Latest news with #HouseBill133
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill banning foreign farmland ownership passes NC Senate hurdle
(USDA Photo by Lance Cheung) The North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would ban certain foreign groups from purchasing farmland in the state. Senate Bill 394, 'Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land,' passed without discussion after the panel approved a technical amendment. The legislation now moves to the Senate Rules Committee. The bill comes at the same time that tensions between the U.S. a several other nations have been on the rise as the result of the Trump administration's economic tariffs and other foreign policy shifts. Sens. Bob Brinson (R-Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir), Bobby Hanig (R-Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell), and Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson, Polk, Rutherford) serve as the primary sponsors for SB 394. The bill would prohibit the 'adversarial' nations of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from making claims to land that is agricultural, situated within a 25-mile radius of a military installation, or underneath special use airspace as designated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Lawmakers on the same committee reviewed SB 394 during a meeting on April 16, prior to taking a one-week recess. During that session, legislators discussed the bill but did not vote. 'This bill essentially acknowledges that food security is national security and it's a state effort to protect our military bases,' Brinson said during that meeting. Entities falling under the bill's stipulations who own the land prior to the legislation becoming law, if it happens, would need to register with the secretary of state and attorney general. Twelve states have already enacted similar measures, according to Brinson. Sen. Sophia Chitlik (D-Durham) asked if the bill would apply to dual citizens and prohibit them from owning farmland in North Carolina. Legislative staff responded that individuals holding U.S. citizenship, permanent residence, or other forms of lawful presence would not be subject to the measure. Chitlik also asked if the bill would pose challenges to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. Brinson said the legislation was modeled after language in Florida, where it did not run into issues. 'It doesn't mention nationality, it mentions citizenship,' Brinson said. 'There is a distinction and a difference.' A similar bill in the lower chamber, House Bill 133 — 'NC Farmland and Military Protection Act,' wqas approved 111-0 on April 16 and currently resides in the Senate Rules Committee.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dave Reardon: Decisions closing in for gambling, surfing and the stadium
STAR-ADVERTISER STAR-ADVERTISER The surf's not up on the day of the high school state championships in 2045, so we get off Skyline at Aloha Stadium, where Colt Brennan Field is temporarily covered by the Carissa Moore Wave Machine. At the nearby Honolulu Hotel &Casino's sports book, it is of course illegal to gamble on if Waialua will win its fifth straight state boys and seventh consecutive girls HHSAA surfing titles under coach John John Florence. But you can certainly place a bet on who will be drafted as the first player for Hawaii's new NFL expansion team by the ownership group headed by Jesse Sapolu and Rich Miano, general manager Ma 'a Tanuvasa and head coach Marcus Mariota. Speaking of expansion, the New Aloha Stadium rebuild is finally completed with capacity for 60, 000—a far cry from the 25, 000 when the facility was brand new and hosted its first University of Hawaii game in 2029. OK, enough of that for now. In the near future—starting Monday—bills concerning high school surfing, sports gambling and the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District have made it to the red zone. If they get across the goal line with Gov. Josh Green signing them into law or not—and in what form—depends in large part on what happens this week in House and Senate conferences. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. House Bill 133 would appropriate funding to establish surfing as an interscholastic sport. This is way overdue, especially since the DOE approved surfing as an interscholastic sport 21 years ago, and the Maui Interscholastic League has run successful meets and championships since 2011. Now the state's four other leagues need to get on board (s ). Anyone who claims the sport is too dangerous needs to check out the MIL's spotless safety record, and realize that the high school surfers won't be asked to take on 30-footers at Waimea Bay. That would be akin to a high school football quarterback going up against the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line. The private school Interscholastic League of Honolulu does not fall under the DOE umbrella, so it might need to generate more of its own funding to compete. But, as Moore said in 2022 in support of a similar bill, plenty of sponsors would pitch in. The former world champion and first winner of Olympic surfing gold is also a successful businesswoman, with many friends who are also successful, like Keith Amemiya. The president of the Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii supported the bill three years ago with Moore, and is ready to put his considerable clout into play for prep surfing. House Bill 1308 calls for Hawaii to allow sports gambling. It's the first time a bill to legalize gambling has gotten this far in the state Legislature. 'Yes, for sure, ' said Rep. Daniel Holt, who introduced the bill. 'There have been dozens in the state's history.' The Senate passed the bill by a 15-10 margin, and there is plenty of community opposition. 'It has ratcheted up in recent weeks, ' Holt said.'We've just got to keep pushing our message, which is (sports gambling ) is already happening and the state should get the revenue. 'I agree with points that the people in opposition make, but this will help, ' he said. 'The problems caused by gambling are already running rampant. This will allow people who want to do it to have a safe place.' If the bill passes as is, it would go into effect July 1. But a more realistic start date would be around the time of the next Super Bowl, Holt said. That would allow more time to secure the four licensees allowed by the bill, and give the State Department of Law Enforcement more time to develop rules. The license fee of $250, 000 was described as 'low ' by and at least one state official questioned if it would be profitable to the state with the 10 % tax on profits. Holt said he would propose higher fees, which sounds like a good idea to me. Hawaii is an untapped market and there would be a long line for operators—who of course must be thoroughly vetted. I see this as I do high school surfing : something that many people consider fraught with peril when it's the other way around. The control that comes with state law means education and treatment programs. As ocean safety is promoted and enhanced via surfing as a sanctioned high school sport, so is responsible wagering when control of gambling is taken away from criminals (and other states as it is very easy to place illegal bets online ). As it is hypocritical to support high school football but not surfing, the same is true when alcohol is legal but gambling is not. The keyword here is guardrails. It is not in the interest of the friendly neighborhood bookie or loan shark to suggest their best customers attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings or get any other kind of help to fight their addiction. A significant part of the revenue generated would go to such programs. Many say they fear the slippery slope. But that is why sports gambling should already be legal – Pandora's box has already been open for a very long time. Concerns that Waikiki would become a new Las Vegas strip are irrational—people won't come to Hawaii specifically to gamble. House Bills 300 and 1494 and Senate Bill 1589 are all related to $49.5 million that is part of the budget for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District that is used for project development. The $49.5 million is in HB 300, which is the state budget bill, and will be under review Monday. If the NASED appropriation is removed from HB 300, HB 1494 and SB 1589 include language that would allow NASED access to the $49.5 million. For example, HB 1494 states as part of its purpose to 'appropriate moneys from the stadium development special fund to the stadium authority for fiscal year 2025-2026, subject to the completion of specific project readiness conditions.' House Bill 1007 can help NASED secure some of the $180 million needed for infrastructure, interim stadium manager and Stadium Authority board member Chris Sadayasu said. It authorizes the Hawaii Community Development Authority to engage in projects that 'improve the state, ' as NASED is considered to be. 'Another government agency that will help finance infrastructure is a plus, ' Sadayasu said. Stadium Authority board member Andrew Pereira also said passage of this bill would help NASED, and the people who live in the Halawa area. 'The new community district will bring tremendous value to local residents as the only true gathering place in Hawaii while generating millions of dollars in new property taxes for the city and millions more in general excise tax for the state, ' Perreira said. Another $25 million for infrastructure has been allocated by the City and County of Honolulu.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bills banning foreign ownership of NC farmland advance
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo by Brandon O'Connor. Two committees in the North Carolina General Assembly voted Tuesday morning to approve legislation banning certain foreign entities from acquiring farmland in the state. The House Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs Committee took up House Bill 133, 'NC Farmland and Military Protection Act.' About an hour later, the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved the upper chamber's counterpart, Senate Bill 394, 'Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land.' Both measures now head to subsequent panels — House Commerce and Economic Development and Senate Judiciary, respectively. At a time of rocky international relations due to the Trump administration's tariffs, the legislation could signify a move toward increased tension with foreign countries. HB 133, sponsored by Reps. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jeff Zenger (R-Forsyth), and John Bell (R-Goldsboro), would prohibit 'adversarial' foreign governments from purchasing, acquiring, or leasing agricultural land in North Carolina, according to the bill text. The restrictions would also apply to land situated within a 75-mile radius of a military installation — a number influenced by national defense recommendations, Balkcom said — such as Fort Bragg near Fayetteville. A complete list of applicable installations is outlined in the bill text. 'If it was up to me, I'd do the entire state,' Balkcom said. 'But this doesn't infringe on private property rights. You can sell it to anybody but a foreign national that's an adversary against the United States.' Rep. Celeste Cairns (R-Carteret, Craven) asked for clarification on the bill's parameters. She asked if people would be able to sell property to individual citizens of the 'adversarial' countries without connection to their government. Balkcom responded in the affirmative. In response to a question from Rep. Wyatt Gable (R-Onslow) about how the 'adversarial' governments are defined, she said there's guidance from the U.S. Department of Defense. Although the bill doesn't list specific countries, it refers to governments subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Over in the upper chamber, Sens. Bob Brinson (R-Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir), Bobby Hanig (R-Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell), and Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson, Polk, Rutherford) serve as the primary sponsors for SB 394. The measure explicitly refers to the 'adversarial' nations by name: China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Brinson described the legislation as a state effort to protect national security, because 'food security is national security.' 'The key purpose of this bill is to both safeguard our agricultural integrity and to protect our national security,' he said. 'This bill ensures that North Carolina farmland does not come under international adversarial control, and also prevents adversarial nations from acquiring land near sensitive military installations.' SB 394 is more restrictive than its House counterpart. The proposal bars the prohibited foreign parties from making claims to land situated within a 25-mile radius of a military installation or land underneath special use airspace as designated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) pointed out there is a growing population of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans in the state. She asked if the bill would ban someone from purchasing land if they are a legal resident of the U.S. with Chinese citizenship. 'If they're a resident alien of the U.S., they have the same right to acquire or hold land as a citizen, as long as they're a resident in the state,' Brinson said. 'As long as they are a legal resident alien, they should have the same land ownership rights as a citizen.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia bill would let students leave school for ‘religious moral instruction'
Georgia lawmakers have filed a bill requiring that public schools adopt policies to let students leave for at least one hour per week to participate in religious moral education. The Student Character Development Act would make school districts allow for a 'released time course,' which is defined specifically as a 'course in religious moral instruction provided by a person or organization independently of a public school.' The policies for school districts will require a student's parent or guardian gives written permission to have them attend the course, and that the course's sponsor keeps attendance records. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Parents and students would be responsible for travel, though a provision of the bill would allow for waivers to have the organization handling the courses take care of transport. As far as the courses' funding, no public funds would be allowed for use in the religious lessons outside of administrative costs for providing or accommodating the released time course, the text of House Bill 133 reads. RELATED STORIES: Lawmakers propose adding pets to Georgia family, dating violence protective orders GA lawmakers file bill to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools After Young Thug trial, Georgia lawmakers introduce bill to limit use of lyrics, art in court cases Participating students would also be responsible for any missed school work. The bill would allow school districts to adopt policies that award academic credit for completing the religious moral courses, though the courses themselves must be evaluated 'on purely secular criteria that are substantially the same criteria used to evaluate similar courses for purposes of determining academic credit.' Academic credit decisions for the released time courses must not be decided via tests for religious content or denominational affiliation. Instead, the determining factors must be how many hours of classroom instruction, a review of the course syllabus and materials used, the methods of assessment used during the religious moral courses and the qualifications of course instructors to teach them. The bill would also require that students are not counted as absent while attending an off-campus class, that the Department of Education is authorized to take steps to maximize state and federal funding to agencies regardless of how many students take the released time courses and that the Education Department must create policies to make assessments consistent with state law for use by local school districts. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
