Latest news with #SenateBill62
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
New Hampshire Bans Sanctuary Cities
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New Hampshire's Republican Governor Kelly A. Ayotte has signed into law two bills that ban sanctuary city policies and promote cooperation between state law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. On Thursday, Ayotte signed both House Bill 511 and Senate Bill 62, making New Hampshire the first state in New England to ban sanctuary jurisdictions. "I said from the beginning that we won't let our state go the way of Massachusetts and their billion-dollar illegal immigrant crisis," Governor Ayotte said. However, Amanda Azad, Policy Director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, told Newsweek, in part, "Law enforcement in New Hampshire should not detain anyone without due process – but that's what these laws may encourage." Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte waves while arriving with her husband Joseph Daley during her inauguration at the State House, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Concord, New Hampshire. Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte waves while arriving with her husband Joseph Daley during her inauguration at the State House, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Concord, New Hampshire. Charles Krupa/AP Why It Matters The move will theoretically make it easier for the White House to carry out its plans to remove millions of undocumented immigrants. Many Democrats view sanctuary cities as a matter of human rights, while Republicans argue they are safe havens for people who entered the U.S. illegally. Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions that limit or refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in the arrest of undocumented immigrants. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April directing federal and state officials to compile lists of so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions. The order directs the government to identify federal funds that can be withheld as a penalty for cities that enforce sanctuary policies. What To Know "There will be no sanctuary cities in New Hampshire, period. End of story," Ayotte said at a press conference Thursday. Ayotte, a former New Hampshire attorney general and U.S. senator, made opposition to sanctuary cities a central issue in her 2024 gubernatorial campaign. Her platform contrasted New Hampshire's approach to immigration policy with that of neighboring Massachusetts, which she criticized for its more lenient stance. Ayotte vowed to ban sanctuary cities before the gubernatorial election, delivering on a key campaign pledge. "This is something we ran on to make sure that New Hampshire would not go the way of Massachusetts and their billion-dollar illegal immigration crisis," Ayotte said. She stood alongside Republican lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and signs bearing her campaign slogan 'Don't Mass up New Hampshire.' "We are sending a clear message to the state of New Hampshire today that if you're in this nation illegally, you are not welcome in the state of New Hampshire," said Representative Joe Sweeney, who introduced the bill in the state legislator. Across the aisle, some state Democrats in New Hampshire, who opposed the measure, expressed deep concern. "What this bill does, under the guise of enabling New Hampshire law enforcement to support federal immigration efforts, is to make our state a willing accomplice in a politically manufactured campaign of state terrorism against a group of people, the vast majority of whom came here not to victimize America, but because they love America and they believe America is good," state Rep. David Meuse told reporters. House Bill 511 and Senate Bill 62 are set to take effect in early 2026 and aim to increase state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. HB 511 mandates that local and state law enforcement agencies comply with immigration detainers for inmates and prohibits policies that would obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The bill also prevents authorities from withholding immigration-related information about individuals in custody. It includes exceptions for certain individuals who have been victims or witnesses of crimes, and it limits law enforcement's ability to investigate an inmate's citizenship status under specific circumstances. SB 62 similarly restricts local governments from interfering with state or federal immigration enforcement activities. It authorizes the state attorney general to take legal action against jurisdictions that violate the law. Additionally, it permits county corrections departments to hold individuals for up to 48 hours after state charges are resolved, allowing time to transfer detainees into ICE custody. The bill also reinforces the ability of state and local agencies to enter into formal agreements with ICE under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which enables designated officers to perform certain immigration enforcement functions. The legislation bars local jurisdictions from prohibiting participation in such agreements. No towns in New Hampshire have officially adopted a sanctuary designation, although cities like Lebanon and Nashua have implemented "welcoming" policies. What People Are Saying Governor Ayotte said in a press release: "Today, we're delivering on our promise by banning sanctuary cities and supporting law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. New Hampshire will never be a sanctuary for criminals, and we will keep working every day to remain the safest state in the nation." State Rep. Sweeney said in a post on X: "We are doing everything we can to keep New Hampshire safe." Amanda Azad, Policy Director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, told Newsweek: "Law enforcement in New Hampshire should not detain anyone without due process – but that's what these laws may encourage. Police should not be aiding in federal immigration enforcement by executing ICE detainers - which are not signed by a judge and do not go through due process. These harmful actions by police would be embracing cruelty and sowing seeds of distrust between local communities and law enforcement." What Happens Next The legislation will come into effect next year.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Ayotte signs two anti-sanctuary city bills into law
Gov. Kelly Ayotte signs Senate Bill 62 into law Thursday. The bill was one of two aimed at preventing so-called sanctuary cities in New Hampshire. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) Flanked by conservative lawmakers and sheriffs from around the state, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed two anti-sanctuary city bills into law in New Hampshire on Thursday, fulfilling a campaign promise she and several of her Republican colleagues in the Legislature made during the fall. 'There will be no sanctuary cities in New Hampshire,' Ayotte said. 'Period. End of story.' The bills — House Bill 511 and Senate Bill 62 — seek to prevent so-called sanctuary cities, or localities that have laws hindering local law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or federal immigration laws. When it goes into effect in January, HB 511 will require New Hampshire municipalities to comply with ICE immigration detainers 'if safe to do so,' prohibit policies ignoring federal immigration-related directives and authorities, and forbid local law enforcement from investigating whether someone in their custody is a citizen, unless that person in under investigation for violating New Hampshire law. SB 62, which also goes into effect in January (though it creates legal definitions that become law in July), will take away state or local governments' authority to prohibit their affiliated law enforcement entities from entering into voluntary agreements with ICE. Speaking to reporters at the bill signing ceremony, Ayotte invoked comparisons to neighboring Massachusetts. Bay State Gov. Maura Healey has denied that her state is a sanctuary state but the Center for Immigration Studies includes it in their list of 13 sanctuary states. 'This is something we ran on to make sure that New Hampshire would not go the way of Massachusetts,' she said, 'and their billion-dollar illegal immigration crisis.' Ayotte also boasted that New Hampshire is 'the safest state in the nation' and said 'we're going to continue to be that and this is a big step forward.' U.S. News and World Report ranked New Hampshire No. 1 among all states for public safety. It ranked reported sanctuary states Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Connecticut in the top 10 as well. Ayotte's fellow conservatives praised her at the ceremony for tackling the right's priorities. 'I look at the governor and I think, wow,' state Sen. Bill Gannon, a Sandown Republican, said. 'She made promises. She kept them. She did that with bail reform. Check. Sanctuary city bills today. Check.' Rep. Joe Sweeney, a Salem Republican and House Majority Leader, who has been aggressive in pushing for legislation addressing undocumented immigration said: 'We are sending a clear message to the state of New Hampshire today that if you're in this nation illegally, you are not welcome in the state of New Hampshire.' This comes amid a controversial immigration agenda for the federal government led by President Donald Trump. That includes a slew of deportations and detainments of student activists protesting Israel's war in Gaza, a group of Venezuelan migrants sent to a notoriously brutal El Salvador prison, and Europeans, including a Nashua German-American man and a number of tourists, being detained for weeks.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anchorage senator proposes expanding the Alaska parole board size, representation and transparency
Goose Creek Correctional Center is seen in fall. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Corrections) An Anchorage senator has proposed expanding the Alaska Board of Parole, and widening the range of experiences of its members, citing the board's workload and importance of fairness and accountability in its work. The parole board has granted far fewer people parole from state prisons in recent years. Since 2021, the board granted parole on average 25% of the time, with the other 75% denied or continued, according to a legislative audit last year. According to the ACLU of Alaska, the board has released 79% fewer people and held 75% fewer hearings than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates argue the high rate of denials is contributing to overcrowding and a sense of hopelessness, also contributing to higher rates of suicide. There have been at least 67 deaths in Alaska since 2020, with 17 reported as suicides. Senate Bill 62 expands the board of parole from five to seven members, 'to help address a substantial workload' and 'process parole applications in a fair and accountable manner,' according to a statement by the bill's sponsor, Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage. 'This precipitous decline in successful parole applications has created this climate of hopelessness,' Tobin said in an interview. 'It has created this dynamic where people don't know why they should be involved in treatment, why they should be trying to rehabilitate. And that, to me, is very concerning.' Tobin said she frequently hears from concerned residents with family members who are incarcerated. 'For every person who is behind bars, there are people outside who love them and who are concerned about their health and safety,' she said. Tobin said she wants to expand opportunities for parole, also because as a Christian she believes in redemption. 'Some folks have done terrible, terrible things, but that is not the whole of who they are,' she said. 'There is an ability for them to be redeemed, and I believe that we should offer that path of redemption.' The five-member parole board is appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and reviews applications for parole, which totaled 181 applicants last year. That review process includes whether they've taken part in educational and rehabilitation programs, as well as the person's suitability for release, the nature of their offense, and behavior while incarcerated. The board also takes into consideration statements from any victims or their family members. Parole can be granted for those who are elderly, or with a severe medical diagnosis, with some exceptions for serious crimes. The parole board sets conditions of release like terms for work, housing, and sometimes further behavioral health treatment. The legislation would create selection criteria for the expanded seven-member board, and limit members to two five-year terms. Four of the seats would require certain licenses or expertise: one for a licensed physician, psychologist or psychiatrist; one for a victim of a crime, a family member of a victim, or member of a victim advocacy group; one for someone with expertise in addiction recovery; and one for a member of a federally recognized tribe. The bill would remove the only current specific experience requirement for board membership: that at least one has experience in criminal justice. It would keep a provision that the governor appoint people 'on the basis of their qualifications to make decisions that are compatible with the welfare of the community and of individual offenders' and who are able to consider 'the character and background of offenders and the circumstances under which offenses were committed.' The tribal affiliation requirement is aimed at addressing the disproportionately high number of Alaska Native people incarcerated — the largest ethnic group in state prisons, at 44% in 2024, Tobin said in the sponsor statement that accompanied the bill. The legislation would also require the board of parole to submit an annual report on parole decisions, and reasons for granting or denying parole. Advocates, including with the ACLU, have complained that the current board's decision process for discretionary parole is opaque. A legislative audit last year found 'the board was unable to provide specific reasons why its parole approval rate decreased.' 'It's hard to know if you're going to be a successful applicant for discretionary parole, if you don't know how the board of parole makes their determinations and decisions and why someone might be denied parole,' Tobin said. Tobin questioned Leitoni Tupou, the board chair, directly about some of these issues at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 26. Tupou has worked in Alaska corrections starting in 2000, and was appointed to the board in 2020. He's up for another five-year term. When asked about the decline in numbers of parole applications granted, Tupou rejected the premise of the question. 'Every hearing is an individual hearing,' he said, and noted higher approval rates for drug offenses and property crimes. When asked about demographic data of parolees being removed from the parole board website, Tupou said that data was not required to be public under current law. For medical or geriatric parole, there were no applications granted in 2024, according to state data. When asked about these rates, Tupou said the board is confined to follow current law. 'If the law allows the parole board the discretion to apply the law of mercy, I believe we can do that,' he said. 'So my recommendation is we look at the current law when it comes to medical parole. Because there are times we'd like to release these folks, but our hands are tied. They do not meet the criteria set by the law to allow them to be released.' He cited a recent case of a 94-year-old applicant for parole that the board denied. 'Can you imagine the kind of expenses that we spend to take care of this person?' he said. 'At the same time we had to look at the seriousness of his offense. He committed one of the most heinous crimes. At the same time, what is he going to do? He's 94 years old. But the laws basically tell us he's not qualified. So as lawmakers, I think that is something that needs to be reviewed.' Tupou told the committee more addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs would benefit people who are incarcerated, as there can be waitlists or lack of programs offered at certain facilities. In some cases, he says the parole board 'continues' the application, to allow people time to get off waitlists and into those treatment programs. 'Because it appears to us, the only way we can help these folks is (for them) to participate in some programs,' Tupou said. 'We cannot just let them be released to the community and have the parole officer in the community supervise them, without them being part of some kind of a program. Jobs are great, but programs (like) substance abuse treatment programs, sex offender treatment programs, mental health programs — those are the programs that have to be available for these folks to go to. And looking at the risk of them reoffending, the possibility will be less.' After the hearing, Tobin said it sounds like 'double jeopardy' for the parole board to put so much weight on the original crime, when someone has already been to trial and sentenced. She also noted it costs the state to keep people incarcerated — at a cost of $202 per day — plus medical care, at the expense of other programs and services. 'The average cost is $75,000 (per person) per year,' she said. 'I'm not saying that this is about cost containment and cost savings, but it's all part of the conversation …. As we give money to our Department of Corrections to keep people incarcerated, we are making choices to not invest in other places, like pre-K (education).' Tobin introduced similar legislation last year that failed to move out of committee. She said the bill this year scaled back some requirements for board seats, with feedback from other legislators. Those included requirements like a required seat for someone with a felony conviction that has been dismissed or sentence served, and limiting seats of former correctional employees. The Reentry Coalitions of Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks support the bill, as well as the ACLU of Alaska. Megan Edge, director of an ACLU project focused on prisons said the move to make the parole board process more transparent, and share decision making processes would also help better ensure support services and lower the rates of people reoffending, known as recidivism. 'Why are they recidivating? Because most people that are making parole, they're excited to go home,' she said. 'Did they have a substance use issue? Did they have a mental health issue? Was it a housing problem? Was it an employment issue? And we just need better data to understand why our recidivism rate is where it is at and how we can improve it.' Alaska rate of recidivism – defined as when someone is paroled and then violates the terms of parole or commits a crime again — was almost half, or 47% of discretionary parolees and 67% of mandatory parolees over the last three years. Edge emphasized that more representation on the board of people with technical and career expertise — in behavioral health and rehabilitation in particular — can help improve conditions of release. 'So I think a properly functioning parole board should be looking at an applicant's ability to be successful once they're released, and so when they're not successful, we would all be served better on knowing why people are failing,' she said. 'It'll make our communities safer.' Expanding opportunities for parole helps unite families, she added, and lessens negative impacts on children especially. She said cultivating hope can also improve prison safety and conditions for inmates, and for staff. 'It's sad. You hear the clink on the door, and you realize all these people are locked in there and like, it's an impossible job,' Edge said, who also worked for the Department of Corrections under Gov. Walker's administration. 'So when you take that hope away from inmates, you're making that a more toxic workplace for your staff. So there's benefits for everybody when people have hope.' SB 62 is being heard in the Senate State Affairs Committee with the next public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 8. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor prevails in dispute over penalties for supervisors who stay silent on misdeeds
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks during a press conference Feb. 6, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre with Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden's preferred version of a bill to punish supervisors who hide misbehavior by state employees is headed to his desk. Senate Bill 62 is part of a legislative package from Attorney General Marty Jackley as a response to a host of state employee malfeasance cases since last summer. On Wednesday at the state Capitol, the Senate voted 20-14 to agree with Rhoden-supported changes applied to the bill earlier by the state House of Representatives. Jackley wanted supervisors who fail to report employee misdeeds to face felony charges – even if the misdeeds in question amounted to misdemeanor crimes. Lawmakers target government supervisors who stay silent on misconduct, but not with a felony The bill's basic outlines were broadly popular in both chambers, but the clause on felonies for supervisors proved divisive. Rhoden's lobbyists unsuccessfully pushed to reduce the penalty for supervisors to a misdemeanor in both the House and Senate judiciary committees. Senators narrowly rejected an effort to do the same during SB 62's first appearance on the floor in that chamber. Earlier this week, the House voted 38-31 to go Rhoden's way. The Senate was asked Wednesday to concur. Senators could've appointed a conference committee in hopes of hammering out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. A handful of senators, including Pierre Republican Jim Mehlhaff, wanted to restore Jackley's preferences and hoped a conference committee could pull that off. 'This was an unfriendly amendment,' Mehlhaff said of the House's actions. The majority of his colleagues, however, decided against another volley. 'I'm not sure a conference committee will resolve this, and I'd like to be done with this today,' said Sen. Amber Hulse, R-Hot Springs. Jackley filed at least five criminal cases against former state employees last year, for allegations ranging from faked food-service health inspections to $1.8 million of embezzlement from a state department. His package of anti-corruption legislation includes other bills that would expand the investigatory authority of the state auditor, strengthen the Board of Internal Controls, and establish protections for whistleblowers. Each bill has passed both chambers, with some pending amendments made by one chamber or the other. Jackley issued a statement Wednesday praising the Legislature for approving the package. 'I remain convinced that there must be significant consequences when a government supervisor does not report a crime or government misbehavior,' Jackley said. 'The number of cases in the last year demonstrates that such crimes should be charged as a felony, not a misdemeanor. The Legislature thought differently, and I respect its decision.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Education Committee rejects attempt to make it harder to pay teachers' union dues
A bipartisan group of Oklahoma senators on Tuesday roundly rejected an attempt by a Republican colleague to make it harder for teachers to pay union dues. The Senate Education Committee voted 8-3 against Senate Bill 62, authored by state Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, which would have removed a requirement for school districts to make school employee payroll deductions for dues for professional organizations, such as unions, and for political contributions. Teachers' unions traditionally have collected dues from members by having them automatically withdrawn from their paycheck, should teachers choose to join a union. Bergstrom argued Tuesday individual teachers should be responsible for paying their union dues, instead of having the school district automatically withdraw those dues from the teacher's paycheck and send them to a union. He said his bill 'stops taxpayers subsidizing far-left teachers' unions.' 'We need to be familiar with what is going on here,' Bergstrom said. 'We have payroll deductions for union dues to organizations like the (Oklahoma Education Association), which gives almost $3 million a year to the (National Education Association) for a lot of left-wing ideology that's being pushed throughout our state and the country. In addition to that, they have political contributions that they are required to take and push through.' More: Teachers begin speaking out against Ryan Walters: 'You're putting students in jeopardy' Bergstrom, a former teacher, did not provide examples of what he meant by 'left-wing ideology.' Senators from both sides of the political aisle pounced. Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, R-Jenks, noted teachers could already voluntarily choose not to have union dues withdrawn. Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said teachers currently have to opt into the automatic withdrawal every year and called Bergstrom's bill 'a step too far,' although Rader did end up voting for the bill after Bergstrom agreed to strike its title, a legislative move that can slow a bill's progress. Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, also has been a teacher. She simply asked Bergstrom, 'Why would we remove this?' She later asked if Bergstrom had considered removing automatic deductions for other public employees, such as police officers and firefighters. 'I'm only dealing with schools,' Bergstrom replied. Again, Hicks asked, 'Why?' 'That's all I decided to deal with, is schools,' Bergstrom said. Torie Luster Pennington, the president of another teachers' union, the Oklahoma City chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said she was pleased to see Bergstrom's bill defeated. She called Bergstrom's assertions that taxpayer dollars are subsidizing unions 'absolutely false.' 'We have worked hard on this every year to defeat it in committee,' Pennington said. 'Hopefully, it means that it won't need be brought up every year like it has been. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OK Senate committee rejects bill to make teacher union dues harder to pay
