Latest news with #SB24
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to teach Texas kids the dangers of communism — but not fascism — OK'd by House
The Texas House voted 112-20 on Wednesday to preliminarily approve a bill requiring public schools to teach the dangers of communism. But the most robust debate centered around what the bill didn't include — teachings on the harms of fascism and Nazism. 'Ignoring one side of the spectrum while scrutinizing another creates an incomplete and potentially misleading historical education,' said state Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin, one of several Democrats who unsuccessfully sought to amend Senate Bill 24. SB 24 would require the State Board of Education to adopt standards for social studies curriculum for fourth through 12th grade. That instruction must include information on 'atrocities attributable to communist regimes' and contrast communism with 'the United States' founding principles of individual rights, merit-based achievement and free enterprise,' according to the bill. Goodwin said teaching students how fascism sows distrust and discredits Democratic institutions as well as cultivates an us-versus-them mentality will help them recognize when it occurs in the U.S. Democrats across the nation have often compared the actions of the Trump administration and his allies as that of a fascist regime. It was for this reason that Rep. Jon E. Rosenthal, D-Houston, tried to amend the bill to require teaching about Nazism and its resurgence in Europe and the U.S. today. 'We are seeing signs of rising authoritarianism like the politicization of independent institutions, spreading of disinformation, executive power grabs. Does any of this sound familiar to any of you?' he said before voting against the bill. Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said he opposed the proposed changes because he wanted to send SB 24 to the governor as soon as possible. Leach carried the bill in the lower chamber. Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, authored it. 'I don't want this bill to become a Christmas tree,' Leach said. 'This is about communism alone.' Reps. Gene Wu and Harold V. Dutton Jr., both Democrats from Houston, raised concerns that students would not be taught that throughout American history, many were falsely accused of being communists. Dutton said some, such as civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., were labeled communists because they were striving to create a more perfect union. Wu, who later voted against the bill, said it could also lead people who have fled from communist countries to be stigmatized or stereotyped. Leach said the bill would require the State Board of Education to get input from victims of communism and would give the board time to develop the curriculum, which would roll out in the 2026-2027 school year. 'I don't disagree with the spirit and the intent of Rep. Wu's amendment. I simply do not think it's necessary,' he said. And Leach got assistance from a Democrat. State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo urged fellow Democrats to vote for the bill, despite their amendments failing, because of the greater good it would produce — to teach that communism is bad and to show Democrats are willing to compromise. 'If we as Democrats continue to take the bait and vote against bills like this, get ready for more. There's not going to be more of us two years from now, there's going to be fewer,' Peña Raymond. Some Democrats, including Goodwin and Dutton, ultimately voted in favor of the measure. Earlier this year, Rafael Cruz, a right-wing pastor and father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, testified in favor of this bill. He said public schools should be required to teach anti-communism to reaffirm that America is a Christian country. The same day the House passed this bill, they were scheduled to consider other measures that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms and set aside time during the school day for prayer. Texas schools are already required to hang donated 'In God We Trust' signs, allowed to replace mental health counselors with unlicensed religious chaplains and are incentivized to use curriculum materials that teach the Bible and other religious texts. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Report: Law enforcement saw thousands of cases of child abuse in 2024
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill speaks to reporters during a news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 3, 2025. Next to him is a picture of child abuse victim Norlin Cruz. (Credit: Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office) In 2024, the Utah Division of Child and Family Services confirmed thousands of cases of child abuse around the state. That's according to a report from the division, highlighted Thursday by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office is sharing resources and trying to increase awareness for Child Abuse Awareness Month this April. Child Abuse Prevention Contacts Emergency: 911 Prevent Child Abuse Utah: (801) 393-3366 Utah Child Abuse Prevention Hotline: 855-323-3237 The Family Support Center: 801-955-3110 Children's Justice Center: 801-851-8554 Childhelp: (1-800) 4-A-Child or (1-800) 422-4453 (Local Chapters in Utah) Intermountain's Center for Safe and Healthy Families: 801-662-1000 The Children's Center Utah: 801-582-5534 According to data from the division, there were at least 8,791 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect during the 2024 fiscal year, stemming from nearly 50,000 reports. Of those reports, about 22,650 met the criteria for a Child Protective Services investigation. At least 70% of the perpetrators were the victim's parents, and an additional 16% were other relatives. 'Child abuse sees no economic nor political boundaries. It is a global problem that can only be addressed with community-level solutions,' Gill said in a statement Thursday. In 2024 alone, Gill's office filed 276 physical child abuse-related charges and 135 child sex abuse-related charges. Still, Gill said child abuse is often one of the most unreported crimes. Lawmakers passed a handful of bills this year aimed at prosecuting cases of child abuse, with bills increasing the penalties or widening the scope of current crimes to give prosecutors more tools. Lawmakers passed dozens of bills that add, increase, or enhance criminal penalties. Here's a list. That includes a bill that makes it easier to prosecute abuse that happens online, a bill that adds an aggravating factor if the child abuse is part of a ritual or religious ceremony, and a bill to increase the penalty for the most egregious cases, now defined as 'child torture.' That last bill, SB24, targets 'exceptionally cruel or exceptionally depraved' behavior that results in physical or psychological pain. If found guilty, the perpetrator could be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by a 10-year minimum sentence. The legislation was, in part, a result of the case of Norlin Cruz, a 6-year-old boy killed in 2019 after being subjected to what investigators said was the worst case of child abuse they'd ever seen. Cruz's mother, Reyna Elizabeth Flores-Rosales, was convicted of reckless child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, and three counts of second-degree felony child abuse. SB24, Gill's office said in a news release, 'came about as our office prosecuted the mother of Norlin Cruz.' Gill on Thursday spoke to reporters alongside a picture of Cruz, who he often refers to when talking about prosecuting crimes against children. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NM Legislative Recap March 14: The rise of the zombie bills
A bolo tie that will not be a contender for 'Best Bolo' between lawmakers on Saturday, March 15. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) You might have noticed bills with the same all-caps title floating around: 'PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY & WELFARE.' Committee chairs and legislative leaders introduce generic-titled bills that contain a title, and the phrase 'Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of New Mexico' — until they don't. Lawmakers can substitute that generic language for entirely new bills, (even though the deadline for introduction is the session's midway point) or tabled legislation, to give the bills another shake at moving through the Roundhouse. So far, legislators have introduced 80 'dummy' bills, though we've only found nine that have been replaced with actual legislation. Read below about a few of those zombie bills. The chart above shows you all nine. Let us know at Info@ if any of them are of particular interest to you as we head into the final week of the session. House Bill 588 mirrors Senate Bill 24, which would require all public works construction projects to contribute to public apprentice and training programs. SB24 passed its first committee, but stalled in Senate Finance, according to the legislature's bill tracker. House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements tabled HB588 this week. House Bill 592 increases the annual income cap for the Social Security Tax exemption by $20,000 for the next five years, and then eliminates the cap in 2031. The House Consumer and Economic Affairs hasn't scheduled the bill for a hearing yet. House Bill 593 includes provisions to increase rural health care practitioner health credits, institute medical school loan forgiveness and add caps to medical malpractice lawsuits. The House Health and Human Services Committee on Friday morning tabled HB593 in a 5-4 party-line vote. House Bill 618 mirrors Senate Bill 217, which would remove oversight of IT purchases and contracts from the duties of the secretary of the Department of Information. SB217 passed its first committee, but is not scheduled for an upcoming hearing in Senate Tax, Business and Transportation. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee on Friday morning passed HB618. And make sure to peruse the status of all 1,300 or so pieces of legislation introduced so far this session with Source's bill tracker. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The House Health and Human Services Committee passed Senate Bill 53, which would amend the Professional Psychologist Act to include allopathic and osteopathic physicians, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to the list of prescribing psychologists; Senate Bill 45, which would amend the Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act to allow coverage for premium and out-of-pocket costs; Senate Bill 105, which would allow New Mexico to join the Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact; Senate Bill 118, which would require the Motor Vehicles Division to create materials explaining how to apply to be an organ donor and distribute to state agencies; House Memorial 53, which would require the Department of Health and the Aging and Long-Term Services Department to update material on Alzheimer's disease and related diseases; seek federal funding for updating dementia-related public health programs; and create a report for the Legislative Council and governor; House Memorial 56, which would recognize May as 'National Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month;' and House Memorial 29, which would require the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee to review driving rules for people with diabetes during the 2025 interim session and develop legislation updating driver's license requirements for people with diabetes. The House Education Committee passed Senate Bill 11, which would require local school districts to adopt policies for student cell phone use with guidelines from the Public Education Department. The committee also voted to table Senate Bill 242, the Advancing the Science of Reading Act, introduced by President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque). The committee debated the bill last week and agreed to roll it while amendments were considered. House Education Committee Chair G Andrés Romero (D-Albuquerque) said last week that he couldn't promise the bill would be scheduled for a hearing again. One of the big sticking points was over using student outcomes to determine how successful teacher preparation programs are in preparing teachers to use structured literacy. 'I guess that's the concern, is that we're utilizing those students in this teacher's classroom for those three years as a way to evaluate those educator prep programs, and I'm concerned about that,' Romero said. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 299, which would require the Secretary of State to notify the governor, presiding officer of the chambers and the county commissioners within five days of a legislative vacancy in their area; House Bill 292, which would distribute 8% of the general fund's gross receipts tax collection to the newly created all cities and counties fund; House Bill 456, which would allow state agencies to use a price agreement for architectural or engineering services up to $2 million, not exceeding $15 million over four years; Senate Bill 353, which would amend the Search and Rescue Act establishing response protocols for federal, state, local and tribal agencies when New Mexico Search and Rescue is called to assist in emergencies; House Bill 570, which would amend the Prior Authorization Act of the Insurance Code to restrict prior authorization for chemotherapy, dialysis, elder care and home health care services, as well as for prescribed diabetes and high blood pressure medications; House Bill 618, a dummy bill that would clarify the role of Department of Information when approving information technology projects conducted by state agencies; Senate Bill 507, which would amend the Concealed Handgun Carry Act to create qualifications, licensing procedures and renewal requirements for concealed handgun licenses; and Senate Bill 63, which would describe how the New Mexico state flag is to be retired when no longer used, such as by burning, a private ceremony or public ceremony held by military personnel or a patriotic society. The House Taxation and Revenue Committee passed House Bill 14, which would effectively eliminate the state income tax for about 20,000 families. The Senate Rules Committee passed House Bill 84, which would enact the Employee Free Speech Act. The Senate Finance Committee passed Senate Bill 401, the Broadband for Education bill, which among other facets would move the Statewide Education Network from the Public School Facilities Authority Office of Broadband Access and Expansion. 'We are pleased that the Finance Committee understands the significance of this bill and what it will mean for broadband expansion on the education front,' OBAE Acting Director said in a statement. Senate Finance also passed House Bill 181, House Bill 218 and Senate Bill 535, a dummy bill. The Senate Education Committee passed House Bill 532, House Bill 487, House Bill 67 and House Bill 65. The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee passed House Bill 339, Senate Bill 96, House Bill 91, House Bill 357, House Bill 223, House Bill 228, House Bill 220, House Bill 174, House Bill 171, House Bill 154, House Bill 191, House Bill 160, House Bill 99, House Bill 93 and House Bill 56. The House of Representatives debated House Bill 17 for three hours before passing the bill, which would create a commission to study grocery prices and propose ways to lower consumer costs for essential household foods. The chamber also passed House Bill 76, which would require hospitals and other institutions to screen newborn children for congenital cardiac conditions; House Bill 372, which would increase the weight limit for recreational off-highway vehicles, and allow drivers under the age of 18 to carry a passenger if they are properly licensed and supervised; House Bill 7, which would would establish a trust fund for children born in New Mexico after Jan. 1, 2025; and House Bill 571, which would create a program and certification process under the Department of Finance and Administration to acknowledge municipalities that adopt strategies that increase housing affordability and accessibility. After lengthy debate, the Senate passed House Bill 5, which would create the Office of the Child Advocate to oversee the Children Youth and Families Department. The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee was expected to meet at 5:45 p.m. on Friday night. The Senate will meet at noon on Saturday. Senate Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) said he also expects the Senate to meet on Sunday. The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Senate Conservation Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet after the floor session on Saturday. The Senate Finance Committee will meet on Saturday morning, around 9:30 or 10 a.m., Chair George Munoz said. The Senate will hold a bolo tie contest on Saturday, Sen. Bobby Gonzales (D-Rancho de Taos) said. The prize will be one of the bolo ties from his collection, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How North Carolina Senate bill would bring down health care costs
RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — New legislation making its way through the General Assembly in Raleigh promises to bring down health care costs. But the bill also caps how much care the state can require insurers to cover. Senate Bill 24 passed the higher chamber on Wednesday with a vote of 30-15. Three Democrats voted with the majority. State senators file new bill to repeal death penalty in North Carolina SB 24 would cap the types of medical care providers have to cover at 58. The legislation has the backing of several associations, including the NC Chamber. 'We have some of the highest health care costs in the country across all the different spectrums that go into that,' said Gary Salamido, NC Chamber President and CEO. 'And so employers who are the ultimate payers of all the health care costs whether it be an insurance premium, whether it be into their own, have seen the costs continue to go up.' Those opposed include Democratic Buncombe County Sen. Julie Mayfield. Mayfield was one of the 15 No votes on Wednesday. 'The impact of this would be again to sort of lock in place things as they are now and not give us the flexibility to make changes in the future, either to improve patient care or to bring costs down,' said Mayfield. Mayfield argued choosing what is and isn't required to be covered turns into a game of picking winners and losers for healthcare. 'You would think that… and I would like to think that those groups could just get together and have that conversation,' she added. 'But apparently it takes this kind of threatening legislation to perhaps push that conversation forward.' But proponents, like the Chamber, called the measure a common-sense approach to still provide North Carolinians with top-notch health care at a price employers can afford, and that employers can choose what coverage works for their employees. 'Employers and the groups that they engage with that cover their employees know exactly what their employees need,' said Salamido. 'Mandates, additional mandates, only drive up the cost.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate panel backs higher inspection and license fees
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — State licensing fees for plumbers and accountancy services, along with inspection fees for electrical and plumbing installations, all would cost more under proposals that advanced in the South Dakota Legislature on Tuesday. The Senate Commerce and Energy Committee endorsed the proposals and sent them to the full Senate for consideration. 10 Commandments in school bill narrowly passes Senate Senate Bill 24 would raise fees for licensing plumbing and inspecting plumbing work. The Senate could consider it Wednesday afternoon. State Plumbing Commission executive director Mandy Nielsen said the current fees aren't sufficient for the commission's operations, including site inspections. The increases would allow the commission to offer a new online licensing system and hire a sixth inspector, according to Nielsen. 'Right now our funding is not going to be sufficient for that,' she said. The higher fees were supported by Kristie Brunick, executive vice president for the South Dakota Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors. Speaking against the increases was Erica Douglas of Spearfish, who said fees are taxes by another name. 'I would ask that there be a halt to raising fees for all businesses,' Douglas said. The Senate panel voted 7-2 to send SB24 forward. would raise inspection fees for electrical installations. State Electrical Commission director Pamela Overweg said the increases are 'imperative' to offset the effects of inflation, fill two vacancies among the 16 full-time inspectors and replace an outdated database. Overweg said the commission has received 'many complaints' about delays in getting inspectors to work sites. The commission will be forced to reduce service and increase wait times for inspections without an increase, according to Overweg. No one else spoke in favor, while Douglas opposed the hikes. The Senate committee voted 7-2 to endorse SB31. seeks higher licensing fees for people in accountancy services. State Accountancy Board executive director Nicole Kasin said operating costs increased significantly during the past five years. 'As such the board's cash balance has decreased the past two fiscal years,' she said. The increases were supported by Sam Matson, representing the South Dakota CPA Society. He noted that licensing fees are higher in neighboring states. The Senate panel advanced it on an 8-1 vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
