Latest news with #SenatePublicSafetyCommittee
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It will save lives': Missing Indigenous people Amber Alert bill advances at Arizona Senate
A proposed bill would create an alert system for missing Indigenous people, something lawmakers believe will bring awareness to an ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The bill, created by Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and sponsored by state Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, aims to coordinate tribal, local and federal efforts to alert the public of a missing Indigenous or endangered person. The alert system would be modeled after the Amber and Silver alerts, which notify the public of a missing child, senior or person with disabilities. "These alerts are fantastic, but we leave off a segment of population who go missing, and the state of Arizona doesn't even know to look for them," Martinez said. House Bill 2281 was introduced in January 2025, but lawmakers and advocates have felt a renewed push to pass the legislation after the devastating discovery of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "I testified in early February that this legislation is critical, and it will save lives," Lewis said. "Little did I know at that time, Emily Pike, a 14-year-old member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, had been missing for weeks. She was found brutally murdered nine days after that testimony." 'The system failed Emily': Indigenous community rallies around slain San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike The bill requires the Arizona Department of Public Safety to establish an alert system for missing Indigenous or endangered people between 18 and 55, the range between Amber and Silver alerts. The alert would be used if the investigating agency has exhausted all resources; determined the person went missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances; and believed that the person is in danger, in the company of a potentially dangerous person or other factors indicating their life may be in danger. In a Senate Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, Lewis emphasized that the aim of the bill wasn't to favor Native Americans over others but noted that Indigenous people are victims of violent crimes at a higher rate than others. The bill has garnered much public support, including from the Office of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, DPS, Tohono O'odham Nation and the Gila River Indian Community. The bill passed the House unanimously on Feb. 24, three days before the Gila County Sheriff's Office announced that Emily's body had been found. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Wednesday and will be voted on by the full Senate. "I can't help but think, what if this law was in place early, would Emily be alive today?" Lewis said. The sponsors of the bill don't anticipate any monetary impact. According to Mesa police, Pike had run away from her group home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road in late January. Her body was found brutalized and in trash bags in Gila County, northeast of Globe, 17 days later, said Jim Lahti of the Gila County Sheriff's Office. What happened between when she was last seen and when her body was found is under investigation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, FBI and other local agencies. An Amber Alert was not issued for Pike because her case didn't meet the requirements of an alert, the Mesa Police Department said. The department said it had no indication she was abducted. "The reality is that this little girl was missing ... and they found her dismembered," Martinez said. The Gila County Sheriff's Office said there were no updates as of March 7. The investigators were "vigorously" working on the case, Lahti said. According to data analyzed by the Urban Indian Health Institute in 2018, Arizona ranked third in states with the highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In a survey of cities that provided data, Tucson ranked in the top 10. "Everybody is going to know (Emily's name), and we are not going to stop, we are going to be loud for everybody, not just Emily," said Alyssa Dosela, Emily's aunt, at a vigil for Pike on March 6. During the Senate committee meeting, legislators floated the idea of amending the bill to name the alert after Pike. The Amber Alert, while standing for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, also refers to the brutal kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Texas in 1996. Additional help: Federal agencies join Arizona investigation into disappearance of 14-year-old Emily Pike This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Indigenous Amber Alert bill for AZ advances after Emily Pike's death
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It will save lives': Missing Indigenous people Amber Alert bill advances at Arizona Senate
A proposed bill would create an alert system for missing Indigenous people, something lawmakers believe will bring awareness to an ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The bill, created by Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and sponsored by state Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, aims to coordinate tribal, local and federal efforts to alert the public of a missing Indigenous or endangered person. The alert system would be modeled after the Amber and Silver alerts, which notify the public of a missing child, senior or person with disabilities. "These alerts are fantastic, but we leave off a segment of population who go missing, and the state of Arizona doesn't even know to look for them," Martinez said. House Bill 2281 was introduced in January 2025, but lawmakers and advocates have felt a renewed push to pass the legislation after the devastating discovery of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "I testified in early February that this legislation is critical, and it will save lives," Lewis said. "Little did I know at that time, Emily Pike, a 14-year-old member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, had been missing for weeks. She was found brutally murdered nine days after that testimony." 'The system failed Emily': Indigenous community rallies around slain San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike The bill requires the Arizona Department of Public Safety to establish an alert system for missing Indigenous or endangered people between 18 and 55, the range between Amber and Silver alerts. The alert would be used if the investigating agency has exhausted all resources; determined the person went missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances; and believed that the person is in danger, in the company of a potentially dangerous person or other factors indicating their life may be in danger. In a Senate Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, Lewis emphasized that the aim of the bill wasn't to favor Native Americans over others but noted that Indigenous people are victims of violent crimes at a higher rate than others. The bill has garnered much public support, including from the Office of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, DPS, Tohono O'odham Nation and the Gila River Indian Community. The bill passed the House unanimously on Feb. 24, three days before the Gila County Sheriff's Office announced that Emily's body had been found. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Wednesday and will be voted on by the full Senate. "I can't help but think, what if this law was in place early, would Emily be alive today?" Lewis said. The sponsors of the bill don't anticipate any monetary impact. According to Mesa police, Pike had run away from her group home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road in late January. Her body was found brutalized and in trash bags in Gila County, northeast of Globe, 17 days later, said Jim Lahti of the Gila County Sheriff's Office. What happened between when she was last seen and when her body was found is under investigation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, FBI and other local agencies. An Amber Alert was not issued for Pike because her case didn't meet the requirements of an alert, the Mesa Police Department said. The department said it had no indication she was abducted. "The reality is that this little girl was missing ... and they found her dismembered," Martinez said. The Gila County Sheriff's Office said there were no updates as of March 7. The investigators were "vigorously" working on the case, Lahti said. According to data analyzed by the Urban Indian Health Institute in 2018, Arizona ranked third in states with the highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In a survey of cities that provided data, Tucson ranked in the top 10. "Everybody is going to know (Emily's name), and we are not going to stop, we are going to be loud for everybody, not just Emily," said Alyssa Dosela, Emily's aunt, at a vigil for Pike on March 6. During the Senate committee meeting, legislators floated the idea of amending the bill to name the alert after Pike. The Amber Alert, while standing for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, also refers to the brutal kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Texas in 1996. Additional help: Federal agencies join Arizona investigation into disappearance of 14-year-old Emily Pike This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Indigenous Amber Alert bill for AZ advances after Emily Pike's death
USA Today
08-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Republicans racing to name roads after Trump keep crashing and burning
Republicans racing to name roads after Trump keep crashing and burning | Opinion Republicans aren't satisfied with just renaming roads after Trump. Some want an official holiday, too. Show Caption Hide Caption Frustrated Democrats want leaders to do more to stop Trump Congressional limitations hinder Democrats' pushback against the Trump administration, but constituents say more can be done. The drive to name an Arizona state highway after President Donald Trump ran off the road on Thursday. I know. I'm surprised, too. State Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, proposed transforming State Route 260 into the Donald J. Trump Highway, noting that it's the patriotic thing to do. He has, after all, been president for an entire six weeks now. 'All across the nation people have really endorsed this concept, and why?' Rogers told the Senate Public Safety Committee a few weeks ago. 'It's because WE THE PEOPLE should be able to name our roads and our byways, and WE THE PEOPLE need to be represented and to be proud of our United States president.' Alas, WE THE PEOPLE must be crushed because the legislation stalled Thursday on a 15-9 vote of the Republican-run Senate, one shy of passing. Opinion: Canada's Liberal Party looked doomed. Then Trump's tariff war revived it. Trump Highway could be revived from the dead The proposal could make a comeback, however, as state Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, was absent from Thursday's vote. Arizona is not the only red state looking to up its bootlicking game. In Missouri, Republicans also are working on a bill to name a state highway for Trump, and in Oklahoma, there is talk of declaring Nov. 5 (the day he was elected) a state holiday – President Donald J. Trump Day. I am not making this up. In Arizona, Senate Concurrent Memorial 1001 offers 15 whereases to justify the Donald J. Trump Highway. Among other things, it notes that he won the popular vote, unleashed the Department of Government Efficiency on federal workers and 'built over 400 miles of the world's most robust and advanced border wall' during his first term. Opinion: Georgetown law school dean clobbers Trump-loving US attorney's DEI griping Should the legislation be revived, it ultimately would be up to the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names to decide whether Trump rates the 217.8-mile scenic strip of pavement that runs from Cottonwood to Eager. Me? I'd suggest honoring him with a different route. One filled with harrowing switchbacks and plenty of potholes. Laurie Roberts is a columnist at the Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Reach Roberts at or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz, on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Panel kills bill to reduce Oklahoma penalties for cockfighting
A Senate committee on Tuesday killed a bill that would have reduced the penalties for those convicted of a first offense for cockfighting. (Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Tuesday killed a bill that sought to reduce the penalty and fine for those convicted of cockfighting on a first offense. Senate Bill 1111 would have reduced the penalty for hosting or participating in cockfighting from a felony to a misdemeanor and removed the term of imprisonment. It also would have reduced the fine to $500 from up to $25,000 for first-time offenders. The Senate Public Safety Committee voted 3-4 against the measure by Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville. In 2002, voters approved State Question 687 by slightly more than 56% of the vote to make cockfighting a felony offense. Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, suggested it might be more appropriate to send the proposed change to a vote of the people. The state question also made it a felony to own, possess, keep or train birds for cockfighting. Woods' bill would have narrowed the language in the law to criminalize only active participation. 'Felony convictions can permanently hinder a person's ability to find employment, contribute to society and join the military,' Woods said. 'By making a first offense a misdemeanor, Senate Bill 1111 allows individuals a chance to move forward without the burden of a life-long felony record.' He said it would reduce the burden on courts and prisons. 'Repeat offenders face escalating consequences, including substantial fines and potential imprisonment,' Woods said. First-time offenders deserve a second chance, Woods said. Senate Public Safety Committee Chairman Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, said a person could have an eight-ball of methamphetamine and not go to prison yet owning one of the birds that later is used in cockfighting outside of the United States carries prison time. Weaver voted against the measure, saying it went too far. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Senate panel advances bill banning smoking in vehicles with children
Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, is pictured during a special legislative session. (Photo by Carmen Forman/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Tuesday passed a bill that would prohibit smoking tobacco, marijuana and vapor products in a vehicle in the presence of a child. Under Senate Bill 23, violators would be subject to a fine of $50 to $100. The measure, by Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, passed the Senate Public Safety Committee by a vote of 5-3 and heads to the Senate floor. Sen. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, who voted against the bill, said she doesn't smoke, but cigarettes are legal, and some people are addicted to them. 'Yes, they are dangerous though,' Stanley said. Goodwin said private cars are like private homes. Stanley said the state governs other behaviors in vehicles by requiring seat belts and car seats. 'This is just taking care of children,' she said. Stanley, an educator, said she remembers children coming to school with smoke billowing out of the vehicle and wreaking of the smell. 'I realize people have a right to smoke,' Stanley said. 'We just don't want them to do it in a closed vehicle.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
