Latest news with #SenateBill11
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas is about to pass a law allowing designated prayer time in public schools
Students could get designated prayer time in school if a bill set to pass the Texas Legislature is signed into law. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 11, passed 91-51 in the Texas House on May 22, with seven Democrats supporting the bill. If it receives one more vote without being amended, it would head to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for approval. 'Senate Bill 11 is about protecting the freedom of those who choose to pray, and just as importantly, protecting the rights of those who choose not to,' said Rep. David Spiller, a Republican from Jacksboro who is carrying the bill in the House. The bill passed in the Senate in March. Under the legislation, a school district's board of trustees could adopt a policy requiring campuses to provide students and employees with an opportunity to partake in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text each school day. A student wishing to participate would need a consent note from a parent and would waive their rights to sue the school over the policy. The time allocated could not be a substitute for instructional time. The prayer or reading of religious text must be away from other students whose parents haven't consented, according to the bill. That means the time may be scheduled before school. Some Democrats raised concerns that part of the bill allows teachers to encourage or discourage student prayer. That measure would apply to all schools, not just those that adopt a formal policy allowing prayer or religious reading time, said Rep. James Talarico, an Austin Democrat. Allowing the encouragement of prayer would violate the First Amendment, said Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat. 'Our students are protected, as we all are, by the First Amendment in our deeply personal decisions whether to pray, to not pray, to determine how we pray, whether that's during the school day or at any other time,' Turner said. He tried to alleviate those concerns with an amendment but was unsuccessful. Spiller said the section of the bill at issue is drafted in a way that makes it consistent with existing law. 'Texas students already have an absolute right to individually, voluntarily and silently pray or meditate in school. Is that correct?' Talarico said as the amendment was debated. Spiller confirmed Talarico was correct. 'And now your bill is allowing a teacher or school official to encourage students to engage in prayer in school, is that correct?' Talarico said. 'It doesn't prohibit it,' Spiller responded, cautioning that there could be restrictions on encouragement under other laws or policies that he's not aware of. Speaking in favor of the bill, Rep. Brent Money, an Greenville Republican, recited a prayer that he said was commonly said in public schools in the 1950s. 'I don't think there's anyone here who thinks that the moral, emotional or mental well being of our students is overall better than it was in 1962 when this prayer was removed from our public schools,' Money said. 'We have spent an enormous amount of time and energy during this legislative session trying to address the very real and sometimes overwhelming moral, emotional and mental ills of children and adults in our great state.' Teachers should be encouraging students spiritually, Money said. Students in public schools need prayer and Bible reading more than ever before, he later added. 'Let me say this very plainly: We should be encouraging our students to pray and read their Bible every day, just as the authors of the constitution did,' Money said. Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons, a Houston Democrat, pushed back against the idea that students were better off in 1962. 'Black students were better in 1962 in segregated schools than they are right now?' Simmons said. Money said he was speaking about students overall and is in favor of the integration of schools. 'But I will also say, I think that if you walked into any high school back then, whether a segregated Black school, a white school, an integrated school, you would find less emotional problems, less metal problems, and less, less suicide — those kinds of things that we see today because religious instruction was a much greater part of their everyday life, both at home, at church and at school,' Money said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prayer period in schools backed by Texas Legislature
Despite constitutional concerns from opponents, the Texas Legislature forged ahead in a key vote on Thursday to allow a period for prayer or religious study — part of a larger national movement to infuse more Christianity into schools. With all Republicans present voting yes, the House approved the measure 91 to 51 at the end of hours of debate in which some lawmakers questioned bill language that allows teachers to encourage students to pray — including praying according to a different faith. The Senate had voted 23-7 for the measure in March. After a final, procedural vote that could happen as early as Friday, the bill will head to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it. The bill goes into effect September 1. The bill, Senate Bill 11 by Galveston Republican Sen. Mayes Middleton, allows school districts to adopt a policy to provide students and staff a daily period of prayer or time to read a religious text. The bill requires school districts to take a vote on whether or not to allow the prayer or study period within six months of the law going into effect — but permits students, with consent of a parent or guardian, to have a prayer or study period either way. It also bans any prayer or religious reading over a loudspeaker, or in the presence of any student who does not have a consent form signed. Rep. David Spiller, a Republican from Jacksboro who sponsored the bill in the House, said the bill provides clarity for school districts that are 'caught between community expectations and legal uncertainty.' 'SB 11 is about protecting the freedom of those who choose to pray, and just as importantly, protecting the rights of those who choose not to,' he said on the House floor. Proponents of this and related bills say teaching Christianity encourages positive behavior and is core to learning the nation's history — a message that has resurged in recent years as part of a broader national movement that considers the idea of church-state separation a myth and that regularly condemns what movement leaders say is a generations-long moral decline. 'We are a state and nation built on 'In God We Trust.' You have to ask: are our schools better or worse off since prayer was taken out in the 1960s?' Middleton wrote in a statement provided to the Tribune upon the bill's passage. 'Litigious atheists are no longer going to get to decide for everyone else if students and educators exercise their religious liberties during school hours.' Supporters in the state and beyond have been emboldened by the 2019 Supreme Court decision Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which the court ruled a football coach could lead prayers on the field after games. But Robert Tuttle, a professor of religion and law at George Washington University, said allowing a private individual to pray — as in the Kennedy case — is different from offering students time to pray. Last June, a federal court struck down a Louisiana law requiring all public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments — the first state to pass such a law. The state is appealing the decision. Texas is considering the same policy, one of at least 16 states to do so. If passed, it would be the largest state to require the Ten Commandments to be in every classroom. Tuttle said it's hard to see how the Texas law on a period of prayer might pass legal muster, given that the First Amendment prohibits the state imposing a religion. 'The state really is just acting with the intention of promoting religious observance, and that's not one of the permitted purposes the state has under current law,' he said. He also said that despite the Supreme Court trending in a more conservative direction, its decision Thursday that leaves in place a prohibition on the establishment of a religious charter school in Oklahoma could mean that the Court, for now, is not throwing out that principle. Opponents — free speech and civil rights groups such as the Texas Freedom Network and the American Civil Liberties Union — say that the bill encroaches on religious freedoms. The teachers union said it opposes SB 11 because they believe it violates the principle of separation of church and state: 'Public schools are not supposed to be Sunday school,' said spokesperson Clay Robison. Vikki Goodwin, a Democrat from Austin, said on the House floor Thursday that students were already allowed to pray if they chose to, and that the school voucher bill passed earlier this session helps families send students to private schools, some of which offer religious instruction. 'Government officials have no business interfering with these deeply personal and constitutionally-protected matters,' she said. During the debate, other Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. James Talarico of Austin, raised questions about the language removing the prohibition on encouraging students to pray. Would this mean, he asked, that a teacher could recommend students pray in a manner prescribed by a different faith, such as Islam. Spiller affirmed that could happen, but said it wasn't relevant to the debate, and that district employment contracts could prohibit that. In 2021, Texas signed into law a requirement that schools display 'In God We Trust' signs, but only if they were donated by a private foundation. In 2024, the state board of education approved Bible-infused teaching materials. Beyond the period of prayer and the Ten Commandments measures, arguments in favor of emphasizing Christianity in schools were part of the consideration of other bills moving through the Legislature this session, including one on teaching the history of communism and another requiring schools to use the terms 'Anno Domini' (AD) — Latin for 'in the year of the Lord,' and 'Before Christ' (BC) when expressing dates, starting in the 2026-27 school year. Disclosure: Texas Freedom Network 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
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill approved to allow MSU to offer doctoral degrees
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri State University (MSU) could soon be adding research-based doctorates to the list of degrees the university offers. The Missouri General Assembly recently approved two bills that allow the university to do so. President of MSU Richard B. Williams says back in 2005, when the college first changed the name to Missouri State University, part of the legislature included a compromise with the University of Missouri. The compromise meant MSU and other state institutions could not claim the land grant title, the flagship title, a research one title, or offer certain programs, including medicine, law, pharmacy, engineering, dental and more. SPS free summer lunches not impacted by federal cuts to school food programs In 2018, there were some changes to the law allowing MSU to offer clinical doctorates, and just recently, the university added a doctoral program in education. 'There still is the stipulation that it's against the state law. We would break the law if we had PhDs that are research PhDs,' said President Williams. 'So this allows us the opportunity to look at the workforce, look at what degrees are actually needed, and then we can offer a Ph.D. in those areas.' House Bill 419 and Senate Bill 160 changed the law to allow MSU to offer research-based doctorates and other professional programs, including a baccalaureate in vet tech. District 30 Senator Lincoln Hough and District 133 Representative Melanie Stinnett sponsored House Bill 616 and Senate Bill 11, which eventually turned into the bills that were recently approved by both the House and Senate. 'I believe that both Senator Hough and myself worked really hard to try and collaborate and try and find a way to get this across the finish line,' said Representative Stinnett. 'And so the initial bill that we filed looks a little bit different than what was passed. But I think that that's the outcome of everyone coming to the table and having conversations.' Springfield man admits to burglary and theft at U.S. Post Office Representative Stinnett says ultimately this bill can help encourage students to choose MSU and stay in the area, but can also benefit the community. 'It's kind of twofold, making sure that the student is able to take a look at what university they want to attend and make that choice for themselves,' Representative Stinnett said. 'But then also really that economic driver in that economic piece as well, meeting the needs of our community and our business community and allowing them the opportunity to get those degrees.' President Williams says it can also be beneficial for the students to complete their degree at the same university they started at without needing to move to a new city or even a new state. 'They have a mentor that's a faculty member. They have a line of research that they're working. There is an expert in that area with that faculty member,' President Williams said. 'They're comfortable. They've written grants together, they've written papers together. And so that's a very big benefit for these individuals because they're established.' The two bills will still need to be signed into law by Governor Mike Kehoe, but both President Williams and Representative Stinnett say passing these bills is a big milestone in a years-long journey. 'Many people are excited. This is history. For us to be able to offer a Ph.D. is a very large win,' said President Williams. 'Not only for the university, not only for our faculty and staff, but for the community, for our economy, and for the state of Missouri.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-distraction policy in schools becomes law in NM
New Mexico public school districts and charters have until Aug. 1 to implement a phone-free policy for students. (Photo by SDI Productions via Getty Images) Public school districts have about three months to develop phone-free policies for students, an initiative passed during the recent legislative session and signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham this month. Senate Bill 11, sponsored by Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte), requires all New Mexico school districts and charter schools to develop rules for students' use during instructional time of cell phones, smart watches, tablets, laptops and gaming devices in an effort to limit distractions and improve student performance. 'This bill isn't just about test scores. It's about showing our kids that we care enough about their future to take practical steps forward when we can,' Brantley said in a written statement. 'Reducing distractions helps not only academic outcomes but also our students' mental health, safety, and focus.' According to the bill, districts have until Aug. 1 to create and implement a 'wireless communication device policy.' The bill also states that the Public Education Department will provide districts with guidelines for minimum policy requirements, and outlines possible requirements such as: limiting device usage during instructional hours; allowing teachers to grant students permission to use devices during instructional time; allowing students to use devices in emergency situations or for accessibility needs; and establishing consequences for violating the policy. Lujan Grisham signed the bill on April 10, ahead of the April 11 deadline she had for taking action on legislation passed by the Legislature and sent to her desk. In a legislative message, Lujan Grisham described SB11 as a 'first step towards meaningful regulation' of electronic devices in New Mexico schools. However, she called out lawmakers for amending the original bill and making participation in creating policies optional for districts. 'The Legislature squirmed out of taking a meaningful step to improve education under the auspice[s] of local control,' Lujan Grisham wrote. 'That is all well and good until this same body blames the Public Education Department—and now the local bodies—for poor educational outcomes of New Mexico students. I once again encourage the Legislature to hold local school districts accountable for educational outcomes. Our students deserve it.' Kelly Jameson, director of communications for Las Cruces Public Schools, told Source NM in a written statement that the district supports the 'intent of SB11 to create safer, more focused learning environments for all students.' She added that the LCPS Board of Education adopted a policy in 2009 concerning the use of electronic communication devices in school. The policy notes that having a device in school is 'a privilege' that can be taken away. The LCPS board also adopted a regulation in 2023 that outlines by grade level when students may use devices during the school day. For example, elementary students may only use devices before or after school. Middle school students may use their devices during lunch periods, but not during passing periods between classes and regulations for high school students are more lenient. Violating the LCPS policy can mean devices are confiscated; devices must be left in the school's front office during the school day; or other disciplinary actions are taken with multiple violations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In Memoriam: Social media restrictions, newborn tax credit, utility rules and more
Hundreds of bills are already dead as the 2025 legislative session nears its close. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Dozens of bills are headed to the governor's desk for final sign-off, but even more have stalled — or appear to be dead altogether. Despite earlier momentum, legislation dealing with rape kit backlogs, immigration enforcement, social media restrictions for minors, and more ultimately missed key deadlines and failed to advance in the final weeks of the session. Those issues won't be officially settled, however, until lawmakers close out the session for good. Bill language could still reappear elsewhere — via closed-door conference committees — during the coming days. Republican leadership said they plan to finish this year's business by Thursday, April 24, but the session isn't legally required to end until end-of-day on the following Tuesday, April 29. Although a bill prohibiting some Hoosier minors from using social media without their parents' permission got bipartisan support in the Senate, the House took no action. Senate Bill 11 would have required anyone under the age of 16 to secure permission from their guardians before accessing apps like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Another provision allowed Indiana's attorney general to issue a civil investigative demand to determine if a social media site violated the law, with civil penalties up to $250,000. Following a 42-7 vote in the Senate in January, the bill was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, never gave the proposal a hearing. The bill's author, Sen. Ryan Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, attempted to amend the language into a foreign trade bill during the second half of the session, but he told the Indiana Capital Chronicle it was deemed non-germane, so he never called it for a vote. 'It's dead for good,' Bohacek said, but he's open to bringing the bill back in 2026. One of several controversial anti-immigration bills this session also died in the second-half of session despite passing the full House in February. House Bill 1531 would have mandated local compliance with federal immigration detainer requests and leveraged local government funding to ensure cooperation with federal authorities like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also would have targeted employers who hire a person who is not legally allowed in the U.S. The bill died after the Senate Judiciary Committee, helmed by Fort Wayne Republican Sen. Liz Brown, declined to hold a hearing. 'I've had a lot of conversation with Sen. Brown in the second half of the session … she's not comfortable moving it this year due to a few different things in the bill,' said bill author Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, who could file a similar bill in a future session. 'I'm still looking at other options, but more than likely, it's not moving this year.' Still, a separate immigration-focused proposal, House Bill 1393, is headed to Gov. Mike Braun's desk. The bill requires jails and detention facilities to tell county sheriffs when they have probable cause to believe that someone they're booking on unrelated misdemeanor or felony charges isn't legally in the country. Sheriffs would have to report that information to ICE. Senators additionally killed a contested elections bill that aimed to put school referendums and public questions only on general election ballots. Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola, who authored House Bill 1681, previously emphasized that more voters participate in general elections than primaries. Democrats opposed, arguing that the change would strip local control and put more financial stress on schools. Ultimately, though, the referenda language was signed into law in Senate Enrolled Act 1. Also dead is House Bill 1413, which sought to eliminate the state's backlog of rape kits and help counties with legal costs. Rep. Becky Cash, who authored the proposal, pointed to the current six- to eight-month wait for rape kit processing in Indiana, which crime technicians and law enforcement have attributed to a lack of equipment and staff. The bill earned unanimous support from the House, and the chamber's budget-drafting committee created a $2.5 million line item for the proposed Rape Kit Backlog Fund. Momentum continued in the Senate corrections committee, but the multi-million dollar appropriation is likely in jeopardy following this week's grim revenue forecast. State budget writers said cuts are on the way. Left out of the budget, too, was a $500 tax credit per newborn child for eligible taxpayers — or $250 for a married person filing a separate return. Originally offered in Senate Bill 497, the credit would have been available for families earning up to 720% of the federal poverty level. The proposal passed 47-0 from the Senate but never made it into the state's spending plan. Hundreds of other bills additionally failed to cross the finish line. Among those are: , pay day loans: The House narrowly advanced Rep. Jake Teshka's bill to create new, longer-term loans of up to $5,000 — with steep monthly service fees stacked atop interest and other charges. The measure would have also allowed lenders overseeing larger borrowing, like car loans, to charge interest rates as high as 36%, up from the current cap of 25%. The Senate's insurance committee left the bill untouched. CONTACT US , special education classroom cameras: A repeat attempt by Rep. Beck Cash, R-Zionsville, to mandate round-the-clock electronic recording equipment in special education classrooms, sensory rooms, seclusion spaces and time-out areas was stripped from the underlying bill by the House Education Committee. What's left in the measure — which has since advanced from the Senate and is awaiting final House approval — are provisions to allow parents an opportunity to collect their student's property if the child no longer attends the school, and another to permit parents to record meetings concerning their child's individualized education program. The bill also requires schools to always have present in each building at least one employee who has obtained nonviolent crisis intervention training. , annexation: An attempt to bridge the differences between House and Senate lawmakers in an annexation compromise met its demise last month after the author criticized the process and rebuked committee members. Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, has repeatedly authored legislation to rein in what he describes as an 'abusive' form of annexation that's 'tilted in favor of the municipalities.' But he rejected an attempt to meld two bills into an annexation compromise, seemingly killing the effort altogether. , iGaming: A push to legalize online lottery and casino games passed easily out of the House Public Policy Committee earlier this year but didn't get a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee, which would've taken a closer look at the financial aspects of the proposal. Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport, authored the bill and estimated that the digital lottery and casino games, coupled with sports wagering tax hikes, could bring the state of Indiana more than $300 million annually in new revenue. But some were concerned that online options would cannibalize in-person gaming or lottery sales. House Bills and , new state emblems: A lively committee presentation by Jasper Elementary School fourth-graders was not enough to convince lawmakers to name the persimmon as Indiana's state fruit. That bill died in committee without a vote, as did another proposal to make Myotis sodalis, also known as the Indiana bat, the official mammal of the Hoosier State. Opposition brings likely end to Indiana utility siting bill, but the issue isn't going away , utility siting: Overwhelming opposition from county officials killed the Republican proposal to shift authority over large-scale utility infrastructure projects from local governments to the state. The bill received multiple hours of discussion in the House utilities committee, but it was never put to a vote and failed to advance to the full chamber. Bill author Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, called it a response to ongoing resistance of local governments to greenlight solar, wind and other renewables projects that are increasingly necessary to support the state's growing energy demands. Locals said decision-making control over the zoning and approval processes for those proposals was theirs, not the state's. , abortion pills: A move to ban pill-based abortions, and to require women to file an affidavit of rape to meet one of the state's few exceptions, got no traction. Filed by Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, the bill would have outlawed the use of abortion pills even in abortions that meet the state's narrow exemptions. And it would have required a woman who seeks an abortion under the state's rape or incest exceptions to provide the doctor with an affidavit under penalties of perjury attesting to the rape or incest. The same requirement was defeated in 2022 during an amendment fight. Senate Bills and , closed primaries and early voting: Legislation slashing early in-person voting days and closing primary elections to unaffiliated voters garnered mixed committee testimony in early February before quietly dying in the Senate. Sen. Gary Byrne's bill would've cut Indiana's early voting timeline from 28 days down to two weeks. Another measure offered by Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, would have added text to voter registration forms asking Hoosiers to choose their political parties and warning that affiliation is required to vote in a primary election. It also would've required county election officials to affiliate registered voters with either the Democratic or Republican Party based on their last primary election votes, and would've created a way for voters to change their affiliations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
