Latest news with #SenateBill144
American Military News
14-05-2025
- Business
- American Military News
New Georgia law shields Roundup maker from some cancer-related lawsuits
Manufacturers of chemicals that make pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides for crops will soon be shielded from Georgians who say the companies did not sufficiently warn consumers of health risks. The Georgia Legislature passed legislation that aims to protect Bayer from lawsuits where customers have claimed there were no warnings that the popular weed killer Roundup could cause cancer. Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 144 last week. It will take effect July 1. The governor of North Dakota signed similar legislation last month, making Georgia the second state to establish the protections. The law says product labels approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must be considered a sufficient warning of potential harm. Manufacturers would not be shielded from lawsuits if the company 'knowingly withheld, concealed, misrepresented, or destroyed' relevant information on health risks to obtain approval. The law is written broadly enough to provide legal protection in Georgia to any pesticide manufacturer that follows federal labeling requirements. Bayer, the parent company of Roundup producer Monsanto, is facing billions of dollars in lawsuits from people who claim the weed killer gave them cancer, including a recent jury verdict that awarded $2.1 billion to a Georgia man. Bayer said it plans to appeal the verdict. Critics of the law argued that it would make chemical companies unaccountable for the harm their products might inflict. They accused Bayer of trying to use state legislatures to shield themselves from liability they acquired when they bought Monsanto in 2018. Bayer purchased Monsanto after the first lawsuits had been filed and a major health organization raised concerns of Roundup's cancer risk. Supporters of the bill said companies rely on vetting by federal regulators. Those regulators have diverged from international bodies in their assessment of the cancer risk posed by certain substances. The law is part of a broader effort Kemp led this year to shield companies from what some have called nuisance lawsuits and to put caps on how much juries can award people it deems have been harmed. ___ © 2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hensley update: Major wins on wetlands, roads, and victims' rights
The 114th General Assembly has adjourned for 2025, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. I will go over the laws passed this session over the next few weeks. Cut excessive environmental red tape on wetlands This week, the Senate passed Senate Bill 670 to ease burdensome regulations on Tennessee's wetlands, creating new opportunities for responsible development across the state while maintaining basic environmental safeguards. The legislation addresses isolated wetlands, which are areas no longer protected under federal law following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that returned regulatory authority to the states. Countless hours of work with TDEC and other stakeholders have gone into this legislation. The goal is to provide property owners with a more reasonable framework to determine how to develop and use their land. We are not eliminating regulation. We are modernizing it. The bill divides isolated wetlands into four categories, based on ecological function: artificial, low-quality, moderate-quality, and high-quality. It exempts certain isolated wetlands from mitigation and permitting requirements depending on the size and quality of the wetland. Specifically, it exempts low-quality isolated wetlands up to one acre in size, moderate-quality isolated wetlands up to one-fourth acre, and artificial isolated wetlands of any size, provided basic environmental safeguards are followed. The legislation also stipulates that: Existing stormwater measures must be considered when determining mitigation. Isolated wetlands do not factor into cumulative project impact assessments under federal Clean Water Act regulations. The state board must establish classification criteria and allow public input on wetland assessment tools Legislation to boost road funding passes Senate Legislation to increase dedicated funding for Tennessee's transportation infrastructure passed the Senate this week, marking a significant step toward addressing the state's $30 billion backlog in road and bridge projects. Senate Bill 144 redirects all sales tax revenue collected from the sale of new and used tires—an estimated $80 to $95 million annually—from the state's General Fund to the Tennessee Department of Transportation's (TDOT) Highway Fund. This sustainable source of funding will directly support critical road repairs and construction projects across the state. In addition to the recurring tire tax revenues, lawmakers also approved a historic $1 billion one-time investment in this year's budget to jumpstart urgent transportation projects statewide. This legislation brings important funding to our communities for roads to ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with our growth. It is just the start—but it's a strong start toward building safer, more reliable roads for every Tennessean. Increasing penalties for unlawful photography Senate Bill 685, significantly strengthens penalties for unlawful photography offenses, particularly when minors or individuals in vulnerable positions are involved. Under current law, it is a Class A misdemeanor to knowingly photograph an individual without consent in a manner that would be considered offensive or embarrassing, especially when done for sexual gratification. The bill upgrades this offense to a Class E felony, carrying a prison term of 1 to 6 years and a fine up to $3,000. If the unlawful photograph is shared with others or the victim is under 13, the offense is now a Class D felony, with a potential sentence of up to 12 years and a fine up to $5,000. The bill also criminalizes the use of a child under 13 to facilitate the offense. Further, the legislation reclassifies as a Class C felony—punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine—cases where the victim is under 13 or where the offender held a position of trust or authority over the victim and used that position to commit the offense. Victims of unlawful photography feel violated, objectified, and taken advantage of. Legislation like this will restore feelings of safety and security to victims. Children and other victims deserve to see justice served. The bill requires judges to order individuals convicted of unlawful photography to register as sexual offenders—replacing the previous discretionary standard. This legislation reflects Tennessee's firm commitment to protecting privacy, upholding consent, and ensuring justice for victims of exploitation. Senate Bill 685 has been passed by the Senate. Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, gives a weekly update in legislation in the 114th General Assembly. This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Hensley update: Major wins on wetlands, roads, and victims' rights
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate OKs oversight of property leases, projects
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Senate has given unanimous approval for lawmakers to have more control over long-term property leases that state government enters, as well as state Department of Game, Fish and Parks projects and leases costing more than $2.5 million. Republican Sen. Chris Karr is prime sponsor of both measures. The 35-0 votes on Monday sends them forward to the House of Representatives for further action. They are in response to deals that were made in the past six years while Kristi Noem was governor. DOC official: No contingency if new prison plan fails Senate Bill 144 would require legislative approval for GFP works. Senate Bill 145 would require legislative approval for 'any proposed real property lease by the state where the initial term of the lease exceeds a commitment of fifteen years and the base rent due during the initial term either exceeds $5,000,000 in total for the rental payments due during the term of the lease or $50,000 per month during the term of the lease.' In recent years, state government entered into leases for One Stop centers in several cities that are costing significantly more than when the services in those communities were offered at various locations. Data provided in the past to the Legislature's Joint Committee on Appropriations showed: In Sioux Falls, the One Stop lease cost $7,648,618 per year. That was a $5,598,740 increase. In Rapid City, the One Stop lease cost $1,760,250 per year. That was a $1,125,056 increase. In Spearfish, the One Stop lease cost $382,610 per year. That was a $197,983 increase. In Huron, the One Stop lease cost $328,474 per year. That was a $211,154 increase. In Madison, the One Stop lease cost $113,738 per year. That was a $29,018 increase. Karr noted that state agencies in turn also needed $11 million of new furniture when they moved into the new locations. The Senate on Monday approved a third Karr measure, Senate Bill 146, that would further restrict financial transfers within state government. 'These would stop those things from happening,' he told reporters afterward about the three-bill package. Karr said the oversight would be required regardless if the project resulted from a gift. Had the legislation been in effect, it would have covered the One Stop leases as well as projects such as the shooting range complex outside Rapid City that GFP plans to open later this year, at an estimated cost of $19.5 million, and the Outdoor Campus East renovations in Sioux Falls that will cost an estimated $6.5 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia lawmakers move to protect fertilizer, pesticide makers from health risk liability
A group of Georgia senators are moving to protect fertilizer and pesticide manufacturers from liability if they don't warn consumers of health risks above what's required by the federal government. Senate Bill 144 would require that companies avoid any liability for health risks that don't require a warning by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the bill text, companies that produce bug killers and fertilizers would not be able to be held liable for failing to warn their customers of any health risks above the federal requirements. That means that if the following warnings are on the label from the federal government, any additional warnings would no longer be needed. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Georgia snow: Winter weather advisory issued for mountain counties Laken Riley Act used for first time to deport undocumented man COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: Which schools in your district are low-performing, according to the state? According to the legislation, Georgia's $91 billion agriculture and related industries need to be strengthened. For the purposes of the legislation, lawmakers are focused on reducing the state's dependence on foreign-import pesticides and fertilizers, such as those brought in from China. Instead, the senators who filed the bill say that 'every effort must be made to strengthen the United States domestic production of pesticides, including clarifying regulatory authority of pesticide labeling.' To that end, if passed, the bill would require that any pesticide registered with the Georgia Agriculture Commissioner must have an EPA-approved label by Jan. 1, 2026. The label must be consistent with the most recent risk assessment for human health under the provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, which federally requires warning labels for various conditions, such as: CAUTION: means the pesticide product is slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, inhaled or it causes slight eye or skin irritation. WARNING: indicates the pesticide product is moderately toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, inhaled or it causes moderate eye or skin irritation. DANGER: means that the pesticide product is highly toxic by at least one route of exposure. It may be corrosive, causing irreversible damage to the skin or eyes. Alternatively, it may be highly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. If this is the case, then the word 'POISON' must also be included in red letters on the front panel of the product label. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
