Latest news with #HouseBill75
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bail Reform Victory In Texas Answers Victims' Calls For Justice
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to Crime Stoppers of Houston on Tuesday to sign four bail reform bills into law. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, bail reform has been a major focus for Abbott during the most recent legislature, claiming in April that it is a 'deadly and broken bail system.' The bail reform package signed into law by Abbott included Senate Bill 9, Senate Bill 40, House Bill 75, and Senate Joint Resolution 5. allows prosecutors to file appeals for bail that is provided to alleged criminals who commit certain crimes while also allowing only elected judges to reduce the conditions of bail set by another elected judge. Meanwhile, prohibits using state funding to help support any nonprofit that helps provide bail to criminals. was designed to encourage transparency throughout the early portions of the criminal process. Magistrates will now be required to provide a written explanation about why an arrest was conducted without probable cause. Finally, Senate Joint Resolution 5 amends the Texas Constitution and requires judges to deny bail for criminals who commit the worst crimes. The state must prove that the defendant would be a threat to society or would not show up for future trials. Abbott said while signing these bills that the state was dealing with a 'revolving door bail system that repeatedly released dangerous criminals back onto the streets.' 'To the victims and their families, today your pain is answered. Not only are we signing laws that correct the wrongs, your efforts have led to a rewriting of the Constitution of the State of Texas to ensure criminals like those who harmed your families will never be out on the loose again,' he added, according to The Office of Gov. Abbott. Abbott was joined during this event by Aimee Castillo, who has become a bail reform advocate after her brother was murdered by a criminal who was out on bail. Castillo spoke during the event and echoed many of Abbott's comments, calling the previous bail system a 'revolving door' that allowed criminals to walk the streets. 'There is something deeply, tragically wrong with a system that gives repeat, violent felony offenders chance after chance, while families like mine are given a life sentence of grief. I am proud to have played a small role in getting these bills passed, and I am proud to tell my brother he became a catalyst for change,' she added, per The Office of Gov. Abbott. Abbott was also joined at this event by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Chairwoman Joan Huffman, Chairman John Smithee, Crime Stoppers of Houston CEO Rania Makarious, and Crime Stoppers of Houston Director of Victim Services and Advocacy Andy Kahan.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska state budget and other bills head to Gov. Mike Dunleavy
The Alaska State Capitol is seen on the last week of the 2025 session on May 19, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon) The three pieces of legislation that make up Alaska's annual state budget are on Gov. Mike Dunleavy's desk. According to legislative records, the state's operating, capital and mental health budgets were transmitted to the governor on Tuesday, giving the governor until June 19 to veto the bills or sign them into law. The governor has the ability to use a line item veto to reduce or eliminate specific items within the budget, and Dunleavy has previously indicated that he may reduce funding for public schools below the amount prescribed by a formula in state law. State legislators voted to raise that formula in the session's last days, overriding Dunleavy's decision to veto the bill containing a $700 increase to the base student allocation, the core of the state's school funding formula. If Dunleavy reduces education funding below what's called for by the formula, it would be unprecedented and akin to former Gov. Bill Walker's decision in 2016 to veto part of the Permanent Fund dividend: Since the education funding formula was created, every governor has followed the law. Two policy bills also were transmitted to the governor on Tuesday. The first, House Bill 75, cleans up some state laws pertaining to the Permanent Fund dividend and was uncontroversial in the House and Senate. The second, Senate Bill 183, would require the executive branch to deliver reports in the form requested by the Alaska Legislature's auditor. Under the Alaska Constitution, the Alaska Legislature has audit authority over the executive branch, but since 2019, lawmakers have been unable to analyze the performance of the section of the Alaska Department of Revenue that audits tax settlements with large oil companies. Lawmakers say the Department of Revenue has switched policies and no longer provides a report that once allowed them to examine the section's work. Members of the department testified that they have turned over raw data, but the legislative auditor testified that her department lacks the information and capability to turn that data into actionable information on the state's oil revenue. The bill was transmitted to the governor's office with a letter from the Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham and Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, asking Dunleavy not to veto it. 'This letter accompanies the bill not as a routine legislative communication, but as a reflection of the extraordinary nature of the circumstances we face,' it read. 'The ongoing obstructions by the DOR must not be allowed to become a precedent for future administrations. We must reinforce, not erode, the norms of oversight and accountability that are vital to Alaska's republican form of government.' If Dunleavy does veto a bill, the Alaska Legislature is not expected to consider an override until January, when lawmakers reconvene in regular session.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska House approves broader list of Permanent Fund dividend exceptions
Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Members of the federal government's ocean-mapping corps and Alaskans training for the merchant marine would continue to receive Permanent Fund dividends while away from the state, under a bill approved last week by the Alaska House of Representatives. House Bill 75, from Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, is the first piece of legislation from a freshman lawmaker to pass either the House or Senate this year. If approved by the Senate and signed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, it would create new exceptions to the requirement that Alaskans be within the state in order to receive the dividend. HB 75 would keep college students' spring breaks and fall breaks from counting against their allowable absences from the state, and members of the 'uniformed services,' rather than just the U.S. military, would receive exceptions as well. That changed definition would allow members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps, which operates the federal government's fleet of mapping ships and conducts other scientific missions, to continue receiving dividends even if deployed away from the state. HB 75 also allows the Permanent Fund Dividend Division to fingerprint its employees for federal criminal background checks and allows the general public to opt out of paper mailers for notices. The House passed the bill 35-5, with five members of the Republican House minority opposed. None explained their reason during an eight-minute-long bill debate. It advances to the Senate for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Hampshire House moves to reduce criminal penalties for shrooms
The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would reduce the penalties for people 21 and older caught with psilocybin, the psychedelic drug commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms. The House approved House Bill 528 during Wednesday's voting session as part of the consent agenda through a voice vote. If enacted, the bill would reduce the penalty for people 21 and older who obtain, purchase, transport, possess, or use psilocybin in New Hampshire from a felony to a simple violation with a small fine and no jail time. On the first offense, someone caught with psilocybin could face a fine of up to $100 under this bill; on the second offense that rises to $500, and for third-time offenders it could be up to $1,000. Second or third offenses would also rise from a violation to a misdemeanor under this bill. The drug is currently illegal in New Hampshire under the Controlled Drug Act. Originally, the bill's proponents, including its sponsor Deerfield Republican Rep. Kevin Verville, called for psilocybin to be legalized entirely for people 21 and older. However, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee ultimately amended the proposal to simply lessen the punishment. Earlier this month, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill. The legislation still must be approved by both the Senate and the governor before it can become law. 'Not only is this not really a dangerous drug, but it also has medicinal benefits that people are unable to take advantage of currently because of its classification under the Controlled Drug Act,' Rep. Alissandra Murray, a Manchester Democrat, said during the committee's March 7 meeting. 'While entirely removing it might be too big a step for this Legislature to take right now, I think this is a good compromise to start with.' In 2019, psilocybin was outlawed in all 50 U.S. states. However, Oregon became the first state to legalize the drug in 2020. Colorado also legalized it in 2022. It is still illegal in the remaining 48 states. Cannabis is another recreational drug that has seen even more growing acceptance as of late. Cannabis is now legal for medicinal purposes in 39 U.S. states and for recreational use in 24 after once being illegal across the entire country. In New Hampshire, it is still illegal for recreational use. However, it is decriminalized and legal for medicinal purposes. Verville has sponsored another bill, House Bill 75, that would legalize recreational cannabis. This story was originally published by the New Hampshire Bulletin. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH House moves to reduce criminal penalties for shrooms
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Hampshire House votes to reduce punishments for shrooms
On first offense, someone caught with psilocybin could face a fine of up to $100 under the bill; on second offense that rises to $500, and for third-time offenders it could be up to $1,000. (Photo) The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would reduce the penalties for people 21 and older caught with psilocybin, the psychedelic drug commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms. The House approved House Bill 528 during Wednesday's voting session as part of the consent agenda through a voice vote. If enacted, the bill would reduce the penalty for people 21 and older who obtain, purchase, transport, possess, or use psilocybin in New Hampshire from a felony to a simple violation with a small fine and no jail time. On first offense, someone caught with psilocybin could face a fine of up to $100 under this bill; on second offense that rises to $500, and for third-time offenders it could be up to $1,000. Second or third offenses would also rise from a violation to a misdemeanor under this bill. The drug is currently illegal in New Hampshire under the Controlled Drug Act. Originally the bill's proponents, including its sponsor Deerfield Republican Rep. Kevin Verville, called for psilocybin to be legalized entirely for people 21 and older. However, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee ultimately amended the proposal to simply lessen the punishment. Earlier this month, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill. The legislation still must be approved by both the Senate and governor before it can become law. 'Not only is this not really a dangerous drug, but it also has medicinal benefits that people are unable to take advantage of currently because of its classification under the Controlled Drug Act,' Rep. Alissandra Murray, a Manchester Democrat, said during the committee's March 7 meeting. 'While entirely removing it might be too big a step for this Legislature to take right now, I think this is a good compromise to start with.' In 2019, psilocybin was outlawed in all 50 U.S. states. However, Oregon became the first state to legalize the drug in 2020. Colorado also legalized it in 2022. It is still illegal in the remaining 48 states. Cannabis is another recreational drug that has seen even more growing acceptance as of late. Cannabis is now legal for medicinal purposes in 39 U.S. states and for recreational use in 24 after once being illegal across the entire country. In New Hampshire, it is still illegal for recreational use. However, it is decriminalized and legal for medicinal purposes. Verville has sponsored another bill, House Bill 75, that would legalize recreational cannabis.
