Latest news with #SenateBill330
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WATCH: BWWB holds news conference opposing bill that would restructure board
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Birmingham Water Works Board is holding a news conference Wednesday morning to oppose an Alabama bill restructuring the board. Under Senate Bill 330, sponsored by Senators Dan Roberts, Jabo Waggoner, and Shay Shelnutt, the board would become a regional board and alter board membership. The current board would be replaced under the proposed structure and reduce the number of board members from nine to seven. In addition to eliminating two board spots, the bill would add new qualifications for board members and change who is tasked with appointing board members. The city of Birmingham called the legislation a political power grab. The bill passed through the Alabama Senate and now continues to make its way through state legislature. The city expressed several concerns with SB330. These are just a few: Elected officials can appoint themselves or other politicians to the board Board members pay would double Jefferson County Mayor's Association will lose their appointment on the BWWB False information is used in the bill The Birmingham Waters Works Board news conference will be livestreamed in the video player above at 9 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill that would restructure Birmingham Water Works board passes Alabama Senate
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — An amended bill that would restructure the Birmingham Water Works board passed in the Alabama Senate Thursday. Under Senate Bill 330, sponsored by Senators Dan Roberts, Jabo Waggoner, and Shay Shelnutt, the board would become a regional board and alter board membership. The current board would be replaced under the proposed structure and reduce the number of board members from nine to seven. In addition to eliminating two board spots, the bill would add new qualifications for board members and change who is tasked with appointing board members. CBS 42 News will have the full story on CBS 42 News at 5. The bill passed by the senate can be read in full below: AMENDED SB330Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed bill would trim training hours for barbers and cosmetologists
SALT LAKE CITY () — Senate Bill 330 advanced from the Business and Labor Committee Wednesday by a vote of 5-1. The bill amends the requirements to get a license as a barber or cosmetologist. The , sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall (R), would also create micro-licenses or permits. This would allow people who are interested in a specific field to specialize and not go through full training. For example, to get a license as a master esthetician, it would require 1,200 training hours. But if you're only interested in doing nails, that would take 300 hours. Eyebrows? Just 270 hours. Supporters say it helps more people get into the business while saving on time and money. Stylist Rhonda Halliday likes that idea, saying, 'The micro-licensing and the letting students have access to these programs without having to go through only beauty schools to get them.' Barbers, however, say that dropping their hours from 1,000 to a 130 training hour permit doesn't make the cut. Richard Hite owns The Barber School in Midvale and completely opposes the idea of a barber getting a permit after 130 hours. He explained, 'These are craftsmen. These people are highly skilled people that provide a craft that can't be duplicated by a stupid certificate for 130 hours.' Hite also believes the shorter hours would be bad for business. He claims that while it would open the door to more barbers, it would also open it to bad quality. 'The public eventually is going to say, 'Hey, I'm not getting a consistent haircut. I'm out of here. I'm going to go somewhere else,'' Hite said. 'So, the barber is no longer able to hire people because there's no qualified people out there in the pool to be hired.' Jeff Shumway, the director of the Office of Professional Licensure Review, says the office would have supported even lower hours. He says they arrived at these hours by studying health professionals and the requirements they meet in certain training. They believe the license is issued to make sure standards of health and safety are met — not whether or not your barber can line you up correctly or perfect a fade. 'It doesn't necessarily say you're going to get, you know, exactly the haircut you want, but it's going to be safe. You're not going to get sick. You're not going to get hurt,' Shumway explained. Hite and other barbers in attendance disagree. Dave Broderick, a local barber, referenced his ability to detect worrisome issues with his clients' skin. He mentioned two instances where he referred clients to dermatologists, and they found cancer — something he says his experience and training enable him to spot out. Hite says 130 hours just isn't enough. 'It just satisfies that you've seen the words 'health and safety' somewhere, maybe in a book, and that you're no longer a health risk to the public. That's all that they care about.' Sen. Sandall admits the bill's current form isn't perfect. In fact, he has 22 changes (and counting) that he wants to make in a substitute bill based on the feedback he received. Committee Chair Evan Vickers was the lone vote against the bill, citing it not being done as his reason. He pledged to help make sure the bill addresses the concerns as it moves through the process. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida's first behavioral health teaching hospital to open to patients in Tampa
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida's first and only freestanding academic medical center-affiliated behavioral health hospital will officially its doors to patients and their families in just a few days. The Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Behavioral Health Hospital, which is set to open to the public in March, will offer care for patients in mental health crises, along with hands-on learning opportunities for medical students, according to officials. Florida DoorDash driver mauled by 2 dogs, airlifted to Tampa The hospital, located in the center of the Tampa Medical and Research District at 1303 West Kennedy Boulevard, is the result of a joint venture between TGH and Lifepoint Behavioral Health. Following a ribbon cutting Tuesday, John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General, called the new facility 'a beacon of hope' for Floridians. 'With the opening of TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, we are making a significant leap forward in addressing the pressing need for mental health services in our community and across Florida,' Couris said. The new facility spans nearly 83,000 square feet and features 96 inpatient beds. Officials said inpatient treatment will consist of 24-hour personalized care, including medication management, safety planning and both individual and group therapy. Partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment services will also be available at the hospital within the next few months. Couple says they were forced to sit with dead woman on plane for hours The hospital's team consists of academic-medicine-based University of South Florida (USF) Health psychiatrists and psychologists, supported by Tampa General therapists and specialized nursing staff. 'Through our comprehensive academic, research and clinical activities, the University of South Florida is uniquely positioned to help address the growing demand for behavioral health services in our community,' said USF President Rhea Law. Florida lawmakers passed Senate Bill 330 during the 2024 legislative session to create a behavioral health teaching hospital designation in state statute. The law names the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital as the first of four such facilities in the state. Officials said the hospital is expected to serve as a key behavioral health training and education center for medical students and residents from USF Health's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the Morsani College of Medicine. Doug Leonardo, who has more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health, having implemented behavioral health services at 12 hospitals and emergency departments in Florida, will serve as the president and CEO of the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital. 'This is the start of a new era in mental health care, combining academic excellence with patient-centered treatment,' Leonardo said. 'The TGH Behavioral Health Hospital will transform the landscape of behavioral health services in Florida, ensuring that individuals and families receive the support they need for mental wellness and recovery.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. County says state housing laws stand in way of rebuilding. Advocates disagree
A request by L.A. County officials to temporarily waive state housing laws as residents rebuild in fire-ravaged swaths of unincorporated areas drew the ire of housing advocates, who accused the officials of skirting efforts at boosting affordable housing. County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath, who represent districts blackened by this month's wildfires, put forward a motion Tuesday with 41 steps they want department heads to take to speed up the recovery process. That included an ask to Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily exempt the county from some of the state's most significant housing laws intended to speed up the creation of affordable housing, including parts of Senate Bill 330, aimed at preserving affordable housing, and the Density Bonus Law, which encourages developers to build new units. Amy Bodek, head of the county planning department, said she believed the state laws could end up hampering recovery, incentivizing density at the expense of homeowners looking to rebuild what they had. 'In order to provide the community the ability to return and not face immediate displacement, we understand the need to pause some of these policies,' she said at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, adding that she wanted to ask for a five-year waiver for unincorporated areas, which include Altadena and some of the communities burned by the Palisades fire. 'We are not antihousing,' she said. 'To say that we are antihousing is someone that's not been paying attention.' At the meeting, housing advocates contended that the county's waiver proposal would slash too many restrictions, bypassing laws aimed at solving the region's affordable housing crisis. 'This is just totally going in the wrong direction,' said Nolan Gray, senior director of legislation and research for California YIMBY, noting that the laws have spurred the construction of thousands of affordable units across the state. 'There's so much in here that has nothing to do with helping people rebuild.' Chris Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis who studies California housing law, said the county was too broad in requesting a waiver in undefined 'fire impacted communities.' 'If the goal is to get people back to their communities as fast as possible, shouldn't the goal be to build as much housing in those communities as fast as possible?' he said. Barger, who represents Altadena, said the accusation that the county was uninterested in ramping up housing 'could not be further from the truth.' Bodek said it was unclear whether the governor would agree to the county's waiver request, but she hoped the letter would be a starting point for conversations with the state. The remarks came as part of a larger discussion over how the county should prepare for an influx of new buildings in areas reduced to rubble. Bodek said the planning department, which is responsible for permitting in unincorporated L.A. County, is expecting as many as 8,000 permit applications from homeowners wanting to rebuild after the Eaton fire and 600 from the Palisades fire. Without beefing up staffing, she said, 'it is going to be breaking our department.' Mark Pestrella, the head of the county public works department, said his agency was similarly preparing for a mammoth undertaking in repairing utilities in fire-scarred areas. 'A small public works department needs to be created in particular for the Altadena area if we are to meet the needs of the community to rebuild,' he told the supervisors Tuesday. The repairs and rebuilding are likely to cost the county billions of dollars, much of which county officials hope will come from the federal government. On Tuesday, the White House said it would freeze trillions in federal grants and loans that don't align with the Trump administration's priorities. The order was quickly blocked by a federal judge. 'We are very concerned about that,' said Fesia Davenport, the county's chief executive. 'We do need to know what the exact impact will be on the county.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
