Latest news with #HouseBill82
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bill introduced at Statehouse adds required safety course for drivers who commit traffic violations in work zones
CLEVELAND (WJW) — A new bill introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives, House Bill 82, would require drivers who commit a traffic violation in a work zone to also complete a driver's safety course. The sponsors of the bill are state Reps. Gary Click (R-Sandusky) and Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe). Person struck by multiple vehicles on I-271: Coroner Click and Johnson introduced a similar bill during the last General Assembly, which included tons of fees. This time, they're trying to reach people's hearts instead of their wallets to try and protect the men and women improving highways and roads on behalf of the state. 'These are real people that wear the vests and the hard hats out there on these highways and doing the real work, and hopefully it will make people think about, 'Here's what happened, here's what could've happened and here's what I don't want to have happen. I don't want to have this on my conscience,'' Click said. Johnson added, 'We've got to change hearts and minds and attitudes on our highways.' Failure to complete the training course within 30 days of a citation would result in a $400 fine. The pair told FOX 8 News that they want to inspire people to slow down and not drive distracted. They said there are countless stories of construction workers who were injured or killed while on the job. TRAFFIC ALERT: Car fire causes major delay on I-480 They're naming HB 82 after Trenton Gallaway. Last October, Gallaway, 20, was hit and killed while doing maintenance work in Richland County. 'When you get to hear those real-life stories stories of those moms and those dads, of Mr. and Mrs. Galloway, who lost a 20-year-old son. I mean this guy was young and full of life,' Click said of the impactful stories that can be told related to this bill. Click and Johnson both called the legislation common sense and non-partisan. They believe all lawmakers should support it, and are willing to work with their peers to come up with the best version possible while it's discussed in committee hearings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers want to crack down on reckless driving in work zones
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Speeding, distracted or reckless driving in a work zone is already an offense in Ohio, but some lawmakers want to do more by putting offenders back in the classroom. 'It's just trying to change the culture,' Rep. Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe) said. 'We have far too many fatalities. We have far too many injuries.' 'I don't think any text is worth someone's life,' said Bethany Billi, executive director of Laborers Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET). Billi said she represents 25,000 men and women who often work on road construction projects. Sherrod Brown launches nonprofit focused on jobs, economy 'They're out there with cars speeding past them and people not paying attention,' she said. According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, in 2024, there were 8,396 citations for speeding in work zones. That is the highest that number has been in the past five years. 29% of those citations were for going more than 20 mph above the speed limit. More than 38% of crashes over the past five years involved speeding, and from 2020 to 2024, there were 8,165 worker injuries — including 615 that were serious — and 101 deaths. 'If you kill someone, just think about how that is going to have a lasting impact on you for the rest of your life,' Billi said. 'And is that really worth answering a text about where you're at or what you're doing?' House Bill 82 aims to curb that. It would require that someone who is cited in a work zone take a class within 30 days if they are cited. 'Hopefully [the class] just puts something in your mind where you begin to think and realize somebody's life is at stake,' Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) said. Those who do not go to the class within 30 days would face a $400 fine, at least. But some members of the Ohio House Public Safety committee, where the bill is being heard, questioned how necessary the bill is and how the cost would be covered. Some Ohioans may soon get their driver's license suspensions lifted 'Our current laws already cover all of this,' Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) said. 'Why are we introducing another bill to address it?' 'What we're doing is apparently not enough,' Click said. And the chair of the Ohio House Public Safety, Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) said she thinks there is a solution that would work quicker than this bill. Right now, most work zones have what is called a 'detail officer,' paid for by the construction company. Abrams said a second one would be effective. 'To enforce the speed and the reckless driving and everything else,' she said. 'And it works. Cause [drivers] come blowing through and they think 'ah the detail cop is not going to come out' but then the backup officer comes out.' The bill's sponsors said they are open to also doing that, but raised the concern that staffing is not always available, as some local police departments are already running thin. 'We would love to see more of that,' Billi said. 'It's just things cost money. More bodies, more money.' And Billi said while workers would like to see even stiffer laws than House Bill 82 offers, any penalty helps. 'I can talk to you until I'm blue in the face, but unless you get a consequence to your action, a lot of times you don't think about it,' she said. The bill is similar to a bill from last general assembly that had harsher penalties. The bill's sponsors said the harsh penalties from the last rendition was the source of a lot of pushback. The new bill just had its first hearing this week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bipartisan ‘Guest Worker' bill filed to have immigrants work in GA, resolve labor shortages
A bipartisan group of Georgia state lawmakers filed legislation to authorize the labor department to create a 'guest worker' program to bring qualified immigrants in to work in areas that have labor shortages. House Bill 82, the Georgia Guest Worker Act, would order the Georgia Department of Labor to create a state-administered worker program for non-Americans, subject to federal rules and regulations. The bill was introduced amid a widespread crackdown on undocumented migrants across the United States ordered by President Donald Trump. In the weeks since he took office, Trump's immigration policies have led to multiple instances of what critics call raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, including in the metro Atlanta area. According to the legislative text for HB 82, the bill is aimed at filling positions in areas with labor shortages by hiring 'willing citizens of other nations to perform work in this state for limited periods of time.' Under the provisions of HB 82, guest workers are 'citizens of another country allowed to work in this state pursuant to the program established by this chapter.' It also sets multiple requirements for the program to launch. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Before the Georgia Commissioner of Labor can even get the ball rolling on making this program, if the bill passes, a study would have to be done first to determine if there is a labor shortage in Georgia, and which industries are impacted, as well as the scope of the shortage. Should the study by the Labor Commissioner show that there is an 'insufficient number of qualified citizens of the United States or persons who are citizens of other countries who are legally present,' to work in the open positions in Georgia for particular industries, and giving jobs to workers from outside the U.S. won't have a negative impact on other workers, then the program can move forward. Part of the process will include the Commissioner determining the 'magnitude' of the shortage and how many guest workers would be needed to work the industries and jobs where the shortage exists. RELATED STORIES: Lawmakers propose adding pets to Georgia family, dating violence protective orders Georgia bill would let students leave school for 'religious moral instruction' After Young Thug trial, Georgia lawmakers introduce bill to limit use of lyrics, art in court cases As far as who is not allowed to participate in the program, the bill sets limits on those who have: Been previously refused admission to the United States Been deported from the United States Been convicted of a felony or crime involving moral turpitude or which would count as reckless driving or driving under the influence in Georgia Does not meet qualifications for entry into the U.S. set by the federal government Additionally, if a guest worker is hired and is a participant in the program, they may only bring immediate family members, limited to the worker's spouse and minor children. For companies interested in hiring workers through the guest program, there are also conditions included in the proposal. Companies will have to: Pay fees to the Department of Labor to offset administrative costs Recruit guest workers only if they have valid visas Provide health insurance for guest workers or make sure they are maintaining and have health insurance while in Georgia. This will include any family members the worker brings with them Provide worker's compensation insurance for injuries or diseases arising from the employment. If the work they do is not covered by worker's compensation, the company must supply the worker with coverage at no cost to them Provide all tools, supplies and equipment to perform work without charge or deposit charges Provide housing to worker and family either through rental, from the employer directly or through available public housing Provide three meals to worker per day, if required by law, or furnish free and convenient cooking and kitchen facilities to have workers prepare their own meals and include related information and costs in the work offer given Pay guest workers the Adverse Effect Wage Rate or more set by the U.S. Department of Labor ($2,058.31 per month), the minimum wage of the State, or the federal minimum wage, whichever is highest per hour of work Pay cost of worker transport and include terms in the employment contract, including for transport to and from housing to work locations Ensure taxes are paid Inform GDOL if a worker abandons their employment within three days of abandonment Family members of those employed through the proposed guest worker program are also eligible for a year with options for renewal in one-year increments. Renewal applications for guest workers to remain in the jobs they're working must be filed between 30 and 60 days of the termination date of the existing authorization and workers are allowed to continue working while the Labor Department decides whether or not to allow renewal. GDOL must also provide legal identification cards with photographs of the individuals to each guest worker and family member present in Georgia and they must keep those identifications on them at all times and display them upon request by officials and law enforcement officers. Visas issued to workers may be used instead of a state ID card. Companies that violate the provisions of the Georgia Guest Worker Act would face fines of up to $5,000 for each violation. Participants who fail or refuse to return to their home country within 30 days of their employment's end will face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, if not both. Should the Georgia Attorney General find that the proposed program is lawful, after passage in the General Assembly, the bill would take effect on the first day of the third month after the AG's finding. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
