Latest news with #all-Republican
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Texas Supreme Court gives initial win to Paxton in migrant shelter case
(The Texas Tribune) — Attorney General Ken Paxton can proceed with his investigation of an El Paso migrant shelter network he has accused of violating state law by helping undocumented migrants, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday. The ruling does not weigh in on the merits of the case, but says the district court erred in blocking Paxton from obtaining documents and getting an injunction to close the shelter. The case began in February 2024 when the attorney general's office demanded documents from the shelter, Annunciation House, related to its work with immigrants. Annunciation House, which opened its first shelter at a Catholic church nearly 50 years ago, primarily serves people who have been processed and released into the U.S. by federal immigration officials. The shelter's director, Ruben Garcia, communicates regularly with Border Patrol and other federal officials to help find shelter for immigrants who have nowhere else to go while their cases are processed. Here's what you need to know: Officials from the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division arrived at the migrant shelter's door on Feb. 7 and demanded a trove of documents within a day. Annunciation House sued the attorney general's office to delay the release of the records, asking a judge to determine which documents shelter officials were legally allowed to release. Paxton's office filed a countersuit to shutter the shelter network. The attorney general's office claimed the shelter was violating state law by helping people suspected of being undocumented immigrants. The investigation was one of more than 12 instances identified last year by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica in which Paxton's office used the state's consumer protection laws to investigate organizations whose work conflicts in some way with his political views or the views of his conservative base. At least four other organizations that work with immigrants have been targeted. An El Paso judge in July denied Paxton's effort to shut down Annunciation House. State District Judge Francisco Dominguez ruled that the state's claim, 'even if accepted as true, does not establish a violation of those provisions.' He also ruled that the state laws are preempted by federal law and therefore 'unenforceable.' Paxton's office appealed the decision directly to the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court. The appeal drew five letters to the court from outside parties. Among them were two in support of Annunciation House filed by El Paso County and First Liberty Institute, a Texas nonprofit that champions religious freedom. America First Legal Foundation, an organization started by a former Trump administration official to advocate for conservative causes, filed a letter in support of Paxton's office. Paxton's office, which has argued that the shelter network should be closed for violating state laws against human smuggling and operating a stash house, told the court that Annunciation House should be shuttered to send a message to other similar organizations. Ryan Baasch of the attorney general's office argued that Annunciation House 'knowingly and purposely' shelters undocumented persons. 'If all the state is allowed to do is obtain an injunction that says, 'Don't do this unlawful act again,' there's absolutely no deterrent effect,' Baasch said in response to a question from a justice about why an injunction would be insufficient. When one of the justices asked whether the state wanted to deter organizations from exercising their religious activity, Baasch responded: 'Not all, your honor. We want to deter organizations from knowingly and deliberately sheltering illegally present aliens.' Annunciation House's lawyers have characterized the state's arguments as 'utter nonsense,' arguing that Paxton's efforts violate the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech, association and religion, and the Fourth Amendment, which offers protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Annunciation House lawyer Amy Warr argued that most of the people who the shelter helps have been processed and released by federal immigration authorities while their cases are pending. She said other federal authorities, like the FBI, sometimes bring undocumented people to the shelter who they need as witnesses in criminal cases. 'Law enforcement knows we are there, knows that we house undocumented people,' Warr said. 'If they want to pick somebody up, they come with a warrant and they get the person — or they wait outside until the person comes out. They have full means to do this.' Annunciation House gave five minutes of its oral arguments to First Liberty Institute, a religious freedom organization. Elizabeth Kiernan argued on behalf of the group that Annunciation House's work is motivated by the group's Catholic faith. 'The Catholic church has claimed Annunciation House as one of its own,' Kiernan said. 'If the (Texas Religious Freedom and Restoration Act) protects anything, it protects this religious charity against outright closure.' In a unanimous opinion, with one justice recused, the Texas Supreme Court found that the district court had erred in granting Annunciation House a permanent inunction against records requests from the Attorney General, and in denying the state's request for a permanent injunction. Should Paxton's office ask for another injunction, 'the trial court must assess it in light of our holdings,' the justices wrote. But they made clear that they were not weighing in on the strength of Paxton's arguments or his chances of winning this case outright. 'It is too early for us, or for any court, to express a view about the merits of the underlying issues,' the unanimous opinion reads. 'Perhaps the case will terminate quickly based on evidentiary or legal grounds; perhaps it will go to trial… We resolve only what we must to dispose of today's appeal.' The case will return now to the district 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Health care advocates form coalition urging Republicans to take their ‘Hands Off Medicaid'
Shelly Ten Napel, CEO of the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, participates in a debate on Sept. 19, 2024, at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell. She is part of a new coalition opposing cuts to Medicaid. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) A group of South Dakota health care advocates launched a 'Hands Off Medicaid' coalition Thursday, pleading with the state's all-Republican congressional delegation to avoid proposed cuts. Medicaid is a federal-state health care program for low-income people. A U.S. House-approved budget reconciliation bill would reduce the program by $625 billion over 10 years under an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office. Shelley Ten Napel, CEO of the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, is a member of Hands Off Medicaid. 'The proposed cuts will be especially harmful to rural South Dakota,' Ten Napel said. 'When coverage rates fall, rural health centers lose critical funding – putting access to primary care, maternal care, dental services and behavioral health at risk for everyone in those communities.' U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, voted for the bill last week. It's now under consideration by the Senate. 'This bill is a strong conservative work product, and one that is long overdue,' Johnson said last week in a press release. 'It delivers a historic spending reduction and roots out abuse of federal programs. These changes are a meaningful attempt to turn our fiscal house in the right direction.' SD Rep. Johnson votes yes as U.S. House Republicans push through budget reconciliation bill Hands Off Medicaid's introductory press conference included Democrat Earl Pomeroy, who served as a U.S. representative for North Dakota from 1993 to 2011. He said millions of Americans could lose care. 'This bill represents a complete retreat from decades of bipartisan progress in expanding access to health care,' Pomeroy said. 'It will drive up the number of uninsured South Dakotans and leave rural hospitals drowning in tens of millions of dollars in uncompensated care.' That fear is shared by retired family physician Tom Dean. Born and raised near Wessington Springs, he retired after 43 years of practice and still lives in the small South Dakota town. 'I'm really frightened about the impact it will have on nursing homes,' Dean said. About 147,000 South Dakotans are enrolled in Medicaid. The advocates said 49% of seniors and people with disabilities receive nursing home and community-based care through Medicaid. They also say one out of four births in the state is covered by Medicaid. 'Medicaid is a major payer for prenatal, delivery and postpartum care,' Dean said. 'And that's a major concern, especially in rural areas, but across the country. This country has an alarmingly high maternal mortality rate.' The U.S. maternal mortality rate in 2022 was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund, compared to zero in Norway, 1.2 in Switzerland, 3.4 in Japan, 3.5 in Germany, and 8.4 in Canada. Shannon Bacon is the director of external affairs at Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas. She said access to obstetric care is declining across the state because fewer facilities are offering those services, in part because it 'typically is a money-loser for hospitals, and especially for small rural hospitals that are already financially stressed.' 'And if we lose Medicaid coverage, it will make that problem even worse,' Bacon said. 'And as a result, it will have a direct impact on outcomes.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill includes a policy change that would require Medicaid enrollees who are between the ages of 19 and 65 to work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program at least 80 hours a month. The language has numerous exceptions, including for pregnant women, parents of dependent children, people who have complex medical conditions, tribal community members, those in the foster care system, people who were in foster care who are below the age of 26, and individuals released from incarceration in the last 90 days, among others. Meanwhile, South Dakota officials are considering imposing their own work requirements on adult Medicaid expansion enrollees who don't qualify for a list of exceptions. South Dakotans voted in 2022 to expand Medicaid to adults with incomes up to 138% of the poverty level, a decision that allowed the state to capitalize on a 90% federal funding match. The first of two public hearings on the state's Medicaid expansion work requirements proposal is at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the state Department of Social Services in Pierre. States Newsroom's D.C. Bureau contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Axios
6 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
PSC elections will guide electricity rates and clean energy future
Early voting has begun to pick who should serve on the Georgia Public Service Commission, the state regulator that decides how much you pay to turn on your lights. Why it matters: In addition to electricity and natural gas rates, the five-member commission regulates telecom companies and has major say over the future of clean energy in Georgia. Catch up quick: PSC elections have been delayed since 2022 after a federal judge ruled the commission's at-large elections violated the Voting Rights Act, kickstarting a legal dispute that remains under appeal. The winners of the June primary will face off in the Nov. 4 general election. Zoom in: Commissioners are elected statewide but must live in a specific district. They serve staggered six-year terms. Here's who's on the ballot. District 2 (east): Alicia Johnson, a health care consultant from Savannah, is the lone candidate in the Democratic primary. She will face the winner of the Republican contest between incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols, who was first elected in 2010, and business owner Lee Muns, District 3 (metro Atlanta): Clean energy nonprofit professional Peter Hubbard, former utility executive Robert Jones and former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites compete for the Democratic nomination. On Tuesday, an administrative law judge said another Democratic candidate, former EPA regional administrator Daniel Blackman, did not provide enough evidence to prove he lived in the district long enough to qualify for the ballot, the AJC reports. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger makes the final decision as to whether Blackman can remain on the ballot. Incumbent Commissioner Fitz Johnson, the PSC's first Black Republican commissioner, is facing voters for the first time since he was appointed to the post by Kemp in 2021. By the numbers: Georgia Power customers' bills have jumped an average of $43 since 2023 thanks to rate hikes approved by the all-Republican panel, Georgia Recorder reports. Caveat: A yet-to-be-approved deal between the PSC and Georgia Power that's been blessed by Gov. Brian Kemp — and called out by watchdogs as an election-year ploy — would freeze rates through 2028. Yes, but: Whoever wins in November will decide whether Georgia Power and other utilities can pass on the costs of hurricane cleanup, fuel and transmission lines to ratepayers, Jennette Gayer of Environment Georgia told Axios. In addition, they will join ongoing discussions about Georgia's data center boom and the strain the billion-dollar projects have had on the state's power grid. What's next: Early voting runs until June 13. Election Day is June 17, followed by runoffs on July 15 if needed. Log in to My Voter Page to check your polling place and view a sample ballot.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers move to ban legal THC, hemp amid medical marijuana expansion
Texas lawmakers have passed a ban on nonmedical sales of THC, the intoxicating ingredient in cannabis, sending the measure to Gov. Greg Abbott (R). 'If it gets you high, it is not legal anymore' state Rep. Tom Oliverson (R), who sponsored the House bill, told The Dallas Morning News. In passing the ban, Texas joins a wide array of states, including Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska, that have banned or restricted intoxicating forms of hemp, or the compounds derived from it. It comes alongside a push by Texas Republicans to significantly expand the state's medical marijuana program. Under the new ban, possession of hemp products now carries a dramatically stricter penalty than possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) had threatened to hold up the state's ability to pass a budget if the House didn't pass S.B. 3, the companion legislation in the Senate. 'We cannot in good conscience leave Austin without banning THC,' Patrick said in a video posted on Monday. 'I've been here for 17 years at the Texas Capitol — 10 years as your lieutenant governor. I've never been more passionate about anything,' he added. If signed into law, the bill would represent a 'minor earthquake for the state's economy,' the Texas Tribune reported. A study funded by the Texas hemp industry found that the hemp business generates more than $5 billion in revenue and employs more than 53,000 workers, at an average of about $40,000 per year. The Texas Hemp Business Council, which had fought for security measures such as age verification and child-resistant packaging instead of a ban, vowed to sue over the bill, which it said 'dismantles the legal hemp industry.' Since 2019, Texas has been at the forefront of a national experiment in back-door cannabis legalization, after the Legislature passed a bill legalizing 'consumable hemp,' as opposed to the industrial variety used for fiber. That bill followed the 2018 passage of the Farm Bill by the all-Republican caucus. The language of that bill inadvertently laid the foundation for cannabis legalization across the country — provided it was called hemp, rather than marijuana, which is still illegal in Texas for nonmedical use. The law, however, created no guardrails, regulation or safety testing for the new industry that sprung up — something exacerbated by the Food and Drug Administration's refusal to meaningfully regulate hemp-based foods and beverages. Six years later, with pre-rolled joints and THC-infused drinks available at sleek dispensaries and run-down gas stations in the state, many conservative legislators now view that loophole as a mistake. 'What began in 2019 as a bipartisan effort to support Texas agriculture has since been hijacked by a cottage industry of unregulated THC sellers,' Oliverson said, per the Texas Tribune. For medical marijuana providers in Texas and elsewhere, the hemp industry is a wild-west competitor — not subject to the strict safety testing, sales limits or security controls that govern legal marijuana. As such, many of the states that preceded Texas in banning hemp — like Alaska, California and Colorado — have tightly regulated legal recreational and medical marijuana programs, for whom the hemp industry is a wild-west competitor. Texas's small medical cannabis industry has supported of restrictions on hemp, which its leaders say threaten to drive them out of business — and that corner of the industry stands to win big this session. In addition to a ban on its gray-market competitors, new legislation likely to pass this session would widen the number of covered conditions that can be treated with marijuana in Texas, and create licenses for nearly a dozen new dispensaries across the state. But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued. While bill opponents acknowledged the problem of an unregulated industry, they argued that the solution was to make sure the widespread demand for THC was met safely. 'Bans don't work,' said Dallas-area state Rep. Rafael Anchía, (D). 'We'll return to a completely unregulated black market where these products will find their way to young people today. If anybody's to blame about the state of affairs, it's us, in underregulating this marketplace.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Texas lawmakers move to ban legal THC, hemp amid medical marijuana expansion
Texas lawmakers have passed a ban on non-medical sales of THC, the intoxicating ingredient in cannabis, sending the measure to Gov. Greg Abbott (R). 'If it gets you high, it is not legal anymore' state Rep. Tom Oliverson (R), who sponsored the House bill, told the Dallas Morning News. In passing the ban, Texas joins a wide array of states, including Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska, that have banned or heavily restricted intoxicating forms of hemp, or the compounds derived from it. It comes alongside a push by Texas Republicans to significantly expand the state's medical marijauna program. Under the new ban, possession of hemp products now carries a dramatically stricter penalty than possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) had threatened to hold up the state's ability to pass a budget if the House didn't pass S.B. 3, the companion legislation in the Senate. 'We cannot in good conscious leave Austin without banning THC,' Patrick said in a video posted on Monday. 'I've been here for 17 years at the Texas Capitol — 10 years as your lieutenant governor. I've never been more passionate about anything,' he added. If signed into law, the bill would represent a 'minor earthquake for the state's economy,' the Texas Tribune reported. A study funded by the Texas hemp industry found that the hemp business generates more than $5 billion in revenue and employs more than 53,000 workers, at an average of about $40,000 per year. The Texas Hemp Business Council, which had fought for security measures such as age verification and child-resistant packaging instead of a ban, vowed to sue over the bill, which it said 'dismantles the legal hemp industry.' Since 2019, Texas has been at the forefront of a national experiment in back-door cannabis legalization, after the legislature passed a bill legalizing 'consumable hemp,' as opposed to the industrial variety used for fiber. That bill followed the 2018 passage of the Farm Bill by an the all-Republican caucus. The language of that bill inadvertently laid the foundation for cannabis legalization across the country — provided it was called hemp, rather than marijuana, which is still illegal in Texas for non-medical use. The law, however, created no guardrails, regulation or safety testing for the new industry that sprung up — something exacerbated by the Food and Drug Administration's refusal to meaningfully regulate hemp-based foods and beverages. Six years later, with pre-rolled joints and THC-infused drinks available at sleek dispensaries and run-down gas stations in the state, many conservative legislators now view that loophole as a mistake. 'What began in 2019 as a bipartisan effort to support Texas agriculture has since been hijacked by a cottage industry of unregulated THC sellers,' Oliverson said, per the Texas Tribune. For medical marijuana providers in Texas and elsewhere, the hemp industry is a wild-west competitor — not subject to the strict safety testing, sales limits or security controls that govern legal marijuana. As such, many of the states that preceded Texas in banning hemp — like Alaska, California and Colordao — have tightly regulated legal recreational and medical marijuana programs, for whom the hemp industry is a wild-west competitor. Texas's small medical cannabis industry has supported of restrictions on hemp, which its leaders say threaten to drive them out of business — and that corner of the industry stands to win big this session. In addition to a ban on its gray-market competitors, new legislation likely to pass this session would widen the number of covered conditions that can be treated with marijuana in Texas, and create licenses for nearly a dozen new dispensaries across the state. But unlike in Colorado or California, recreational users in Texas will be largely out of luck — or will turn to the black market, state Democrats argued. While bill opponents acknowledged the problem of an unregulated industry, they argued that the solution was to make sure the widespread demand for THC was met safely. 'Bans don't work,' said Dallas-area state Rep. Rafael Anchía, (D). 'We'll return to a completely unregulated black market where these products will find their way to young people today. If anybody's to blame about the state of affairs, it's us, in underregulating this marketplace.'
