Latest news with #SB462
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Senate Backs Away from Higher Speed Limits
The Senate on Wednesday hit the brakes on proposals to increase speed limits on Florida highways. Senators removed from a wide-ranging transportation bill (SB 462) a proposal that called for increasing the maximum speed on interstate highways and other 'limited access' highways, such as Florida's Turnpike, from 70 mph to 75 mph. Also removed was a proposal to increase the speed limit on divided highways with four or more lanes outside of urban areas from 65 mph to 70 mph. Another proposal would have allowed the Florida Department of Transportation to increase speed limits from 60 mph to 65 mph in areas deemed 'safe and advisable.' Bill sponsor Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, did not explain reasons for removing the proposals. A House bill (HB 567), which is ready to go to the House floor, includes increased speed limits. In 2014, then-Gov. Rick Scott, who is now a U.S. senator, vetoed a similar measure about speed limits, pointing to concerns raised by law-enforcement officers. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers must address the child care crisis that's holding families back
The alarm bells are ringing. Texas faces a child care crisis that demands immediate action. It's time raise our voices and demand that our state leaders prioritize the needs of working families and invest in the future of our economy. The stakes are simply too high to ignore. Consider these stark realities: Nearly 95,000 Texas children languish on waiting lists for the state subsidies they need to access child care services. This isn't just a number. It represents tens of thousands of families across 70% of Texas' counties struggling to balance work and parenthood. It represents 95,000 missed opportunities for early childhood development and 95,000 potential setbacks for our state's future. The impact of this child care shortage ripples far beyond individual families. The child care sector is a powerful economic engine. In 2022, child care generated a staggering $12.6 billion in economic impact in Texas, according to The Conference Board — Committee for Economic Development 2024 report. This includes $4.9 billion in direct child care revenue and an additional $7.66 billion in spillover effects across other industries. We're talking about $4.86 billion in household earnings and 210,544 million jobs. To put it bluntly, child care isn't just a social issue; it's a critical economic issue. In Texas, more than 140,000 people are employed by the child care industry, generating millions in purchases of goods and services, further fueling economic activity. Yet, this vital sector is teetering on the brink of collapse as rising costs outpace what families can afford, making the business unsustainable. That means businesses and nonprofits alike are struggling to retain employees who are forced to reduce hours or leave the workforce entirely due to a lack of affordable and accessible child care. With child care, we have an increased labor force, a stronger economy and brighter futures for our children. Without it, parents are forced to make impossible choices, reducing work hours or opting out of the workforce altogether, hindering their career progression and impacting their families' financial stability. The consequences are clear: This will continue to weaken our economy. Texas has 365 zip codes designated as child care deserts. These are communities where access to quality child care is anywhere from severely lacking to virtually non-existent. Furthermore, Texas provides assistance to only 14% of the children who qualify for child care subsidies. The vast majority of low-income families are left struggling, unable to access the care their children need to thrive. We urge Texans and lawmakers to support increased state funding to serve more children on the waiting list and implement these three measures: Senate Bill 972/House Bill 2294, to allow local workforce boards to increase reimbursement rates to child care providers who provide care under the state-funded subsidy program. SB 462/HB 3807, to give a priority spot on the waiting list for child care subsidies to families in which a parent is a child care worker. SB 599/HB 4127, to ease the regulatory burden on home-based child care providers by preventing local communities from adding their own rules on top of the state ones. This crisis demands a comprehensive and urgent response. We must invest our time, energy and resources to pressure our state leaders to take action. We must invest in our children, the foundation of our future. We must invest in our families, the backbone of our communities. And we must invest in the well-being of our economy, the engine of our prosperity. Kim Kofron is the senior director of education at Children at Risk, a Texas-based, nonpartisan research and advocacy group. Audrey Rowland is the president of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas lawmakers must address the child care crisis | Opinion
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Are you a ‘super speeder?' Florida bills would bring higher fines for fastest drivers
Got a heavy foot? If either of two bills working their way through the Florida Legislature pass, "super speeders" could see dramatically higher fines, lose their licenses, and have their vehicles impounded. Both bills add driving more than 50 mph over the speed limit or driving more than 100 mph under any circumstances to the definition of "reckless driving" under state law, and both bills increase those penalties. Under House Bill 351 from Rep. Susan Plasencia, R-Winter Park, the fine for reckless driving, currently $25 to $500, would become a flat $500. A second offense means a flat fine of $5,000 (up from the current $50 to $1,000) and revocation of driver's license for a year, although the arresting officer has some leeway. Under State Bill 1782, filed by Sen. Jason W. B. Pizzo, D-Hollywood, the fine for reckless driving would be raised to up to $1,000 for th first offense, the driver's driving privileges would be revoked for six months and their vehicle could be impounded for 30 days. For a second offense, the fine would be at least $2,500, with a one-year license suspension and a 30-day impoundment. Potential jail time (90 days for first offense, six months after that) remains the same. However, speeders may get a slight break: another bill (SB 462) would raise the speed limits in Florida by 5 mph. HB 351 does the following: Adds the following to the state definition of reckless driving: Exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph or more Operating a motor vehicle at 100 mph or more Increases penalties for reckless driving: First conviction: Increases the fine from a minimum of $25 to a $500 flat flee, which is the maximum amount in current law. Second or subsequent conviction: Increases the fine from a maximum of $1,000 to a minimum of $5,000 and requires the court to revoke the person's driving privilege for one year. Requires a mandatory hearing for A driver of a motor vehicle who exceeds the speed limit in excess of 50 mph A driver of a motorcycle or moped who fails to have both wheels on the ground at all times, facing forward, and with one leg on each side of the motorcycle. A driver of a motorcycle or moped who fails to have a license plate permanently affixed to a motorcycle or moped and clearly visible from the rear at all times. SB 1782 does the following: Adds the following to the state definition of reckless driving: Exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph or more Operating a motor vehicle at 100 mph or more Operating a motor vehicle on anywhere other than a limited access highway while exceeding the posted speed limit by 35 mph or more Increases penalties for reckless driving: First conviction: Increases the fine from a minimum of $25 to a minimum of $1,000, requires license suspension for six months and vehicle impoundment for 30 days Second or subsequent conviction: Increases the fine from a maximum of $1,000 to a minimum of $2,500, requires license suspension for one year and vehicle impoundment for 30 days Requires a mandatory hearing for: A driver of a motor vehicle who exceeds the speed limit in excess of 50 mph A driver of a motorcycle or moped who fails to have both wheels on the ground at all times, facing forward, and with one leg on each side of the motorcycle. A driver of a motorcycle or moped who fails to have a license plate permanently affixed to a motorcycle or moped and clearly visible from the rear at all times. If passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, either bill would go into effect on July 1, 2025. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Speeding in Florida could mean higher fines, license suspensions
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Florida bill could raise highway speed limits
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Highway speeds in Florida could be raised if a new bill passes through the Florida Legislature and makes it to the governor's desk. The bill, SB 462, is currently moving through the Florida Senate. It passed a transportation committee vote on Wednesday. The bill would raise speed limits on interstates and Florida's Turnpike from 70 mph to 75 mph. The proposal calls for increasing the speed limit on four-lane highways in rural areas from 65 mph to 70 mph and allowing the Florida Department of Transportation to set maximum speed limits for all other roadways to 65 mph. 'We should be protecting our pets': Lawmakers advance bill to protect dogs during natural disasters The transportation bill would also allow FDOT to widen Interstate 4 from U.S. 27 in Polk County to Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County. The bill asks FDOT to develop a report on widening I-4 and I-75. The report would need to include detailed cost projections and schedules for project development and environment studies, design, acquisition of rights-of-way, and construction. The report would be due to the governor, the Florida president of the Senate and the Florida Speaker of the House of Representatives by the end of the year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
75 mph in Florida? Proposal would bump state's max speed limit by 5 mph. What to know
A transportation bill working its way through the Florida Legislature to address the Department of Transportation's future plans for high-speed highways includes raising the state's maximum speed limit. If an amendment added to SB 462 by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Pinellas sticks, it would raise speed limits by 5 mph across the state, raising the max speed in Florida to 75 mph. Raising the state speed limit is a common request during state legislative sessions, with at least seven states seeking to raise theirs last year. A bill raising Florida's speed limit passed the legislature in 2014 but then-Gov. Rick Scott vetoed it, citing concerns from law enforcement. 'I strongly respect the opinion of state and local law enforcement officers who have contacted me to warn about the possible serious negative consequences should this bill become law," Scott said in his veto message. "While the evidence suggests that increased driving speeds are not the sole cause of traffic accidents, they clearly contribute to the increased severity of vehicle crash outcomes in the form of needless injuries and deaths.' The amendment does not appear on a companion bill (HB 567) in the House from Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota. DiCeglie's amendment, added this week, would: Strike the current 40 mph minimum speed limit on all roads four lanes or larger and leave it to FDOT to determine on a case-by-case basis Up the maximum allowable speed limit on limited access highways from 70 to 75 mph Hike the maximum allowable speed limit on divided, four-or-more-lane highways from 65 to 70 mph Allow FDOT to set maximum and minimum speeds on all other roads but with the max limit raised to 65 rather than the current 60 mph Law enforcement and safety organizations have spoken against raising speed limits. Multiple studies, such as a 2021 from AAA, found that higher speeds increase the driver's risk of severe injury or death. 'Higher speed limits cancel out the benefits of vehicle safety improvements like airbags and improved structural designs,' said Dr. David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 'The faster a driver is going before a crash, the less likely it is that they'll be able to get down to a survivable speed even if they have a chance to brake before impact.' A 2019 IIHS study found that rising speed limits have cost nearly 37,000 lives over 25 years. Currently, 18 states have maximum speed limits of 75 mph or more in certain situations, often rural highways. The states with 75 mph speed limits are: Arizona Arkansas Colorado Kansas Lousiana Maine Michigan Nebraska New Mexico North Dakota Seven states — Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming — have maximum speed limits of 80 mph. By law, the Texas Transportation Commission may set a speed limit up to 85 mph if the roadway is designed to accommodate that speed safely, although that hasn't happened yet. The bill itself is a sweeping one that seeks to clarify a lot of existing laws and add some big changes. Some of them include: The Department of Revenue would be required to distribute 6 cents per kWh of sales tax from commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging to the State Transportation Trust Fund for five years, starting in October FDOT would be able to use eminent domain in advance to acquire land for future proposed developments Requirements for FDOT to award proposed construction and maintenance work to the lowest responsible bidder, when its estimate is $100 million or less and it meets other criteria relating to other bids Requires contractors doing work that requires marine general liability insurance to carry marine general liability insurance Allows FDOT to waive prequalification certification for contractors bidding on certain contracts of $1 million or less, raises the maximum contract amount for which FDOT can waive bond requirements from $150,000 to $250,000 Requires FDOT contractors working on the maintenance of safety elements such as guardrails, traffic signals and stripping to be qualified and experienced with the correct equipment and record Authorizes the State Arbitration Board to arbitrate a claim of up to $2 million or more, instead of the current $1 million Cuts the time period for written warranty or defect claims in half, from 820 days after final acceptance to 360 days after FDOT provides written notice of them Requires underground utilities at a right-of-way to be electronically detectable and defines restrictions, liability, highway reimbursement for utility replacement, and the process utility owners must use Requires FDOT to prioritize new highway and highway redevelopment plans to cover gaps in Florida's Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) of highways so they become contiguous Requires FDOT to create a report on the effects, costs and schedule for widening Interstate 4 from west of U.S. 27 in Polk County to east of World Center Drive (S.R. 536) in Orange County If the amendment stays in, the bill passes and Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it, it becomes law on July 1, 2025. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida speed limit 75 mph bill amendment. SB 462 details
