Latest news with #MarkTakano
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP bill repeals rule on how for-profit schools count vets benefits
House Republicans are moving to repeal rules preventing for-profit colleges from counting military education benefits as non-government funding in their financial accounting, a move that advocates said could allow predatory companies to prey upon student veterans. Members of the House Education and Workforce Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance their section of the massive congressional reconciliation bill, which includes $330 billion in cuts to education spending over the next decade. Panel Democrats objected to multiple portions of the bill and the GOP's overall approach to federal programming cuts. But language in the bill repealing the '90/10 loophole' regarding GI Bill benefits drew particular concern from veterans advocates, who said the move represents an attack on oversight and accountability for post-military education benefits. Feds close 90/10 loophole involving veterans education benefits 'The closing of this loophole was widely celebrated as a bipartisan success in 2021,' said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., a panel member and the top Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, during debate on the reconciliation measure Tuesday. 'Congress deemed that holding predatory for-profits accountable was necessary to safeguard federal education benefits and ultimately protect both taxpayers and students.' By law, colleges and universities must have at least 10% of their revenues derived from non-federal sources in order to qualify for federal benefits. The idea behind the regulation is to ensure that for-profit institutions aren't funded solely by federal monies, but instead also include significant investment by students interested in furthering their education. But for years, GI Bill benefits and Defense Department Tuition Assistance programs were not counted as federal dollars for the 90/10 calculation, despite being taxpayer-funded benefits. As a result, schools could target veterans or troops receiving federal education payouts to boost their government funding well beyond the 90% cap. Four years ago, as part of an emergency funding bill, lawmakers closed that loophole, reclassifying the GI Bill money and other military education programs as federal funding in the 90/10 calculations. The new rule has been in place for about three years. But the Republican-backed reconciliation bill would revert to the pre-2021 rules. GOP committee members argued the change was needed to reduce regulations and promote more affordable options for student veterans. 'Rather than using the regulatory hammer to pick winners and losers, we should encourage all colleges to focus on student success,' said Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah. Democrats disagreed. Advocates for years have argued that the loophole incentivized schools to recruit veterans to plus-up the amount of steady, government dollars they could collect, even in cases where the programs did not provide long-term benefits to the students. 'Unscrupulous institutions were using this to exploit student veterans,' said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore. 'Now Republicans want to eliminate the rule altogether, removing a vital consumer protection and giving for-profit colleges free rein to continue to prey on students.' VA pays out more than $8 billion in education payments annually. A Democratic amendment to strip the repeal language from the reconciliation measure failed along party lines. The provision could still be removed by House leadership before a full chamber vote, or by Senate lawmakers before final passage of the budgetary measure. Veterans groups who have been advocating on the issue for years promised to highlight it in coming weeks. 'The House of Representatives should be ashamed that they're even entertaining the idea of reinstating this costly and wrongheaded policy that would threaten the future of veterans' education,' Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Allison Jaslow said in a statement. Republican leaders have said they hope to pass a final reconciliation bill package by mid-June.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats push bill to ban discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Democrats in Congress are pushing to pass a bill they say would ban discrimination for LGBTQ+ Americans. 'It's about time here in America,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference Tuesday. The 'Equality Act' aims to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity to law when it comes to employment, housing, public spaces and more. 'Right now, the fear in our community is deep. And it is palpable,' Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said. California Congressman Mark Takano is the first openly gay person of color to be elected to Congress. He's leading the push for this bill alongside Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley. 'It says clearly you should not be denied a job, a home, a loan, a seat of the table simply because of who you are,' Takano said. Democrats say a patchwork of state laws, a changing legal landscape and orders from the Trump administration have renewed the need for change at the federal level. 'Let's get it done,' Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi says getting this bill passed in the Republican-controlled Congress is an uphill battle. 'I don't know what the prospects are,' Pelosi said. She hopes that changes after next year's midterms. 'I know we're going to win the House. Hopefully the Senate,' Pelosi said. President Trump will still be in office. 'The official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female, President Trump said during his joint address to Congress earlier this year. Sen. Jeff Merkley says reintroducing the bill is a step forward. 'The Equality Act tells our LGBTQ+ people across the country 'You are not alone,' Merkley said. The bill has previously passed in the House twice with a few Republicans voting for it. It's never made it to the Senate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats reintroduce landmark LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill
House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday reintroduced the Equality Act, a landmark civil rights bill that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes. The measure, which would amend a federal law that already outlaws discrimination based on race, religion, sex and national origin, faces an uphill battle in a Congress controlled by Republicans, who have long opposed it over concerns it would trample religious freedom rights. President Trump opposed the Equality Act during his first term, citing 'poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.' While exploring a presidential run as a Reform Party candidate back in 2000, Trump said he liked the idea of extending anti-discrimination protections in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to gay people. 'It's only fair,' he told The Advocate then. A White House spokesperson did not say whether Trump would support the bill this time, though it appears unlikely. Since taking office in January, Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting transgender Americans, including one that proclaims the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. 'Right now, the fear in our community is deep, and it is palpable,' Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the Equality Act's primary sponsor in the House, said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon outside the Capitol. 'The waves of attacks on LGBTQI+ Americans have swept from state legislatures into the chambers of Congress and the White House. We're facing the most anti-LGBTQI+ presidential administration in recent history, and for that reason, we demand that our existence be not just recognized but protected; we demand not just the right to survive but to thrive,' said Takano, who recently took over as chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which advocates for LGBTQ rights in Congress. Most Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, though that support has dipped slightly in recent years. A survey published last month by the Public Religion Research Institute, which has been tracking Americans' support for LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections since 2015, found that 75 percent of adults support policies shielding LGBTQ Americans from discriminatory practices in housing, employment and public accommodation, down from its peak of 80 percent in 2022. At the same time, Americans have grown more supportive of policies restricting transgender rights, a recent Pew Research Center survey found, including ones that require athletes to compete on sports teams that match their birth sex and prevent doctors from administering gender-affirming care to minors. In the same survey, 56 percent of adults expressed support for policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces. 'The bill that we're here to talk about could not be more straightforward or commonsense,' Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, said Tuesday. 'The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. This is a tenant of our nation's founding.' In the absence of federal law, nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people vary by state, 27 of which lack explicit protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, according to Freedom for All Americans, which advocates for equal rights and protections. 'If you are gay, lesbian or transgender — and let that sink in — it's a patchwork of rights and protections depending on who you are and who you love,' Baldwin said Tuesday. 'Will you be protected from being discriminated against by a bad landlord when you try to rent a house? Depends on where you live. Will you be protected from being discriminated against when you are trying to get a mortgage or a new credit card? Again, it depends upon where you live.' Democrats on Tuesday said they plan to have transparent one-on-one conversations with their Republican colleagues to garner bipartisan support for the bill, touting the strategy's success in passing the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. In that case, more than 50 Republicans in the House and Senate voted with Democrats to enshrine same-sex and interracial marriage rights in federal law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Democrats reintroduce landmark LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill
House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday reintroduced the Equality Act, a landmark civil rights bill that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes. The measure, which would amend a federal law that already outlaws discrimination based on race, religion, sex and national origin, faces an uphill battle in a Congress controlled by Republicans, who have long opposed it over concerns it would trample religious freedom rights. President Trump opposed the Equality Act during his first term, citing 'poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.' While exploring a presidential run as a Reform Party candidate back in 2000, Trump said he liked the idea of extending anti-discrimination protections in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to gay people. 'It's only fair,' he told The Advocate then. A White House spokesperson did not say whether Trump would support the bill this time, though it appears unlikely. Since taking office in January, Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting transgender Americans, including one that proclaims the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. 'Right now, the fear in our community is deep, and it is palpable,' Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the Equality Act's primary sponsor in the House, said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon outside the Capitol. 'The waves of attacks on LGBTQI+ Americans have swept from state legislatures into the chambers of Congress and the White House. We're facing the most anti-LGBTQI+ presidential administration in recent history, and for that reason, we demand that our existence be not just recognized but protected; we demand not just the right to survive but to thrive,' said Takano, who recently took over as chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which advocates for LGBTQ rights in Congress. Most Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, though that support has dipped slightly in recent years. A survey published last month by the Public Religion Research Institute, which has been tracking Americans' support for LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections since 2015, found that 75 percent of adults support policies shielding LGBTQ Americans from discriminatory practices in housing, employment and public accommodation, down from its peak of 80 percent in 2022. At the same time, Americans have grown more supportive of policies restricting transgender rights, a recent Pew Research Center survey found, including ones that require athletes to compete on sports teams that match their birth sex and prevent doctors from administering gender-affirming care to minors. In the same survey, 56 percent of adults expressed support for policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces. 'The bill that we're here to talk about could not be more straightforward or commonsense,' Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, said Tuesday. 'The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. This is a tenant of our nation's founding.' In the absence of federal law, nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people vary by state, 27 of which lack explicit protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, according to Freedom for All Americans, which advocates for equal rights and protections. 'If you are gay, lesbian or transgender — and let that sink in — it's a patchwork of rights and protections depending on who you are and who you love,' Baldwin said Tuesday. 'Will you be protected from being discriminated against by a bad landlord when you try to rent a house? Depends on where you live. Will you be protected from being discriminated against when you are trying to get a mortgage or a new credit card? Again, it depends upon where you live.' Democrats on Tuesday said they plan to have transparent one-on-one conversations with their Republican colleagues to garner bipartisan support for the bill, touting the strategy's success in passing the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. In that case, more than 50 Republicans in the House and Senate voted with Democrats to enshrine same-sex and interracial marriage rights in federal law.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court ruling on deportations an injustice: Rep. Takano
The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to continue deporting migrants in the U.S. illegally using the Alien Enemies Mark Takano, D-Calif., joins NewsNation's 'The Hill' to discuss. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
