Latest news with #SB7
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers near deal to spend $20 billion over two decades on water crisis
Texas lawmakers appear to have reached a deal this week and are on the brink of passing a sweeping plan to invest billions into the state's fragile water infrastructure and future water supply over the next 20 years, ending months of tense, back door negotiations. On Tuesday, the Senate approved House Joint Resolution 7, which will send to voters in November a proposal to allot $1 billion a year — $20 billion in total — until 2047 to secure the state's water supply. That money will be used to fund new water supply projects, such as desalination, repairing old water infrastructure, conservation and flood mitigation projects. Meanwhile, the House gave initial approval to Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, which lays out the administrative framework for funding water projects through the Texas Water Development Board. Lawmakers also agreed to a one-time investment of $2.5 billion into the water fund from House Bill 500, the supplemental budget, which is taken from the current budget surplus. About $880 million of that is already in the fund, so more than $1.6 billion will be deposited. A final, procedural, vote by the House on SB 7 is expected to happen Wednesday. [Water bills face deadline threat as Texas lawmakers negotiate spending priorities] Addressing the state's water crisis has been a big priority for lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott this year. Texas is running out of water, and fast. With aging pipes, drought pressure, and population growth squeezing resources, Abbott called water an 'emergency item.' The $20 billion deal is a step forward, but the funding is a fraction of what Texas needs to fully fix the problem. A Texas 2036 report estimated that the state needs nearly $154 billion by 2050 for water infrastructure, including $59 billion for water supply projects, $74 billion for leaky pipes and infrastructure maintenance, and $21 billion to fix broken wastewater systems. The funding also dries up in 2047, and unlike similar constitutional funds, such as those dedicated to transportation, the Legislature cannot extend the tax dedication by resolution. The Legislature, more than two decades from now, will have to amend the state constitution, again — with another two-thirds vote — to keep the money flowing. It will also be put to another state referendum. And as climate change accelerates, urban demand skyrockets, and critical infrastructure ages, this deal may prove to be a down payment. Perry acknowledged the shortfall on the Senate floor, but applauded the initial step. 'This plan is a good start to make that goal,' Perry said. Both bills have changed quite a bit throughout the legislative process. The biggest point of contention was how the annual $1 billion would be spent. The original House plan gave the Texas Water Development Board wide discretion over how to use the money. Waters experts said under that plan, local leaders would have had flexibility to prioritize their community's most pressing needs — whether cleaning salty water to make drinkable or repairing leaky pipes. However, a Senate push led by Perry locked in 80% of the funds for new water supply projects, such as desalination and treating oilfield wastewater. Under that plan, the remaining 20% would be reserved for repairs, conservation, and flood mitigation. The fight over that ratio became the flashpoint of the legislative debate. On Monday, both those proposals were walked back to a 50-50 split by an amendment added to the Senate bill by state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine. During the discussion Monday about the Senate bill, Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, cited a neighborhood in her district with chronic water line failures and old pipes that need repair. She asked if the water bill will help communities like that one with leaking pipes. Harris assured her the bill 'absolutely' addresses that. 'Being able to fix existing failing infrastructure is a major focus of this bill,' he said. The Senate and House need to approve each chamber's amendments, which they're expected to do, before the legislation can be sent to Abbott's desk. Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. 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
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Water supplies in Texas one step closer to extra boost
AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of Gov. Greg Abbott's priorities for the 89th Legislative Session is nearing reality: a major investment in water. On Monday, the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met to vote on Senate Bill 7. The bill, if approved, will add $1 billion a year for 50 years to the Texas Water Fund. Following public comment, the committee voted to move the bill forward to the Senate floor, where it will then see a vote. The Texas Water Fund (TWF) is controlled by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). Established three years ago, the TWF can be used to support projects that either generate new water supply, like the construction of desalination plants, or repair busted infrastructure. The TWF was started with a billion dollar investment, but experts estimate that will not be enough to support the growing need for water in the state. Nonprofit organization Texas 2036 estimates that the state will need more than $150 billion over the next 50 years to support growing demand. Their report accounted for new industries, growing population, flood control strategies and replacing infrastructure. Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and has led the charge on SB 7. The bill is one of two filed this session with a focus on growing the TWF. The other, House Bill 16 — written Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine — differs in a few ways. Funds from both bills would be controlled by the TWDB board. They would determine which projects receive funds. 'There isn't a silver bullet. We often say that silver buckshot. You know, it's like a number of things. And infrastructure is one of them. Conservation is one of them. And more innovative, supplies of water is also one of those,' said Dr. Robert Mace, executive director and professor of practice in the department of geography, of the Meadows Center at Texas State. Mace said one of the key parts of Perry's plan is a focus on desalination. These plants take sea water and convert it into drinkable water. 'The Gulf is what allows me to sleep at night thinking about the future of Texas. Because I do see a future where we have, we have desalinated sea water coming up to our urban centers,' Mace said. In Monday's committee meeting, Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo backed the plan during the public comment period. 'We believe that regional water suppliers, like the city of Corpus Christi, are best positioned to develop new water supplies,' Guajardo said. The city recently received approval to build a desalination plant. At least four are planned for the area. Several people spoke out against desalination during the public comment period. Some focused on damage these plants can have to environments along the coast, while others had issue with the cost. Some speakers pushed back against the need to build new infrastructure that would be needed to carry the water from the coast to places like Lubbock. 'You know what's more expensive than desalinated sea water? No water,' Mace said. Mace is this month's featured lecture at the University of Texas' Hot Science Cool Talks lecture series. His session called 'The Future of Texas Water' is scheduled for March 28 at 7 p.m. at UT's Welch Hall. The event is free. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
East Bay politician introduces bill to ensure human oversight of AI in workplace
(KRON) — An East Bay elected official has introduced a bill to require human oversight in the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Senate Bill 7, known as the 'No Robo Bosses Act,' was introduced by State Sen. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton). The legislation, according to McNerney's office, is designed to 'require human oversight of artificial intelligence systems in the workplace to help prevent abuses.' SB 7 would bar employers in California from primarily relying on AI systems known as automated decision-making systems (ADS), to make 'hiring, promotion, discipline, or termination decisions,' without human oversight. SB 7 would also prohibit employers from using ADS systems from using the personal information of workers to 'predict' what they might do in the future. Salesforce joins growing list of companies ending diversity hiring initiatives 'Businesses are increasingly using AI to boost efficiency and productivity in the workplace,' said McNerney. 'But there are currently no safeguards to prevent machines from unjustly or illegally impacting workers' livelihoods and working conditions.' 'SB 7 does not prohibit ADS in the workplace, rather it establishes guardrails to ensure that California businesses are not operated by robo bosses — by putting a human in the loop,' he continued. 'AI must remain a tool controlled by humans, not the other way around.' The legislation is sponsored by the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. If the legislation is passed, McNerney's offices said it will be the first of its kind in the nation. AI and ADS systems are increasingly being used by employers in California and around the world. However, McNerney's office cites examples of 'bossware' products that prioritize efficiency and cost-savings over health and safety. In the health care industry, nurses have reportedly had their hours and wages set by algorithms with no human oversight. McNerney's office also cites examples of people being mistakenly terminated from their jobs by AI. ADS models have also reportedly used 'predictive behavior' models that collect personal data from workers and initiated 'adverse actions against a worker based on what the AI 'predicts' the worker will do.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
06-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Inside Jerry McNerney's new AI strategy
Hello California Playbook PM readers! We're excited to bring you a special, two-week preview of our new daily newsletter POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded in this space. If you like what you read, you can subscribe here. California Playbook PM will return on March 17. QUICK FIX — A former AI player in Congress brings his battle to Sacramento. — Lawmakers vow to crack down on digital scammers through tech and banking. Welcome to California Decoded! Happy Thursday. Send feedback, tips and story ideas to tkatzenberger@ and chasedf@ Driving the day EXCLUSIVE: ENTER BIG FISH — Former Rep. Jerry McNerney — a vocal advocate of AI rules on the Hill — is today pushing his first bill on tech as a California state lawmaker in ambitious new legislation shared first with POLITICO. The Stockton Democrat tells us he feels more confident about success in his deep-blue home state after 16 years of jumping through hoops in a divided Congress. 'You actually can do things here,' McNerney told California Decoded in an exclusive interview. 'I'm really thrilled about that.' McNerney's maiden bill on the technology since his election last November, SB 7, seeks to crack down on AI in the workplace by prohibiting employers from using automated decision-making tools to make hiring, promotion, disciplinary and firing decisions without human oversight. The so-called 'bossware' systems would be barred from obtaining — or using AI to infer — personal information about employees, such as their immigration status, sexual orientation or credit history. Companies would be forbidden from taking adverse actions against workers based on inferences about their future behavior generated by predictive AI tools. 'We're really excited about this one,' McNerney said. 'This is probably going to be our biggest achievement this year.' It's nothing to sneeze at. His 'No Robo Bosses Act' (insert Terminator jokes here) is one of the influential California Labor Federation's three flagship, first-in-the-nation bills aimed at regulating how companies can use AI-powered systems to monitor and manage workers. That makes it prime turf for another tense battle pitting labor unions against Big Tech-aligned business groups, which argue their tools already offer privacy protections in compliance with existing state and national laws. But it's not the earth-shattering entrance that some California tech watchers might have expected from the eight-term representative and former congressional AI Caucus co-chair. McNerney told us that's on purpose. 'Oh no, no, nothing like that,' he said when asked if he would carry anything rivaling SB 1047, state Sen. Scott Wiener's sweeping AI safety bill that triggered Big Tech backlash and pitted leading congressional Democrats like Nancy Pelosi up against AI doomers like Elon Musk. 'This is my first year here, so I want to map out a long-term plan,' McNerney explained. 'But some things I think are urgently needed right now, and so that's where we're focused.' McNerney said he's still mulling other ways to push the envelope on AI regulations that fit his pragmatic approach. He declined to share more details for now but expected he'll soon flesh out a placeholder bill, SB 833, that would keep 'humans in the loop' when AI systems oversee 'critical infrastructure,' like water and electric projects. 'Establishing standards is an important part of the process, but we also want humans to be a part of the process,' he said. 'We don't want AI to just go rogue and make decisions without any kind of oversight.' McNerney's not the only lawmaker stepping back from the brink after industry opposition and Gov. Gavin Newsom's veto pen killed some of the Legislature's most ambitious proposals to rein in AI last year. Wiener told us last week that he significantly pared back his latest AI safety push, SB 53, in response to Newsom's veto of his SB 1047 last September. Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, a Yolo County Democrat, similarly trimmed her latest push to stick human safety operators behind the wheel of some autonomous delivery vehicles after Newsom sank it last year. NEWS BREAK: President Donald Trump delays most tariffs on Mexico for one month … Trump says Musk lacks unilateral authority to fire federal workers. HAPPENING TODAY 2 p.m. PT — California's privacy watchdog, the CPPA, holds a closed-door board meeting to discuss a potential new executive director after former leader Ashkan Soltani departed in January. Soltani helped build out the CPPA following its creation in 2020, including its enforcement division, and made rulemaking recommendations, which faced legal challenges. It comes as the agency weighs sweeping proposed rules on automated decision-making that have attracted fierce criticism from tech and business groups. The draft regulations would require businesses to scale back their use of automated tools in a wide array of scenarios if customers ask to opt out, ranging from targeted advertising in online shopping to facial recognition software used at ticketing gates. State Capitol BILLIONS WITH A B — Californians are losing billions of dollars every year to increasingly sophisticated financial scams that authorities have long struggled to combat since online tricksters often reside abroad. So state lawmakers are promising to introduce more bills this session to crack down not just on scammers, but also the tech and telecom companies they use to bilk billions from the state's economy. 'I suspect we will continue to see bills this legislative cycle to address this,' said state Sen. Monique Limón during a hearing Wednesday on tech-enabled scams at the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee. California residents have lost at least $2.5 billion to scammers in the last year, U.S. Secret Service San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet told the committee. Speaking to the committee and representatives from tech industry group TechNet and JPMorgan Chase, Limón said previous bills on the issue had been difficult to advance. She said she hoped to find common ground on heading off scams that target people on social media, through their cell carriers and elsewhere. Dylan Hoffman said on behalf of TechNet that social media companies have worked hard to detect and flag scammy accounts, many of which originate from overseas, on their sites. 'These are incredibly sophisticated criminal organizations,' Hoffman said. Options are limited for the state, and even the feds, to bust up overseas crime rings since they lack jurisdiction. Telecom providers are federally regulated and states can't force them to further clamp down on digital shysters. But putting more pressure on tech companies and banks in California is an option the committee appears to be considering. State Sen. Laura Richardson, for example, has authored a bill that would require increased security for digital payment apps. State Sen. Tim Grayson, who chairs the committee, told California Decoded a bill Newsom vetoed last year could be resurrected this session. Authored by former state Sen. Bill Dodd, that effort was aimed at preventing financial abuse of seniors by requiring the flagging and delaying of transactions that could be the result of fraud. Grayson said he wouldn't know for sure if the legislation is coming back until after the deadline to flesh out spot bills. Byte Sized — Anthropic submits AI proposal to Trump's White House (POLITICO Pro) — Former Meta official's 'explosive' memoir to be published next week (AP) — Crypto can't stop fighting itself (POLITICO) — California's list of failed tech projects just keeps growing (CalMatters) — DOGE's play for government data is straining a law inspired by Watergate (POLITICO) Have a tip, event or AI spaghetti video to share? Do reach out: Emma Anderson, California tech editor; Chase DiFeliciantonio, AI and automation reporter; and Tyler Katzenberger, Sacramento tech reporter.
USA Today
13-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signs his first bill, banning sanctuary cities in SD
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signs his first bill, banning sanctuary cities in SD Show Caption Hide Caption South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden talks about taking over from Kristi Noem Larry Rhoden speaks about his experience with his transition as the new South Dakota governor. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed 15 bills into law, including SB7, which bans sanctuary cities in the state. Other bills signed into law include updates to motor carrier regulations, increased penalties for commercial driver violations, and modifications to hunting license age requirements. Gov. Larry Rhoden signed his first bill into law on Friday. The bill, SB7, bans sanctuary cities in South Dakota. On Monday, he signed 14 other bills, including one that shortens the time before records of a governor or a lieutenant governor are opened to the public. The sanctuary bill also provides protections for law enforcement officers who carry out immigration enforcement actions. Immigration crackdown: ICE enforcement intensifies in South Dakota 'This bill reiterates South Dakota's respect for the rule of law,' Rhoden said in a release. 'Our state has been negatively impacted by the unlawful and uncontrolled illegal immigration." Rhoden thanked President Donald Trump for his actions in helping to end sanctuary cities and spoke about the need for the bill. "This bill is a step in the right direction towards keeping South Dakota strong, safe and free,' Rhoden said. South Dakota legislation: Aberdeen GOP Sen. Carl Perry introduces bill to cap fluoride in water The primary sponsors of the bill were Sen. Casey Crabree, who represents Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake and Miner counties and Rep. Mary Fitzgerald who represents Lawrence County. Brown County Senators Carl Perry and Glen Vilhauer as well as Codington County Sen. Michael Rohl also sponsored the bill. The Representatives from Brown and Codington counties who helped sponsor the bill were Representatives Logan Manhart of Brown County and Matt Roby of Codington County. Q&A: Gov. Larry Rhoden talks property taxes, state budget, job transition On Monday, Rhoden signed the following 14 bills into law: SB1 updates references to certain federal motor carrier regulations; SB2 increases civil penalties for commercial driver violations; SB5 permits a sheriff to charge a fee for service of process, whether service is completed or not; SB10 shortens the time before records of a Governor or a lieutenant governor are opened to the public; SB13 clarifies the enactment and effective date of a measure initiated or referred within a political subdivision; SB30 removes outdated provisions within the insurance code; SB36 repeals the oath requirement for an application for a lodging establishment, campground, food service establishment, or mobile food service establishment license; SB38 modifies requirements for a vehicle approaching a vehicle that is stopped or occupying the shoulder of the highway with warning lights flashing; SB39 revises the description of highways included in the state trunk highway system; SB40 revises Department of Transportation regulatory authority regarding aeronautics; SB41 clarifies the minimum age requirements for a hunting license; HB 1011 revises provisions related to the stenographic recording of certain proceedings; HB 1022 prohibits the misbranding of any cell-cultured protein product; and HB 1049 updates the official code of laws. Gov. Rhoden has signed 15 bills into law this legislative session.
