Latest news with #SenateBill650
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Texas Legislature passes landmark alcohol ID law inspired by grieving mother
A bill requiring electronic ID readers at grocery and convenience stores that sell alcohol is now just a signature away from becoming law in Texas – a move being hailed as one of the most transformational changes to the state's liquor laws in three decades. A mother's mission begins Stephens family The legislation, which passed on the final full day of the 2025 session, was driven by Charlotte Stephens, a Richardson mother whose 18-year-old son, Deshawn, died in a 2022 car crash after purchasing alcohol without being asked for identification. "Amen. Right. It's unbelievable," Stephens said after learning the bill had passed. "Oh, he would be so proud. So proud. Yep. That's it. All the time. That is great." Three years of advocacy Stephens spent the past three years advocating for stricter alcohol sales enforcement. Her efforts culminated in Senate Bill 650, which mandates the use of electronic ID scanners to verify age at points of sale. "When the conference committee voted and passed this after the House of Representatives, after the Senate - I was just there. I mean, there's just no words," Stephens said. A tragic turning point Deshawn's death in April 2022 became a rallying point for reform. He had purchased alcohol from a Dallas convenience store without showing ID before crashing his car. "I'm begging you, do something," Stephens said in a previous plea to lawmakers. Her advocacy gained bipartisan support, including from Democratic State Sen. Royce West and Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. "We're sending a strong message," Patrick said. "If you're selling liquor, you need to be sure no 21 is buying it." Bill named for Deshawn The bill, named in honor of Deshawn, was among the final measures approved this session. "Just a heart full of gratitude, honestly," Stephens said. "Just a heart full of gratitude and appreciation." Lawmakers reflect on impact In a statement to CBS News Texas, West said: "I am gratified that SB 650 has passed into law. This bill's success was very much thanks to one determined mother who wanted to save lives after a tragedy befell her son." Work still continues While Stephens is celebrating the bill's passage, she says her work isn't done. "Tell her thank you for being an advocate for this particular bill," one supporter said. A mother's lasting grief Back home in Richardson, Stephens is surrounded by reminders of her son - and the cause she championed in his name. "Parents expect the garage door to go back up. They expect you to return home," she said. "And that didn't happen for me. And it's not okay. I want to be clear about that. It's not okay."
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A registry of repeat domestic violence offenders? Maryland lawmakers are divided
BALTIMORE — A Senate bill that seeks to create a public registry of repeat domestic violence offenders was met with mixed reactions from lawmakers, who expressed some support for the concept but worried about the costs and some of the bill's language. Senate Bill 650, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse, a Prince George's County Democrat, as well as three other Democrats and one Republican, would require the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to establish and maintain a central registry of people convicted three or more times of a domestically related crime. People who have been convicted multiple times would be required to register themselves with their local sheriff's office, providing their name, current address, the crimes they were convicted of, the dates and locations of said crimes and a photo. State law does not currently have a system in place for people to know about an intimate partner's history of abuse before they begin and potentially become trapped in dangerous relationships, said Robin Becker, an assistant state's attorney in the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office Special Victim's Unit. 'What we know about the cycle of abuse is that the abusers initially present as great partners …They prey on love and then use that love as a tool to coerce, control and abuse,' she said at a Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing on Wednesday. 'And if only these victims had been informed from the beginning, they would have been able to make informed decisions about who to allow in their lives, as well as, in many cases, their children's lives.' Nina Newman, an assistant state's attorney who prosecutes special victims cases for the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office, said survivors of domestic violence are finding through non-traditional means that their current partners had previously abused other partners. 'Our victims are finding this out through social media, through Reddit forums, Facebook pages, prior intimate partners reaching out to them and word of mouth,' she said. 'That is the current system that we have in place for victims to know the history of their domestic abuser, of their prior intimate partners.' Vanita Taylor, an attorney with the state's Office of the Public Defender, disagreed, saying that younger people don't look at public criminal registries. 'Registries do not deter crime,' she said. 'Registries do not make the public safe.' However, a 2024 report from the Governor's Family Violence Council that detailed survivors' perspectives on how to improve Maryland's response to domestic violence said group discussions with survivors centered on increasing abusers' accountability, with the idea of a registry emerging as a recommendation, among others. Under the bill's provisions, a person required to register due to their convictions would have to remain on the registry for 15 years following either the date of their latest conviction or their release date from their latest period of incarceration, whichever is later. Sen. William Folden, a Frederick County Republican, pointed out inconsistencies in the terminology around domestic violence in state law, asking if a physical incident between people who live together but are not in an intimate relationship would be listed as a domestic violence incident under the registry. Newman said yes. 'That's a problem,' Folden said. Newman agreed. Under Maryland's family law article, domestic violence is defined as abuse between current and former spouses or cohabitants, people who currently or formerly dated, and people who have a child together. Abuse includes anything that causes bodily harm to another person or anything that makes someone fear serious harm, as well as assault, rape or sexual offenses, stalking and revenge porn. Though Sen. Chris West, a Republican who represents Baltimore and Carroll counties, is a co-sponsor of the measure, he raised concerns about costs. General fund expenditures for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services would increase by at least $1.3 million in fiscal 2026 to create the registry, according to the bill's fiscal note, as well as 'significant' personnel costs associated with hiring 15 staff members to supervise domestic violence offender registrants. 'Don't get me wrong, I think the bill is well conceived, but we are facing serious budgetary problems this year,' West said. 'And $2.5 million in this climate is an awful lot of money for which we would have to get permission in order to pass a bill along these lines.' _____
