Latest news with #SB55
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Kemp signs several healthcare bills in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Governor Brian Kemp campaigned on quality healthcare for Georgians, and he says that was delivered Thursday with six bills signed into law. 'Protecting the health and wellbeing of Georgians isn't something that we take lightly,' Kemp said. Issues addressed in those bills: Maternal, mental, and physical health. One of the bills signed, SB 55, aims to make sure everyone, regardless of if they have a disability or not, earns at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Senator Billy Hickman from Statesboro sponsored the legislation. Hickman said there are about 10 community rehabilitation centers across the state now paying people with disabilities below minimum wage, in some cases only 22 cents an hour. Hickman told WSAV, he became passionate about this issue when it became personal. 'I lost 60 percent of my hearing in one of my ears and 40 percent of my hearing in the other. So it really has caused me to understand more about people who have disabilities; how it affects them,' Hickman said. Another bill with personal ties to many is HB 428. The bill is sponsored by Representative Lehman Franklin. The bill provides more access to IVF procedures. 'A modern miracle for many families who yearn for the blessing of a child,' Kemp said. Senator Ben Watson sponsored the bill in the senate. He told News 3 about the IVF journey Representative Franklin and his wife, Laurie, have endured. 'They had tried unsuccessfully for years, and she is due here in about three weeks as a result of in vitro fertilization. So, basically what we wanted to ensure was that all Georgians had that access and had the right to have that,' Watson said. Other bills addressed maternal mortality and drug abuse treatment. Kemp also signed 17 local legislative bills for communities from Tybee island to Long and Bryan County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia moves closer to phase out subminimum wage for people with disabilities
The Brief Georgia lawmakers are sponsoring a bill to end a practice that allows some Georgia employers to pay disabled workers subminimum wages. Some workers with disabilities are paid as little as 22 cents an hour. SB 55 would phase out the program that allows employers to pay disabled workers below the federal minimum wage. ATLANTA - The "Dignity and Pay Act" would phase out a decades-old program that allows some employers to pay people with disabilities well below the federal minimum wage, with some receiving as little as 22 cents an hour. This practice was implemented at the federal level in the 1930's under the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide employment opportunities to disabled workers. What they're saying Critics argue the program exploits people with disabilities and is discriminatory. Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta spokesperson Sheryl Arno has been fighting for years at the state and federal level to end the program. "They just – they want to be a part of the community," Arno told FOX 5. "They're okay paying taxes. They vote. They want to get married. They have the same hopes and dreams, but they need to be valued in the same light." What's next On Wednesday, Senate Bill 55 cleared a House Committee by unanimous vote. If passed, employers would have two years to end their participation in the program. Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities' spokesperson Leah Soller said the change is long overdue. "There are, I believe, 11 states that have started to fully, or at least partially, phase out this subminimum wage." Soller explained. The Source FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Deidra Dukes interviewed Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta spokesperson Sheryl Arno and Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities' spokesperson Leah Soller for this report.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Senate approves cell phone ban for K-12 public school students
Photo: Daniel deThe North Carolina Senate passed a bipartisan bill 41-1 Tuesday requiring public schools to restrict student use 'wireless communication devices' during instructional time. The Senate approved SB 55, which would require local education agencies to implement policies that ban students from using, displaying, or having their phones turned on during class. The bill defines a wireless communication device as 'any portable wireless device that has the capability to provide voice, messaging, or other data communication between two or more parties,' including cellular telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, paging devices, two-way radios, and gaming devices. Supporters of the bill say limiting cell phone use reduces distractions, prevents cheating, and curbs bullying. Sen. Joyce Waddell (D-Mecklenburg), proposed an amendment to the bill that would've allowed students to use their devices during non-instructional time, but the amendment was tabled. Waddell called for schools to be given more flexibility in implementing the policy, arguing that 'one size does not fit all,' pointing to the diverse needs of school districts across the state. 'Every public school unit in North Carolina serves a different community with different needs. What works in one district does not work in another,' she said. Waddell also called for additional resources and time for schools to develop and implement the policies, arguing that the Oct. 1 deadline specified in the bill for schools to submit their policies to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is insufficient. A similar amendment by Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) which would allow devices to remain powered on but inaccessible during instructional time, was also tabled. This bill is similar to House Bill 87, which passed a House committee last week. While both bills aim to limit student cell phone use in the classroom, Senate Bill 55 would go further by requiring a more stringent ban on all wireless communication devices, including tablets and laptops, during instructional time. The bill now moves to the House for a vote. If passed by the House, the bill would require school districts to have new policies in place by the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. The bill's primary sponsors are GOP Senators Michael Lee (New Hanover), Jim Burgin (Harnett, Lee, Sampson) and Lisa Barnes (Franklin, Nash, Vance), but several members of both parties have also signed onto the bill as co-sponsors.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New legislation looks to limit cellphone usage in North Carolina schools
NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — New legislation filed in Raleigh looks to limit phone usage in North Carolina Schools. Senate Bill 55 would ban students from using non-educational devices for the entire school day. SB 55 would restrict students from using personal, wireless communication devices from the first to the last bell of the school day. Bill author Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett County) told Queen City News the measure is getting positive feedback and downplayed concerns about safety. PREVIOUS: NC education leaders to discuss possible cellphone restrictions in public schools 'There is a phone in every classroom in the state of North Carolina,' said Burgin. 'You know the teachers are instructed on what to do in case of an emergency. If there's an emergency, I don't want 30 kids or 25 kids, however many in the class on their phone, not listening, not taking instructions, not being quiet if they're told to be quiet.' Back in January, a similar ban on phone usage went into effect statewide in South Carolina. Lancaster County Schools implemented their own policy months earlier. They had begun discussions about limiting phone use during the Summer of 2024. 'There was a lot of time being spent on asking students to put their phone away. We know that technology is a tool and there's a lot of positives to it, but we also know that it can be a distraction,' said Elizabeth Bryant, Director of Communication for Lancaster County School District. Bryant said that district-wide, they're already seeing a positive impact. 'They have seen a lot of students talking to one another…the only negative thing, I wouldn't even say…it's really a positive, is that the conversations have increased and so the noise level in the buildings has increased,' she said. Back in North Carolina, Sen. Burgin told Queen City News he believes his bill will get the votes it needs to become law, and argued a statewide mandate is the best way to improve outcomes for districts and their students. 'I think a lot of the districts are a little bit timid about doing some things,' he said. 'Whereas if they had clear direction from us, I think they would find it easier to do.' While SB 55 would be the first state mandate restricting phones in North Carolina schools, several districts, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, have already rolled out their own policies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate passes immigration bills targeting licenses, transport, DNA collection
Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 4, 2025. The Alabama Senate advanced three immigration bills Thursday to restrict undocumented migrants by banning certain out-of-state licenses, criminalizing their transport, and requiring law enforcement to collect their DNA and fingerprints. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate advanced three immigration bills Thursday meant to target immigrants in the country without permission and those who assist them. The bills, collectively, would ban driver's licenses from at least two states issued to migrants in the country illegally; ban transporting immigrants without status into Alabama, and require law enforcement to collect DNA and fingerprints from detained migrants. 'The goal is to let illegal immigrants know that unless they have proof of lawful presence, unless they're here legally, that they shouldn't be in Alabama,' said Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, a sponsor of one of the bills. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Most of the bills were amended after Democratic senators, who often mount hours-long filibusters on bills they oppose, pushed forward changes on the bills. 'I see as a win at the end of the day, when, if I could water this bill down, if I can get into a position to where it's better, better than what it was,' Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said after the Senate adjourned on Thursday. SB 53, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, establishes a process to determine immigration status detained by law enforcement and establish the crime of human smuggling if a person knowingly transports a person living in the country without authorization into Alabama. The bill passed 24-8. SB 55, sponsored by Elliot, invalidates out-of-state driver's licenses issued without legal presence verification. It passed 24-4. SB 63, sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, requires fingerprinting and DNA collection from non-citizens in custody. The bill passed 24-7. SB 53 had drawn sharp criticism from opponents, who noted that said language in the bill that made it a crime to 'harbor' a person without legal status echoed parts of the Fugitive Slave Act. The law, revised in 1850, forced officials to assist slaveowners in recapturing people who escaped slavery and threatened those who assisted with those escapes with jail time and fines. The section evoking the Fugitive Slave Act was dropped in a substitute version of the bill adopted Thursday. Singleton also offered an amendment to SB 53 that would exempt teachers and lawyers from crimes of human smuggling if they knowingly transport a migrant without legal status into Alabama. He said that was to protect lawyers traveling with clients to one of the closest immigration courts in Georgia and Louisiana and teachers taking students on field trips. The amendment passed 32-0. Kitchens said after adjourning that he had discussions with members from the Democratic Party that led to these changes. 'Even working across the aisle with members on the other side of the aisle, we didn't see that comparison, but there were some changes made through that discussion,' Kitchens said. Miguel Luna, policy fellow at the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ), said in a phone interview after the bill's passage Thursday that even with that language taken out, it still gives him 'pause.' 'It's trying to compare two things, for example, human trafficking with individuals who are here and an undocumented fashion, when both of those things aren't really connected, and it's kind of just offensive in a way,' Luna said, and added that the bill could still target organization like ACIJ for helping migrants. Singleton also offered an amendment to SB 55 allowing individuals with a license affected by the law to show other documentation showing proof of lawful status, which passed 32-0. Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, offered an amendment that would provide notice on signs welcoming drivers to Alabama of the potential law invalidating certain driver licenses. 'I think it would be worth it to put the notification up then be embarrassed,' she said during the debate. Elliot said he was open to the amendment. 'I'd love nothing more than have a sign up that says 'If you're here illegally, turn around,'' he said. Coleman-Madison's amendment passed 29-0. Nineteen states currently offer driver's licenses to immigrants living in the country without legal permission, but only Connecticut and Delaware offer licenses that are distinguishable from other classes of driver's licenses, making them the only states targeted by the legislation. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles keeps a list of 'out-of-state license classes no longer accepted in Florida' and it includes only Connecticut and Delaware. Luna said that the bill could have unintended consequences, potentially making roads less safe and harming Alabama's economy. 'If people are not allowed to drive anywhere, they're not going to be incentivized to work,' he said. SB 63, which would require DNA and fingerprint collection from noncitizens in custody, adding them to a state's forensic database, passed without much discussion. Luna said that the bill unfairly criminalizes immigrants. 'It's like they're trying to immediately criminalize all undocumented immigrants who are here because of the crime they committed in coming to this country,' Luna said. SB 77, sponsored by Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, which would add fees to international wire transfers, was on the Senate agenda Thursday but was held after Weaver said it would have to start in the House due to constitutional requirements. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, indicated Thursday the chamber may take up some immigration bills next week. 'I think you will see some of those probably in the House along with the safety package that the governor had a press conference with, I think you will see that,' Ledbetter said. 'That is probably going to take a big part of the week because there will be a lot of conversation around some of those bills.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
