Latest news with #HouseBill126
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate Agriculture Committee reviews zoning, excavation, wasterwater bills
(Photo: NC Department of Agriculture 2018 Pesticide Report) The Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved one bill and discussed two others during its hearing on Tuesday. Lawmakers voted to pass House Bill 126, titled 'Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws,' without any discussion or testimony. This measure would require government agencies considering condemning or rezoning property within a voluntary agricultural district to hold a public hearing. There would be 45 days to set up the hearing and 120 days for the local agricultural advisory board to submit its findings and recommendations to the agency. 'At this point, I've heard no opposition to this bill,' primary sponsor Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin, Wayne) said. The bill now heads to the Senate Rules Committee. Legislators also reviewed two bills for discussion only: House Bill 247 ('8-1-1 Amendments') and House Bill 694 ('Study Water/Wastewater Regionalization'). Sen. Michael Lazzara (R-Onslow) presented HB 247 to the panel, explaining the language would be replaced with text from Senate Bill 328, which updates the Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act. 'We just made the corrections to some of the language, but essentially, it's a consensus,' he said. Sen. Tom McInnis (R-Cumberland, Moore) said he appreciated the bill, seeing as he's had a lot of complaints about 8-1-1. That's the number individuals should call prior to excavating to ensure they don't encounter any buried utilities. 'We can't move forward in our state unless we have a cohesive unit of construction,' McInnis said. If this bill passes the panel, it will proceed to the Senate Rules Committee. It's the same case for HB 694, which would direct the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina to study wastewater and water regionalization efforts. Sen. David Craven (R-Anson, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Union) presented the legislation. Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) asked about the Department of Environmental Quality's role in the process of transferring water between basins. 'This starts with a notice, then DEQ works with the water applicant to develop a draft environmental statement that looks at environmental impacts, it looks at alternatives to the water withdrawal, as well as several other things of that nature,' legislative analysis Kyle Evans said.
Newsweek
28-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Texas Colleges Could Soon Pay Athletes for First Time
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A bill making its way through the Texas legislature could see the state's colleges pay their student athletes for the first time. The Texas state senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow universities to enter into name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals directly with their athletes, either as compensation for team-sanctioned events in which they participate or as an incentive for enrollment. This differs from previous NIL legislation, which allowed deals to be struck between intercollegiate athletes and outside parties such as advertisers. Why It Matters Compensating student athletes has remained a contentious issue given the popularity and profitability of college sports in the United States, with many arguing the athletes themselves should be entitled to a share of the revenue they generate. Supporters of the current bill argue that this will also give colleges extra leverage to ensure talent is not lost to other states. Opponents, however, maintain that providing students with compensation beyond scholarships could undermine educational integrity and the longstanding amateurism model of collegiate sports. With one of the largest student athlete populations in the country, behind only California, the landmark Texas bill could see more states following suit. What To Know The NIL compensation bill passed through the Texas House in April and the Senate Education Committee earlier this month. Representative Carl Tepper, who drafted House Bill 126, told lawmakers during one debate: "We will be killing college football in Texas if we do not pass this bill." According to the amended bill, which passed in the Senate on Tuesday, student athletes will still be barred from receiving compensation for the endorsement of alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products, as well as steroids, gambling, firearms or any "sexually oriented business." The Texas Longhorns celebrate a touchdown during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 10, 2025. The Texas Longhorns celebrate a touchdown during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 10, 2025. Steve Limentani/The legislation follows several high-profile challenges to the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) rules regarding student athlete compensation. This includes the imminent settlement in House v. NCAA, a class-action lawsuit filed by several college athletes against the Association and its five largest conferences. The parties agreed to pay just under $2.8 billion in back damages to student-athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024 but were denied NIL benefits during their college attendance. The settlement still awaits final approval from United States District Judge Claudia Wilken. Senator Brandon Creighton, who sponsored the latest bill in the Texas Senate, cited the NCAA settlement as a motivation, saying: "We have to continue to work – especially with settlements like this – to bring any common sense and consistency possible to what has been considered the Wild West for name, image, and likeness and paying college athletes." What People Are Saying Texas state Representative Mitch Little, during a debate in April: "The university enters into an NIL contract with a student athlete [and] says: 'We're going to pay you $4 million to come and play college football here.' And then they get on campus, and the university decides 'you stink. We're not going to pay you the rest of this NIL contract.' What am I supposed to tell that student athlete?" What Happens Next The Texas compensation bill now awaits the signature of Governor Greg Abbott and could take effect as soon as September 1, according to The Texas Tribune.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill allowing Texas colleges to pay their athletes nears approval in the Legislature
Texas colleges could soon pay student athletes directly for the first time. The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow colleges to enter directly into what are called 'name, image and likeness' agreements with athletes. Currently, only outside entities, like national advertisers or athletic boosters, can do so. 'The Senate saved college sports in Texas,' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, jokingly afterward. The Senate was supposed to consider House Bill 126 on Sunday, but delayed after senators complained they hadn't been fully briefed on the issue. Some then hopped on a call with college coaches across the state, who emphasized they needed the legislation to disperse millions of dollars as part of a court settlement that is expected to be finalized in the fall and to be able to effectively recruit top talent. 'Had they only informed everyone in the Senate a few weeks ago what was happening, we would have passed it the first time,' Patrick said, 'but everyone's kind of learned their lesson. It's good to talk to senators when you want their vote … here's to winning in Texas.' Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Conroe Republican sponsoring the legislation in the upper chamber, agreed on Tuesday to limit the deal making to athletes 17 or older after hearing concerns from his Democrat colleagues that younger athletes might be taken advantage of. The student athletes would not receive payments from the university until after they are enrolled and participating in their sports program. 'I hope this amendment addresses some of the primary concerns that we talked about two nights ago and ensures that the guardrails are there for a level playing field for our young athletes,' Creighton said. Creighton, who authored Texas' existing NIL law, said student athletes would still be prohibited from entering into agreements with sexually-oriented business or alcohol or tobacco companies. They'd also still be required to take a financial literacy course. The proposal comes after several high profile lawsuits against the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA, challenging its restrictions on compensation. Last year, the NCAA agreed to settle one of these cases by paying back $2.8 billion to athletes who had participated in Division I sports since 2016. A judge is expected to approve the settlement in October and the NCAA is supposed to change its rules soon, which is why the Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University systems have publicly pushed state lawmakers to act. They say without this bill, Texas talent will go to other states. The NCAA is expected to cap the total amount all universities can pay their athletes annually at $20.5 millon. Creighton said during a Senate education committee earlier this month that smaller universities can make strategic investments below the cap to recruit for their sports programs. He said he hoped a federal law on this issue would pass otherwise courts could require schools to pay even more or treat their athletes as employees. Democrat Sens. Royce West of Houston and José Menéndez of San Antonio focused more on the students' wellbeing than the schools'. West asked if universities were notifying those who played for them in recent years that they could receive a portion of that billion dollar settlement. The Texas A&M University System said it was. Menéndez pointed out that universities in Division I sports generate billions of dollars in revenue a year while less than 2% of student athletes go pro. 'Why should these athletes not be able to share some of the gain or the resources that their families could desperately need?' he said. The law could take effect on Sept. 1 if the House concurs with the Senate's amendment and if the governor does not veto it. There's no indication he will. The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas House gives first approval to bill that would allow universities to pay student athletes
The Texas House preliminarily approved a bill Monday that would allow universities to directly pay student athletes for their 'name, likeness and image,' despite concerns from some lawmakers that the proposal would disadvantage smaller schools and fail to sufficiently protect the students at the center of these deals. The House is expected to formally pass the bill in the coming days. It will then go to the Senate, where it may face a tougher road. Texas' current laws allow outside entities, like national advertisers or athletic boosters, to pay student athletes, but prohibit universities from paying them directly. House Bill 126, filed by Rep. Carl Tepper, a Lubbock Republican, would lift that restriction. The proposal comes a year after the NCAA settled a class-action lawsuit that opened the door for universities to pay student athletes, creating a revenue-sharing model in which universities in certain conferences could distribute up to $20 million to athletes annually. Supporters of the bill say it aligns Texas law with anticipated NCAA rule changes as a result of that settlement and ensures Texas schools can continue to recruit top-tier student athletes. Tepper said Monday that the Legislature would be 'killing college football in Texas' if they voted it down. But Rep. Mitch Little, a Republican from Lewisville, said Texas' performance in college football and basketball was doing just fine without this bill. He said the proposal threatened to 'grow the gap' between universities with big athletics budgets and deep-pocket donors — like Texas Tech, Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin — and smaller schools that can't afford to pay large dollar amounts to attract student athletes. He pointed to Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech football player, university regent and oil and gas billionaire who founded an NIL collective to help recruit top-ranked athletes to become Red Raiders. 'What are the other universities to do who don't have a Cody Campbell, or an Elon Musk, to help facilitate the athletic endeavors of their universities?' Little asked. 'How can they possibly compete?' Tepper said the settlement was expected to impose limits on how much universities could disburse. He added that he was also personally concerned about the widening gap between small and large universities, but 'professionally, this is a decision of the courts. You can take this up with them.' Several lawmakers raised concerns about what recourse student athletes would have to enforce their NIL contracts if they were injured, the university breaches the contract or their coach decides 'they stink,' as Little put it, and kicks them off the team. State universities typically enjoy sovereign immunity protections that prevent them from being sued. Tepper said he anticipated that student athletes' agents would negotiate certain protections on their behalf and rejected proposed amendments to proactively waive universities' sovereign immunity. Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, a San Antonio Democrat, said her concern was about young people suddenly having access to large amounts of money with few guardrails. She proposed that Texas require NIL money to be put into a trust fund that student athletes would only access after at a certain age, which Tepper rejected. 'I can tell you with firsthand knowledge, a lot of these players are getting in the millions of dollars,' she said. 'My concern is protecting them not just in the short run, but the long run.' 'If they can get a million dollars, I recommend they take a million dollars,' Tepper said. Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri House backs return to presidential primary
A polling location in Jefferson City (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). The Missouri House on Monday advanced legislation that would reinstate state-run presidential preference primaries and extend the no-excuse absentee voting period from two to six weeks. Supporters of House Bill 126 cited a widespread positive response to the recently enacted no-excuse voting period as a motivating factor. They also noted negative feedback on the 2024 party-run caucuses, which replaced the state-run primaries after they were eliminated as part of a law passed in 2022. The no-excuse absentee voting period has been in effect since August 2022 and allows voters to cast their ballot in elections in person or by mail starting two weeks before Election Day. Supporters of the bill said they hoped that extending the no-excuse voting period would further alleviate stress on election workers and encourage voters to cast their ballot. The state of Missouri ran March presidential primaries from 2000 until 2020. A 2022 law signed by former Gov. Mike Parson eliminated them. In 2024, the Republican Party held in-person caucuses in Missouri to select their delegates, while Democrats opted for a hybrid caucus with in-person voting and a mail-in ballot. Low participation in these caucuses, alongside vocal blowback from residents who preferred the state-run primaries, were cited as motivators for reinstating the primaries. 'I believe it's a lot simpler for our residents of our state going to cast a ballot like they do it in every other way for their preference for the presidential primary,' said state Rep. Brad Banderman, a Republican St. Clair. Under the bill primaries would be held on the first Tuesday of March during presidential election years. The estimated cost to the state for conducting the primaries is $8 million. The bill's supporters also noted that unlike previous years, where the primary results have not been binding to party delegates, both political parties have agreed to adhere to the results for the first ballot at their respective party conventions. The House needs to approve the legislation one more time before it heads to the Senate. This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.
