Latest news with #HouseBill226
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta testifies at Ohio Statehouse in favor of age verification in app store
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio lawmakers want to give parents more say in what their kids do on their smartphones and tablets. And Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is on board with the proposal. Ohio lawmakers did pass a bill to require age verification in social media apps, but a federal judge struck that law down after social media companies challenged it, calling it a 'breathtakingly blunt tool' to reduce harm. Gov. Mike DeWine called for lawmakers to take a new approach to age verification for minors, and that is where House Bill 226 comes into play. Victoria's Secret responds after website, app shutdown leaving customers in the dark House Bill 226 would require app developers to determine whether their app is likely to be used by children under 16 years. If so, the developer needs to let the app store know that it will need age verification before being downloaded. This bill would largely impact social media like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Teens use more than 40 different apps a week, so that's a lot for parents and it's a lot of personal information that would need to be shared with each individual app to verify who the parent is and the child's age,' Head of Safety Policy for North America at Meta Jennifer Hanley said. Hanley said she thinks this bill will be more effective, because it does not specifically call out social media apps. 'We've seen courts across the country say if you're looking at things selectively, examining the types of content or who the speaker is, then you're running into First Amendment issues,' she said. 'We think here this kind of addresses that and resolved some of the First Amendment concerns by making it speaker and content neutral instead.' First responders line roads as body of killed deputy returned to Morrow County Hanley said age verification in this form is what parents want, and points to Utah and Texas that have recently enacted similar laws. But some leaders at the statehouse think that companies like Meta are simply punting the responsibility to keep children safe. 'There is certainly no excuse for these big social media, data companies, to not have some sort of guidelines,' Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. 'They certainly know how to develop the algorithms to target minors and there's no excuse for them not also being able to use that as safeguards.' Russo said she does think that this is a step in the right direction but does not go far enough. 'Do I think [HB 226] is going to be as effective as some of the other things we know [social media companies] have the capacity to do using their own algorithms? Certainly not,' Russo said. City of Columbus asks court to dismiss cyber lawsuits 'We at Meta and other companies will still have a role to play in providing a safer, more age-appropriate experiences for teens and looking for those who are lying about their age,' Hanley said. The bill still awaits both a House committee vote and House floor vote before being sent to the Ohio Senate for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bill passes allowing darker tints on vehicles
The state Legislature has passed a major reform bill for vehicle window tinting laws, which marks the most significant update since originally enacted in 1983, the House of Representatives announced Friday. 'The legislature finds that darker tints on car windows have a measurable impact on reducing heat trapped in a car's interior, ' House Bill 226 says. It also finds 'the current light transmittance limit of 35 % for glazing on car windows is inadequate to address the increased temperatures caused by climate change.' The bill awaits Gov. Josh Green's signature and, if signed into law, will bring equity to sedan owners who will be allowed to tint their car windows with the same degree of light transmission levels as other vehicles. But the bill also ensures a measure of safety for law enforcement officers since it will require all drivers and passengers of vehicles with applied tinted windows to roll down their windows during traffic stops, with certain exceptions. The bill also raises fines for violators of the law for both vehicle owners and installers of any tinting, which violates the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 205. It also adds new language to include any sun screening device 'with mirrored or high reflective finishes that produce red, yellow, amber, or blue appearance as viewed from the exterior of the motor vehicle.' 'For too long, sedans have been unfairly left out while trucks, vans, and SUVs benefit from factory tint exemptions, Rep. Darius Kila (D-Honokai Hale, Nanakuli, Maili ), who authored House Bill 226 CD1, said in a news release. 'This is about bringing our laws into the 21st century.' Kila thanked the state Department of Transportation, county law enforcement agencies and local tinting professionals for 'their honest input and collaboration over the last three years. Together we crafted a comprehensive overhaul that's fairer, safer and more enforcable.' T &T Tinting founder Tommy Silva, who has long advocated for fair tint laws, said : 'By removing outdated distinctions, this law ensures equal treatment for all drivers and better sun protection—something that's critical in our climate.' Silva helped draft the 1983 law, said T &T Tinting CEO Kyle Horimoto, who was consulted in drafting HB 226. Horimoto said the bill does not change the portion of the current law that keeps the front windshield of all vehicles at 70 % light transmission, virtually clear, and driver and front passenger windows at no less than 35 %, plus or minus 6 % (the lower the percentage, the darker ). Under existing Hawaii law, darker tints are allowed as low as 5 % light transmission on rear windshields and rear passenger windows of trucks, SUVs and vans, and they can come from the manufacturer at 20 % light transmission, he said. The new bill aligns with the laws in most sunbelt states, Horimoto said, adding many military member customers have had to remove the tinting on their cars when they move to Hawaii. The tinting can reduce heat inside a vehicle by 15 % to 20 %, offers glare reduction, privacy and more security for items on rear seats, Horimoto said. Although the darker tint may make it more difficult to see through the windows when reversing, most newer vehicles come equipped with safety features such as backup cameras, Horimoto said. However, the new law will require that if rear windows are tinted darker, drivers and passengers will have to roll their windows down to allow officers to see inside the vehicles. 'It's a good compromise, ' Horimoto said of the bill. Maj. James Slayter, Honolulu Police Department Traffic Division commander, said : 'We support the passage of HB 226, which strikes a balance between public safety and officer safety. 'This measure helps ensure that officers can better assess potential threats during traffic stops, while still preserving adequate visibility for drivers, ' he said. The legislation will update penalties : 1 ) Drivers with illegal tint may face fines from $300 to $550, (up from $250 to $500 ); 2 ) Installers applying noncompliant tint may be fined from $700 to $1, 200, (up from $500 to $1, 000 ), and must replace the tint or reimburse the vehicle owner. The bill requires tint installers to issue a compliance certificate at the time of installation, and drivers to keep the certificate in their vehicle as proof of legal tint. Failure to produce this certificate may result in enforcement actions. Kila said that for vehicles that have had tinting done previously, a safety check would serve as a compliance certificate, according to the DOT. State DOT Director Ed Sniffen said the bill 'will ensure that vehicle window tint standards are applied and enforced fairly and consistently while increasing safety for our law enforcement officers during traffic stops.'
