Latest news with #HouseBill185
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sine Die: 3 things to know about the end of Georgia legislative session
Friday is the last day of this year's legislative session in Georgia, or as it's better known at the Gold Dome as Sine Die. After the session ends, Gov. Brian Kemp will have 40 days to sign, veto, or allow legislation to become law without his signature. Here are three things to know as the clocks wind down on today's final day of legislative session. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The 2025 session has featured a lot of controversial bills on social issues, many of which came to a boiling point on Wednesday. The Georgia House passed the latest version of the religious freedom bill. The bill passed the Senate last week and now heads to the governor's desk. Some Republicans insist the bill is needed to protect people of faith, while Democrats say it only gives people a license to discriminate. The Georgia House also passed a 'diversity, equity and inclusion' bill on a party-line 33-21 vote. The measure would ban any policy or procedure 'designed or implemented with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation.' The House will only have to vote once on the final bill on Friday. Georgia House Democrats walked out of the legislative chamber before a vote Wednesday that would ban gender-affirming care for the state's prison population. They said that House Bill 185 would only impact five people currently in state custody. With the state's Democrats out of the chamber, HB 185 passed easily with 100 votes for the bill and two against. The only thing the General Assembly is constitutionally required to do is pass the state's $37.7 billion budget. The fate of other bills will be up in the air as the countdown clock gets closer to midnight. On a lighter note, it is a tradition for Georgia lawmakers to wear seersucker. You'll see a lot of that around the State Capitol. Another tradition: tossing papers in the chambers to signal the end of their paperwork for the session. Channel 2 Action News will have live reports throughout the day and let you know which bills made it to the governor's desk, on WSB Tonight at 11. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Democrats walk out of legislative session in protest of ban on gender-affirming care
Georgia House Democrats walked out of the legislative chamber before a vote Wednesday that would ban gender-affirming care for the state's prison population. State Democrats told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that House Bill 185 would only impact five people currently in state custody. They walked out to protest the parade of transgender bills they call 'political theater' while the state still doesn't have a fiscal year 2026 budget. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Trump is set to announce new tariffs as he takes a political and financial gamble Atlanta Braves purchase another 34 acres near the Battery 3 charged in connection to 13,000-acre wildfire at state park The budget is the only law the legislature is required to pass. Democrats left the House chamber and moved to the North Steps of the Capitol, where they held an impromptu news conference. Back inside, House Republicans responded sharply to the walkout, demanding that Democratic lawmakers return to the chamber to represent their constituents. With the state's Democrats out of the chamber, HB 185 passed easily with 100 votes for the bill and two against. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Hampshire House approves a potential solution to surprise ambulance billing
The House voted, 250-85, to approve House Bill 316, which seeks to end balance billing. (Getty Images) Amid a yearslong debate over how to make sure ambulance patients aren't surprised with massive bills even when they have health insurance, the New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a bill aimed at solving the issue. The House voted, 250-85, to approve House Bill 316, which seeks to end balance billing — the practice of patients being charged the difference between what an ambulance ride costs and what their insurance company agrees to cover — and establish a mandatory rate at which insurers must pay ambulance providers. If enacted, the bill will direct the state Insurance Department to establish a rate every two years based on the work of an independent actuarial and accounting expert, and ambulance providers would be bound to that rate. It would also prohibit the insurer covering the ambulance ride from passing any of the cost onto patients outside what their policy specifies. The bill had the support of Insurance Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt who, in January, said it was 'fundamentally unfair to stick the consumers in the middle of this dispute and give them a bill that they don't understand, that they didn't know was coming and for many of them, they can't afford.' He called the bill 'not perfect,' but 'the most viable solution to a very, very difficult problem.' Earlier this year, the Insurance Department and Public Consulting Group LLC released a report on what the initial rate would be. It recommends a base rate of 202% of the federal Medicare rate for an ambulance or 209% of the Medicare rate per mile the ambulance travels. After two years, the state would update that rate. Opposition to the bill pointed to that rate as too low. Rep. Jerry Stringham, a Lincoln Democrat, argued the bill 'would be devastating to our ambulance providers.' He said there was a 'key flaw' in how the department and its consulting firm derived that number. He argued it shouldn't have factored in the property tax funds ambulance providers receive due to differences in how much localities provide their ambulance providers. In debates over the bill taking place since January, Rindge Republican Rep. John Hunt has argued ambulance services should be viewed as a community service to be paid for by local taxes in the same way fire and police departments are. He reiterated that on the House floor Wednesday. 'I hate to break the news to you everybody, but your town taxes, every one of you, has ambulance service as a line item in their budgets,' Hunt said. 'And that ain't gonna change.' The bill will have to be approved by the Senate and governor before it can become law. The bill beat out an alternative proposal introduced by Rep. Mark Proulx, a Manchester Republican. That bill, House Bill 185, would've had insurers and ambulance providers negotiate a rate among themselves and required insurers covering ambulance rides to directly reimburse the providers. In the event of a rate dispute, this bill would've had the Insurance Department review rates to determine if they are reasonable. The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee unanimously voted to reject that bill. Then, the full House killed it earlier this month on a voice vote.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida ‘inmate bill of rights' would require improving prison conditions
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa Bay lawmaker is fighting for legislation that would protect the rights of prisoners in the state's corrections system. And while sympathy can sometimes be hard to come by for those behind bars, former corrections workers and the families of prisoners say it's time for those attitudes to change. If passed, the bill would create an 'inmate bill of rights,' which would include sufficient mealtimes, health supplies, air conditioning or cooling units, and emergency food supplies when needed. Inmates would be provided with a written copy of these rights upon entering the system, and they would be able to file grievances if their rights are denied. Schemes targeting Tampa Bay seniors surge 400%, retired FBI agent says The sponsor behind the move says this may be the year the bill is actually lawmakers, families, and former corrections workers gathered at the statehouse, calling for action and accountability to improve the treatment for Florida inmates. 'A just society doesn't abandon people once they're behind bars,' said State Senator Rosalind Osgood (D- Fort Lauderdale). 'For too long, our criminal justice system has overlooked the basic rights and dignity of incarcerated individuals. House Bill 185 is a critical step toward ensuring that every person within our correctional system is treated with fairness, humanity, and respect. This bill not only establishes clear rights for inmates but also ensures they are fully informed of those rights, creating a more transparent and accountable prison system,' said State Representative Dianne Hart (D-Tampa).Keith Harris, a parole specialist who has represented over 35 inmates before the Florida Commission on Offender Review, stands firmly behind House Bill 185.'I would have gotten him out on parole, but he died. Three days nurses with Centurion medical care walked by his cell and they never said a word to him. They never looked in there, they never did anything to help,' Harris said. 'Our medical care today, the prison system is an abyssal level. It is beyond belief what's going on.'Former sergeant and whistle blower in the Florida Department of Corrections, Mark Caruso, is also calling for change, not only for inmates but for the staff as well. 'When I reported these abuses, I faced retaliation. I was fired three times. But I refuse to stay silent,' Caruso said. 'Investing in better prison conditions isn't just about the inmates. It's also about supporting those who uphold the system every day.' The bill has been refiled for a fifth time by Representative Hart, who is hopeful committee chairs will hear the latest legislation this session.'I am open to massaging any of the bills that I carry. I will be and have been talking to his staff around what they think will make a good bill that palpable by my Republican colleagues,' Hart has one more year left to make this bill heard next session. The senate sponsor of the bill, however, says she will continue to refile for the years to come. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to ban transgender women from participating in female sports tabled
Feb. 13—SANTA FE — Once again in the Roundhouse, it's unlikely Democratic legislators will let a bill through that would ban transgender women from participating in female sports. The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Thursday tabled House Bill 185 by a vote of 4-2, along party lines. Bill sponsor Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, who also introduced the bill last year, said the move would codify similar actions by President Donald Trump, referring to the executive order he signed earlier this month, titled Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports. The bill hold-up wasn't entirely unexpected. Bill sponsor Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said in a news conference before the committee meeting that House Speaker Javier Martínez sent the bill to a "kill committee," where it wouldn't have a chance to progress. Every seat in the House committee room was taken, with dozens supporting or opposing the bill. Security prefaced the meeting by asking audience members to be polite and respectful. The argument for the bill revolved around "fairness and safety," according to bill sponsor Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences. Proponents said, biologically, men are built differently than women, often giving them physical advantages. Many referenced the NCAA's new rules prohibiting transgender women from participating in women's sports, as well as when activists pushed the University of New Mexico not to play against San Jose State University because of an athlete on the California team who was alleged to be transgender. In November, a federal judge denied a motion to ban the player from the team. Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, asked how many transgender women are playing sports in high school or college in New Mexico, and Reeb said, "You know we don't collect that data." Thomson said the bill is discriminatory as it allows women to participate in men's sports, but not vice versa. She also questioned if there should be weight and height classes for every sport, as women come in many different shapes and sizes. "How do we say that this is the way to go when we allow tiny, tiny women to compete against other big women?" she asked. During public comment, Kristin Schultz, a pastor, said "transgender girls are girls." In many instances in the earlier news conference and the committee meeting, bill advocates referred to men, seemingly talking about transgender women. Gauge Burnett, a transgender man living in Las Cruces, said during public comment he chose to live in southern New Mexico for its acceptance. "New Mexico athletes do not need this committee or any other body to tell them how to play their sport or who to play it with, or what values to espouse," he said. "Let the teams live their truths and share their values and play in the way that they want to and that celebrates their communities." Bill sponsors said the legislation isn't meant to target anyone, which committee members Reps. John Block, R-Alamogordo, and Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, affirmed. "I'm not going to pretend that this is not a complex and extremely polarizing issue. ... The issue has become, how do we protect and keep our girls safe?" Lord said. Montoya, at the news conference, also brought up fears that schools could lose out on federal funding if not in compliance with Trump's executive order. "Really, all this legislation would do would bring us in line with Title IX again," Montoya said, referring to the federal policy that prohibits sex-based discrimination.
