Latest news with #HouseBill177
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Idaho Reaffirms Gold and Silver As Legal Tender
BOISE, IDAHO / / March 21, 2025 / For the second time this month, new sound money legislation has become law in Idaho. Faced with the overwhelming likelihood of a veto override from the legislature, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed the Idaho Constitutional Money Act of 2025 reaffirming gold and silver as legal tender and making a symbolic statement in favor of sound money principles. House Bill 177, sponsored by Rep. Steve Miller, marks the third pro-sound money bill enacted this year, highlighting a sustained national trend that continues to grow. HB 177 simply affirms that gold or silver coin and specie issued by the United States government are considered legal tender whenever voluntarily agreed upon by both parties to a contract. The measure enjoyed popular support, earning approval in the state House with a 66-3-1 vote and unanimous passage, 35-0, in the Idaho Senate. This concept is consistent with the U.S. Constitution. In fact, Article 1 Section 10 reads: "No state shall…coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; [or] make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts…" America's 54-year experiment in a purely fiat currency system has gone poorly. Without backing of gold or silver, the Federal Reserve note "dollar" has continuously declined in purchasing power. The nation has faced a series of Fed-created booms caused by interest-rate manipulation, followed by busts and an explosive growth in government spending. When savers, wage earners, and investors seek ways to protect their savings from the ravages of inflation, they often choose precious metals over fiat currency because precious metals have preserved purchasing power over time. This bill provides symbolic support to Idaho citizens making this choice, and it is a modest step toward establishing sound money policies in the state. "States all over the country, most recently Idaho, are reaffirming what the U.S. Constitution already says: gold and silver are money," said Jp Cortez, executive director of the Sound Money Defense League. Political observers have noted that Governor Little appears worried about the potential of a conservative primary challenger in the upcoming 2026 election and also faces a high likelihood of veto overrides, so he has signed bills this session that the liberal Republican might normally be expected to veto. Last year, Little violated his fiduciary duty to taxpayers by vetoing a bill that would have merely permitted, not required, the State Treasurer to hold physical gold to hedge risks endemic to the state's large debt paper holdings. Idaho's $12 billion debt paper holdings have continued to lose real value as a result. Alabama, Utah, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Louisiana passed legislation in 2024 ending sales and capital gains taxes on precious metals, declaring that Central Bank Digital Currencies are not valid money in their state, or empowering state treasurers to invest state funds in gold and silver. This year, in addition to this legal tender bill, Wyoming has established a $10 million gold reserve for the state and Idaho has ended capital gains taxes on gold and silver. The Sound Money Defense League and Money Metals Exchange are actively working on nearly 20 other sound money bills in more than a dozen states this year. The Sound Money Defense League is the nation's leading public policy group working to restore sound money at the state and federal level since 2014 and publisher of the Sound Money Index. SOURCE: Sound Money Defense League View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose adding pets to Georgia family, dating violence protective orders
Georgia lawmakers are proposing a shift in how court-enforced safety works in the state, with a new bill aimed at adding household pets to family violence and dating violence protective orders. A temporary protective order, more popularly called a restraining order, can be used to prevent contact between individuals when safety is a concern. The TPOs are sometimes used to prevent spouses from seeing each other during divorces or to prevent harm between exes going through a rough breakup where one feels their life is in danger. Now, in addition to children that couples may share, a group of state lawmakers want to also include household pets in protective orders, granting custody for pets in addition to a child or children, as well as setting rules for temporary visitation rights. The bill is supported by the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault, as well as multiple other victim protection and advocacy organizations. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] GNESA posted Wednesday about HB 177′s sponsorship, thanking Marietta Rep. Sharon Cooper for her support of the bill. 'When pets are included in protective order petitions, individuals are more likely to seek relief from intimate partner violence, promptly, without the fear of endangering themselves or their cherished pets,' the organization said. TRENDING STORIES: 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 State senators, introduce bipartisan effort to expand Medicaid in Georgia The group shared further details about the importance of adding pets to protective order petitions, saying Georgia was among only nine states that do not currently include them. '71% of domestic violence survivors report that their abusers threatened or harmed their family pets' and '48% of victims delay leaving or return to an abusive situation out of fear for the safety of a beloved pet,' the organization shared. '30% of Georgia's domestic violence shelters have become pet-friendly and three domestic violence shelters have added pet shelters adjacent to their human shelters.' In Cobb County, Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell spoke with the Chief Executive Officer of LiveSafe Resources about the first pet-friendly domestic violence shelter being built in northwest Georgia to help with this issue. According to the text of House Bill 177, courts will be able to negotiate agreements between parties that: Direct the respondent to refrain from such acts; Grant to a party possession of the residence or household of the parties and exclude the other party from the residence or household; Require a party to provide suitable alternate housing for a spouse, former spouse, or parent and the parties' child or children; Award temporary custody of minor children and establish temporary visitation rights; Order the eviction of a party from the residence or household and order assistance to the petitioner in returning to it, or order assistance in retrieving personal property of the petitioner if the respondent's eviction has not been ordered; Order either party to make payments for the support of a minor child as required by law; Order either party to make payments for the support of a spouse as required by law; -- Provide for possession of personal property of the parties; including the care, custody, and control of any animal owned, possessed, kept or held as a household pet by either party or by a minor child living in the household or residence of either party. As used in this paragraph, the term 'household pet' means an animal kept for human companionship and enjoyment or an animal which is owned or possessed by either party or by a minor child living in the household or residence of either party. Such term shall not include livestock, laboratory animals, working animals, sport animals, or any other animal which is kept for a commercial purpose or for consumption. Order the respondent to refrain from doing any of the following with respect to any animal owned, possessed, kept, or held as a household pet: Harassing or harming such household pet; Taking, transferring, encumbering, or concealing such household pet; and Engaging in any conduct that would be a violation of Code Section 16-12-4; Order the respondent to refrain from harassing or interfering with the victim petitioner; Award costs and attorney's fees to either party; and Order the respondent to receive appropriate psychiatric or psychological services as a further measure to prevent the recurrence of family violence. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
