Latest news with #JaredBauman
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmaker wants to prevent ‘sanctuary cities' in Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — A Kentucky lawmaker has filed a bill to prohibit local governments from obstructing the repatriations or identification of people living in the country illegally. 'The federal government has a clear mandate from the American people to enforce our nation's immigration laws,' Rep. Jared Bauman of Louisville said. 'HB 344 will be our commonwealth's promise to uphold federal law and to support federal law enforcement agencies as they identify and detain illegal aliens who have violated our nation's sovereign borders. Above all, we are committed to supporting federal law enforcement agencies as they pursue illegal aliens who have committed violent crimes against innocent Kentuckians and pose an active safety threat to our communities.' Legislature limiting governor pardoning power moves forward in Frankfort Petition emerges to remove all London City Council members following hostile meeting Lawmaker wants to prevent 'sanctuary cities' in Kentucky A Kentucky House of Representatives news release said Kentucky law enforcement agencies do not keep data related to people living in the country illegally, but federal agencies estimate that about 650,000 have criminal convictions or pending charges. 'Since January 20, federal agencies have increased ongoing repatriation efforts to enforce national immigration laws. In 2023, the federal government oversaw 142,580 repatriations of individuals from the United States to their home countries,' reads the release. In 2024, the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that advocates for immigration reform, estimated that 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, about 3.3% of the population. The news release said House Bill 344 would prohibit state agencies, law enforcement agencies, and local governments from adopting sanctuary policies. The bill would also require law enforcement agencies to use all resources reasonably available to support federal immigration law. The bill also allows county governments to make agreements with federal agencies for the detainment of people living in the country illegally and would wave sovereign, governmental, and qualified immunity for any local government or law enforcement agency that releases an illegal alien who subsequently commits a violent offense, permitting the victim or victim's family to file a civil action for compensatory damages and punitive damages, as well as attorney fees. Lexington ranked 10th worst large city for football fans: WalletHub Kentucky receives failing grades in tobacco control report Kentucky ranks as 2025's worst state to retire in: WalletHub 'We have a responsibility to the people of Kentucky to ensure that our government enforces federal law,' Bauman added. 'When local governments or state agencies establish sanctuary policies to undermine law enforcement, it signals to our citizens that our government does not take public safety seriously, and it suggests to criminals that they can act without consequence. We must ensure that federal agents are supported when operating in our communities. Collaboration and communication between local, state, and federal agencies will make the repatriation process safer for everyone involved, including our law enforcement officers and community members.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City opposes state bill to collect local occupational taxes
Owensboro City Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday, voicing their opposition to a bill filed in Frankfort that would have the state collect city and county occupational taxes. Occupational taxes are local taxes collected by the entity that imposes them. Both the city and county have occupational taxes. In fiscal year 2023-24, the city collected $23.644 million in occupational taxes and $6.399 million in net profit license fees. Daviess Fiscal Court collected $6.194 million in occupational taxes and $3.354 million in net profit license fees. The bill, House Bill 254, was filed Tuesday by Rep. Jared Bauman, a Louisville Republican. The bill wasn't available online Tuesday afternoon, but a press release from the House GOP leadership office says the bill 'would establish a working group to assist the State Treasurer's office in the modernization of occupational tax collections.' The press release says the bill would create 'a unified online portal for businesses to streamline the payment of local payroll and net profit taxes across all jurisdictions.' The bill would make it simpler for businesses to pay occupational and net profit taxes, according to the press release. The city's resolution says occupational tax collection 'is best accomplished at the local level by professionals who have local experience and local knowledge of our communities,' and creating a state system for collecting occupational taxes 'would have a severely adverse effect on the fiscal condition and economic development of Owensboro and all local government entities if mandated by the General Assembly.' An official with the Kentucky League of Cities said Tuesday the organization's board voted to make opposition to the plan their top priority during this year's legislative session. Occupational taxes make up an average of 60% of a city's revenue, the KLC official said. A copy of the resolution Owensboro city commissioners approved Tuesday evening was sent to cities across the state by the KLC. Owensboro City Manager Nate Pagan said the KLC has taken the lead on the initiative, and said word of a possible bill was brought to the city's attention last week. Pagan said a concern is the state would have to create a mechanism to collect the tax. 'There's no structure in place' for the state to collect the tax, Pagan said Tuesday. Any collection system the state creates could come with a collections fee taken from occupational tax revenues, Pagan said. 'It's a cost that's not incurred at this point' by the city, Pagan said. The current system, where the city collects the tax for both city and county, is working well, Pagan said. The city's finance department 'has years and years of experience and expertise' collecting the tax, Pagan said. The KLC official said businesses would have to file multiple forms and would have to file with the state to pay the tax. Mayor Tom Watson, who is on the KLC board of directors, said before the bill was filed that another concern is occupational tax revenue would go to the state, where it could possibly be held for a period of time. 'We are definitely opposed to that, because they could hold (the funds) as long as they wanted to,' Watson said. City Finance Director Angela Waninger told commissioners at Tuesday's meeting she had several concerns about the plan. Waninger said with taxes the state already collects on behalf of the city, such as the tax increment financing (TIF) revenue, the state provides no information that city officials can use to reconcile their estimate of the TIF revenue with what the city receives. Waninger also said the city is currently able to collect unremitted occupational tax revenue through audits, but said that will be lost under a state system. People who pay their occupational taxes at City Hall won't be able to get local assistance as they can now, Waninger said. Pagan told commissioners he had seen a comment from Bauman, who said an electronic system could be managed by two people. Pagan said he thought that was unlikely. 'It's a little head-scratching,' Pagan said. Before the meeting, Watson also expressed a concern about not all of the revenue collected returning to the city. 'Usually, when money comes down from D.C. to Frankfort to Owensboro, everyone takes a little cut off it,' Watson said.
