Latest news with #HouseBill675
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dead on arrival? Controversial Pless bid to change EMS and ambulance standards off the table for now
May 21—N.C. Rep. Mark Pless's proposals to change requirements for emergency medical personnel and remove local government control over ambulance services are dead in the water, at least for this session of the General Assembly, much to the relief of a number of EMS personnel across the state. Pless had introduced two bills that roused significant criticisms from EMS groups, not because the proposals would strengthen standards but because, critics said, they would lessen them. Neither proposal met the General Assembly's "crossover deadline," the date by which most bills must pass from one chamber to the other to be eligible for consideration this session. A bill introduced in the House must have a companion bill also be introduced in the Senate, and vice versa, to survive crossover. "North Carolina's EMS providers and administrators can find reassurance in the news that House Bills 219 and 675 did not advance past the legislative crossover deadline and will not move forward in the current session," said Travis Donaldson, Haywood County EMS director. "These bills proposed significant changes to EMS operations and personnel credentialing, raising high levels of concern among professionals across the state." The bills House Bill 675 would have done away with state credentials for EMS personnel in favor of a national system. One of the biggest problems was that those national standards were not as demanding as those for state certification, critics said. Pless' original proposal would have required all EMS personnel in North Carolina to be certified under a third-party national registry, which many emergency medical technicians and paramedics criticized as an unnecessary waste of their time and money. Pless later modified the bill to require the national certification for new EMS workers only, and critics continue to complain that the change would mean lesser standards of training. A second proposal, House Bill 219 would have repealed county or city franchising abilities and control over medical care standards for private ambulance services, allowing such organizations or businesses to offer ambulance care without local oversight. At an April meeting with about 50 EMS workers from throughout Western North Carolina, the group had said the bill, if passed, would mean less assurance that medical teams were qualified and capable. Donaldson said while he and others appreciate Pless's attention to EMS-related matters, meaningful and effective legislation begins with collaboration. At Pless' meeting with EMS leaders, the group was asked if any had spoken to Pless before the bills were introduced, and nobody raised a hand. Pless said later in the meeting he only consulted people he could trust. He said they weren't in the room and nobody would ever know who they were. "North Carolina's EMS system is built on decades of experience, evolving best practices, and the input of countless dedicated professionals who live this work every day," Donaldson said. "We encourage our elected officials to engage in open dialogue with local EMS leaders and frontline providers before proposing reforms that may unintentionally disrupt systems that are already working well." Pless proposed 13 bills during this session. Of those, three were approved in the House and met the crossover deadline. However, more than those three proposals may be enacted: Bills dealing with revenue, appropriations and election issues are exempt from the deadline. Pless has four bills exempted from the crossover deadline, including two that would allocate hurricane relief funding for Madison County, one that would provide funding to repair Helene's damage to Blue Ridge Southern railroad and a fourth that would provide funds for athletic purposes at Tuscola and Bethel. Two local bills that drew attention — de-annexing nine properties within the town limits of Maggie Valley and abolishing the Tourism Development Authority — were rewritten and heard in the House finance committee Tuesday.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill promising less time appealing Louisiana death row cases clears committee
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — An effort is underway in the regular legislative session to streamline the appeals process for death row cases in Louisiana. Proponents want a faster system. Lawmakers and Attorney General Liz Murrill described the legislation as prioritizing victims over criminals. House Bill 675 by Rep. Brian Glorioso (R-Slidell) would reform what's known as the Post Conviction Relief system. If it becomes law, it will shorten the amount of time a death row inmate has to exhaust their appeals process. The limit would shorten from two years to one year. Murrill spoke in favor of the bill, saying victims' families are subjected to years of heartbreaking court proceedings as defense attorneys file appeal after appeal. She invited one of those families to Monday's committee meeting, the Richards. The so-called Cheneyville Slasher, Larry Roy, has been on death row since the 90s after killing two members of the Richard family. 'The question we should be asking is how did we go to a two-year time limit to 30 years,' said Murrill. Murrill says that at some point, Roy was granted an evidentiary hearing, but he didn't pursue it immediately. 'And now in 2025, after a decade of sitting on that grant of relief, he's saying, 'Oh, I didn't get my hearing.' Yes, you did,' said Murrill. Sally Richard, Roy's ex-girlfriend who survived the attack, spoke in favor of the bill, saying the long process has been difficult for her and her family. 'I can't rest at night. I'm having nightmares, I'm on medication, and half the time I still can't sleep,' said Richard. Death row advocates spoke out against the bill, pointing to Louisiana's relatively high exoneration rate. They told members that when someone is exonerated in Louisiana, that's part of the current post-conviction relief system working. The bill will soon head to the House. A look at the status of US executions in 2025 First Trump $1,000 'self-deport' flight conducted by DHS Child flown to Pa. hospital from school after mother allegedly refused medical treatment Young victim in Algiers shooting dies from her injuries days later Caregiver accused of punching, slapping and sitting on man at group home in Baton Rouge Bill promising less time appealing Louisiana death row cases clears committee Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Innocence Project targets bills aimed at wrongfully convicted
BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Two bills being considered during the current session of the Louisiana Legislature unfairly target those who have been wrongly convicted, according to a New Orleans advocacy group. The Innocence Project New Orleans is raising awareness about two House bills they say are harmful and target those exonerated after being wrongly convicted. Jee Park, the Executive Director of the Innocence Project New Orleans, said people should be aware of House Bills 673 and 675. 'House Bill 673 repeals the wrongful conviction compensation,' Park said. Since 2005, Louisiana has had a law in place to compensate exonerees after being freed. Park said a wrongful conviction compensation is a $40,000 payment capped at ten years. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest House Bill 673, introduced by State Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, Jr. (R-Hammond) would repeal that law. Park said Louisiana has one of the lowest compensation amounts in the country. 'Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas have, their amount of compensation payment is much higher than ours,' Park said. 'In fact, in Mississippi and Alabama, the amount of compensation they receive is $50,000, and there is no cap.' She said while the existing payment is low, it gives people released from prison, who can find it difficult to find jobs despite being innocent, something little to help them get back on their feet. 'That money helps exonerees pay rent, put food on their table, pay for insurance, and pay for health care,' Park said. Compensating people who are wrongfully convicted is a hard sell in some states Park said House Bill 675, introduced by State Rep. Brian Glorioso (R-Hammond) would prevent an innocent person from getting into court to fight for their freedom post-conviction. 'What it does is that it says that if you are not in court two years after the end of your direct appeal, your case is considered abandoned,' Park said. Park said sometimes it may take longer than two years for new evidence to be found. Evidence would have to be new to be presented in court. 'Sometimes it takes a much longer right to find that new piece of evidence to get back into court to fight for your freedom,' Park said. The current legislative session is scheduled to last until June 12. Latest news Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House passes bill to impose automatic budget caps on school districts
House Bill 675 would require that all school districts cap their spending according to a specific formula. (Photo by) The New Hampshire House passed a bill that would set automatic budget caps for all New Hampshire school districts, sparking intense debate over local control and local property taxes. House Bill 675, which passed 190-185, would require that all school districts cap their spending according to a specific formula. If residents wanted to override that spending cap, they would need to do so with a two-thirds majority vote. Under the bill, for the first two years of implementation — from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027 — school districts would have their budgets capped at the previous year's spending level multiplied by the average inflation rate of the previous five years. Then, after June 30, 2027, districts would have to set their budgets at either the average budget level of the previous five years or the previous year's budget level multiplied by the average percentage change in the number of students over the past five years — whichever is greater. That formula means if a district lost students from one year to the next, it could still set its budget at similar levels to the past five years, but if the district gained students over a five-year period, it could increase its budget. Proponents said the legislation would help address rising property taxes. 'School budgets, and thus property taxes, have been growing way out of proportion,' wrote Rep. Dan McGuire, an Epsom Republican, in an explanation in the House calendar. McGuire also argued that there is 'no correlation' between school spending and student outcomes. But Democrats and other opponents countered that the bill would erode local control over budgets. Rep. Hope Damon, a Croydon Democrat, called it an 'arbitrary sledgehammer' that would cause 'irreparable harm.' 'Along with completely overriding local school districts' control over their budgets, this legislation perpetuates the existing and very significant funding inequities between districts,' Damon said. And they pointed out that voters in school districts already have a mechanism to put a budget cap in place: Under a bill that passed in 2024, voters may vote at town meeting to install a cap, but must do so by a three-fifths majority to be successful. This week, residents in seven towns attempted to set such budget caps at town meetings; all seven measures failed, according to NHPR. Democrats pointed to those failures as evidence that voters do not want the budget caps, and said the Legislature should not force school districts to adopt them. The bill has moved on to the House Finance Committee for further review; it must pass the full House again before moving on to the Senate.
