Latest news with #MichaelHoward
CBS News
01-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Divided Minnesota House spars over jobless benefits for hourly school workers as end of session looms
Budget negotiations in the divided Minnesota Legislature are already growing more tense and face roadblocks during the crucial final few weeks of session, as Republicans and Democrats sparred Wednesday over jobless benefits DFL lawmakers recently approved for school workers. Employees like bus drivers and teacher aides weren't eligible for unemployment insurance during summer break until a 2023 law expanded eligibility. The newly empowered GOP in a tied House, which could do little in the last two years when Democrats called the shots, wants to repeal that law. Workers say the change has provided a lifeline. The education spending proposal — agreed to by the GOP and DFL co-chairs of that committee — would undo it after the summer of 2028 and provide some additional state funding to cover those benefits in the meantime. But in a heated rules committee meeting Wednesday, Democrats voted against bringing that bill to the floor this week to instead renegotiate its terms before it goes to the House floor, drawing a sharp rebuke from Republicans. "You don't like that this caucus stood up for working families last session," said Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, during the discussion. "You want to go back and relitigate what happened in 2023, but our job is to balance this budget, and it's a matter of fact that the provision that you all don't like is not a line item to balance our state education budget." Republicans criticized Democrats for backing out of that agreement and accused them of "obstructing" the end of session, which must conclude May 19. If they don't complete the work of passing a budget, they'll have to go into a special session to approve one by June 30 or the government will shut down. "That was a signed agreement between the co-chairs. It was part of a bill that passed out of the Ways and Means Committee yesterday, and then Democrats have apparently reneged on that agreement," said Rep. Harry Niska, the GOP leader from Ramsey, told reporters. "And so that's a big setback in terms of being able to get our work done by May 19." Both the House and Senate have begun passing budget bills focused on particular spending areas — like transportation, commerce, and housing — which will send the proposals to conference committees for the chambers to hammer out the details to find an agreement, so negotiations are far from over as lawmakers sprint towards adjournment. Separately, House Republicans are also pushing for changes to the state's paid family and medical leave program that's not even off the ground yet — either by delaying implementation or changing the scope of the law. Minnesotans will start to get benefits on Jan. 1 and that's when the payroll tax kicks in to fund it, which can be split evenly between employers and employees. "What was passed is not affordable. The cost has already been raised on businesses, the taxes already increased, and we know that taking 20 weeks off is not going to be sustainable," said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. DFL Gov. Tim Walz said his administration is focused on getting the program up and running but is open to discussion about tweaks to paid family and medical leave so long as it improves the law. "I'm not interested in weakening it. I'm not interested in giving less benefits to the Minnesotans who wanted this. Overwhelmingly, this is one of the most popular proposals we put forward. But if it makes it better, certainly," Walz told reporters. Republicans so far this session have unsuccessfully tried to delay the program by one year. Bills need bipartisan support in order to advance off the floor and Democrats are staunchly opposed to changes to the law, which was a top priority item for them two years ago and supported by a majority of Minnesotans in public opinion polls.
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Bipartisan affordable housing package could be on cutting room floor this session, key lawmaker says
The tied Minnesota House on Tuesday approved its housing budget proposal on a bipartisan vote. But it didn't include a package some Republicans and Democrats had high hopes for to boost affordable housing development at a time when the state is short 100,000 homes — and its future this session isn't bright. That "Yes to Homes" agenda, which includes legislation to cut red tape to increase starter homes like townhomes and duplexes among other ideas, likely won't clear the finish line this year, said Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, the co-chair of the chamber's housing committee. There are continued concerns from local governments about implementation, he added. "We're still working to see if there's a path this year to move the needle, but the structural change, the big reforms needed to unlock more housing, we are going to have to do more work over the interim and come back next session," Howard told reporters Tuesday ahead of the vote. But the bipartisan House deal does include a provision designed to incentivize cities to approve, on their own accord, the approaches in that bipartisan package: allowing more multi-family housing to be built in commercial districts; permitting more duplexes and townhomes in areas zoned for single-family homes; and eliminating "aesthetic mandates" that can drive up prices. Local governments applying for grants at Minnesota Housing Finance Agency receive points based on a number of factors to determine if their project receives the funding through the agency. This bill would boost the score for cities that adopt those housing policies. "We've made more progress this year on this issue than last year," he said. The House proposal also includes $30 million for the Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Program, which can provide emergency rental or mortgage assistance for families on the brink of homelessness and other services to keep people in their homes. Grants for development of housing infrastructure in Greater Minnesota receive $20 million and the legislation expands eligibility for first-generation home buyers' down payment assistance, among other provisions. "Everyone in this chamber agrees that Minnesota is the best place to live, grow up, raise a family, all of those things, but people can't do that if they don't have homes, and that's why we need to continue to drive the message and work on policy that can get us there," said Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, moments before the proposal passed off the floor. The Senate has its own version of a housing spending plan and both chambers will come together in the next few weeks to sort out differences on this issue and others, as lawmakers look at cuts to rein in a potential deficit in the future. The Legislature must adjourn on May 19 and complete its work before then or the governor will have to call a special session.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
1 Dead, 11 Injured During Police Officer-Involved Shooting at Popular South Carolina Tourist Spot
One person is dead and nearly a dozen people were injured during a shooting that involved police in a popular tourist destination in South Carolina. According to a police statement shared on Facebook, officers who were near the 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach at around 11:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 26, saw an altercation break out between multiple people. One person fired a weapon during the fight, police said, and one of the officers at the scene "responded by discharging their firearm." Police said the person shot by an officer died from their injuries. Eleven other people have reported being injured and are currently receiving medical treatment. The officer who discharged their gun was not injured. One man who witnessed the shooting described the incident as "traumatizing" to local outlet WPDE, and recalled seeing people near him drop to the ground after being shot. "I remember hearing gunfire shots just start going off everywhere. I remember seeing a girl fall that had been injured. I remember seeing the guy who had been shot fall to the ground," Michael Howard told the outlet. "I seen blood everywhere. It was just very traumatizing." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The Post and Courier reported that the shooting took place near where police are stationed during the city's Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan. A section of Myrtle Beach's 9th and 8th avenues, as well as North 16th Avenue to 9th Avenue, are blocked off every Friday and Saturday night, and officers patrol the area during the busy summer season. The Myrtle Beach Police Department (MBPD) and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have asked the public to share any information or videos taken of the shooting on April 26. "We continue to remind those who may have information or video footage related to this incident to come forward. Information can be shared with SLED or the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 843-918-1382," the department wrote on Facebook. "Our hearts and continued prayers are with all those affected, as well as their loved ones during this difficult time," the MBPD added. The Myrtle Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information on Sunday, April 27. Read the original article on People
New York Post
27-04-2025
- New York Post
1 dead, 11 injured in mass shooting in tourist hotspot Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
At least one person was killed and 11 others were wounded in a mass shooting in a popular tourist area of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Saturday night. Authorities said officers 'observed a disturbance involving multiple individuals' at around 11:50 p.m. on North Ocean Boulevard, and one person began to fire a weapon. 3 At least one person was killed in the Myrtle Beach shooting Saturday night. WMBF News An officer then responded by opening fire, and in the process, shot one person, who died from their injuries, according to police. The shooting occurred near the Ripley's Believe It Or Not just off the beach. Dramatic video circulating on social media shows a person lying face down on the sidewalk being restrained by two officers. 3 11 others were reported injured in the chaos. WMBF News 3 The shooting occurred near the Ripley's Believe It Or Not just off the beach. WMBF News A woman can be seen grabbing her leg and yelling as two officers appear to provide aid to her. 'I remember hearing gunfire shots just start going off everywhere,' eyewitness Michael Howard told ABC 15. 'I remember seeing a girl fall that had been injured, I remember seeing the guy who had been shot fall to the ground. 'I seen blood everywhere. It was just very traumatizing,' he added.
The Independent
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Can the criminal justice system be reformed?
Assaults on prison staff are more numerous than ever and – not unrelated – overcrowding of inmates is also showing a marked deterioration. The latest figures on conditions in jails from the Ministry of Justice, covering England and Wales, come after a particularly violent assault by Hashem Abedi, the accomplice and brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, on three officers, using a homemade weapon and hot cooking oil to inflict serious injuries. The scale of the overcrowding crisis, meanwhile, first became very clear to the public last summer when the incoming government had to implement an emergency programme of prisoner releases to avoid the collapse of the criminal justice system. Britain's prisons seem doomed to permanent crisis. How bad is it? The figures speak for themselves: 10,605 assaults on staff recorded last year, up 15 per cent on 2023; seven murders of inmates by inmates; and HM Inspector of Prisons earlier this year reporting thriving illicit economies of drugs, mobile phones and weapons. And basic security measures such as protective netting and CCTV have been allowed to fall into disrepair. Does prison work? Arguable. It's what Michael Howard, home secretary in the 1990s, famously claimed, unashamedly placing retribution ahead of rehabilitation. It certainly doesn't feel like inflicting inhumane treatment and dangerous conditions on miscreants has helped society. Why are we here? Unlike the NHS, schools, libraries or even the courts, in prisons the effects of past austerity and continuing constraints on the prisons budget are not apparent to the general public, and even if they were they might not trigger much concern. The British public has a classically cakeist attitude towards crime and punishment: demanding to bang up offenders for longer sentences but refusing to pay the taxes that would be required to pay for a radical expansion of the prison estate. Indeed, creating many more spaces would mean higher taxation long into the future, because keeping a prisoner safely detained and alive in even the most basic way is extremely expensive – famously comparable to the cost of sending a child to Eton. Given the public, and especially media, hostility to anything approaching a humane way of rehabilitating offenders, and the fact they are denied any electoral role, it's fair to say there are no votes in prisons, in any sense of the phrase. What could be done? There are at least two substantial ways in which the pressure on places could be relieved relatively rapidly. The first is to start a process of reviewing the sentences of those still held under the archaic and discredited 'indefinite public protection (IPP) orders'. These were designed to detail someone considered 'dangerous' but whose offence didn't merit a life tariff for an unlimited period until they could somehow prove they weren't a threat to the public. Some of those put away for stealing a mobile phone have been left in custody for a decade or more. About 1,200 IPP prisoners are still stuck in the system – a sizeable number given that the system only has about 500 spare prison spaces available. There are also more than 19,000 foreign offenders awaiting deportation, up from almost 18,000 when the Conservatives left office, the latest figures show. That number should be placed in the context of a total prison population of 84,210 men and 3,554 women. Some foreign criminals are objecting to removal on human rights grounds, such as right to family life, a perennial problem for any minister who faces a virulently vengeful media but who feels obliged to obey domestic law and abide by the European Convention on Human Rights. Keir Starmer is reportedly keen to limit such rights. Any chance of reform? It's early days to make definitive judgments but the appointment of Lord (James) Timpson as prisons minister in the new government last July did raise hopes. Timpson, as chief executive of Timpson Group, successfully pioneered the recruitment of ex-offenders, and as chair of the Prison Reform Trust he was an outspoken advocate for reducing pointless and self-defeating custodial sentences. He's on record as saying that the UK is 'addicted to' sentencing and punishment, and thinks a third of prisoners, especially female offenders, inappropriately serve custodial sentences. He wants more alternatives for the courts, such as sophisticated tagging (eg to detect drink and drug abuse) and community punishments. However, save some sympathy for the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, who'd face a tsunami of attacks for 'going soft on crime' from her vindictive shadow, Robert Jenrick, and the adamantine resistance of most of the media. There is no political space foreseeable for the kind of liberal reforms we saw when the death penalty was abolished, for example, in the 1960s. In a sense, the British criminal justice system is itself under a kind of 'whole life order', condemned to a never-ending cycle of ever-tougher sentences creating ever-more hopeless, hardened criminals ready to break the law again and again.
