Latest news with #Senate-approved
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Scanlan opposes risk pool bill rewrite
Secretary of State David Scanlan has come out against legislation that would permit the state's four risk management pools, which provide health, property or casualty insurance for governmental units, to choose their regulator. Scanlan opposes latest rewrite of risk pool bill Secretary of State David Scanlan said he opposed a rewrite of legislation he had sought to give his office more sweeping powers over regulating risk pools that provide insurance coverages for governmental units. The House Commerce Committee earlier this week unanimously approved a rewrite of a Senate-approved bill (SB 297) Scanlan had requested to give his office more sweeping powers to regulate these entities. Scanlan had sought the change after he charged that two of the companies were on the brink of financial insolvency because their executives ignored the advice of actuaries and kept their rates too low to hold onto market share. One of those two risk pools, the New Hampshire Interlocal Trust, has declared bankruptcy, and Scanlan convinced a Superior Court judge to name a receiver to take over its finances. The other risk pool that drew Scanlan's criticism is HealthTrust, the largest in the state, which supports 191 of the state's 234 cities and towns, six of 10 counties, 85 school groups and 74 other units like water, library and fire districts. HealthTrust has denied Scanlan's claims and threatened to pull out of the market if Scanlan's proposal was signed into law. The House committee's proposal would instead give these risk entities the option of coming under the supervision of Scanlan's office or before the Department of Insurance. Chairman and Rep. John Hunt, R-Rindge, came up with the idea and said there is a precedent for this since banks get to choose whether to come under state or federal regulation. 'This was written to also protect their tax-exempt status,' Hunt said. Rep. Julie Miles, R-Merrimack, explained that the risk pools would remain under Scanlan if they were member owned, responsible for their own deficits and had to return all surpluses to governmental unit members. If those conditions did not apply to the risk pool, then they could be regulated by the Insurance Department. 'This bill strengthens the structural boundaries and provides clarity, accountability and long-term stability to these risk pools,' Miles said. Scanlan said the bill has lost its original intent. 'The bill does not address the underlying concerns we have expressed specifically related to HealthTrust and the potential impact their fiscal management practices may have on the taxpayers and public sector employees in this state,' Scanlan said. 'The amendment should be rejected. SB 297 has changed from a bill requiring transparency and accountability with financial guardrails and triggers to a bill that changes who can regulate a pooled risk organization.' Opponents line up against Scanlan's bill Lisa Duquette, executive director of SchoolCare, one of the risk pools that represents 100 school districts, said her group opposes the House change because it could require them to seek the approval of rates by the Insurance Department. "This would be a loss of local control," she said. HealthTrust officials are pleased with the rewrite and if it became law the group would come under insurance regulation. 'HealthTrust's model is non-assessable (meaning we have committed to not sending member groups an assessment for additional revenue mid-year), which was no longer permitted under the original SB 297,' HealthTrust said in a statement. 'In a non-assessable plan, member groups are only responsible for their monthly contribution costs and do not bear the risk of mid-year assessments due to adverse claims experience, which allows for the predictability that is critical for public sector budgets.' Roughly 100 municipal officials who were members of HealthTrust signed up online in opposition to Scanlan's bill and many cited the provision that could require them to raise their rates in the middle of the year. HealthTrust officials had also maintained Scanlan's bill set too low an acceptable standard for minimum reserves that these risk pools should have to cover their losses. 'While the amendment contains more rigorous oversight requirements, HealthTrust welcomes effective regulation, particularly with recent volatility in the market,' HealthTrust said. 'Risk pools fulfill an essential function for New Hampshire's public sector and member groups, covered individuals, and taxpayers deserve financially sound systems.' What's Next: The full House will vote on this proposal when it next meets on June 5. Prospects: This issue appears likely headed to a conference committee to try and work out differences between House and Senate plans. Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, authored Scanlan's original proposal and is likely to take Scanlan's side about it. klandrigan@
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Texas Senate approves bill strictly defining man and woman based on reproductive organs
The Texas Senate sent legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) that would strictly define genders across state law based on male and female reproductive organs — potentially creating new hurdles for transgender and intersex Texans whose gender identity would revert to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records. Abbott's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment about his plans for the bill once it hits his desk. Supporters of the legislation said that it follows a directive Abbot issued earlier this year that state government in 'Texas recognizes only two sexes — male and female.' Abbott cited in the directive an executive order that President Trump signed shortly after his January inauguration that designates male and female as the only sexes recognized by the federal government and on a biological basis. 'All Texas agencies must ensure that agency rules, internal policies, employment practices, and other actions comply with the law and the biological reality that there are only two sexes—male and female,' Abbott wrote in his January letter to state agencies. The latest Senate-approved bill, dubbed the 'Women's Bill of Rights,' defines sex as 'an individual's biological sex, either male or female.' Under the legislation, a woman or female is an 'individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova' and a male or man is 'someone whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.' Additionally, it defines 'mother' as 'a parent of the female sex.' Critics of the measure argue that the bill oversimplifies sex, gender and a broad spectrum of personal experiences. 'If a law forces non-binary Texans, who are real people, into categories that don't reflect their lived experiences or identities … that would actually become discrimination in practice,' state Sen. José Menéndez (D) said during the floor debate on the bill before its passage. 'That's a concern that I have.' State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R), who sponsored the bill, said that it would preserve women's designated spaces, like restrooms and prisons, based on 'biological reality.' He noted that it carries no criminal or civil penalties. 'For our entire history we never had to define this because common sense dictated we didn't, but unfortunately, that seems to have changed,' he said in the floor debate. Abbott has previously pushed back against past criticism for signing laws that target LGBTQ people. He approved legislation in 2023 and 2021 to bar transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls sports in Texas schools and colleges. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Texas Senate approves bill strictly defining man and woman based on reproductive organs
The Texas Senate sent legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) that would strictly define genders across state law based on male and female reproductive organs — potentially creating new hurdles for transgender and intersex Texans whose gender identity would revert to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records. Abbott's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment about his plans for the bill once it hits his desk. Supporters of the legislation said that it follows a directive Abbot issued earlier this year that state government in 'Texas recognizes only two sexes — male and female.' Abbott cited in the directive an executive order that President Trump signed shortly after his January inauguration that designates male and female as the only sexes recognized by the federal government and on a biological basis. 'All Texas agencies must ensure that agency rules, internal policies, employment practices, and other actions comply with the law and the biological reality that there are only two sexes—male and female,' Abbott wrote in his January letter to state agencies. The latest Senate-approved bill, dubbed the 'Women's Bill of Rights,' defines sex as 'an individual's biological sex, either male or female.' Under the legislation, a woman or female is an 'individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova' and a male or man is 'someone whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.' Additionally, it defines 'mother' as 'a parent of the female sex.' Critics of the measure argue that the bill oversimplifies sex, gender and a broad spectrum of personal experiences. 'If a law forces non-binary Texans, who are real people, into categories that don't reflect their lived experiences or identities … that would actually become discrimination in practice,' State Sen. Sen. José Menéndez (D) said during the floor debate on the bill before its passage. 'That's a concern that I have.' State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R), who sponsored the bill, said that it would preserve women's designated spaces, like restrooms and prisons, based on 'biological reality.' He noted that it carries no criminal or civil penalties. 'For our entire history we never had to define this because common sense dictated we didn't, but unfortunately, that seems to have changed,' he said in the floor debate. Abbott has previously pushed back against past criticism for signing laws that target LGBTQ people. He approved legislation in 2023 and 2021 to bar transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports in Texas schools and colleges.
France 24
26-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
French farmers threaten to block Paris to push for risky pesticide re-introduction
French farmers are planning to block highways around Paris from Monday as part of a series of protests calling for the French parliament to adopt a bill that would loosen restrictions on a risky pesticide and water use in farming. France's main farming unions have been angered by amendments in the lower house of parliament to reverse Senate-approved proposals to re-authorise a pesticide accused of harming bees. The amendments would also reverse proposals loosening restrictions around water use to promote irrigation reservoirs. The action follows protests by farmers last year in France and across Europe over red tape and cheap foreign competition, after which they obtained some concessions at French and EU levels.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Speaker Mike Johnson's bluff-calling strategy reaches its limit: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Sahil Kapur explains how a failed committee vote revealed the limitations of Speaker Mike Johnson's tactics for dealing with the hard-right rebels in his conference. Plus, we have a sneak peek of Kristen Welker's 'Meet the Press' interview with former Vice President Mike Pence. And Gary Grumbach answer's this week's reader question on President Donald Trump's efforts to defund public media. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner House Speaker Mike Johnson's run of (relative) smooth sailing came to an abrupt end Friday when he faced his first tangible setback on a massive party-line bill for President Donald Trump's agenda — a failed vote in the House Budget Committee. Until now, Johnson had been successful at steering the plan through the narrowly divided House. There was the original budget framework that the House adopted in February, followed by the Senate-approved blueprint that the lower chamber passed in April, despite strong reservations from the hard-liners in Johnson's conference. That allowed the House to actually begin drafting the specifics of the legislation. And this week, Johnson and his leadership team managed to get 11 House committees to approve their portions of the broader package. The legislation was then sent to the Budget Committee, on the assumption that some revisions would be still needed to send it to the full chamber next week ahead of Johnson's Memorial Day Weekend deadline. Throughout the process, Johnson often called bluff on the persistent gripes of a group of far-right spending hawks, forcing them to take votes and assuming they would not be willing to stand in the way of Trump's agenda. It's a strategy that proved successful time and again. But on Friday, four conservatives on the Budget Committee had enough, following through on their pledge to block the measure from reaching the House floor. They slammed the bill for using budget gimmicks to trigger its benefits right away and postpone its painful cuts for years. And they noted that the multitrillion-dollar package would blow up the national debt. Now comes the moment of truth. And the limits of the slim House Republican majority, where the party has just three votes to spare, are about to test Johnson's prowess like never before. The hard-liners are demanding that the spending cuts to Medicaid, clean energy funding and other programs take effect sooner. That means imposing political pain on vulnerable GOP lawmakers ahead of the next presidential election — perhaps even before the 2026 midterms — and putting swing districts at risk. But if Johnson fails to meet their demands, are the hard-liners willing to sink the bill entirely? Or was their vote Friday more of a symbolic protest to gain negotiating leverage? Surely, they'll be hearing from Trump if they persist. (Before Friday's committee vote, Trump called out GOP 'GRANDSTANDERS' on Truth Social.) The speaker is also feeling the squeeze from another corner of the conference. At least four New York Republicans are threatening to bring down the entire bill on the House floor unless party leaders expand the state and local tax (SALT) deduction that the current legislation sets at $30,000. That demand has caused consternation among other Republicans, who largely represent districts where SALT isn't heavily used. And even if Johnson steers the package through the chamber, Senate Republicans have already put the House on notice that the legislation won't pass the upper chamber without major changes. Up next: The House Budget Committee is set to reconvene Sunday at 10 p.m. ET to vote again on the bill. Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that President Donald Trump should not accept a luxury jet from Qatar to use as the next Air Force One, telling NBC News' 'Meet the Press' moderator Kristen Welker that the move would raise security and constitutional concerns. 'First we've got to remember who Qatar is. We've got a military base there. I have members of our immediate family that have deployed to the region,' said Pence. 'But Qatar has a long history of playing both sides,' Pence said in the exclusive interview at his home in Indiana. 'They support Hamas. They supported Al Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States.' Pence added that accepting the plane as the next Air Force One 'is inconsistent with our security, with our intelligence needs. And my hope is the president reconsiders it.' Pence added that there are 'very real constitutional issues,' noting the part of the Constitution that bars public officials from accepting gifts from a foreign government. 'I think it's just a bad idea, and my hope is the president will think better of it,' Pence said. Watch the clip here →Thanks to everyone who emailed us! This week's question comes from Polly Moore: 'How can Trump defund programs established by Congress, such as public TV and National Public Radio?' To answer that, we turned to legal affairs reporter Gary Grumbach. Here's his response: President Donald Trump has been attempting to defund programs established by Congress, but he's hitting roadblocks almost every time. Because here's the thing — there are legal ways to defund programs established by Congress. It happens every year when the budget process gets underway, with input from both sides of the aisle in both chambers of Congress. But Congress, by law, has to be involved in that process. It's when they're not, and when a program is stripped down beyond its congressionally mandated levels, that we start seeing legal action being taken. And that legal action has been fast and furious. Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have all sued over the Trump administration's attempts to defund or dismantle their organizations that were created and funded by congressional appropriations. But it hasn't been an easy road. As it stands today, an appeals court has temporarily blocked a lower court's order that would have restarted funding and brought back employees of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, while appeals are underway.⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court dealt a blow against the Trump administration's attempt to send Venezuelans it says are gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador, saying the detainees must have a proper chance to raise legal objections. Read more → ✈️ Foreign trip recap: Trump is returning to Washington after a diplomatic tour of the Middle East, where he pitched American business and secured investment pledges but failed to reach long-promised peace deals in Gaza and Ukraine. Read more → 🤝 Deal or no deal: Trump told reporters on Air Force One before his flight back to the U.S. that his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has submitted a formal proposal for a nuclear deal with Iran. Read more → 🤝 Deal or no deal, cont.: Russia and Ukraine sat down to hold their first direct peace talks since the early months of the war, agreeing to a deal to swap 1,000 prisoners each. Read more → 👀 Comey re-enters the chat: The Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service are investigating a social media post by former FBI Director James Comey that several U.S. officials interpreted as calling for Trump's assassination. Read more → ⛴️ Tariff impact: Businesses have begun ramping up shipments to the U.S. from China after Trump paused some of his tariffs on imports from that country, creating a surge in demand that could lead to supply chain bottlenecks in the coming months. Read more → 🔵 Garden (State) party: The New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary is hitting it's final stretch, with Rep. Mikie Sherrill seen as the front-runner. Read more → 🔴 Clearing the way: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost suspended his campaign for governor one week after the state Republican Party followed Trump's lead in endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy. Read more → 🗳️ 2028 watch: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking a tougher stance on homelessness ahead of a potential bid for president. Read more →That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Ben Kamisar. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. 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