Latest news with #H.B
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio House passes school bus safety bill spurred by deadly Clark County crash
Jun. 11—Anyone caught passing a school bus illegally would face significant fines and penalties to their driver's license under an Ohio House bill that passed 88-to-0. House Bill 3, the School Bus Safety Act, sponsored by Reps. Bernie Willis, R-Springfield, and Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati, would appropriate $10 million from Ohio Lottery funds to add cameras to school buses and educate drivers about school bus safety. Part of the $10 million would go toward school bus safety grants for local school districts. Cameras could be installed on school buses to record people improperly passing a school bus and those recordings could then be used in a criminal case, according to the bill. The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration. Willis introduced the bill last General Assembly following a fatal crash in Clark County on State Route 41. Hermanio Joesph, a Haitian immigrant who did not have a valid driver's license, crossed over the center line into the oncoming lane, hitting a Northwestern Local Schools bus and flipping it over in August 2023. Aiden Clark, 11, died and about two dozen other students were injured. The state put together a school bus safety task force afterwards, which made several recommendations to improve school bus safety, all of which Willis included in the bill. "This bill has been a major collaborative effort between numerous interested parties across the state and nation," Willis said. Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said the opportunity for safety grants will help schools add seat belts, should they want to, along with many different safety upgrades outlined in the bill. "This issue comes down to sculpting (law) so that locals have their own option," Huffman said. "There are many local school districts that want to add seat belts and have the money to do it. Some have the money to do it and they don't want to add seat belts, for whatever reason." Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said the bill will help "make sure that children are safe to and from school." Paul Imhoff of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, which represents Ohio's public school superintendents, testified in favor of the bill. He said it's clear thousands of drivers are disobeying Ohio's laws around school buses, and cracking down on people who don't follow the rules will be a good idea. "We urge you to support H.B. 3, which will improve the safety of Ohio students during their journeys to and from school," Imhoff said. Rudoph J. Breglia, of the School Bus Safety Alliance, testified in favor of the bill but additionally advocated for seat belts to be put in school buses. The state task force did not recommend using seat belts, saying there could be unintended consequences for kids who can't get out.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate panel takes testimony on renewed policies seeking accountability from Michigan polluters
Sen Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) testifies on a slate of bills aimed at improving polluter accountability during a June 11, 2025 meeting of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee. | Kyle Davidson Lawmakers from the state House and Senate called for an update to Michigan's laws on environmental contamination on Wednesday, arguing the current system does not offer enough protections for individuals impacted by pollution. Testifying before the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, Sens. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township), and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), as well as Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), underscored how the state's current regulations have impacted Michigan residents, arguing that they focus too heavily on limiting exposure rather than cleaning up pollution, leaving Michiganders to bear the costs. Last week, members of the House and Senate announced they would be reintroducing 'polluter pay' legislation in each chamber, with House Democrats introducing H.B. 4636–4640 and Senate Democrats introducing S.B. 385–387 and S.B. 391–393. 'Some people are calling for a restoration of a model that requires strict liability and full residential cleanups on every site. In fact, I proposed legislation like that in the past. But that's not what is being proposed today,' Irwin said. 'What is being proposed today is a modest change that preserves the current risk-based system, but that makes modest changes to improve protections for our water, improve protections for our land and improve protections for our health.' As a whole, the package aims to implement stricter pollution reporting and cleanup requirements, extend the statute of limitations for citizens bringing claims against polluters and allow residents impacted by pollution to sue companies for the cost of medical monitoring, Irwin explained. With more than 25,000 polluted sites across the state and 4,603 sites with land or resource controls, Irwin questioned how many aquifers the state is willing to give up to pollution. He also warned the panel that industry lobbyists would testify against these additional measures, arguing they would harm investment in Michigan business. 'Not only do I think that's not true, but we developed these bills in consultation with industry stakeholders,' Irwin said, noting that the sponsors had held workgroup meetings on the policies introduced during the previous Legislative session. The end result was more modest, but would still provide real benefits to the public, Irwin said. Andrea Pierce, policy director for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition and founder of the Anishinaabek Caucus said these laws are the beginning step in addressing environmental contamination in Michigan, not the end. Should these bills become law, Michigan would return to the pollution accountability standard it had before the state's polluter pay law was restructured in 1995, Pierce said. 'We need to go back to stronger laws that protect the people and communities of Michigan. Michigan needs a comprehensive legal framework for strengthening accountability and real recourse from those who pollute in our communities,' Pierce said, emphasizing that Michigan's most marginalized communities were also the ones most affected by pollution. Mike Witkowksi, director of environmental and regulatory policy for the Michigan Manufacturers Association argued shifting the system to require more from businesses would hinder the state's brownfield redevelopment efforts. 'These are not technical fixes or minor clarifications. These are fundamental changes that would undermine one of Michigan's most effective tools for addressing environmental contamination and supporting economic growth,' Witkowksi said, criticizing the additional requirements and arguing the package would increase clean up costs and liabilities for businesses. During his testimony earlier in the hearing, Irwin predicted industry stakeholders would argue that the legislation would hamper redevelopment by requiring polluted sites to be restored to pristine condition. 'That's not what this bill does,' Irwin said, arguing that pollution already hampers redevelopment efforts. With the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy lacking both the funding and the personnel to address the thousands of contaminated sites throughout the state, Witkowski said private-sector investors and developers are essential to cleaning up contamination throughout the state. Should these bills take effect, those sites would sit idle and remain polluted, he argued. Shink countered, noting that she'd served on Washtenaw County's brownfield redevelopment board during her time as a county commissioner. 'I can assure you that it isn't just private funds that's cleaning up these brownfield sites. There's a lot of public funds. That means the taxpayers, after the company has made its profit and maybe taken that profit out of state, the community is paying to clean that up,' Shink said, noting that the state is paying to clean up the former Federal Screw Works site in Washtenaw County. Alongside testimony from several environmental advocacy groups, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy also offered its support for the package with Aaron Keatley, the department's chief deputy director, noting that the bills aligned with their priorities for environmental legislation. Those priorities include transparency, ensuring predictable processes, securing assurances that companies will manage any releases of contaminants until the contamination is cleaned up, ensuring sites are redeveloped and streamlining the department's cleanup criteria so that the standards match the science, Keatley said. 'It is unfortunate that I look at you and I say I cannot tell you how many sites right now are managed by responsible parties, because they're not obligated to inform me of their day to day activities to keep that property safe,' Keatley said. The committee did not take votes on the legislation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We're living in the dumbest timeline' — Gov. Cox comments on SLC Sego pride flags
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Governor Cox commented on Salt Lake City's Sego pride flags in his monthly press conference Tuesday, calling them and the Utah law that banned pride and other unofficial flags 'dumb.' Governor Cox was asked if he supported the official flags that Salt Lake City adopted in response to Utah , the law that from being displayed on government property and at public schools. Previously, Cox called H.B. 77 the . Cox allowed the law to go into effect without his signature, and he did not veto the bill because it passed with a veto-proof majority. 'I don't support [the bill]. They're dumb flags, and it was a dumb bill,' Cox said. He clarified that he was referring to the Sego pride flags in Salt Lake City. Gov. Cox's pick to head new state records office gets OK from Senate panel despite criticism In response to H.B. 77, Salt Lake City adopted pride and Juneteenth designs as official flags for the city in . These flags allow the city to circumvent the law banning pride flags and other unofficial flags because they are now official city flags. The Sego Celebration, Belonging, and Visibility flags are meant to honor Juneteenth and Black and African American residents, LGBTQIA residents, and transgender residents respectively. 'It's ridiculous. I feel bad for the Japanese Americans. I feel bad for the Polynesian Americans… I mean, who are we leaving out here?' Cox said. 'I'm sure they [Salt Lake City Council] feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags. The whole thing's dumb.' Cox offered his thoughts on what both the state and cities should do instead of squabbling over pride flags. 'We should raise the American flag, and let's unify around that. It's a great flag, represents everyone, and the legislature doesn't need to be in everybody's business all the time,' he said. 'We're living in the dumbest timeline right now, that's all I can say,' Cox concluded. RSL hoping to make a run in second half of season Utah lawmakers oppose AI regulation in Trump's 'Big, beautiful bill' 'Somebody has to stop it:' Gov. Cox defends Trump's decision to deploy troops to LA 'We're living in the dumbest timeline' — Gov. Cox comments on SLC Sego pride flags Calif. governor asks court to block Trump administration from using troops in immigration raids Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would hold adults more accountable for underage drinking
Jun. 10—A bill in the Ohio General Assembly aims to curb underage drinking by making it easier to prosecute adults who make alcohol available to minors by changing only one word in Ohio law. House Bill 19 is sponsored by state Reps. Adam C. Bird, R-New Richmond, and Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Twp. It's currently before to the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would change the word "knowingly" within the Ohio Revised Code to "recklessly." "(State law) states that parents cannot 'knowingly' provide alcohol to minors," Bird states in written testimony. "We believe that this standard should be changed to 'recklessly'. By changing this one word, these parents will no longer be able to stock a fridge full of alcohol for the party and then hide behind the plausible deniability of 'not knowing' the kids got into it. This will better allow prosecutors to go after parents who host these co-ed teenage drinking parties and then turn a blind eye to what goes on when they've left the room." Bird adds in his testimony that a resident from his district knows of nine girls in one school year who woke up from a drinking party with a boy on top of them. "Co-ed teenage drinking parties have always been prevalent but recently they seem to be growing in number, intensity, and can often lead to sexual assault," Bird said. "Sexual assault in these circumstances occur because of the mixture of alcohol, genders, and lack of supervision by adults." Underage drinking has been on the decline in Montgomery County for the past 10 years, according to Tristyn Ball, director of prevention and early intervention with Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services. She and her team found that the underage use of vaping devices is much more prevalent than underage drinking at the moment. This is complemented by a 2023 survey conducted by the ADAMHS Board that states 6% of 3,800 students in grades 7-12 drank one or more alcoholic beverages within the past 30 days. "(That) doesn't sound like a lot, but when you look at the 75,000 students that are in Montgomery County, that's a little higher than I want to see," Ball says. "When we look at young people's perceived risk of drinking, we have almost a third of Montgomery County students that saw little to no risk drinking a couple times a week so that's definitely a measure we want to focus on." In regards to H.B. 19, Ball sees no reason that the bill shouldn't pass, but predicted possible pushback. "I think this is definitely a step in the right direction of closing some of those loopholes," Ball says. "I don't foresee any reason that people in the behavioral health field wouldn't support this. I think politically, I can see the public getting hung up on the terminology and the ambiguity of that. How do you quantify 'recklessly' versus 'knowingly.' Also, it's an additional restriction, so I feel like there could be some pushback on that as well. Other than that, I don't feel like this is an incredibly controversial bill that I see a lot of issues with." If the bill does does pass, Ball believes it will be crucial to educate the community on what's changing and what that change means.
Toronto Sun
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
McCAUGHEY: Democrats waging war on small-town values and property values
Aerial view of historic downtown Goshen, Indiana, showcasing a bustling main street lined with red brick buildings, the distinctive Elkhart County Courthouse, and the charm of small-town America during autumn. Photo by Nicholas Klein / Getty Images Across the U.S., Democrats are waging war to crush a lifestyle they abhor. Call it small-town America: Single-family neighbourhoods, quiet streets, town centres stamped with their historic character and almost no signs of the vagrancy and homeless encampments that plague cities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Democrats want you to have none of this. If you've worked for years to save up for a home in one of these havens, forget about it. The Democratic Party is using brute legal force to remake towns using a cookie-cutter formula that forces each to have the same proportion of houses and apartments, the same mix of low-, middle- and upper-income residents and the same reliance on public transit, all controlled by state politicians. Any town that resists gets shamed as 'segregated', though this isn't about race, and 'snobby.' On May 31, the Connecticut legislature passed H.B. 5002, which should be called the Destroy Connecticut Towns Act. It's headed to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk for a signature. The new law dictates how many low-income and moderate-income apartments each Connecticut town must provide and mandates that towns also foot the bill for the schools, parks, public transportation and other services low-income residents will need. Local taxes will soar. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The bill explicitly says its purpose is to ensure 'economic diversity' in each town. This is about social engineering, not remedying housing shortages. Democrat Bob Duff, the state senate majority leader, says 'it's extremely important … that we don't segregate people based on a ZIP code.' Everyone, regardless of income, should have the opportunity to choose to live in any town. The bill mandates that the wealthiest towns, mostly in lower Fairfield County, provide most of the new housing, even though that raises the cost. Land costs less in other towns and lower-income people, who this bill is supposed to serve, are more likely to find bus transportation and affordable stores in these other towns as well. Connecticut lawmakers are nixing local rules. Ordinances that protect the appearance of a town have to be overruled. The bill states that multifamily buildings of up to 24 units will no longer have to provide off-street parking. Envision cars lining every residential street. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Towns will also be forced to welcome vagrants who want to sleep in parks and public lots. The bill outlaws 'hostile architecture,' meaning park benches with armrests and divided seating, or stone walls with spikes on top that deter sleeping in the rough. Instead, the bill launches a program of mobile showers and mobile laundry services on trucks to serve the homeless wherever they choose. Picture the mobile showers pulling up to Greenwich Common Park on the town's main street, or Waveny Park in New Canaan. How can kids walk around town with their pals if there are homeless encampments? Judge Glock, director of research at the Manhattan Institute think tank, points out that the homeless amount to 1% of the population in Los Angeles but commit 25% of the homicides. Inviting the homeless means inviting crime and drugs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Californicating the small towns of Connecticut by encouraging public camping and vagrancy 'is frightening,' says Glock. New York Democrats are also taking aim at small-town living. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal would outlaw local towns from setting minimum lot sizes over one-eighth of an acre near the town centre and a half acre everywhere else. Postage stamp sizes. Riverhead, New York, town supervisor Tim Hubbard is vowing to sue. 'We're trying to keep our community as rural as it can be … We don't think the state should be zoning our town.' Hoylman-Sigal chooses to live on the west side of Manhattan, but who is he to impose a population-dense lifestyle on small-town New Yorkers? Similarly, in New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Tim Murphy is pushing lawmakers to override local ordinances and impose the same kinds of 'reforms' as those in the Connecticut bill. In all these states and across the country, small-town Americans need to fight back. There is no constitutional right to live in a wealthy town with single-family homes and leafy, quiet streets. It's something you earn. Once you've purchased a home, you have the right to protect its value. It's time to put blue-state politicians on notice that their battle to destroy our suburbs and small towns will be resisted at the voting booth and in court. Betsy McCaughey is a former Lt. Governor of New York State Olympics NHL Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Ontario
