Latest news with #JimmyPanetta
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmaker introduces aggressive new bill to block future development along iconic US coastline: 'Prevent new drilling before it starts'
A politician has introduced a bill that they hope will protect a crucial part of California's ecosystem from future fossil fuel drilling projects. On April 22, HR 2882, or the Central Coast of California Conservation Act of 2025, was introduced with the hope of protecting the state's vital shoreline. According to the bill, the "Secretary of the Interior may not issue a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas in any area of the Central California Planning Area." The CCPA is comprised of 11 Central California counties that boast diverse landscapes and thriving agricultural industries. U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who authored and introduced the bill, explained the reading behind the legislation. "The Central Coast of California Conservation Act would prevent new drilling before it starts, protecting the biodiversity of our waters and the businesses and communities that rely on them," Panetta said in a news release. "On Earth Day, and every day, we must take action to ensure we are living up to the legacy of our home to protect the incredible beauty and bounty that our ocean provides for the next generation." According to the release, U.S. coastal counties support 54.6 million jobs and $10 trillion in goods and services and pay $4 trillion in wages. The California Department of Food and Agriculture reports that the state's agriculture industry exported $23.6 billion worth of goods in 2022. In 2018, the first Trump administration unveiled a plan to open up offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In one of President Donald Trump's first executive orders during his second term, he sought to "unleash" American energy. This included energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters. Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard explained that the oil production from offshore drilling projects could have devastating effects on communities. "Californians experienced too many times the heartbreaking impacts of these spills and know that thriving coastal communities and their economies depend on a healthy, vibrant ocean," Packard said. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Cliona Ward, Irish woman held in US detention centre after family visit, released
Cliona Ward, the US green card holder and Irish citizen who had been arrested and imprisoned in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre, was released after her preliminary hearing took place in Tacoma, near Seattle, on Wednesday morning. Ms Ward (54) was transferred to the private detention facility after returning to San Francisco following a visit to see her gravely ill father in Co Cork in April. She was arrested after reporting, as requested, to an immigration facility with documents proving that records for decades old drug and motor vehicle convictions had been expunged. However, she was informed that those expungements, while valid at state level, did not apply at federal level. Ms Ward moved to California at the age of 12 and has made numerous trips abroad since without any issue. READ MORE Supporters of Ms Ward have vowed to support others who become embroiled in the punitive US system. US congressman for California's 19th district Jimmy Panetta praised the collective pressure put on government representatives in her case. The successful petitioning by her Santa Cruz based attorney, Michael Mehr, to have the state charges against Ms Ward vacated in a process applicable at federal level may have helped facilitate the swift resolution. 'Cliona Ward's release demonstrates what can happen when we come together to fight for transparency, due process, and justice,' Mr Panetta said after her release was ordered. 'We fought for Cliona from the top down to the bottom up. I pressured officials from the White House to the Irish Government. But this case is also an example of this administration doing the wrong thing when it comes to its overreaching deportation policies that can sweep up people like Cliona.' Cliona Ward. Photograph: Facebook The court order comes after a harrowing few weeks for the Ward family. 'None of us have really been able to sleep properly while this has been going on,' Cliona's sister Tracey Ward told RTÉ on Wednesday. 'I'm just completely relieved. I think with Cliona gaining her freedom she will, and the rest of our family will, try and amplify our voices in support of all the people who are going through this unjust system.' Family, friends and union colleagues of Ms Ward's had gathered for an early morning rally an hour before the hearing, which was scheduled for 8.30am, local time, on Wednesday. Her sister, Orla Holladay, told the gathering Ms Ward was a 'humble, private and gentle' person who is 'the primary caretaker for her chronically ill son, Malachi. Today I speak for my sister but also speak for all of the men and women who are unlawfully imprisoned in these for-profit organisations – and the innocent children who are caught in the ugly crossfire.' A spokesperson for the Services Employees International Union, which represents workers in healthcare, property services and airport sectors across the United States, and of which Ms Ward is a member, outlined their reasons as to why the charges against her should be dismissed. Almost half of the union's 500,000 strong membership are immigrants and many of those are on temporary protected status. 'We believe that Cliona's detention is not only cruel and unjust but also represents a failure in our cruel, inhumane and broken immigration system,' said the spokesperson.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Irish woman detained in US after family visit to Ireland due in court
Cliona Ward, the Irish citizen and US green card holder who has been held in an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre since returning from a family visit to Ireland, will have a court hearing in Seattle on Wednesday morning. Family members, work colleagues and friends of Ms Ward will gather in solidarity with community and labour allies of hers outside the Northwest Detention Centre in Tacoma, Washington State, before the hearing, which is scheduled for 8.30am local time. Ms Ward (54) was transferred to the private detention facility after returning to San Francisco following a visit to see her gravely ill father in Cork in April. She was arrested after reporting, as requested, to an immigration facility with documents proving that records for decades-old drug and motor vehicle convictions had been expunged. READ MORE However, she was informed that those expungements, while valid at state level, did not apply at federal level. Ms Ward moved to California at the age of 12 and has made numerous trips abroad since without any issue. Providing an update for the case in Washington, DC, on Tuesday afternoon, Democratic congressman for California's 19th district, Jimmy Panetta, revealed Ms Ward's Santa Cruz-based attorney, Michael Mehr, has successfully petitioned the district court to throw the old charges out as his client had not been informed of the consequences in relation to immigration and travel. 'So now the prosecution, or the government's, case against Cliona Ward, really there is nothing to bear,' Mr Panetta said. 'All they were using against her are those three convictions for drug possession that are now no longer applicable. I also want to give credit to district attorney Jeff Rosell, who said: 'we are not going to refile that case', as well. 'So going into tomorrow's hearing, she has been afforded due process so far. She will continue to have due process from the top down and bottom up. Now it is time for the judge there in Seattle to use his or her discretion showing that basically this is the type of Irish immigrant who has been part of our community, has worked hard to contribute to our community and now should stay in our country because of the good things she has done.' Immediately after Ms Ward's detention, a Gofundme page was established to help with her case by her sister, Orla Holladay, and other family members. Her family had learned that after her arrest, Ms Ward was flown to Washington State, and had been immediately shackled and led through the airport after alighting the plane. Her family have described her successful attempt to turn her life around since those convictions. She is now working for a not-for-profit community organisation as well as caring for a son who is dependent on her. Mr Panetta said that efforts have been made to intercede on her behalf 'from the top down and bottom up'. 'We're banging on the White House, we have been working with them, we are talking with leadership over in Ireland as well. Basically, I have spoken with ICE and the detention lead over there in Seattle.' The case has been widely publicised as an example of the indiscriminate scrutiny applied at federal level for prior drugs convictions. Ms Ward's hearing comes up in the midst of the intense scrutiny on the new severity of the immigration and deportation enforcements under the Trump administration . Ms Ward will be represented by attorney Erin T Hall, of the Global Justice Law Group, a consortium of legal professionals that helps immigrants through legal cases.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pfluger's ACES Act passes through the House
May 6—WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman August Pfluger's (TX-11) bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeking to lower military aviation cancer rates passed through the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 376-5. The Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act directs the Secretary of the VA to study cancer incidences and mortality rates among aviators and aircrews who served in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The ACES Act was co-led in the House by Congressman and U.S. Navy veteran Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and in the Senate by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK), both veterans and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "As a former fighter pilot, I know firsthand the risks that airmen and women take every day when they step into the cockpit, and I've fought alongside the best this nation has to offer. But I have also stood in hospital rooms watching far too many of my brothers and sisters fight their toughest battles not in the air, but in the hospital room against cancer," Pfluger said in a statement. "The ACES Act is not just a bill — it's a lifeline for those who have already given so much for our freedom, and it's a message to every pilot who's ever put on a uniform to protect our skies that we will fight to protect them in return. The ACES Act has been my top priority in Congress since I was elected, and I am thrilled that after years of advocacy, this legislation has finally passed through the House, and I urge its swift passage in the Senate."
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Florida Homeowners Could See Tax Relief Under New Proposal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Republican Representative Vern Buchanan of Florida is trying to give homeowners in the Sunshine State tax relief under a legislation that would restore and permanently expand an expired tax deduction on mortgage insurance premiums for middle-class homebuyers. "With housing prices skyrocketing in Florida and across the country, it's our responsibility to provide tax relief for middle-class families seeking to own a home," Buchanan said in a press release. "My bipartisan legislation will help make the American Dream of home ownership real for millions of Americans." Newsweek contacted Buchanan's office for comment by email on Wednesday morning. Why It Matters Mortgage insurance is required for most homebuyers who cannot afford a 20 percent down payment—a category that covers many in America, especially as the country remains in the throes of a housing affordability crisis. According to a study by the Urban Institute, more than 361,000 Florida homebuyers needed mortgage insurance in 2020. IRS data shows that, in the same year, middle-class homebuyers got an average mortgage insurance deduction of $2,100 thanks to a legislation that has since expired. An aerial view of homes in Miami Beach, Florida. An aerial view of homes in Miami Beach, Florida. Getty Images What To Know Between 2007 and 2021, mortgage insurance premiums were tax deductible for these homebuyers, but the legislation expired in 2021. The bipartisan Middle Class Mortgage Insurance Premium Act would replace the original bill. In the 14 years that the bill was in effect, the mortgage insurance premium deduction was claimed 44.5 million times, Seth Appleton, president of U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI), said in a recent press release, "representing a combined $64.7 billion in deductions for hardworking homeowners." That equals an average annual deduction of $1,454 per qualified taxpayer. "Unfortunately, its expiration has deprived millions of low- and moderate-income taxpayers from benefiting from this deduction in recent years," Appleton said. The new bill, officially known as HR 2760, would bring back the tax deduction and expand it to more taxpayers, according to Buchanan, by increasing the income limit from $100,000 to $200,000 per family. The bill has 10 House co-sponsors—three Republicans and seven Democrats. The Republicans are Mike Carey of Ohio, Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin; the Democrats are Jimmy Panetta of California (the bill's primary co-sponsor), Susan DelBene of Washington, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Sarah McBride of Delaware, Linda Sanchez of California, Brad Schneider of Illinois and Brad Sherman of California. What People Are Saying Representative Jimmy Panetta, in a press release: "The costs of mortgage insurance can make buying a home that much more difficult for working families. Our bill would make the mortgage insurance premium tax deduction permanent and update the income threshold so more middle-class homeowners can benefit. Despite today's challenging housing market, this type of fix to modernize this tax provision would help more Americans achieve and sustain home ownership." Representative Scott Fitzgerald: "Homeownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream, and middle-class families shouldn't be penalized for pursuing it. I'm proud to co-sponsor the Middle Class Mortgage Insurance Premium Act to deliver real tax relief for Americans burdened by mortgage insurance costs. This bill is a smart, targeted way to support hardworking families and build on efforts to make homeownership more affordable." Seth Appleton, president of U.S. Mortgage Insurers: "USMI strongly supports the Middle Class Mortgage Insurance Premium Act, common-sense legislation that would restore, make permanent, and expand eligibility for the tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums." Senior Economist Joel Berner, in a report: "In the past year or so, home shopping for properties in Florida by shoppers outside the Sunshine State has dwindled. Florida is getting less attention from home shoppers in other states than it was in previous years, and home affordability in the state seems to be the main culprit." What Happens Next The possibility of a tax deduction on mortgage insurance premiums would massively help many Florida homeowners facing rising housing costs, including property insurance premiums and homeowner association (HOA) fees. These higher costs, together with elevated mortgage rates, are contributing to keeping buyers on the sidelines of the market despite growing supply across the state, cooling demand and pushing the state through a price correction.
