Latest news with #HouseBill5
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A year after criminalizing street camping, KY has more homelessness as root causes go unaddressed
A tent where a homeless person lived is seen in a snowy camp on Dec. 23, 2022 in Louisville. (Photo by) On July 15, 2024, House Bill 5 went into effect and made Kentucky one of the first states in the country to criminalize street camping. One year later, we're left with a chilling legacy: hundreds of citations, growing mistrust of outreach efforts, worsening homelessness, and a question that still hangs heavy. Why did we let this happen? According to statewide data, more than 425 charges for unlawful camping have been filed across 30 Kentucky counties. That is more than one citation a day, overwhelmingly targeting unhoused people just for trying to survive. The largest share, 42%, was issued in Jefferson County, followed by Fayette (13.5%), Boyd (12%), and Daviess counties (7.4%). But these aren't just numbers. These are fellow Kentuckians trying to get by. Among them are: A man was cited and moved along after being woken up by police kicking his feet as he slept under a viaduct. A woman arrested while changing clothes in a parking garage during a heatwave was taken to jail without pants. She was later released, still without pants. A pregnant woman was cited while in active labor. Her story made national headlines. She has housing now, but it did not come from city services, it came from community care. A man cited multiple times, stuck in a cycle of court dates and jail, desperate for help that never comes. This law has not ended or even decreased homelessness. Statewide, numbers show a 10% increase. Homelessness jumps again in Kentucky as Trump administration moves to cut housing funds Daily 'caravan sweeps' in places like Louisville's Portland neighborhood give people five minutes to gather their only possessions — medications, documents, court papers, — before bulldozers and police trucks roll in to destroy their shelter and take what little they have to a dump. Legal identification, birth certificates, prescriptions, everything they have managed to hold on to, discarded without compassion. Without ID, people cannot get housing, cannot get services, can't get help. This is active harm. This is active cruelty. This is an active cycle. This is the truth about HB5. Even more disturbing, some of these citations come with promises of treatment or shelter that never materialize. Instead, people are met with citations, jail cells or court dates they cannot make, leading to bench warrants and deeper entanglement in the criminal legal system. Street outreach workers and advocates call this what it is: cruelty masquerading as a policy solution. One year in, we've seen what this bill delivers: more fear, more displacement, and a widening gap between the people who need help and the services trying to reach them. The word 'outreach' itself is now so mistrusted that some service providers must introduce themselves by name, just to avoid being mistaken for the police. Kentuckians deserve better than this. We can be better than this. We cannot arrest our way out of poverty. We cannot bulldoze our way to safety. And we cannot claim moral leadership while treating the unhoused with contempt and cruelty. What works is not criminalization. What works is affordable housing. Permanent supportive housing has a 97% success rate right here in Kentucky. Non-congregate shelters with trauma-informed care, robust outreach efforts, and harm reduction strategies are what keep people safe and, ultimately, housed. Other states may struggle to find people and organizations to help. In Kentucky, that's not our struggle. Organizations like VOCAL-KY, KyPolicy, St. John's Center, Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered, the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky and others are in the fight every day, despite limited resources. The additional harm is, those of us working to help real people in a real way, are shackled with limited capacity, funding cuts, and a government whose members are actively working to undermine the work. This is not just a policy failure. It's a moral one. But it doesn't have to stay that way. We urge our state and local leaders to confront the root causes of homelessness: the lack of affordable housing, the absence of mental health support, and policies that prioritize punishment over people. We can and must invest in solutions that lift people up instead of pushing them further down. Because no one should be cited for trying to survive. Not in Kentucky. Not anywhere. Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
30-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
New Mexico Okays $50 Million For Wildlife Crossings To Improve Safety
A cougar (also known as a mountain lion) in New Mexico. New Mexico lawmakers have approved $50 million to pay for wildlife crossings to improve roadway safety and also passed legislation to create a strategic reserve fund for freshwater. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 37: Strategic Water Reserve Fund on April 7 for the Interstate Stream Commission to manage and conserve water to support recharging the state's aquifer and minimize groundwater depletion. The new law, to take effect June 20, also allows for purchasing and leasing surface water and water rights. The initial funding designated for the water reserve was $5.2 million. 'Advancement of the Strategic Water Reserve crucially expands the ability for the state to buy, lease, or accept donations of water rights for the benefit of a broad array of cultural and environmental values. The reserve is integral to keeping water in rivers and aquifers and conserving important habitat along the shore while honoring landowner water rights,' said Patrick Lane, senior manager of the intermountain West at The Pew Charitable Trusts. 'New Mexicans fully recognize how important clean water is for their well-being – from growing corn to providing a swimming hole on the weekend, it's never been more important to carefully conserve and manage the state's freshwater resource, and the legislature's action puts more tools in the toolbox for New Mexicans to use for this purpose.' On April 11, the governor enacted into law House Bill 5 (General Appropriation Act of 2025) that directed $50 million to fund an existing legislative effort to alleviate vehicle and wildlife collisions. The New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action Plan, finalized three years ago, has identified numerous 'hot spots' on roadways throughout the state that have the highest numbers of vehicles and wildlife collisions. Lane also applauded the funding for the wildlife crossings. 'This is the largest amount any state has ever appropriated for terrestrial wildlife crossings in a single year. Other states can look to New Mexico as a model for planning and construction of wildlife crossings to protect human and animal lives,' he said. 'Migratory wildlife such as elk, deer and pronghorn have deep ties to New Mexico's culture and identity. They also support a robust recreation economy that families and communities rely on. Wildlife crossings enhance and conserve these wildlife populations, while making a tangible contribution to driver safety across the state.' He predicted the wildlife crossing allocation will save lives on N.M. roadways for people and animals as well as protect the state's wildlife heritage. Also lauding the N.M. allocation was Marcel Gaztambide, Southwest field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He noted in a recent social media post: 'With over 1,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions taking place in New Mexico every year, this investment in the safety of New Mexico's drivers and wildlife was desperately needed.' Pronghorn in Southwestern New Mexico The New Mexico Department of Transportation and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish were directed by the state legislature to develop an action plan for wildlife crossings. The plan identified both collision hot spots and priority projects to deter roadway accidents with animals. It focuseA list of priority projects are identified in the Plan that includes both wildlife-vehicle collision (WVC) hotspots and wildlife corridors. It identified 20 species of concern as most vulnerable to collisions. These consisted of four reptiles (ornate box turtle, Gila monster, Mexican garter snake and Western massasauga rattlesnake). The mammals on the list were: The species of concern were also identified for posing a risk to motorists. Other factors putting the wildlife in that category included being killed in collisions to such an extent that it does/could lower population levels in New Mexico or the roads create barriers to important interconnected habitats. Gila monster in the Southwest. Gila monsters in New Mexico mostly live west of the Continental Divide in the southwestern areas with rocky terrain such as in Chihuahuan Desert foothills and canyons. These lizards are the largest in the United States. They can weigh a pound and span as long as nearly two feet. These rare creatures are listed as endangered under the New Mexico Wildlife Conservation Act and also protected by state laws in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. According to the National Park Service, 'They may be out digging, hunting, basking, etc. on the surface for only a few hours of a few days per year; about 98% of the year is spent out of sight. They live in burrows, packrat nests, or caliche caves and dens, sometimes sharing their abodes with other reptiles such as snakes or desert tortoises.' Although Gila monsters have venom in their lower jaws, their bite is painful but rarely fatal. Their black and pinkish skin patterns are hard to see in barren landscapes, which could contribute to their mortality rates. The New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action plan identified Gila monsters as a species in greatest conservation need. 'Highways through Granite Gap and Antelope Pass in the central Peloncillo Mountains are known sites of numerous roadkill records," the report stated. Roadway mortality is thought to be due to more traffic in the border area in southwest New Mexico Another creature to make the list as most in need of conservation and threatened is the the white-sided jackrabbit that also lives in the southwestern part of the state. These jackrabbits are only known to live in two valleys in Hidalgo County, which borders Arizona. This animal population was thought to be diminishing due to overgrazing by livestock on shrubs and grasses in New Mexico. However, significant population decreases of white-sided jackrabbits are likely linked to increased vehicle traffic in there due to more human activity and motorists along the U.S.-Mexico border. For instance, sharp reductions in white-sided jackrabbits populations had been noted on one main county road "yet no degradation of grassland quality or significant shrub invasion is evident,' the report stated. A cougar (mountain lion) prowling at night in New Mexico. Cougars in New Mexico are mostly found in the foothills and mountains in the central northern and southern parts of the states as well as in western areas. Adult males cougars can weigh from 150 to 200 pounds and are often eight feet long. Also known as mountain lions, cougars are among the largest cats in North America. The state estimates there are 3,500 cougars living there with the population declining in part due less habitat and vehicle collisions. Cougars tend to avoid roads and seek to cross using underpasses. There were 135 cougar-vehicle collisions recorded in New Mexico from 2009 to 2018 mostly along Interstate 25 (north of Albuquerque to the Colorado border) as well as on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in/near the Sacramento Mountains and along U.S. Route 180. During the same time period, vehicles collided with just over 500 black bears mostly while traveling along mountain roadways. Among the top 30 wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots in New Mexico, 'one stands out' due to 49 motorists crashing into black bears on the I-25 corridor (from south of Raton to the Colorado border). Other top areas with high black bear-vehicle collisions include U.S. 64/U.S. 84 just south of Chama (7 collisions), I-25 around Glorieta Pass (6 collisions), Tijeras Canyon along I-40 (6 collisions), and I-25 south of Wagon Mound (5 collisions). A black bear. Similar to cougars, black bears have been found to avoid crossing roads by using underpasses and culverts. State wildlife researchers from New Mexico and Arizona noted 169 cases of black bears crossing the roads via underpasses. In contrast to these animals, New Mexico's pronghorns prefer to use overpasses to tackle crossing roads. The state is thought to have from 47,000 to 49,000 pronghorn. From 2002 to 2018, the state recorded 221 wildlife-vehicle collisions. 'Roads, traffic, and right-of-way fences affect pronghorn through direct mortality and by affecting their behavior, while fences along roads and even traffic restrict or alter their movements. Pronghorn prefer to crawl under fences rather than jump over them, and they struggle with multiple strand fences when the bottom wire is too low,' the report noted. 'Mitigation of road-caused fragmentation and mortality is possible with the use of overpasses. Because of their keen eyesight and use of distance for predator avoidance behavior, pronghorn prefer overpasses to underpasses when crossing roads.' Top 10 Wildlife/Vehicle Collision Hotspots in New Mexico per Number of Crashes Per Mile The NMDOT has been involved in several wildlife crossing projects in the state as well as creating mitigation strategies to provide safer traveling for motorists and animals. For example, it has created escape ramps that provide an area for deer and elk to jump over to avoid vehicles. The department has also installed game fencing, such as an eight-foot-tall woven wire fence along I-40 near Edgewood to direct wildlife to pass under bridges instead of darting into traffic. Another use of technology is installing double cattleguards where side roads intersect with highways to prevent large animals from walking into vehicles at roadway turnouts. NMDOT built a pair of 32-foot-wide arched wildlife underpasses wildlife crossing at the I-25 pass in Raton after finding 102 dead deer during a two-year period there installed over six miles of game fencing, wildlife escape ramps, and double cattle guards. Built a pair of 32-feet-wide arched wildlife underpasses after finding 102 dead deer within a two-year period at the I-25/Raton pass in Colfax County. Within two years after the safe crossings were built there was a 60% drop in the number of dead deer from vehicle collisions found there. In another wildlife crossing project, NMDOT targeted U.S. Route north of Aztec close to the Colorado border due to deer-vehicle crashes. The state dropped the number of collision to improve roadway safety by more than 80% after putting larger box culverts for safe underpasses to replace three metal culverts. Guard fencing 8-feet high was constructed for three miles to guide the animals to the crossing areas and block the road. Double cattle guards were also placed as a deterrence. Red line showing location of U.S. 550 Highway Wildlife Crossing Project in New Mexico. NMDOT is working on a new transportation safety project on U.S. Highway 550 in Sandoval County as to curb vehicle crashes primarily with six types of animals (such as deer, black bears and elk) in its most hazardous area in need for wildlife crossings. At issue is a 17-mile long stretch of road in which 1.21 reported wildlife-vehicle collisions occurred per mile during a 10-year period. Most (58%) of the vehicles crashed into elk. Male elks can weigh 700 pounds or more and the females can weigh 500 pounds. The state is working to build large overpasses for the safe movement of wildlife there since elk are reluctant to pass through tunnels/culverts go over small bridges. Currently, the project is in design development and will be completed in four phases that will involved 16 miles of U.S. 550. Design plans for Phases 1 and 2 are expected to be finished by the end of this year. To accommodate various animals likely to cross that part of the road, NMDOT is planning to build a wide single-span overpass with natural vegetation planted (to match the terrain) that would rise over four existing travel lanes and shoulders of US 550. In addition, arched underpass structures would be enable animals to travel below the road level. Wildlife fencing would guide the animals to crossing areas and double cattleguards would be placed to restrict access to the highway. Based on Federal Highway Administration figures that are nearly 20 years old, from 1 million to 2 million collisions between large wildlife animals and vehicles happened through the United States each year—killing 200 people and causing injuries to 26,000 others. The property damage then was estimated at $8.3 billion. Most crashes were single vehicles on two-lane roads. Most of the wildlife struck by vehicles dies immediately or soon afterwards. State environmental and transportation agencies are increasing their efforts to boost both motorist roadway safety and wildlife survival rates by using technology to build road structures for animal passageways. According to Lane from Pew, 'Wildlife migration pathways, which are critical in maintaining many terrestrial wildlife populations, are particularly threatened due to the effects that roads and highways have on their movement patterns. The good news is that a proven solution to this problem exists. Wildlife crossings help reconnect migratory routes and make our roads safer for drivers by reducing the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Time has shown that these crossings are highly effective.' FHWA Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program 2024-2025 fiscal year grants of $125 million to 16 wildlife ... More crossing projects. The other good news is that federal wildlife crossing grants, especially from the U.S. Department of Transportation/FHWA, are providing vital revenue to help states improve highway safety for the traveling public and the many special creatures who live within our nation.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lawmakers vow further exploration of CYFD reforms in interim before 2026 session
New Mexico lawmakers created a new child advocate position to oversee the troubled CYFD agency. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal) New Mexico lawmakers said Tuesday they plan to investigate more reforms for the state's troubled child welfare agency in advance of next year's legislative session, pointing to the recent tragedy of a 16-year old foster child's suicide as a catalyst for further action. The Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee convened at the Roundhouse for the first meeting of the interim, which included a presentation on recent reforms to the Children, Youth & Families Department lawmakers passed in the 2025 Legislative session. Specifically, House Bill 5 created an Office of the Child Advocate, which will be administratively attached to the state Department of Justice. Tuesday's hearing also exposed continued tension over the management of CYFD. The troubled agency has faced increased scrutiny over rising costs of settlements for maltreatment and deaths of children in custody from years past, as well as the housing of children in offices, which have included incidents of injury from private security guards. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in April announced an investigation into the April death. In a recent interview with Source, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has clashed with the AG over CYFD, said the agency intends to abide with the Legislature's reforms 'in a robust and cooperative manner.' Sen. Joe Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), who co-chairs the interim committee with Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), said New Mexico was failing to protect children in state custody which he called 'our most important, sacred responsibility.' 'We're not saving lives, we have children who are dying on our watch,' he said Tuesday. Cervantes alluded to Jaydun Garcia, the 16-year old who died by suicide in congregate care in April, but also mentioned a second case: 'I cannot go into detail, that we had another suicide: a young woman who was pregnant at the time in our state custody.' CYFD spokesperson Jessica Preston said she could not corroborate Cervantes' statement. 'State and federal confidentiality laws strictly limit what the Children, Youth, and Families Department can confirm or disclose about individual cases. We are only authorized to release information when it is determined that abuse or neglect caused a child's death,' Preston said in a written statement. 'Accordingly, no information can be provided.' CYFD was not invited to testify at today's meeting, both Cervantes and CYFD confirmed, with Preston noting that the agenda item related to the new office attached to the NMDOJ. CYFD Cabinet Secretary Teresa Casados 'has said on many occasions that the Department welcomes oversight, and we look forward to collaborating with the new Office of Child Advocate to serve the children, youth, and families of New Mexico when it is up and running,' Preston wrote. Lujan Grisham line-item vetoed $1 million earmarked for Office of the Child Advocate from the budget, but allowed both a $650,000 appropriation the New Mexico Department of Justice to set up the office and $300,000 for CYFD to hire additional staff to respond to inquiries from the advocate to remain in the budget. Attorneys for NMDOJ said they would be able to stand up the office with the $650,000 appropriation, but would seek further funding in 2026. 'That sets us on a pretty good entry point,' said Billy Jimenez, the deputy attorney general for civil affairs at NMDOJ. 'From a purely administrative standpoint, we can provide staff to assist whether that's paralegals or clerical staff, HR staff. But I think, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that that office maintains… independence [and] their own paralegals and staff over time.' Further decisions about staffing the office will be made once the child advocate is in the role Jimenez said. The state is still in the process of appointing a statutorily required state child advocate selection committee, which is required by law to meet before Sept. 1 to consider recommendations for the state child advocate. Within 30 days of meeting, the committee is supposed to recommend a short list of candidates to the governor, who will make the appointment.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Department of Corrections moves female inmates to repurposed facility in Boulder
A correctional officer removes an inmate's shackles upon arrival at Riverside. (Courtesy DOC) The Montana Department of Corrections on Monday moved 50 inmates form the Montana Women's Prison in Billings to the former Riverside Special Needs Unit in Boulder, according to a press release from the department. The move is intended to alleviate overcrowding in the state's correctional facilities. Following Monday's move, the Women's Prison in Billings has a population of 200, according to the state's secure facility dashboard, while DOC officials say another 62 female inmates are awaiting placement from county jails. The DOC stated that 47 of those inmates in county jails have been waiting for transfer to the prison for more than 30 days, but expects to move them to the Billings facility by the end of the month. The Riverside Facility in Boulder was most recently used as a unit of the Montana State Prison for male inmates with serious, long-term medical needs. The facility housed 25 inmates, who were transferred to the state prison earlier this month, according to DOC. The facility underwent minor renovations to accommodate the larger population of female inmates. Representatives from DOC did not immediately respond to calls or emails asking about the extent of the renovations or changes to staffing levels at the facility. Overcrowding has been a growing issue among Montana's correctional facilities, and the state has resorted to sending hundreds of inmates to privately run prisons in other states in order to make do. Under contracts with CoreCivic, a private prison operator, Montana currently has 239 inmates in the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi, and 364 in the Saguaro Correctional Facility in Arizona. Despite the out-of-state transfers, several Montana facilities remain over capacity. A CoreCivic run facility in Shelby, has 768 inmates but an operational capacity of 753. A federal jury recently found CoreCivic liable for failing to protect an inmate in that facility from a beating, and awarded the victim nearly $28 million. Among state-run facilities, the Montana State Prison is 58 inmates over capacity, with a current population of 1,594. Montana's community correctional facilities include another 1,616 individuals in treatment centers, prerelease centers, and assessment and sanction centers. During the 2025 Legislative Session, lawmakers appropriated $436 million to address capacity issues throughout the state. House Bill 833, sponsored by Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, proposes spending roughly $250 million to construct a new women's prison or renovate an existing facility. That bill is awaiting action from Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican. Fitzpatrick also included DOC funding in the state's long-range building appropriations bill, House Bill 5, including $171 million for expansions at the Montana State Prison. On April 29, Gianforte, Fitzpatrick, and DOC Director Brian Gootkin held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $156 million infrastructure project to build more housing units at the state prison, a project that was funded during the 2023 Legislative Session. 'We are extremely thankful for the support of Governor Gianforte and the members of the Montana Legislature to provide us with a generational investment to modernize and expand our correctional infrastructure,' Gootkin said in a press release. 'Not only will we have the capacity we need to accommodate our inmate population, but we will be able to provide a safer, healthier work environment for our employees.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Craddick sends Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) legislation to Abbott's desk
May 13—AUSTIN — State Rep. Tom Craddick May 12 applauded the final passage of legislation to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), a monumental step in addressing one of the state's most urgent healthcare challenges. With the Texas Senate's concurrence with House amendments to Senate Bill 5 and Senate Joint Resolution 3, the legislation now heads to Governor Abbott for signature. "I am proud to author House Bill 5 to establish DPRIT and send it to Governor Abbott's desk to be signed," Craddick said in a news release. "Thanks to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's leadership and vision, this transformative institute will place Texas at the forefront of dementia and Parkinson's research and care."
