Latest news with #Rhyne
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill to make homeless shelters 'drug free' receives House approval
Homeless residents pack to leave after being ordered to vacate privately-owned property south of downtown Raleigh. High rents and deposit fee requirements are making it impossible for hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans to gain access to a permanent residence. (Photo: Greg Childress) The House approved a bill Tuesday to make homeless shelters 'drug-free zones.' Under House Bill 437, it would be a felony to manufacture, sell or deliver controlled substances in such areas and service providers would be held responsible if they 'intentionally' allow such activities within 100 feet of their properties. HB 437 was sent to the Senate for its consideration. Rep. Heather Rhyne (R-Lincoln) said the bill is needed because the state's homeless population is under regular threat from dealers seeking to sell them controlled substances. 'By making homeless shelters drug-free zones, we reduce the opportunity for these criminal elements to further victimize the homeless while holding operators of these facilities accountable,' said Rhyne, a bill cosponsor. 'Providing a safe and secure environment where treatment is provided and the people can get the help they need to become self-dependent is the focus of the bill.' Rhyne noted that HB 437 also requires signs designating them as drug-free zones. She said shelters needing anonymity such as those serving victims of domestic violence would be allowed to place signs inside front entrances. The House approved the legislation over the objection of service providers, 140 of which signed a letter opposing the bill. Rep. Julia Greenfield (D-Mecklenburg) shared part of the letter with colleagues. 'As a nurse who was always working in the trenches, I kind of believe it's important to listen to those who are working in the trenches and to take into consideration their concerns,' Greenfield said. She said service providers support the larger intent of HB 437 to keep drug dealers away from facilities serving people experiencing homelessness. They are concerned, however, that the bill would hold service providers criminally responsible for 'intentionally allowing' drug dealing to takes place within 100 feet of their property. Greenfield read this passage from the letter: 'This implication that service providers are the enemy in working to keep those we serve safe instead of a partner in an incredibly challenging effort to provide both welcoming and safe space is incredibly hurtful and disappointing. This work carries enough risk without the threat of a felony conviction and jail time, depending on how someone interprets 'intentionally allows.' Service providers are also concerned about the expenses of possibly having to hire armed security and fencing off property to ensure criminal drug activity doesn't take place. 'If the General Assembly would like to work to protect those we serve, homeless service providers would welcome specialized funding to support the personal and design enhancements to improve safety on our campuses,' the service providers said in the letter to lawmakers. Rep. Allen Chesser (R-Nash) said service providers' words 'fall flat' because the bill speaks to possession with intent to sell and deliver drugs, not simple possession. 'So, we're not sending the users, the end users to jail with this, we're targeting dealers,' Chesser said. He said the burden will be on law enforcement officials to prove a facility is 'intentionally allowing' drug sells to take place. 'There's going to be footage. There's going to be investigations,' Chesser said. 'This isn't something that's going to be fly by night. We're trying to protect a very vulnerable population.' Last week, Dr. Latonya Agard, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, shared concerns about HB 437 during a rally at the legislature to lobby for affordable housing. 'I think this is unconscionable because it places and unfair burden on those facilities to increase security, to figure out what this means, to reestablish relationships that are trustworthy within the community,' Agard said.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia Lottery set to lower disclosure amount for winners
Virginia Lottery offices in Richmond. (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce for The Virginia Mercury) By Marlin Adams/VCU Capital News Service RICHMOND, Va. – Lawmakers this session voted to lower the Virginia Lottery disclosure amount to provide more privacy to big ticket winners. Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Mechanicsville, introduced House Bill 1799, which protects the personal information of $1 million or more lottery winners. Virginia Lottery winners are currently required to release personal information, including their name and photo, for any amount under $10 million. Forty-five states have lotteries, and 21 allow winners to stay anonymous, according to World Population Review, which tracks global population data and trends. Virginia requires the highest amount needed to stay anonymous. Those opposed to the bill believe the required disclosure adds needed transparency, while those in support cited examples of personal privacy breaches because of the current law. Megan Rhyne, executive director for the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, spoke against lowering the disclosure amount during the ABC-Gaming subcommittee meeting on Jan 14. The current law was established to promote the lottery and its winners; essentially for residents to see real Virginians winning real prizes, according to Rhyne. The current disclosure amount also supports state law that prevents Virginia Lottery board members, officers and employees from participating in the lottery, Rhyne said. This includes the purchase of tickets by any person residing in the same household of such a member. Disclosure can help prevent 'nefarious activities,' such as when a computer programmer working with the Multi-State Lottery Association rigged several lotteries and collected over $2 million in winnings, Rhyne said. Eddie Tipton pleaded guilty to rigging the lottery winnings in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press. He had help from his brother Tommy Tipton, a former Texas judge. The bill's sponsor told the House panel that a previous $1 million Virginia winner was the target of several scams, including on social media, after her identity was posted on the lottery's website. Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones, spoke in support of Wyatt's bill. Any prize under $600 can be paid out at any participating lottery retailer. Anything over that limit, and winners are required to report it to the Virginia Lottery to claim the prize, according to Jones. The Virginia Lottery is responsible for verifying the identity and address of any winner over $600. 'We run those names through our internal system to ensure that they're not the members of the lottery playing themselves,' Jones said. This creates internal accountability, but FOIA gives the public a measure of external accountability, Rhyne said. Any winner whose prize value is $1 million or greater will not be disclosed through the Freedom of Information Act, which allows citizens to request the name, hometown and amount won of a lottery winner, according to the bill. That part of state law was previously set at $10 million or greater. Other U.S. states have varying disclosure amounts and rules. A handful of states do not allow any anonymity. In Michigan, players winning over $10,000 from in-state games are allowed to stay anonymous if they choose. In Florida, collecting any amount over $250,000 gives winners the option to have their personal information temporarily disclosed for 90 days after the winnings are collected. After 90 days their information is no longer private. Wyatt's bill sailed through the House with unanimous votes. Three Democrats and one Republican voted against it in the Senate. The bill currently sits with the governor, awaiting further action. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia Lottery set to lower disclosure amount for winners
Virginia Lottery offices in Richmond. (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce for The Virginia Mercury) By Marlin Adams/VCU Capital News Service RICHMOND, Va. – Lawmakers this session voted to lower the Virginia Lottery disclosure amount to provide more privacy to big ticket winners. Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Mechanicsville, introduced House Bill 1799, which protects the personal information of $1 million or more lottery winners. Virginia Lottery winners are currently required to release personal information, including their name and photo, for any amount under $10 million. Forty-five states have lotteries, and 21 allow winners to stay anonymous, according to World Population Review, which tracks global population data and trends. Virginia requires the highest amount needed to stay anonymous. Those opposed to the bill believe the required disclosure adds needed transparency, while those in support cited examples of personal privacy breaches because of the current law. Megan Rhyne, executive director for the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, spoke against lowering the disclosure amount during the ABC-Gaming subcommittee meeting on Jan 14. The current law was established to promote the lottery and its winners; essentially for residents to see real Virginians winning real prizes, according to Rhyne. The current disclosure amount also supports state law that prevents Virginia Lottery board members, officers and employees from participating in the lottery, Rhyne said. This includes the purchase of tickets by any person residing in the same household of such a member. Disclosure can help prevent 'nefarious activities,' such as when a computer programmer working with the Multi-State Lottery Association rigged several lotteries and collected over $2 million in winnings, Rhyne said. Eddie Tipton pleaded guilty to rigging the lottery winnings in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press. He had help from his brother Tommy Tipton, a former Texas judge. The bill's sponsor told the House panel that a previous $1 million Virginia winner was the target of several scams, including on social media, after her identity was posted on the lottery's website. Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones, spoke in support of Wyatt's bill. Any prize under $600 can be paid out at any participating lottery retailer. Anything over that limit, and winners are required to report it to the Virginia Lottery to claim the prize, according to Jones. The Virginia Lottery is responsible for verifying the identity and address of any winner over $600. 'We run those names through our internal system to ensure that they're not the members of the lottery playing themselves,' Jones said. This creates internal accountability, but FOIA gives the public a measure of external accountability, Rhyne said. Any winner whose prize value is $1 million or greater will not be disclosed through the Freedom of Information Act, which allows citizens to request the name, hometown and amount won of a lottery winner, according to the bill. That part of state law was previously set at $10 million or greater. Other U.S. states have varying disclosure amounts and rules. A handful of states do not allow any anonymity. In Michigan, players winning over $10,000 from in-state games are allowed to stay anonymous if they choose. In Florida, collecting any amount over $250,000 gives winners the option to have their personal information temporarily disclosed for 90 days after the winnings are collected. After 90 days their information is no longer private. Wyatt's bill sailed through the House with unanimous votes. Three Democrats and one Republican voted against it in the Senate. The bill currently sits with the governor, awaiting further action. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia colleges and universities may be forced to livestream meetings
The Virginia state Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 20, 2025. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) Virginia's public colleges and universities could soon be required to livestream their Board of Visitors meetings, ensuring real-time access for the public. The proposal, which passed the House and is now headed to the Senate, aims to increase transparency in higher education governance. House Bill 2452, sponsored by Del. Keith Hodges, R-Middlesex, builds on a 2021 effort requiring public institutions to disclose certain information. If passed, the bill mandates that all baccalaureate public institutions in Virginia not only livestream their board meetings but also archive the recordings for public access. Hodges said a reenactment of the legislation will be reviewed to ensure the initiative's feasibility next year. 'The goal is to ensure that decisions made using public funds are conducted openly, allowing for the public to hold these institutions really accountable for their actions, and we can see really what's going on,' Hodges said during a Jan. 27 subcommittee hearing. A previous law required institutions to develop and implement a streaming standard by July 1, 2022, but not every school followed through. Hodges' bill would push for those standards to be revisited and enforced. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, called the lack of compliance 'long overdue' and expressed frustration that education institutions are resisting what local governments are doing cost-effectively. 'Universities are different from other public bodies because they have bigger constituencies than any public body in the state,' Rhyne told The Mercury this week. 'They have constituencies in other states who can't come to Virginia to attend these meetings, and so we think — as a very baseline measure — they should be broadcasting their Board of Visitors meetings.' In 2021, Virginia directed the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia — working alongside the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council — to develop a minimum standard for livestreaming governing board meetings. The resulting report recommended that all public institutions provide real-time electronic access to full governing body meetings via video or audio live stream. It also emphasized that these streams must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Despite these recommendations, full compliance has been lacking. 'While I appreciate the delegate's attempt to work out a compromise, I actually support the original bill because this is something that is long overdue, that had recommendations four years ago that clearly have not been put into place, which otherwise would not necessitate this bill,' Rhyne said during a Jan. 27 House subcommittee hearing on higher education. Representatives from Virginia Tech and the University of Mary Washington voiced support for the legislation, commending lawmakers' willingness to collaborate. 'This process not only ensures a balanced approach, but also fosters a spirit of cooperation among stakeholders,' Hodges said last week. 'Such collaboration helps alleviate concerns from public universities about the cost and logistics, while ensuring that transparency goals are met.' The bill sailed through the House with a 95-4 vote and now awaits consideration by the Senate Education and Health Committee. As of Thursday evening, it had yet to be scheduled for a hearing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
