Latest news with #HouseFinanceCommittee
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Allegations of a 'turf war' arise in debate over regulating kratom in NC
A laptop displays the website of an online kratom retailer. (Photo: Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) North Carolina legislators are once again looking to put restrictions on kratom, which is currently unregulated in the state. The House Regulatory Reform Committee on Tuesday advanced House Bill 468, which would require retailers to obtain licenses to sell kratom and prohibit sales to or purchases by people younger than 21. The bill now heads to the House Finance Committee. According to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, kratom is a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses. It is derived from a southeast Asian tree leaf and sold in the United States as tea, powered in capsules, or as liquid. The DEA sought to temporarily ban kratom in 2016, but backed off after a public outcry. That year, North Carolina legislators sought in separate bills to ban kratom or limit sales to people over age 18. Neither of those bills became law. Last session, a proposal to regulate kratom died in the battle between the state House and Senate over legalizing medical marijuana. Kratom has been a factor in hundreds of fatal overdoses since 2020, according to the Washington Post and the Tamp Bay Times. A handful of states have banned it. The committee debate Tuesday centered on provisions in the bill that would ban synthetic versions of the compounds that produce psychoactive effects. The argument centered on the compound known as 7-OH. 'At the time, we choose not to have any synthetic products on the market in North Carolina,' said Rep. Jeff McNeely (R-Iredell), the bill's sponsor. Isaac Montanya, CEO of 7-OH producer Charlotte Extraction Labs, said the bill inserted itself into a turf war. He called its prohibition on synthetics 'a sly way to regulate 7-OH out of the market.' His company manufactures an ethical product, Montanya said. Jeff Smith, national policy director for Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, told the committee that people use 7-OH to ease opioid withdrawal. 'Banning 7-OH would turn patients into criminals,' he said. Sheldon Bradshaw, a former chief counsel with the FDA representing the industry group Botanicals for Better Health and Wellness, called 7-OH 'dangerous' and deceptively marketed. 'It has no business being on store shelves and in products that are being labeled as natural kratom and marketed as herbal supplements,' he said. McNeely said the ban on synthetics addresses the part of the plant that's going to be the most abused. 'We should have had kratom and cannabis regulated two years ago if not four years ago,' he said. 'Because it's been unregulated, we've allowed things to happen — good, bad, indifferent.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Critical comment sparks final EFA committee vote
The House budget chairman's claim that all New Hampshire school board members were 'corrupt' sparked the final committee vote Wednesday recommending legislation (SB 295) to remove income limits for families eligible to get Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). The comment from Rep. Ken Weyler, R-Kingston, came as he lashed out over what he described as the failure of public schools to improve student test scores even as taxpayers pay more to support K-12 education. 'This educational system we have in our state is a failure; it just keeps going up in costs and no increase in testing results, no discipline at all because school boards are just corrupt,' Weyler said. He accused the public-school lobby of pulling out all the stops to try and stop expansion of the taxpayer subsidies for parents to send their children to private, religious, alternative public or home school programs. 'You have thousands of people working for this corrupt system and they are the ones making phone calls and I object to it,' Weyler said. In response, Rep. Rosemarie Rung, D-Merrimack, called on Weyler to apologize to all present and past school board members such as herself and other Republicans on the panel. 'Perhaps it is an exaggeration, but I don't see any improvement,' Weyler answered. 'Maybe it's an exaggeration but it is a failure.' The House Finance Committee approved a rewrite of Sen. Victoria Sullivan's EFA bill on a party-line vote, 14-11, with all Democrats in opposition. Leading Democrats said the bill violated House budget procedure because it would spend $17 million more next year than what was contained in the $15 billion state budget that the House approved last month. The House budget's EFA program (HB 115) would raise the income limit next year from 350-to-400% of the federal poverty level. For families of four, that would raise the family income threshold from $112,525 to $128,600 annually. Ayotte proposed more modest EFA expansion But Sullivan's bill that cleared the House panel Wednesday would eliminate any income eligibility restriction right away though it would set an enrollment cap of 10,000. Currently, about 5,300 students receive EFAs that cost the state budget $30 million annually. The proposal goes well beyond what Gov. Kelly Ayotte had proposed for an expansion of EFAs. In her budget address in February, Ayotte endorsed eliminating EFA income limits, but only for parents whose children are enrolled in public schools. Studies have shown that as many as 80% of parents who received EFAs already had their children enrolled in non-public schools. Rep. Kate Murray, D-New Castle, charged the cap was illusory since the bill states there would be no enrollment limit if it doesn't reach 10,000 students for two straight years. 'This cap is more of a diversion than anything else,' Murray said. 'There is no cap on this; it seems to me this is somewhat an attempt of diverting the attention away from the facts that our constituents do not support expanding this program.' Rep. Daniel Popovici-Muller, R-Windham, said Sullivan and other EFA supporters proposed the cap to counter what he called baseless claims from Democratic critics that this expansion could bankrupt the state. 'This will regulate the growth of the program to ensure that these doomsday scenarios do not come about,' Popovici-Muller said. Rep. Keith Erf, R-Weare, amended the bill to ensure that those already enrolled, their siblings, any students with disabilities and those from families making less than 350% of FPL would always be enrolled regardless of the cap. Under the amendment, if the enrollment in any one year approaches 90% of the cap then it would be increased 25% which would raise it to 12,500. Rep. Laura Telerski, D-Nashua, said it's fiscally irresponsible to increase spending on the program for wealthier parents while the state budget cut spending and would force moderate-income families to pay a 5% premium for their Medicaid-provided health care. 'Of all years, this is not the year we need to spend like this,' Telerski said. 'We need to tighten our belts like we are telling every department that they have to do.' +++ What's Next: The full House is expected to approve the amended bill next week. Prospects: Ayotte has not said she would reject the EFA expansion that's more generous than what she wanted. This bill could mean EFA supporters don't have to wait for a final state budget compromise to get the expansion they want. klandrigan@
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska lawmakers again unsuccessful in last-minute efforts to pass election reform
May 20—JUNEAU — An attempt to update Alaska's election laws has again failed in the final day of the legislative session, with lawmakers promising to return to the effort when they reconvene in January. Since 2022, lawmakers have sought several changes to Alaska's voting laws. Republicans want to more easily remove inactive voters from the state's rolls. Democrats want to make absentee voting easier and ensure that the state's rural, predominantly Alaska Native voters have equal access to the polls. Mirroring previous efforts, lawmakers this year again tried to craft a bill including both parties' priorities. And again, they fell short. The House and Senate majorities began the session with a shared commitment to updating the state's voting statutes, after previously failing to do so in the final hours of the 2024 and 2022 legislative sessions. But Sen. Bill Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat who crafted the election bill in the Senate, said that the plan fell apart in the final days of the session because minority Republicans declined to support reforms sought by the majority coalitions. "I think a few people really started to take a partisan perspective on it and blew the bill up," said Wielechowski. Wielechowski said he had sought GOP support for the election bill in order to persuade Gov. Mike Dunleavy not to veto it. Dunleavy has not commented on whether he was opposed to the legislation, but Wielechowski said he was confident that the governor would veto the measure if it did not have minority GOP support. Senate Bill 64 passed the Senate earlier this month but stalled in the House Finance Committee as Republican committee members claimed the bill would open the door to potential election fraud. The package includes measures to allow Alaskans to correct mistakes on absentee ballots, a process known as "ballot curing"; it removes the requirement for witness signatures on absentee ballots; it speeds up the ballot counting process; it streamlines the process of removing ineligible voters from the rolls; it requires the Division of Elections to be staffed with rural liaisons; it guarantees prepaid ballot postage for absentee ballots; and it allows voters to opt in to receive absentee ballots every election year, rather than having to request an absentee ballot ahead of every election, among other changes and updates. House Minority Leader Mia Costello said that her caucus's move to block election legislation from passing this year was a "major accomplishment" for the House minority. "It just simply was not something that we thought should see the light of day," said Costello. Late last year, former House Speaker Cathy Tilton said during a talk radio interview that Republican members of what was then the House majority blocked an election bill — which contained many of the provisions contained in this year's measure — because it would have increased the likelihood of Alaska's Democratic U.S. representative holding on to her seat in the 2024 election by making it easier for people in rural Alaska to vote. After the failure of last year's election bill, Alaska Native voters again encountered barriers to voting. The Alaska Division of Elections didn't deliver election materials on time to rural parts of the state, then fired the elections chief for the regional office overseeing most remote communities in the state shortly before the November election, and also didn't open some rural precincts on time due to staffing challenges. The Alaska Federation of Natives and other Alaska Native groups supported many of the election reforms included in this year's bill, urging lawmakers to pass it in time for it to be implemented ahead of the 2026 election. "After it blew up in the House Finance Committee, we redoubled our efforts and got together with some of the harshest critics of the bill," said Wielechowski. "We had extremely productive conversations and actually came to a point where we had consensus." Those critics included Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower, a Wasilla Republican, and Rep. Sarah Vance, a Homer Republican. The three reached agreement on a pared-down bill, but Wielechowski said that opposition among House Republicans remained. "When you sort of dig yourself in on a position and demonize something, it makes it difficult to un-demonize it," said Wielechowski. "I think that's what happened with this bill. There was a lot of misinformation." Shower said the original election bill "had too many things that I would consider access over security." "We worked really hard over the weekend to strip all those out," said Shower. "It became a very neutral bill." He said the "neutral" provisions that remained in the bill included ballot curing and measures to make it easier to remove inactive voters from the state's list. But Shower said that there wasn't enough time to convince Republicans to vote for the measure. "To do this over the weekend right before the end of session, was just a bridge too far," said Shower. "We had so many bad things to say the week before — we did a really good job of killing it — and then it was hard to pull it back." Vance said she hoped the stripped-down bill could be considered next legislative session. "We did come to almost 100% agreement, but we just simply ran out of time to be able to have the fuller discussion with our caucuses, so we have tabled that until January," said Vance. Wielechowski said he thought the majorities in the House and Senate could have passed a bill Tuesday without the Republican minority's support. But that would have made the bill vulnerable to Dunleavy's veto pen. "I don't want to pass something that is going to get vetoed — that I know will get vetoed — without doing everything I can to try to a point where we enact good policy," said Wielechowski. Senate President Gary Stevens and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon said the plan was to pass the bill next session. "Next year, hopefully we can deal with this early in January or February, and have a little more leisure time to really get through all the details, and if we do it early enough, it'll have an impact on the coming election," said Stevens. Another measure to reimpose campaign contribution limits known as House Bill 16 was also halted in its tracks in the final hours of the session. Like Senate Bill 64, Wielechowski said he thought the campaign contribution measure would not withstand Dunleavy's veto without minority support, so he declined to bring it to a Senate floor vote. Alaska has been without campaign contribution limits since 2021, when a federal judge invalidated the state's previous ones. After that ruling, Dunleavy said he's inclined to support unlimited donations, as long as they're publicly disclosed. Dunleavy then benefited from six-figure contributions during his 2022 reelection campaign. Shower said that he was concerned about reimposing campaign contribution limits because he thought the move could be disadvantageous to Republicans. "I support us finding contribution limits, because I would like to see big money out, but it has to be in a way that's going to balance the playing field for all candidates," said Shower. The bill as it's written, Shower said, "is going to hurt one side and not the other." House Bill 16 mimics the language of a ballot initiative that is set to go before voters in 2026 unless lawmakers adopt it next session. Daily News reporter Sean Maguire contributed to this story.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican opposition kills bill intended to fix Alaska's absentee voting problems
The Alaska House of Representatives is seen in action on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) A major elections reform bill, a priority of House and Senate leaders, is dead in the Alaska Legislature. Wednesday is the last day of the regular legislative session, and members of the House's multipartisan majority said on Saturday that they lack the support needed to overcome the opposition of the House's Republican minority in the time they have left. Bills don't expire at the end of the first year of the two-year legislative session, but Senate Bill 64 needed to become law this year in order to be implemented in time for the 2026 election. Among the changes in the bill: Speedier ballot counting, better tracking of absentee ballots, ballot dropboxes across the state, free return postage for absentee ballots, a liaison to help fix voting issues in rural Alaska, permanent absentee ballot registration, a method to fix paperwork problems after an absentee ballot is cast, the elimination of the requirement that a 'witness' sign a voter's absentee ballot, and additional security audits. Many of the House's Republicans objected to the bill, saying that they believe it did not do enough to address their concerns about election security. The Senate passed SB 64 on Monday, but Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome and co-chair of the House Finance Committee said that House Republicans were prepared to offer so many amendments to the bill that it would have required members of the House to abandon all other work in order to push the bill across the finish line. Even then, it could have been vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican. With those possibilities in play, the House majority's 14 Democrats, five independents and two Republicans met behind closed doors and decided to abandon the effort. 'The caucus just said, 'We're either gonna have to set everything else aside and focus on that, and probably still won't get it through, or we just say we're going to have to set it aside,'' Foster said. 'We all decided as a group that … to try to do it in four days, it was not good public process. If we had two weeks, that would have been fast tracking it, and maybe we could have gotten it through,' he said. A disproportionately large number of absentee ballots are rejected from rural Alaska in each election cycle, and Foster — in charge of scheduling bills for the House Finance Committee — said he really wanted to see SB 64 advance, but it was clear that it wasn't possible, barring an unlikely special session. Late Friday, as the bill's fate became clear, the Republican minority issued a triumphant news release. 'This bill greases the skids for all mail-in elections like Anchorage has. SB 64 is the biggest hoax that the Democrats have promulgated so far this year — and that is saying a lot since there are some other bills that are contenders,' said Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, in the message. 'Alaskans should be appalled. Talk about a bill that will bring out more fraud! SB 64 is the Election Fraud bill!' Other Republican opponents were more measured. 'Rushing a nonpartisan bill through at the last minute isn't how the legislative process is meant to work. I'm glad we'll have the chance to take a closer look at SB 64 next year,' said Rep. Frank Tomaszewski, R-Fairbanks, in the news release. Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage and the lead person pushing SB 64, noted that this is the third time in the past three legislative sessions that the Legislature has failed to pass a significant elections bill. 'I know there's groups out there that are looking at ballot initiatives. Very frankly, at this point, they're just so frustrated with the Legislature because it's been a decade working on this bill,' he said. 'So I think if we don't get something done this year, you're going to start seeing some people talk about just doing an initiative for the sections that they want.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Ryncavage: Agreement reached to save NEPA tax credit; discussions continue
May 7—NEWPORT TWP. — State Rep. Alec Ryncavage on Wednesday said an agreement has been reached to preserve the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit for Nanticoke and Newport Township. Rep. Ryncavage, R-Hanover Township, said the decision came following key discussions ahead of Wednesday's House Finance Committee meeting. Discussions with Rep. Ryncavage and the bill's stakeholders Wednesday morning prompted an agreement on a path forward to protect the critical tax incentive that he said supports future development and family-sustaining jobs in Northeast Pennsylvania. "Following productive conversations, we've agreed there is a path forward to save this vital tax credit," Rep. Ryncavage said. "It's important not only for attracting future investment in Nanticoke and Newport Township, but for the working families and skilled tradespeople of Northeast Pennsylvania who stand to benefit most." In a show of bipartisan cooperation, Rep. Ryncavage said he withdrew his amendment in committee with the understanding that all parties would work together on a mutually agreed-upon amendment. He said the revised language would be introduced for consideration when the bill gets called for a vote before the entire House of Representatives. "The unamended bill passed the House Finance Committee on a party-line vote of 14-12, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans opposed," Rep. Ryncavage said, "We remain hopeful that with the inclusion of language that supports natural gas and protects key incentives for Northeast Pennsylvania like the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit, Republican members will ultimately be able to join in support when the bill comes before the full House." Rep. Ryncavage said he is grateful all parties were able to come together in good faith and prioritize what's best for the communities. "This isn't about one company — it's about keeping Northeast PA competitive for the kinds of development our region deserves," Rep. Ryncavage said. The Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit was originally established to support large-scale energy projects, create union construction jobs, and drive long-term economic growth and revitalization. Its preservation remains a key issue for Luzerne County's future. Rep. Ryncavage said it is unknown when the bill will be placed on the House calendar for its next consideration, but in the meantime, all parties have committed to working together on language that protects the intent and economic impact of Act 66 of 2022. The Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit was originally established to support large-scale energy projects, create union construction jobs, and drive long-term economic growth and revitalization. "Its preservation remains a key issue for Luzerne County's future," Rep. Ryncavage said. The history Rep. Ryncavage raised concerns on Tuesday about House Bill 500 of 2025 — introduced by freshman Rep. John Inglis of Allegheny County — that proposed to remove the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit, which was designed for Northeast Pennsylvania, and reallocate those incentives to other parts of the state. If passed, Ryncavage said the bill would strip the region of a critical economic development tool designed to help it grow. He also commented on how the proposal, if approved, would affect future development in NEPA. "We now have a federal administration that is more favorable toward natural gas and energy production at a time when demand is reaching all-time highs, driven by AI, data centers, and rising utility costs," he said. "In business, investment goes where investment is welcomed. If we want that investment here in Luzerne County, we cannot afford to strip away the very incentives designed to attract it." In his legislative newsletter, Ryncavage explained that back in October 2021, Luzerne County residents were introduced to a transformative proposal — a $6 billion manufacturing facility by Texas-based Nacero, planned for a former coal mining site in Nanticoke and Newport Township. Ryncavage said he and other legislators and economic development and labor officials felt the plant would have produced gasoline using natural gas and renewable natural gas, promising thousands of family-sustaining jobs and a major boost to the regional economy. According to Ryncavage, at the time when the proposal was announced, Nacero projected the creation of 3,500 construction jobs across all trades and 450 permanent high-tech positions, paying an average of $85,000 per year. The project earned bipartisan support, with praise from leaders across the aisle, including U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser and former U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright and. However, Ryncavage said some local residents expressed concern about having such a facility near their homes. In 2022, Act 66, known as the PA Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit program, was signed into law. This bipartisan initiative, authored by Republican lawmakers and enacted under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, established targeted incentives to attract major industries to Pennsylvania. Included in this legislation was the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit — which was crafted specifically to bring economic investment to areas like Nanticoke and Newport Township. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
