional carry, there is no bar, other than you have a pulse and legally possess a firearm.' Sen. Rounds says U.S. Senate in dark as Musk works through DOGE According to Grover, people that carry weapons into bars need to make sure they are responsible for their actions to avoid something bad happening. 'If you're going to the bar and personal defense is something that's important to you, you still have to maintain a clear head,' he said. 'So you have to choose if you're there to party or are you there to protect. I think most people would not mix those two.' Currently, bar owners in South Dakota have the right to post a sign forbidding guns in their bars, and that would continue under HB 1218. If signed, the bill would be effective July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
