Latest news with #HouseBill1482
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversial Oklahoma bill would block cities from banning pet stores
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Animal welfare advocates are raising concern about a bill at the Oklahoma State Capitol. House Bill 1421 would only allow the state government to make rules about banning pet stores like Petland, not the local government. 'We do not want these type of operations in our state, let alone our communities. And we certainly don't want out-of-state corporate puppy mills telling us how to regulate our local municipalities,' said Katie Hawk, co-founder of Good Dogma. It's personal for Hawk; she helped get an ordinance passed in 2021 banning the retail sale of dogs and cats in Midwest City that come from breeders. This bill would undo that. 'Our local rescues are full, our local shelters are full. We do not have the capacity to manage more pets in our community, let alone sick pets from Petland,' said Hawk. We reached out to Petland, but didn't hear back. The Pet Advocacy Network has hired an instate lobbyist to support the passage of House Bill 1482. 'Local governments can still regulate, inspect and set high standards, just not erase these businesses entirely,' said Ashley Brinkman, government affairs director for Pet Advocacy Network. State lawmakers start approving items for new $12.5 billion budget They believe bans like Midwest City's don't work, bringing up a similar state-level ban in California. 'To this day, not one puppy mill has been shut down. Their shelters are just as overcrowded and overpopulated,' said Brinkman. Brinkman says there has also been a rise in puppy scams. Another reason behind this push is for consumer choice. 'Local pet sale bans in this way eliminate the only trusted brick and mortar sources that many families have for finding a pet,' said Brinkman. While others say there are plenty of pets at the shelter. 'There are designer breeds, there are mutts, there's a little bit of everything at the shelters and they all have just as much of a big loving heart and goofy soul as the ones that are at these designer puppy mills,' said Hawk. Hawk says there is also a public health risk. 'Sick animals have brought home contagious infections that have been contracted by their new owners who were then hospitalized,' said Hawk Representative Josh West (R-Tulsa) co authored this bill with Senator Grant Green (R-Wellston). We reached out to both and they declined to comment. Those against the bill encourage you to reach out to them and share your concerns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
RIP: Bills that didn't survive the WA Legislature's first major deadline
The Washington state Capitol building in Olympia. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard) Bills dealing with cow burps, the state flag, and changes to police traffic stop standards are among the first to land in the legislative graveyard this year in Olympia. This session, lawmakers in the state House and Senate have introduced nearly 1,800 bills. To stay alive, much of that legislation needed to get voted out of policy committees by Friday. Next week, more bills will join the cemetery as a Feb. 28 deadline arrives for legislation to pass out of fiscal committees. From there, bills have to pass more checkpoints, including floor votes, to remain in play. The session is scheduled to end April 27. Bills deemed 'necessary to implement the budget,' like those that include new taxes, are immune from the deadlines. Here's a rundown of some of the measures that didn't make it past the first cutoff. This won't be the year for police accountability advocates seeking to restrict when officers can pull over drivers. House Bill 1512 would have barred police from stopping people solely for nonmoving violations like a broken headlight or expired tabs. Supporters argued this would free up time for police to focus on other enforcement, like drunk and speeding drivers, while also limiting stops that disproportionately impact people of color. But the Democrat-backed bill ran into opposition from police groups that argued it was coming at a bad time with traffic deaths rising over the past decade. Advocates plan to continue working on the bill and revive it next year. The runway was cut short for a bill focused on environmental fallout from so-called fast fashion — inexpensive clothing that tends to have a limited lifespan before getting discarded. Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, proposed that the Department of Ecology collect information about the fashion industry's environmental and labor practices, a step toward possible future policymaking. Companies that failed to provide this information could have faced penalties. Business groups opposed the legislation, saying compliance costs would be passed to consumers and that it could end up limiting what clothing products are available in the state. Supporters said the requirements are manageable and the information businesses would have to share is already covered in reports that companies like Nike produce. The Department of Ecology remained neutral on this bill. Immigrant advocates threw their weight behind House Bill 1482, which called for an expansion of Medicaid coverage for people without legal immigration status. The bill, sponsored by Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Seattle, never received a hearing. Funding for the idea could re-emerge as a proviso in the budget, similar to previous years. Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, introduced House Bill 1630, which proposed collecting data on methane emissions from cows. It drew a burst of adverse reactions from farmers and Republicans who argued it was a step toward taxing cow burps and farts and adding cumbersome clean air regulations for dairies and cattle operations. The bill, which received a hearing but no vote, will remain bottled up for this year. Rep. Strom Peterson's House Bill 1938 outlined a process to redesign Washington's state flag by 2028. But it won't be flying this year. Peterson, D-Edmonds, criticized the state's current flag as too plain and said the redesign could help foster state pride. Republicans slammed the idea, particularly the possibility of removing George Washington's image from the flag. House Bill 1031, sponsored by Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, was an attempt to deal with rising temperatures in public schools due to climate change. The bill, which didn't receive a hearing, would have directed the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop indoor temperature standards, including a maximum temperature recommendation, and rules related to school districts' cancellation of school days due to excessive heat. One of a suite of bills aiming to tackle the rise in traffic deaths, House Bill 1426 would have created a new type of civil protection order focused on impaired driving. The court orders could have required drivers to have ignition interlock devices in their cars or stop drinking entirely. The bill had sponsors from both sides of the aisle, and had broad support from interest groups. But the prime sponsor, Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, said the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee 'felt there was more work to be done to hash out the implementation logistics.' She plans to bring back a revised version next year. A bill with Republican support to prohibit puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for minors seeking gender-affirming care never had a chance in the Democrat-run Legislature. But earlier this month, House Bill 1038 drew an impassioned rebuke from Democratic leaders who said they'd fielded numerous calls from the parents of transgender youth worried about this legislation. 'People are petrified for their kids, and for themselves,' House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, told reporters. 'I can certainly sit here and say those bills are not going to get a hearing, they're not going to move forward, and that's what I tell these parents, but it doesn't stop the concern that they feel for their children.' Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, said his office had gotten over 500 emails and calls from constituents about the bill, which didn't get a committee hearing. A Democrat-backed bill would have established new requirements for grocery stores using self-checkout stands. While workers supported House Bill 1739, grocers argued the regulations were too restrictive. Under the legislation, grocery stores could only have self-checkout stations if an employee was dedicated to monitoring them and a traditional checkout lane was open. The lead sponsor, Rep. Mary Fosse, D-Everett, said she plans to fine-tune the policy in the interim and revive debate on it next session. And last, but certainly not least, Washingtonians will have to live another year without a state clam. Dueling measures seeking to shell out that honorable title both cracked under pressure. Lawmakers didn't bite on legislation to name either the Pacific razor clam or the Pacific geoduck as the Washington state clam. Despite the name, geoducks are the world's largest burrowing clam.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of immigrants rally at Washington state Capitol
People shouted "si se puede" or "yes we can" on the Washington state Capitol steps during an immigrants' rights rally on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Despite threats that immigration enforcement agents might show up, more than 500 immigrant rights advocates from across Washington marched to the state Capitol in Olympia on Thursday. They were there to show support for two bills pending before the Legislature this year that would expand safety net benefits — including health care coverage and unemployment insurance — for immigrants who are in the country without legal authorization. The demonstration also came as President Donald Trump, now about 10 days into his new term, has announced a range of policies to strike against immigrants. The march and rally were led by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, an immigrant rights coalition founded in 2016 when Trump was elected to his first term. 'We are more organized, we are stronger, and we have been building for another moment like 2016,' Brenda Rodriguez Lopez, executive director of the group, said in an interview. Since its founding, the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network has established a deportation defense hotline, expanded its coalition, and pushed for state-level policies to help immigrants. 'Now that we're here, we're able to respond more quickly, and we have a lot more processes in place that allow for our work to reach more community members,' Rodriguez Lopez said. The group's hotline takes in reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stops, detentions, and raids, provides people with know-your-rights information and connects them with resources for legal support. Since Trump took office, they've received over 400 calls daily, said Rodriguez Lopez. U.S. law prevents federal funds from going to non-citizens but states can create their own programs to support this population. Washington last year began an expansion of its Medicaid program, known as Apple Health, to cover people who do not meet the federal immigration requirements for Medicaid assistance. But due to limited funding, the number of people who could enroll was capped. This year, House Bill 1482, sponsored by Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Bellevue, intends to increase health coverage for immigrants by bolstering the previous expansion. In Washington, there are an estimated 246,000 immigrants without legal status, half of whom are uninsured and live below 200% of the federal poverty level, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Thai's bill has received criticism from Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn. He created a poll on the social media platform X to ask his followers whether Washington should fund a health care program for 'illegal immigrants' or save that money for better access to health care for Washington citizens. Democrats frame the tradeoffs differently. 'To those elected officials who say that state dollars cannot go to our immigrant and refugee community, I tell them, look around, they're your neighbors,' said Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo. 'They pay taxes, they pay money, they contribute, and they deserve every single basic right that we have. We are not talking about status, we are talking about humanity.' Meanwhile, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle, is sponsoring Senate Bill 5626, which would expand unemployment insurance for immigrants without legal work authorization. At the rally, Rep. Julio Cortes, D-Everett, announced he was dropping a House companion bill. 'We truly are building a world that doesn't exist for our people yet, but we are making progress, and so, no matter who's president, our communities will continue to organize,' Rodriguez Lopez said.
