Latest news with #HouseBill173
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill expanding ticket writing power of Louisiana park rangers advances
BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A Louisiana lawmaker wants to broaden the state's approach to litter abatement by expanding the power of state park rangers. House Bill 173, authored by Representative John Illg of Jefferson Parish, seeks to expand the ticket-writing powers for park rangers. Current law allows state park rangers to write tickets for litter offenses within the park only. Ticketed offenses range from simple littering to intentional acts of littering. Tickets would be mailed and handled by an administrative law judge rather than bogging down district attorneys' offices. Dumpsite violations or gross littering caught on camera will be investigated and treated as a criminal matter, under current Louisiana law. Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser testified before the committee to express support for Illg's bill and highlight the work of those who volunteer for Keep Louisiana Beautiful litter abatement efforts. Bill banning ballon releases in Louisiana breezes through House committee More than ever before, this has turned into a movement only about 20% of Louisianans litter, but boy, they litter a lot,' Nungesser said. 'And a lot of these dumpsites, when we get a call by the time Wildlife and Fishery or the sheriff's office can get there, they're gone. They don't have the manpower sometimes to look through the trash and find those receipts. And so where we have state parks in that area, our rangers are willing, when we get the call to go out and assess the problem and write the tickets.' Nungesser said expanding ticket-writing power is an effort to better enforce Louisiana's current litter laws. To ensure that local district courts are not overwhelmed with litterbug case reviews, there is an amended provision that 'creates the authority for the department to assess civil fines using the adjudicatory process through the Division of Administrative Law. When asked about the safety of the public and the rangers by Representative Neil Riser, Nungesser stated that they undergo the same training as law enforcement officers. 'It's more so for those dumpsites that continue over and over and over. We're actually going to be – this will allow us to put cameras out as wildlife fishery does, but they have many other tasks so this will allow us to put some out and respond to local governments that are reaching out to us time and time again,' Nungesser said. The enforcement will focus on communities with nearby state parks, allowing for a more responsive approach to local entities that work diligently to maintain the cleanliness of those areas. 'If you get a ticket, you're 80% less likely to litter. And I think through that and the added cleanups we're doing and education, we're going to see one day when we don't have to spend the $92 million we spent last year cleaning up after the fact,' Nungessor said. Nungesser and Illg said that violators would be subject to a fine or a day of litter cleanup for those who can not pay. The bill, passed through the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment with amendments, will be sent to the House floor for discussion. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate passes bill barring universities from accepting money from 'foreign adversary' govs
The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit public universities and colleges from accepting gifts or donations from foreign adversary governments ― the state's latest effort to protect itself from potential outside interference. Foreign adversaries are governments that pose a risk to U.S. national security as defined by the commerce secretary, and currently include China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea and Venezuela. In November, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order barring all state agencies and public institutions of higher education from accepting gifts from foreign adversary countries or working with companies owned or controlled by "hostile foreign nations" to protect the state against potential interference. Senate Bill 1741, authored by Sen. Tan Parker, R-Bridgeport, and co-authored by Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton, would codify the directive prohibiting higher education institutions from accepting gifts from such governments, and would also require any faculty member, staff member or student with access to "sensitive, proprietary, or export-controlled research or information" to undergo training on foreign influence and intellectual property theft. SB 1741 would also require universities to report foreign contracts and gifts annually to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Universities currently report foreign gift and contracts to the U.S. Department of Education as per federal law. The THECB would also create a reporting system. Parker said public institutions are "increasingly vulnerable" to foreign interference as they become more global, thus necessitating this bill. "By adopting this committee substitute SB 1741, we can help protect the intellectual property of our universities, maintain Texas' competitive edge in research and innovation and safeguard our national security," Parker said. A similar bill in the House, House Bill 173 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Grapevine, is pending in the Higher Education Committee. HB 127 by Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, would also bar public universities and colleges from accepting gifts from foreign adversaries and charge the coordinating board with reviewing and publicly posting contracts with foreign adversaries. It is pending in committee. Outside of higher education, the Senate passed SB 17 on March 19, which would restrict individuals, businesses, and government entities from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from owning property in Texas, excluding U.S. citizens and green card holders. Proponents say it will safeguard Texas from external interference, but opponents argue that it would constitute discrimination and harm the Texas economy. Other foreign interference-related bills up for consideration include Mineola Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes' SB 1273, which would establish the Higher Education Research Security Council to ensure research is secure and Bastrop Republican Rep. Stan Gerdes' HB 119, which would prohibit compensation for lobbying activities on behalf of foreign adversary governments. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Senate pass bill to ban foreign adversary gifts to universities
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Making Kentucky Sick Again
Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, is back with a bill to create a new crime, "interference with a legislative proceeding," aimed at Capitol protesters who lawmakers think have gotten too loud. Above, Blanton presents a similar bill in March 2024. It was passed by the House but died in the Senate. (LRC Public Information) Every legislative session has a theme. In 2023, Kentucky's GOP obsessed over sexuality and doubled down on humiliating already-vulnerable trans kids. Last year, Reps. Jason Nemes and Jared Bauman drove the Safer Kentucky Act (omni)bus into law, which made homelessness a crime and inexplicably did not bother to address gun violence prevention. This year, they're playing with people's lives. In other words, Making Kentucky Sick Again. Following the conspiracy-theory medical advice of anti-vaccine crusader Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, the Kentucky Senate has made the boneheaded decision to create a task force to study what we already know: that vaccines save lives. Meanwhile, an unvaccinated child has died in Texas for the first time in a decade amidst a measles outbreak, and a case of measles has been reported here in the commonwealth. House Bill 16 aims to get rid of basic water fluoridation. Kentucky currently requires water utilities serving more than 3,000 customers to add low levels of fluoride to drinking water which, according to the National Institutes of Health, helps prevent cavities and tooth decay. Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, called fluoridation 'mass medicating without informed consent.' House Bill 173 would preempt local government from maintaining a registry of residential rental properties for any purpose, including lead hazard assessment and correction. Senate Bill 89 has opened the door to more pollution of groundwater, wetlands and small headwater streams. House Bill 137 is an industry-backed bill that could exclude evidence gathered by citizens and community groups from being considered in proceedings to enforce air pollution rules. Kissing the rings of millionaire and billionaire mine owners, Rep. John Blanton has filed House Bill 196 to reduce the required number of trained, certified coal miners who are able to respond to medical emergencies inside the mines. And because all of the above is not enough, Rep. Blanton has also filed House Bill 399 — let's call it the 'Jail Loud Dissenters Act' — because it seems our masculinity-obsessed GOP supermajority is terrified to hear from citizens who might too loudly express anger at their onslaught of dangerous, terrible bills. This is not a joke. Arrest authority and purview typically rest with law enforcement, but HB 399 'would give the House speaker, Senate president, committee chairs and House and Senate sergeants-at-arms the authority to order the arrests of anyone they believe is guilty of a new criminal offense, 'interference with a legislative proceeding.' First-degree interference with a legislative proceeding would be a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense, punishable by up to one year in jail. Further offenses would be a Class D felony, which carries up to five years in prison. Yes, this means what you think it means. Lawmakers want to cosplay as State Police and decide if you should be arrested. This has felt like an extraordinarily long winter. Dangerously cold temperatures for days on end; ice and snow keeping children out of school; yet another devastating flood; the price of groceries is through the roof; a return of the measles (the measles!!); thousands of federal employees here in Kentucky getting the same emails going out nationally from unelected multibillionaire Elon Musk's DOGE, demanding they prove their worth by listing five things they did last week or be fired. Every legislative session has a theme. Humiliating and terrifying the trans community in 2023. Punishing the homeless and pretending to make us safer in 2024. Making Kentucky Sick Again in 2025. I HOPE ELECTED REPUBLICANS ARE HAVING A GOOD TIME PLAYING WITH OUR LIVES. Oh. Sorry, Rep. Blanton. Was that too loud under HB 399? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisville weakens laws on lead exposure, rental registries amid pressure from state GOP
Louisville lawmakers and city staff spent years creating two ordinances aimed at making rental housing safer for tenants. Both have been eroded in a matter of weeks. Thursday night, Louisville Metro Council voted to repeal and rewrite Louisville's lead protections and eliminate some of Louisville's rental registry regulations — submitting to pressure from Republicans in Kentucky's state legislature who threatened to dismantle the regulations unless local lawmakers made significant changes. House Bill 173, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, would prohibit any local government in Kentucky from adopting or enforcing a 'policy that creates or maintains a registry of landlords or residential rental properties for any purpose." The bill specifically challenges Louisville's regulations on lead hazards in rental properties and the city's rental registry. Louisville's changes to both sets of regulations "were in response to my friends in the state General Assembly including Representative Dotson and Representative Nemes," sponsor and council Republican Caucus Chair Anthony Piagentini said in a February newsletter. "They brought attention to how overreaching our existing laws are while allowing us the opportunity to fix the problem locally." His rewrite of protections against lead hazards in rental properties represents a weakening of existing regulations, reducing proactive measures to catch hazards before a child is poisoned and shifting responsibility for identifying lead hazards to city departments instead of property owners. And another ordinance from Piagentini will remove parts of Louisville's rental registry, also threatened by HB 173, which requires all owners of rental properties to register with the city. The registry, first approved in 2016, is meant to keep track of rental property owners and help city inspectors enforce property maintenance rules. It was strengthened in 2022 to include random inspections and to make the registry 'public-facing.' Tom FitzGerald spent decades lobbying for environmental protections in Frankfort with Kentucky Resources Council and is currently of counsel for the organization. He warned Metro Council of succumbing to pressure from the state. "There's a children's book, 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,' and it teaches us that if you give a mouse a cookie, the next thing they'll ask for is a glass of milk," he said. "If you give in to the preemption threat of House Bill 173, it's highly unlikely you will ever restore what you lose or repair the damage done." Despite impassioned and pointed speeches from advocates, lobbyists and fellow council members, Piagentini's rewrite of Louisville's lead hazard protections passed 17-8. His ordinance will replace more stringent regulations approved unanimously by the council in 2022. In past statements, Piagentini said his rewritten ordinance is designed to specifically address the "small minority of landlords who don't follow the law," and avoid burying well-intentioned landlords under a mountain of regulations and expenses. The city's execution of the previous ordinance — first implemented in December — has been "at best, substandard," he said during debate Thursday. Before the repealed and replaced protections, there were no laws mandating landlords proactively identify and address lead hazards in rental properties. In the absence of such protections, roughly 10,000 Louisville children have been found with elevated levels of lead in their blood since 2005. Thousands more cases have likely gone unnoticed due to gaps in testing and a lack of proactive lead hazard assessments. Seven Democrats and one independent council member voted against Piagentini's rewritten regulations. "You don't listen to the experts. You don't listen to the data. You don't listen to people with direct experience," Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright, an opponent to the ordinances and sibling to a lead poisoning victim, told the sponsor. "You're listening to the pockets of people who will never experience this." Other Democrats, though, argued that approving Piagentini's ordinance was the best way to keep some protections in place, fearing the state law could wipe out all of Louisville's protections. Each case of childhood lead exposure represents the risk of lifelong, irreversible damage to the brain. The neurotoxin threatens cognitive development, decision-making ability, memory, learning and behavior. Exposure can lead to difficulty in school, worse test scores, higher costs for special education programs or, eventually, the justice system. Louisville's 2022 lead protections came decades after action by some other U.S. cities, leaving thousands of local children vulnerable to poisoning, The Courier Journal found in a 2023 investigation. Local real estate interests have fought to reduce protections for years, the reporting found, despite evidence of similar regulations' success in improving public health outcomes in cities such as Rochester, New York. The newly passed regulations provide for a less proactive approach to addressing lead hazards than the previous laws, relying on code enforcement officers to identify risks during inspections or on tenants to request an inspection, rather than requiring property owners to ensure older rental properties are free of lead hazards. Experts and advocates expect the weakened protections will result in more Louisville children exposed to the neurotoxin — particularly in the northwest corner of the county, where children are more than nine times as likely to be exposed to lead, by one estimate. 'We purport to be a civilized society, and we purport to be a society that has a certain level of morality,' FitzGerald said. 'We don't knowingly expose kids — our kids or other people's kids — to lifelong health hazards because we can't be bothered.' Metro Council approved several shifts to Louisville's rental registry — though not without last-minute changes to Piagentini's original proposal and frustration over the threat of preemption from the state. "As someone who's had to be in Frankfort lobbying, they're rushing this, and they're trying to make us make the first move," Parrish-Wright said. "This feels like a bully move." Piagentini said he already had concerns with some of the rental registry provisions, pointing out that he voted 'no' on strengthening them in 2022. "From a philosophical, high-level point of view, (both ordinances) were worded in a way that assumed everybody was guilty, and then you had to prove your innocence," he said. Piagentini's original ordinance eliminated random inspections, fees, the requirement for landlords to sign a sworn affidavit on the safety of their properties and language reaffirming a Kentucky state law that protects tenants from retaliation. After comments in a committee meeting from Councilman JP Lyninger, Piagentini added the language on tenants being protected from landlord retaliation back into the ordinance, saying he had "zero issue" with it, especially because it aligns with state law. Other council members successfully brought back some of the fees. In a showing of bipartisan support, councilmembers Markus Winkler and Kevin Kramer supported including one-time fees when property owners first register. Despite salvaging small pieces of the original ordinance, significant changes were passed including eliminating random inspections of rental units. The mandate for property owners to swear an affidavit that, to the best of their knowledge, all rental units were in compliance with city property rules, was also squashed. In a committee meeting, Piagentini said the affidavit 'had no impact on anything.' Some landlords have raised privacy concerns about the public-facing aspect to the rental registry, objecting to having their phone numbers or addresses published. Piagentini's ordinance aims to address some of these concerns, removing the physical address and phone number of the property owner if "the owner is not a corporation, partnership, or trust." Former council member Rick Blackwell pushed back against this idea, though, saying it is important for renters to be able to easily access their information. "It's a business," said Blackwell. "It's not a house anymore." However, some of the property owners' contact information will remain in the registry. The new legislation passed 21-4. With the original protections against childhood lead exposure in rental properties repealed and replaced, Louisville will now have different — and fewer — tools to prevent poisonings before they occur. The onus of catching lead in rental properties will now fall mostly to city staff at the Department of Codes and Regulations and the Department of Public Health and Wellness, removing much of the responsibility from property owners. It's unclear whether these city agencies have staff and funding to identify potential lead hazards in thousands of Jefferson County homes. Louisville's move to narrow protections for renters under threat of preemption joins a number of successful efforts by the General Assembly to erode the city's local control. In a caucus meeting Thursday, Democrats displayed internal struggle over whether to yield to Republicans, and debated whether state lawmakers could pass preemptive legislation against Louisville's regulations. "This has twisted my stomach in knots," said Councilman Andrew Owen. He appeared torn during debate and was ultimately among the Democrats who voted in favor. "I would rather have 50% instead of zero," said Councilwoman Donna Purvis, who consistently supported Piagentini's proposed changes as a means of salvaging some protections and local control. But numerous members in the council's left wing were holdouts on the changes — arguing Louisville should have forced Frankfort Republicans to move on their legislation first before relenting, and taken a more active position against the threat of preemption. As of Thursday, the state bill had not been heard in committee more than halfway through the legislative session. Lyninger said it was a "strategic mistake" for the Metro Council to amend these ordinances at Frankfort's behest, and pointed to how rare it is for state lawmakers to back off of preempting Louisville ordinances. "If I were in Republican leadership in Frankfort, I wouldn't be excited to be the party of lead poisoning children," Lyninger said. "I would much rather that the Louisville Metro Council took that plunge for me." Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@ or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter. Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at cgiffin@ or on X @byconnorgiffin. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville weakens protections for renters amid state GOP pressure
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Under pressure from state GOP, Metro Council considers loosening lead paint protections
Facing pressure of preemption from Republican lawmakers in Frankfort, the Louisville Metro Council is considering a complete rewrite of its existing regulations on lead paint hazards in rental properties. A proposal brought by Metro Council Republican Caucus chair Anthony Piagentini would repeal and replace an ordinance passed unanimously by the council in 2022, and implemented in December 2024. His proposal follows the introduction of House Bill 173 in the Kentucky General Assembly by Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, which would eliminate Louisville's existing regulations designed to protect children from lead poisoning in rental properties. Under the new ordinance from Piagentini, the responsibility of assessing rental properties for potential lead hazards would be shifted from landlords to Louisville Metro's code enforcement officers. Officers would be trained to detect lead hazards in homes, and would be required to take all "reasonable steps" to identify lead hazards during residential inspections of pre-1978 properties. Tenants would also be able to request an inspection by appointment, with priority given to homes where children reside. The newly proposed ordinance keeps a backstop in place, requiring inspection of at least some rental properties proactively, before a child can be exposed to lead — but it lacks the more stringent processes and transparency of existing regulations, which require older properties to be assessed for lead hazards and registered to the city within a set number of years. "The current lead rental registry ordinance more proactively identifies and eliminates lead hazards in rental property and serves those most vulnerable," Connie Mendel, chief health strategist for Louisville's Department of Public Health and Wellness, said in a statement. The new proposal, she said, would "still allow for the identification of hundreds of rental properties that could have lead hazards as well as for the enforcement to remove those hazards." Piagentini's proposed ordinance could be Louisville's only option for maintaining local control of regulation on lead paint in housing, and salvaging some form of protections. Dotson's bill in the state legislature, poised to snuff out Louisville's existing protections entirely, has begun to gather cosponsors and would be received by a Republican supermajority in both chambers. Lead is a potent neurotoxin, threatening the developing brain of young children. Since 2005, roughly 10,000 cases of childhood lead exposure have been documented in Louisville, and experts believe many more have gone unnoticed due to a lack of testing. The effects of lead on cognitive development, decision-making ability, memory, learning and behavior are lifelong and irreversible. Exposure can lead to difficulty in school, worse test scores, higher costs for special education programs or, eventually, the justice system. Louisville's existing lead protections came decades after action by some other U.S. cities, leaving thousands of local children vulnerable to poisoning for years, The Courier Journal found in a 2023 investigation. Local real estate interests have fought to reduce protections for years, the reporting found, despite evidence of the regulations' success in improving public health outcomes in cities such as Rochester, New York. "There is no cure for lead exposure," said Liz McQuillen, chief policy officer for Metro United Way. Childhood lead poisoning "can have really lifelong impact for those kids and those families," she said, "and there is no way to mitigate that once the child is exposed." Piagentini's proposed ordinance came following talks with state representatives, according to Metro Council President Brent Ackerson. There are "negotiations between him and Frankfort Republicans," Ackerson said, that may address the state's concerns about Louisville's lead ordinance and prevent the state from passing House Bill 173. Dotson's state legislation has not yet had a committee hearing. Its introduction spurred intense pushback from child health advocates, who said the bill "would cause irreparable harm to thousands of children, reduce the availability of safe and healthy housing stock, and saddle future Louisvillians with the costs." In 2022, Piagentini voted in favor of the current regulations, which he's now working to repeal. At the time, he complimented Democratic sponsor Cassie Chambers Armstrong for doing "yeoman's work in pulling this together." However, Piagentini said he's had some concerns about the 2022 ordinance, both then and now. "Although I voted for it, and do firmly believe we need to continue to attack this problem, I voted on it because it was better than some alternatives," he said. "But it wasn't exactly what I would have done." Piagentini said he believes the current ordinance assumes "everybody was guilty, and then you had to prove your innocence." Instead, he said he wants to focus more on "bad actors." Piagentini's role in the rewrite of the ordinance is why the legislation was unusually assigned to the council's Government Oversight, Audit and Appointments Committee, rather than the Equity, Community Affairs, Housing, Health and Education Committee, Ackerson said. Piagentini is the vice chair of the government oversight committee, which is expected to consider his proposed ordinance Tuesday. While Piagentini said his role as vice chair was a contributing factor to the legislation's committee assignment, he also said it "doesn't easily fall in any particular committee," and the council debated on several places where it could be heard. Piagentini hopes to continue working with representatives in Frankfort, he said, to limit preemption and help Louisville retain its local control. Chambers Armstrong, who sponsored Louisville's existing regulations on lead hazards in rental properties, now serves in the state Senate. In a statement, she encouraged council members to remain focused on the spirit of her original legislation: protecting the health of thousands of Louisville children. "I hope that any changes made will continue to center the need to protect children from the lifelong harms of lead exposure," she said. "This means it is essential that we retain local control to safeguard Louisville's most vulnerable children." Piagentini's newly proposed ordinance "is not as focused on the proactive prevention, which is best practice," McQuillen said, but "it is still a way that Louisville would be able to retain some tools to address that problem that we have." If Piagentini's proposed changes are signed into law, and state lawmakers retreat on plans to intervene, Louisville Metro Government would take on a bigger role in protecting children from lead exposure, shifting the onus away from property owners. It's unclear whether the Department of Codes and Regulations has the staff and resources necessary to keep tabs on lead hazards in thousands of rental properties around Louisville. At least 67 code enforcement officers have been trained as certified lead risk assessors already, according to the city. And the changes would discard some of the city's efforts to implement the current laws, including building out a public-facing Lead-Safe Housing Registry. The Department of Public Health and Wellness has already invested nearly $500,000 to implement the program in addition to hiring new staff, according to the agency, and some of the spending could now be in vain. However, Piagentini said he believes his legislation could be "budget neutral or even budget-saving." He pointed to another ordinance he's proposed, which would eliminate required random inspections by code enforcement officers, allowing the agency to reallocate resources toward lead hazard detection. Studies indicate a return on investment for lead poisoning prevention. Every tax dollar put into lead remediation in ordinances like Louisville's represents a return of at least $17, according to research from Pew, based on the known social and economic costs of lead poisoning. And each case of childhood lead exposure may cost taxpayers, on average, $50,000 in lifetime education and crime reduction costs, by some estimates — an expense of roughly half a billion dollars for Louisville's documented cases in the last two decades. More: Louisville stood by as thousands of kids were poisoned by lead paint. Is hope on the horizon? Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at cgiffin@ or on X @byconnorgiffin. Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@ or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville lead paint protections may be rolled back amid GOP pressure
