Latest news with #HouseBill1902
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Police search for 'jugging' suspect after Mesquite business owner robbed of $5,000
The Brief A Mesquite gym owner lost $5,000 in a "jugging" incident after withdrawing cash from a bank. The man believes he was followed from the bank, and his 15-year-old daughter was in the car when a suspect stole the money. Dallas police are investigating, have collected fingerprints, and are hoping to identify suspects using surveillance footage from the area. PLEASANT GROVE - Dallas police are investigating a possible case of jugging that left a man without thousands of dollars. A Mesquite small business owner says he went to the bank, then went to run another errand, when a man stole the cash out of his vehicle. What Happened Tuesday, FOX 4 spoke with Chris Robles of Mesquite. He owns the Grind Hard Fitness gym in Mesquite. Just before noon on Friday, Robles withdrew $5,000 in cash from a Pleasant Grove Chase bank near Masters and Lake June Road. He walked back to his car, with a cash envelope in his pocket. Then Robles drove four miles to pick up a U-Haul at the corner of Jim Miller Road and C.F. Hawn Freeway, right across the street from Dallas PD's southeast patrol division. He believes he was being watched and then followed. Robles told us he even tried to be cautious that day. He went inside the bank to get the cash from a teller, not the outside ATM. But even after doing that, he says he still was targeted. While he was inside the business, a thief, who he believes followed him from the bank, stole the money from his car. The scariest part, to him, was that his 15-year-old daughter was also in danger. What they're saying "I didn't have any idea someone was following me. Everything was very normal," Robles said. He went inside while his 15-year-old daughter waited in the vehicle. "As soon as I walked in the door, I got a phone call from my daughter. And she was yelling, 'someone is in the car.' I thought she said someone hit the car. So I ran out there immediately. And I saw her crying," Robles said. Robles said his daughter later told Dallas officers a man in his late teens to early twenties with a black ski mask took the cash from the center console. The teenager said she was able to snap a quick photo of the suspect vehicle: a gray Honda sedan. She sent the picture over to the Dallas police. "She is 15 years old. I'm glad she is here today," Robles said. What's next Dallas police confirm they're investigating the robbery and are still looking for the suspect or suspects involved. Dallas investigators collected fingerprints from Robles' vehicle. Robles was also told by police they have cameras at that intersection, and they hope to capture a license plate. Meanwhile, Robles is still focused on growing his gym grind hard fitness even with the unplanned and dangerous money setback. Dig deeper The tactic of following someone from a bank or business to steal cash is called jugging. A new Texas law, House Bill 1902, aims to crack down on the growing crime trend. Now, suspects are charged with burglary or robbery. But starting Sept. 1, jugging is its own crime, and can carry steeper penalties if the offense escalates. The Source Information in this article comes from Chris Robles and the Dallas Police Department.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Children's Promise Act dies in MS Senate, thanks in part to Republicans. See why
If anyone was wondering where the Mississippi Senate, as a body, stood on expanding school choice, the chamber may have tipped its hand toward any future votes on expanding public funding for private education. On Tuesday and Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers defeated House Bill 1902, which could be the last legislation standing from a volley of school-choice-related bills that previously passed the House but died in the Senate. "The only issue that I've heard from other senators, Democrats and Republicans, is that this is a program that allows people to instead of paying their taxes, to donate money to private schools with almost no oversight whatsoever," said Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who spoke against the bill. HB 1902 was first voted on by the Senate on Tuesday before a vote to consider Senate leadership's tax reform package, which among other things, would seek to fully eliminate the state income tax. Some senators who voted against HB 1902 said that was part of the reason for voting against the measure, citing it would be in poor taste to pass one bill raising state spending and another cutting state funding. The bill was first defeated Tuesday 26-23 but held on a motion to reconsider. On Wednesday, when Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, tried to bring the bill back up, it was defeated by an even larger margin. "We were just trying to make it more available for people to allow them to donate funds to (certain tax credit programs in the bill) and that was really the effort there," Harkins said. "We will have to work on it next year." The bill, which featured the Children's Promise Act, has been tied to school choice, a loaded term for legislation seeking to expand education options for students in both the public and private sector. School choice: Mississippi House kills bill to allow students to more easily move between school districts This year, that effort has taken the shape of establishing programs to put public money directly into private schools, allowing students to more easily move between school districts, expanding charter schools and via the Children's Promise Act, a tax credit program that already puts some public dollars toward private education. All of those efforts have been killed this year. The state also already has another school-choice program, an Education Savings Account program for disabled children. There was previously an effort in both the House and Senate to expand that program, but it died by a deadline. If passed, HB 1902 would have likely gone up for further negotiation with the House, known as conference, where House negotiators would have pushed to increase funding for the Children's Promise Act tax credit program. That program allows people to donate funds to private schools and have half of it taken off of their property taxes. The program also allows people to receive tax credits for donating to foster care facilities, and the program's funding, $18 million, can only go to certain "charitable organizations" such as those listed above. School choice bills: School choice in MS House lives by in-house rule, not Democratic principle. See details Only half of that funding can go toward private schools, which have to be approved of by the Mississippi Department of Revenue based on criteria such as enrolling students with certain disabilities and having been accredited by a state-recognized firm. Once that certification is given, schools need not reapply for seven years, and the state has no method to ensure those schools are either spending "donations" on education, or if the school even enrolls those students that make the institution eligible for the program beyond the accreditor's initial findings, which includes an audit. House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, told the Clarion Ledger his goal was to increase the program's fundings because it is annually maxed out, and he thinks the program, despite political opposition to it, serves to help some of the state's most needy children. Lamar also accused Jackson-based The Parents Campaign, a nonprofit lead by Nancy Loome, of spreading lies about HB 1902 being a school-choice bill and that it would send public education dollars toward private education. "I think it has been extremely popular, and that it doesn't hurt public education at all," Lamar said. "There's no reason we can't have great public schools and great independent schools across our state, and the Children's Promise Act recognizes that." Loome told the Clarion Ledger she never tried to communicate the bill as anything but a tax-credit program that sends public dollars toward private schools with no oversight and little guardrails in place to ensure those tax dollars were being spent appropriately. "We have never said that the Children's Promise Act is a school-choice bill, because it isn't," Loome said. "It has nothing to do with anybody choosing or enrolling their child in a different school. This is simply money going to private schools. It's not tied to tuition or a child moving from one place to another, but it has the same effect financially as a voucher in that it moves public money into private schools." Several high-ranking Senate Republicans told the Clarion Ledger they either voted against the measure because constituents called asking them to vote it down, they did not support school-choice-related legislation or thought it was poor timing. Of the Senate Republicans, at least nine voted against the Children's Promise Act. Two voted "present." "I had more constituents call me and ask me not to support it," Sen. Chad McMahan, R-Tupelo, said. "We are currently providing public funds to private individuals in terms of ESA for special needs education, and there are some students in the state that have such specialized needs that some public schools are unable to secure the expertise to meet their needs." Two of them, Sens. Nicole Boyd of Oxford and Sen. Walter Michel of Ridgeland, declined to comment. Sens. Mike McLendon of Hernando and Daniel Sparks of Belmont both noted that sending public dollars toward private education is unconstitutional in Mississippi. Sparks also said he had other questions related to the running of the program and did not feel comfortable voting on it. "I think public tax dollars should be spent on public education, and (if) a person has the ability to go to a private school, then so be it," McLendon said. "I just believe that public money should go to public." Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: School choice-related bill dies in MS Senate
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This week in politics: School choice bills return for second round in MS House
The Mississippi House of Representatives has for the second-year advanced bills that would increase the amount of taxpayer cash available for families to spend on private schools. On Wednesday, the House passed House Bill 1902, 1903 and 1894, containing code sections of state law relating to the Children's Promise Act, a multi-million-dollar tax credit program allowing parents to collectively receive $9 million in tax breaks for sending their children to private schools. The Children's Promise Act, first passed in 2019, has been used as a tax credit program for families to get back money they pay to "charitable organizations." House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, told the Clarion Ledger the program's current funding limit is inadequate. "It's a priority of mine," he said. "The need and demand for this outpaces the allowance of credits, and other tax credit programs are not being fully utilized." HB 1902 would take unused tax credits away from other programs and place them with the Children's Promise Act. HB 1903 would increase the amount of money the program receives in total each year from $9 million to $16 million for families to receive tax breaks. The other piece of the puzzle is HB 1894, which at first glance looks only to be a state bond issuance bill. Within it lies the Children's Promise Act. When Lamar introduced the legislation to his committee, he made no mention of the portion that included tax dollar spending on private schools. The bill passed committee without any opposition. "It is a little bit frustrating… It would be helpful to the whole House if (Lamar) would give us more time and a little bit more headway in terms of being able to understand what's in the bills," Minority Leader Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, said. For years, similar tactics have been used to get legislation through the Capitol. Lamar's most recent was Smith Wills Stadium, which transferred from Jackson's ownership to the state via a land conveyance bill passed in 2024. Jackson delegates later said Lamar made no direct mention of the bill's intent when presenting it. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, has been on the record for years as opposing legislation that increases public funding for private schools. First 2025 School choice effort dies: MS House Speaker says school choice bill doesn't have consensus among House GOP. See why On Thursday, independent pharmacists gathered at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass meaningful reform on Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the pharmaceutical middlemen who often control both drug prices on consumers and the amount of money pharmacists can make on prescriptions. "Independent pharmacies are often reimbursed less than the acquisition cost of medications," a press release on the press conference stated. "Furthermore, an independent audit found that chain drug stores and other PBM affiliates are paid eight times more than your hometown, independent pharmacy. PBM's steer patients to mail order or big box stores, killing small, independently owned pharmacies. This practice hurts communities and limits access to care." School choice moved up via in-house rule School choice in MS House lives by in-house rule, not Democratic principle. See details PBM issues: Independent pharmacists could risk closure by 2026 in Mississippi. Read why Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to increase transparency and accountability for the business that PBMs do in Mississippi. In 2024, the Clarion Ledger identified that independent pharmacists on whole faced closures within the next few years if nothing was done to address what they described as unfair PBM business practices. House Speaker Jason White said in a press release this week he is committed to ensuring some transparency and accountability is put on PBMs. On Tuesday, Lamar told the Clarion Ledger that if push comes to shove, he would be happy if the governor calls a special session to fully eliminate the state income tax. Both the House and Senate have passed bills to dramatically cut taxes in some areas and raise them in others. One major difference between the chambers' approach is that the House plan seeks to fully eliminate the income tax while the Senate seeks to only reduce it to 2.99%. Tax cuts: Senate passes tax cut plan. See what it does For several weeks, rumors have been circulating that Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is mulling whether to call a special session to force the Senate to negotiate an income tax elimination. Reeves has gone on the record for being largely in support of the House plan. Lamar said he and his colleagues are dead set on full elimination, and if the Senate doesn't like it, he's happy with suspending all other legislative business until some sort of agreement is made. "I fully support the governor calling special session to highlight the need to eliminate our income tax for the future of Mississippi," Lamar said. Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335 This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS politics: School choice bills advanced by State House again
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This week in politics: School choice bills return for second round in MS House
The Mississippi House of Representatives has for the second-year advanced bills that would increase the amount of taxpayer cash available for families to spend on private schools. On Wednesday, the House passed House Bill 1902, 1903 and 1894, containing code sections of state law relating to the Children's Promise Act, a multi-million-dollar tax credit program allowing parents to collectively receive $9 million in tax breaks for sending their children to private schools. The Children's Promise Act, first passed in 2019, has been used as a tax credit program for families to get back money they pay to "charitable organizations." House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, told the Clarion Ledger the program's current funding limit is inadequate. "It's a priority of mine," he said. "The need and demand for this outpaces the allowance of credits, and other tax credit programs are not being fully utilized." HB 1902 would take unused tax credits away from other programs and place them with the Children's Promise Act. HB 1903 would increase the amount of money the program receives in total each year from $9 million to $16 million for families to receive tax breaks. The other piece of the puzzle is HB 1894, which at first glance looks only to be a state bond issuance bill. Within it lies the Children's Promise Act. When Lamar introduced the legislation to his committee, he made no mention of the portion that included tax dollar spending on private schools. The bill passed committee without any opposition. "It is a little bit frustrating… It would be helpful to the whole House if (Lamar) would give us more time and a little bit more headway in terms of being able to understand what's in the bills," Minority Leader Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, said. For years, similar tactics have been used to get legislation through the Capitol. Lamar's most recent was Smith Wills Stadium, which transferred from Jackson's ownership to the state via a land conveyance bill passed in 2024. Jackson delegates later said Lamar made no direct mention of the bill's intent when presenting it. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, has been on the record for years as opposing legislation that increases public funding for private schools. First 2025 School choice effort dies: MS House Speaker says school choice bill doesn't have consensus among House GOP. See why On Thursday, independent pharmacists gathered at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass meaningful reform on Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the pharmaceutical middlemen who often control both drug prices on consumers and the amount of money pharmacists can make on prescriptions. "Independent pharmacies are often reimbursed less than the acquisition cost of medications," a press release on the press conference stated. "Furthermore, an independent audit found that chain drug stores and other PBM affiliates are paid eight times more than your hometown, independent pharmacy. PBM's steer patients to mail order or big box stores, killing small, independently owned pharmacies. This practice hurts communities and limits access to care." School choice moved up via in-house rule School choice in MS House lives by in-house rule, not Democratic principle. See details PBM issues: Independent pharmacists could risk closure by 2026 in Mississippi. Read why Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to increase transparency and accountability for the business that PBMs do in Mississippi. In 2024, the Clarion Ledger identified that independent pharmacists on whole faced closures within the next few years if nothing was done to address what they described as unfair PBM business practices. House Speaker Jason White said in a press release this week he is committed to ensuring some transparency and accountability is put on PBMs. On Tuesday, Lamar told the Clarion Ledger that if push comes to shove, he would be happy if the governor calls a special session to fully eliminate the state income tax. Both the House and Senate have passed bills to dramatically cut taxes in some areas and raise them in others. One major difference between the chambers' approach is that the House plan seeks to fully eliminate the income tax while the Senate seeks to only reduce it to 2.99%. Tax cuts: Senate passes tax cut plan. See what it does For several weeks, rumors have been circulating that Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is mulling whether to call a special session to force the Senate to negotiate an income tax elimination. Reeves has gone on the record for being largely in support of the House plan. Lamar said he and his colleagues are dead set on full elimination, and if the Senate doesn't like it, he's happy with suspending all other legislative business until some sort of agreement is made. "I fully support the governor calling special session to highlight the need to eliminate our income tax for the future of Mississippi," Lamar said. Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335 This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS politics: School choice bills advanced by State House again
