Latest news with #HouseBills
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Juvenile detention, imported shrimp, forever chemicals among hundreds of bills cut off by House deadline
House lawmakers cheered, jumped to their feet and embraced as the clock struck midnight on a critical legislative deadline, delegating hundreds of House bills to the shredder early Friday after a marathon week of votes. The cutoff came after lawmakers spent nearly 14 hours working their way through an agenda of more than 400 bills on Thursday, the last day the House could grant preliminary approval to most legislation filed by its own members. The GOP-controlled chamber made it through more than 200 of those bills before running out of time, finishing the night with the Senate companion to House Bill 5430 — a proposal that would prevent political candidates from filing to appear on a primary ballot for multiple political parties. All remaining House bills in the queue were considered dead — though any measure can come back to life by getting tacked onto a related, breathing bill before the end of session. Others could see new life in the form of their identical twin Senate bills, which have another 12 days to reach the House floor. As midnight approached, the mood on the House floor turned frantic and somewhat cathartic. Legislative staff members filed in to pack the gallery and witness the ends of much of their labor. Activity on the floor grew increasingly rowdy, as lawmakers tried to decline giving up time for questions, bill layouts were interjected by calls of 'Vote!' and Speaker Dustin Burrows moved bills along at a breakneck clip. Noisy chatter on the floor, normally silenced for order, only swelled. Among the roughly 200 proposals that landed in the scrap pile were: a bill addressing unconstitutional conditions at Texas' juvenile detention centers; a pair of measures related to imported shrimp; legislation to keep toxic 'forever chemicals' out of farmland; and a Republican priority, billed as an 'anti-squatters' plan, that tenants' advocates say would accelerate evictions. A number of measures made it through before the midnight deadline, including a bill that would expand a 2021 law limiting who is eligible for release from jail on cashless personal bonds. Lawmakers also advanced a proposed repeal of Texas' defunct ban on gay sex, which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 but has remained on the books, unenforced. A conservative priority to hold vaccine manufacturers liable for injuries caused by their vaccines also passed, after lawmakers took 10 minutes to lightly tease the measure's sponsor Rep. Shelley Luther, R-Tom Bean, for her first bill, and despite a technical challenge raised by Democrat Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin. The approved bills are expected to receive final, largely ceremonial votes Friday, after which they will head to the Senate for consideration. With Thursday's deadline in the rearview mirror, House lawmakers are expected to turn their attention to the pileup of major Senate bills making their way through committees on the way to the floor. The House has until May 24 to advance Senate bills out of committee, and until May 27 to consider them on the floor. Those include social conservative priorities like providing time for prayer in public schools, requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, restricting the use of bathrooms by transgender people in public spaces and banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in K-12 schools. A number of bipartisan priorities must also still make their way through the House, such as property tax cuts, water infrastructure and teacher pay raises. Even before the midnight deadline, House GOP leaders got the ball rolling on one of the biggest remaining items: a package that would stiffen the state's bail laws to keep more defendants behind bars while awaiting trial for violent charges. The legislation was scheduled to reach the House floor Monday, teeing up a vote on a long-running priority of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick that has repeatedly stalled in the lower chamber in recent sessions. Thursday culminated a four-day slog of voting, debating and parliamentary maneuvering that saw House members churn through hundreds of bills from morning until late in the evening. The chamber's Republican majority, after a one-day break for Mother's Day on Sunday, spent the week racing to beat the bill-passing deadline, while Democrats tried to run out the clock by prolonging debates, challenging bills based on technicalities and rolling out any other tactics that might slow the chamber's progress on legislation they objected to but didn't have the votes to defeat. The grind had been getting to members. 'Not very well,' Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo and chair of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, said Monday night when asked how he was holding up. 'Eh,' replied Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, with a shrug to the same inquiry. It was turning the debates spikier, leading Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the dean and widely recognized 'conscience' of the House, to urge her colleagues to set their frustrations aside and be professional in their disagreements. 'We tell each other off, but we do it in an adult-like manner,' the Houston Democrat said in a floor speech that brought the buzzing chamber to a standstill late Tuesday. 'I'm going to ask you tonight: All of those little bitty wee wee feelings that you've been having — bury them. Dismiss them. Roll your sleeves back up. And let's get to work on solving the people's problems.' The House stood in applause. Then promptly returned to the arena. Every minute spent debating a proposal, litigating a technical challenge or hazing a freshman member on their first bill meant a precious minute less to tear through the agenda. 'I know we are killing bills as we speak,' Smithee said at the top of a five-minute closing statement on House Bill 75, a priority of Abbott's, about an hour into debate. Rep. Todd Hunter interjected to lightheartedly shoo him along. 'The coastal delegation saw you get up to the mic for almost an hour of titillating lawyer discussion,' the Corpus Christi Republican said. 'Does this bill have anything to do with (the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association)? Does it have anything to do with oysters or shrimp? As (a piece of) coastal advice, you might want to move passage.' Democrats felt the clocking ticking, too — literally, for Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, who wore a heavy-looking wall clock around his neck all day. 'It's actually pretty light,' he said to the contrary. 'But time weighs on us all.' 'All my bills are dead,' he said much later in the night while jokingly asking members of the press to tag Flavor Flav, the American rapper whose signature look involves a clock around his neck, on photos they posted of him to social media. In the end, it was Moody who brought the night to a close. Appearing at the microphone members use to raise parliamentary objections, he propped his fake clock on the lectern and, just after midnight, gleefully noted the House was out of time. 'Mr. Speaker, if I could turn back time, if I could find a way — but I haven't been able to find one,' Moody said, before raising a 'point of order' to kill the last bill of the night on the grounds that it had blown its deadline. 'Mr. Moody,' Burrows responded, 'your point of order is well taken and sustained.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fentanyl dealers would get mandatory prison under bills
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A set of bills advanced this week in the state House would set harsher penalties for drug dealers who peddle fentanyl, carfentanil, heroin and their derivatives. 'These bills impose a mandatory minimum (prison term) for drug traffickers,' explained one of the bills' sponsors, Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, in an interview Friday with Target 8 via Zoom. 'We needed to figure out a way to disrupt the supply chain. They are peddling death in our communities.' Inside The fentanyl crisis Lightner acknowledges she's encountered some pushback. Mandatory minimums have faced criticism historically. 'I get that mandatory minimums are something of the past,' said Lightner. '(But) the pendulum has swung, I think, so far to the other side now. I think it's time for us to say, 'We're not going to take it.' It's not just going to be a slap on the wrist.' 8,500 fentanyl pills in Grand Rapids storage shed brings prison In 2023, the most recent year available, fentanyl overdoses killed 2,168 people in Michigan, according to the state health department. Under House Bills and , the mandatory minimum sentences would range from five to 30 years depending on the amount sold. On the low end, less than 50 grams would carry a minimum five years in prison up to 20 years. More than 1,000 grams would garner at least 30 years in prison up to life without parole, as well as a mandatory $2 million fine. Summary: House Bills 4255 and 4256 At a March 19 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, two mid-Michigan parents who've lost children to fentanyl testified in support of the bills, as did Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert. 'I used to be not a big fan of mandatory minimums just because we were usually getting the low-hanging fruit,' Gilbert testified. 'But things changed right around 2012 when fentanyl and carfentinil hit … (they) are basically the primary movers and killers today in the drug culture.' But Stephanie Kammeraad of Grand Rapids, whose son, Carlos, in January 2023, told Target 8 she does not support mandatory minimums in every case. 'Too late': Grand Rapids teen died even as fentanyl fatalities dropped 'I do think every situation is unique. I worry about those who don't know that what they're dealing or selling has fentanyl in it,' said Kammeraad. 'Then, my heart breaks for them because I picture our son, Carlos, potentially being one of those people. … I don't know that locking people away is fixing the problem.' Kammeraad said Carlos' struggle with addiction could have prompted him to sell drugs in desperation. 'An addict's brain isn't thinking clearly,' Kammeraad said. 'It's only thinking about, 'How do I get the next hit?' That's all they can think about. Their brain chemistry has changed.' Kammeraad wants to focus resources on treatment, not incarceration. Still, she acknowledges mandatory minimum prison terms could make a positive difference. 'It gets people off the streets, yes, which is good,' Kammeraad said. 'I guess it could save someone's life.' If a dealer knowingly sells fentanyl or sells solely to enrich themselves, Kammeraad agrees that a mandatory prison sentence is appropriate. Lightner noted that the bills passed the House, which has a Republican majority, with bipartisan support. She hopes the Democrat-controlled Senate will consider the bills promptly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nine limbo bills from last year will not go to Whitmer's desk
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Despite that they are legally required to do so, the Michigan House of Representatives will not be sending nine limbo bills from last year's legislative session to the governor. was passed Wednesday, directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to Whitmer bills that pass both chambers of the state legislature from this current session. The resolution cites Article IV, Section 13 of the Michigan Constitution, which reads: The legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the second Wednesday in January of each year at twelve o'clock noon. Each regular session shall adjourn without day, on a day determined by concurrent resolution, at twelve o'clock noon. Any business, bill or joint resolution pending at the final adjournment of a regular session held in an odd numbered year shall carry over with the same status to the next regular session. Article IV § 13, State Constitution In the resolution, lawmakers write that this section of the Constitution implies that bills held over from an even-numbered year do not carry over to the next legislative session. This follows a Court of Claims ruling in Michigan Senate v. Michigan House of Representatives last month. The judge ruled that the House was legally required to present the nine bills to the governor—but declined to issue an or , instead saying the Court would not intervene in legislative functions. DETAILS: Judge rules Michigan House is legally required to send limbo bills to Whitmer House Speaker Matt Hall, who was named as a defendant in the initial lawsuit, spoke out after the resolution passed, saying, 'Everyone knows I directed our attorneys to conduct a thorough legal review of the situation and this court ruling. It was a very unprecedented situation, and there has been a lot of confusion.' He continued, saying, 'The House gave us clear direction on how to proceed. We are going to follow that direction.' However, House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri condemned the passing of the resolution, saying it flies in the face of the recent court ruling and calling it an 'unconstitutional move.' 'The resolution that was adopted is yet another move to withhold presenting nine bills to Gov. Whitmer — this newest move clarifies something beyond a shadow of a doubt: House Republicans don't care about the people of Michigan and they don't care about democracy,' says Puri. Puri says the bills would improve healthcare affordability, and increase retirement security for corrections officers and support workers. House Bills , , and would create a History Museum Authority Act and authorize funding for it. House Bills , , and would expand the Michigan State Police retirement plan. House Bills and would provide additional protection to debtors, and House Bill would mandate a minimum contribution for public employee health plans. Hall signaled that he will be taking the case to the Court of Appeals in the future, citing a need to clarify the legal 'uncertainties' that surrounded the nine bills. 'Our legal review did identify some uncertainties that have created confusion and ambiguities after the recent court ruling,' says Hall. 'We obviously won the court case, but the House has taken the position that there is value in clarifying those questions for the sake of future precedent and to give the public a unified position. That's why we will be going to the Court of Appeals to get everyone on the same page.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As supermajority boasts of cutting taxes, how about a break for women?
House Democrats are sponsoring three bills that address repeal of the tampon tax and provide clarity on other menstrual/maternal necessities. (Getty Images) With the legislature currently in session, testosterone flows freely in Frankfort as the Republican supermajority flexes its manly muscles. When the boys want to get something done, poof! It happens. This year, for example, a reduction in the state income tax passed with alacrity, lowering the rate to 3.5% from 4% in 2026. In an attaboy victory lap, Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel claimed that passage of Senate Bill 1 diminishes the certainty of death and taxes. 'The General Assembly is going to do everything in its power, and frequently with success, to lower your taxes,' McDaniel promised. Given that pronouncement, inquiring voters might wonder why Kentucky still has not repealed the so-called 'pink tax' on menstrual products. Half the U.S. states have deleted the tampon tax from their rolls because they realize these items are necessities, not taxable luxuries. In its current state, Kentucky's tax affects just about every woman in the commonwealth between menarche and menopause, a stretch of as many as 40 years. Past attempts to repeal it have been shrugged off by the Republican legislature, including last year, when the proposal never got out of committee. Right now, there are three Democratic-sponsored bills in the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee — House Bills 122, 12. and 231 – that address repeal of the tampon tax and provide clarity on other menstrual/maternal necessities. Rep. George Brown Jr. is the sponsor of HB 122, which seeks to exempt 'baby bottles, baby wipes, breast pumps, breast pump collection and storage supplies, breast pump kits, diapers, menstrual discharge collection devices, and incontinence products' from state sales tax. Brown and Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton are sponsoring HB 123 to define 'menstrual discharge collection devices' and exempt them from sales tax. Reps. Lisa Willner and Matthrew Lehman sponsored HB 231, to require public schools that include any of grades six through 12 to provide free menstrual discharge collection devices to students and require local boards of education to adopt policies for the distribution of free menstrual discharge collection devices. Common sense opportunities to reduce unfair taxes like these are examples of the proverbial 'low hanging fruit,' that legislators say they love, but in this case, not so much. Those interested in monitoring the progress of these bills and others can do so online via the Kentucky General Assembly site. Citizens interested in fair mindedness might also track HB 281, introduced by Rep. TJ Roberts, one of the youngest Republicans in Kentucky's legislature. The bill would abolish all sales taxes on anything 'Second Amendment related' including safety and storage devices. If passed, it would define terms including 'ammunition,' 'antique firearm,' 'body armor,' firearm,' 'firearm muffler or silencer,' 'firearm-related accessory,' 'firearm safety course,' 'firearm safety device,' and 'firearm storage device' for the purpose of sales and use tax exemptions. Roberts was inspired to introduce the bill because, according to a post on his X account, he doesn't believe in taxing constitutional rights. So stay tuned to see how committed Kentucky legislators are to cutting taxes. With DEI – the acronym for diversity, equality, and inclusion – in the crosshairs, one might conclude that the pink tax will, once again, be relegated to the realm of, 'Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.' 'Boys will be boys,' is a common refrain, but isn't it about time to grow up? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
