Latest news with #HouseRulesCommittee
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan House republicans propose ways to cut red tape
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan House republicans are releasing a report they say shows how to confront 'the problem of excessive state regulations, which create barriers and increase costs for skilled workers, small businesses, health care providers, and homebuilders.' In a news release, they claim, 'There is bipartisan agreement that Michigan should cut this unnecessary red tape. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for streamlining licensing and permitting during her State of the State Address in February.' On Thursday, a group of republican lawmakers with the House Rules Committee is releasing their Red Tape Reduction Initiative to 'lay out a plan for restoring common sense to Michigan`s state government.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina House approves controversial gun bill, sends to Stein
North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) The North Carolina House voted 59-48 Wednesday to pass a contentious bill authorizing constitutional carry, sending it to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein for approval. Senate Bill 50, 'Freedom to Carry NC,' would allow individuals who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years of age, and not otherwise prohibited by law, to carry concealed weapons without applying for a permit. It's one of the most controversial topics of the legislative session. Members of Republican leadership support the bill, which would make North Carolina the 30th state to approve of so-called 'constitutional carry.' Republican Reps. Ted Davis of New Hanover and William Brisson of Bladen and Sampson counties voted against the bill. Davis also voted against the measure during Tuesday's House Rules Committee hearing. Ten Republicans and 3 Democrats abstained from voting. Stein signaled to reporters on Tuesday that he would veto the bill, according to The Carolina Journal. It's possible the legislature doesn't have the numbers to override a gubernatorial veto after Republicans lost their supermajority in the House following November's elections. Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) presented SB 50 to the chamber. 'It allows people to constitutionally carry a firearm without obtaining a permit from the government to exercise their God-given right to defend themselves,' he said. The bill does not change who may buy a firearm or the circumstances surrounding when or where an individual can carry a firearm, Kidwell said. Debate was lengthy, lasting about an hour. Roughly half of a dozen Democrats rose to speak out against the legislation, while a handful of Republicans defended it. Rep. Phil Rubin (D-Wake) cited surveys from Everytown for Gun Safety and Elon University that found a large majority of North Carolina voters were against removing permit requirements from concealed carry laws. Rep. Allen Buansi (D-Orange) said the bill made him think of his community: the people and the law enforcement. 'This bill would make their jobs a whole lot harder and put them at an even greater risk,' he said. Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham) proposed an amendment that would remove the first section of the legislation — the parts about eliminating the permit process. It would leave the portions about compensating the families of gun violence victims. These provisions were added by Democratic amendments when the measure appeared on the Senate floor in March. 'I just ask you to vote, pick out the most controversial, dangerous part of the bill,' Morey said. Kidwell asked the chamber to shut down Morey's amendment. 'This basically just guts out the bill,' he said. The amendment failed by a vote of 46-61. Morey argued that SB 50 itself highlights the harm it will cause. 'The first part eradicates the need for a permit to carry a concealed weapon, yet the rest of the bill addresses the irreparable damage that will come,' she said. 'It increases compensation for families, of slain law enforcement, EMS. It provides scholarships for children whose family members die.' Rep. Tracy Clark (D-Guilford) shared two emotional stories about her own experience and trauma from guns. A childhood friend died by suicide while the pair attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill together. Four years later, Clark lost another friend, Eve Carson, to homicide. Carson, UNC-Chapel Hill's student body president, was shot and killed near the campus in March 2008. 'Two totally different stories that I'm traumatized by: suicide with a good guy with a gun, homicide with two very bad guys with a gun,' Clark said. 'I have to speak out today because this bill goes too far.' House Democratic leader Robert Reives said he was moved by Clark's painful remembrance of her friends lost to gun violence. 'I felt I would be less of a man not to stand up and tell her how much I feel those stories,' said Reives. Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba) reminded the chamber that he, like many of his friends, are part of the baby boomer generation born to World War II veterans whose parents taught them how to own weapons responsibly. Adams said he has owned firearms since he was 11 years old. But circumstances are different now, Rep. Amos Quick (D-Guilford) retorted. He said everybody is a law-abiding citizen until they're not. 'When I was in school, no one thought about a school shooting,' he said. 'If we pass this bill, we are opening the door potentially for more of our children to have to endure the horrors of being locked in their classroom, because one of their classmates, 18 years old, had the state of North Carolina's stamp of approval to go and get a weapon and conceal it and walk in the school.' North Carolinians Against Gun Violence are calling on Governor Stein to veto SB 50. 'The safeguards we lose if we repeal the requirement for a concealed carry weapons permit are all too dangerous to risk when it comes to public carry of firearms in North Carolina,' said Becky Ceartas, executive director of NCGV. 'Without a background check, the public and law enforcement do not know who is illegally carry a concealed weapon or not.' Ceartas said weak concealed carry weapon permitting laws also increase gun thefts by approximately 35%. 'The General Assembly is taking us in the wrong direction for our state, and we urge Governor Stein to veto this dangerous bill.' Immediately after approving SB 50, the House passed legislation (HB 811CS) that would appropriate $1 million in recurring funds over the next two fiscal years. This would allow North Carolina's community colleges to establish a comprehensive firearm safety instruction course, making 'the instruction as accessible as possible to all citizens 18 years and older who seek to enroll.'
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Pope Leo XIV honor caught in legislative gridlock
As the Illinois General Assembly was speeding to adjourn late last month, a Lake County lawmaker had spiritual leanings overtake his temporal duties. He introduced a bill to honor the first American pope, Leo XIV. State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Lake Barrington, filed his legislation to recognize native Chicagoan Pope Leo XIV as leader of the Roman Catholic faith. Normally a numbers guy — McLaughlin's a small businessman and financial expert, specializing in pension management — his proposal drew bipartisan support in Springfield, picking up a co-sponsor in fellow Lake Countian, state Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove. Yet, the measure was promptly shuffled into the House Rules Committee, where it could be buried to perdition. One would think lawmakers would have wanted to move quickly on such an accolade with an Illinoisan named the Bishop of Rome. Legislators did manage to rapidly adopt a 3,000-page, $55 billion budget bill, which McLaughlin voted against, hours before rushing to adjournment. Perhaps the Pope Leo measure will be dealt with later this summer or year, as the legislature is due back to consider a number of unmet goals, including funding regional mass transit. Or members of the Democratic-controlled committee will anoint one of their own as sponsor of the bill. I can't believe a legislator from a Chicago or southern Cook County district wouldn't want to claim the first U.S. pope for his or her own and scrap McLaughlin's measure. It's happened before in the hallowed halls of Springfield's legislative temple. The elevation of an American cardinal to pontiff after some 2,000 years of the Holy See is an unprecedented event in Illinois and world history. It shouldn't be overlooked in his birth state. McLaughlin's bill takes that into consideration, and the Republican was way ahead of the curve by introducing his bill. Pope Leo, 69, is so popular that tickets to a celebration and Mass of his elevation at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, and set for 4 p.m. Saturday, is sold out. The White Sox wish they could get that many fans into seats at the South Side ballpark. Several reports noted tickets for the event, originally costing $10, were being resold for upwards of $1,200. Additionally, the village of Dolton wants to take the childhood home of the former Robert Francis Prevost through eminent domain, aka condemnation. Village officials want to work with the Chicago Archdiocese to turn his eminence's old residence into a historic site. McLaughlin's measure amending House Bill 2083 proposes establishing a commemorative area and statue on the state Capitol grounds for the new pope, who was elected May 8 in Rome by the College of Cardinals. It seeks to honor, 'his legacy in a lasting and visible way,' the bill spells out. Importantly, no taxpayer funds would be used under the proposal. The legislation sets up a commission with the intention of receiving donations, while other costs would be covered through the sale of a new specialty Illinois license plate. If the state can offer vehicle tags for Chicago professional sports teams, Illinois certainly can have a Pope Leo XIV plate. Design of the specialty plate would be left to the Secretary of State's Office and could be purchased for $27, with $12 of that going toward the Pope Leo XIV Commemoration Fund, according to the bill. 'This is not a religious monument,' McLaughlin, a former Lake Barrington village president, asserted in a statement. 'It's about acknowledging a truly historic moment. It's a global story with Illinois at the heart.' The proposal directs the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, in collaboration with the state's interfaith community, to come up with the design and fabrication of the Pope statue, 'within a reasonable period of time.' Other historical and Illinois-centric statues adorn various parts of the Capitol grounds in Springfield and its vicinity. It's pretty straightforward stuff, which is why McLaughlin, too, wonders why the bill didn't move rapidly through the General Assembly to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk for signing. He's been representing the House 52nd District since first being elected in 2020. He noted lawmakers have adopted symbolic resolutions on hundreds of picayune issues over the years. 'Surely, we can agree that elevating an Illinoisan to the highest position in global religious leadership warrants acknowledgement,' he added. 'This pope's message of tolerance and global cooperation deserves recognition, not gridlock.' I'm not sure what the legislative holdup is, but Catholics across the region might want to prod their Springfield lawmakers to endorse recognizing the first American pope after 266 previous pontiffs. Such an epic event doesn't come along every papal conclave.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's the Big Beautiful Bill? When does no tax on tips, overtime, Social Security start?
President Donald Trump's bill promising no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security is on the fast track after Sunday's rare vote to push ahead his "One, Big Beautiful Bill." The House Budget Committee was tasked with piecing together all the different sections of the larger package into one final legislative bill and now it will go through the House Rules Committee before a final vote by the House — all by Speaker Mike Johnson's Memorial Day deadline. While speaking at a recent forum in the Middle East, Trump said Congress was "on the verge of passing the largest tax cut and regulation in American history." Adding, 'If we get that, that will be like a rocket ship for our country.' During one of last week's marathon meetings, Rep. Blake Moore of Utah dozed off about 14 hours into the House Ways and Means Committee meeting that was discussing Trump's tax cuts and specific amendments in the bill. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, was also caught on camera asleep. "Been up for 31 hours straight fighting Republicans trying to gut Medicaid," she wrote in response to the video on X. "Closed my eyes to think about an America where everyone has access to quality, affordable health care." Following a 17 hour-long meeting last week, the Ways and Means Committee did advance their bill that would permanently extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts. The Energy and Commerce Committee followed, passing legislation after a 26-hour meeting session that included deep cuts into Medicaid and the House Agriculture Committee approved a $290 billion cut to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP in another lengthy session of its own. After Sunday's key House Budget Committee vote, Speaker Johnson said on Fox News Sunday: "This is the vehicle through which we will deliver on the mandate that the American people gave us in the last election." The bill has been contentious among Democrats and even Republicans prior to the weekend vote, such as committee member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who said: "We are writing checks we cannot cash, and our children are going to pay the price. Something needs to change, or you're not going to get my support." However, after Sunday's vote, Roy posted on X, that he voted "present" out of respect to move the bill forward, saying "But, the bill does not yet meet the moment, leaving almost half of the green new scam subsidies continuing. More, it fails to end the Medicaid money laundering scam and perverse funding structure that provides seven times more federal dollars for each dollar of state spending for the able-bodied relative to the vulnerable. This all ultimately increases the likelihood of continuing deficits and non-Obamacare-expansion states like Texas expanding in the future. We can and must do better before we pass the final product." If and when the final package passes the final House vote, it will head to the Senate, where they will do their work and attempt to pass it before the White House's request for a July 4 deadline. Here's what to know about Trump's 'One, Big Beautiful Bill' and what it means. The One, Big Beautiful Bill is a proposed tax and spending package aimed at making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, expand certain tax credits, and include other provisions related to energy, health care, and possibly increased border security funding, changes to food stamps programs or the creation of savings accounts for newborns, according to news sources. Trump's ambitious legislative agenda includes delivering on his promises: no tax on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on loan interest for American-made cars, no taxes on Social Security and tax relief for seniors. Details in the plan include deep cuts to Medicaid, calling for states to impose work requirements on childless, able-bodied adults ages 19-64, more frequent eligibility checks, block Medicaid funding for non-citizens, and a ban on Medicaid covering gender transition services for minors. This article originally appeared on What is Big Beautiful Bill? When will you see no tax on tips, overtime?
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump's tax bill passing by 1 vote
It was nearly 10 p.m. on a Sunday night when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., surprised reporters in the hallway of the Cannon House Office Building. The top House Republican was making a low-key — but high-stakes — visit to the House Budget Committee before the panel's second meeting on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." The first meeting on May 16 had blown up without resolution when four fiscal hawks balked at the legislation and voted against advancing it to the full House. "The real debate was, is when [we] voted not to approve the budget. And the reason I did that, along with the others, was we needed to make the provisions better," Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. "It was our opportunity to make a bill that overall was good, better. And that was the impetus to stop the budget, and then get some concessions. And then when it reached Rules Committee, there really wasn't that much dissension." Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference The committee meeting continued with little fanfare, save for Democratic objections to the bill, before one more visit from Johnson, when he signaled the deal was sealed. Read On The Fox News App "I think what is about to happen here is that every member, every Republican member, will give a vote that allows us to proceed forward, and we count that as a big win tonight," Johnson said. He was right, with the legislation advancing exactly along party lines. Fox News Digital was told that conservatives were anticipating what is called a manager's amendment, a vehicle with wide flexibility to change legislation, before the House Rules Committee's vote to advance the bill to the full chamber. The House Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to most bills before a House-wide vote. Trump himself made a rare visit to Capitol Hill the morning of May 20 to urge Republicans to vote for the bill. Mccaul Touts Money In Trump Tax Bill To Pay Texas Back For Fighting Biden Border Policies House leaders again signaled confidence late on May 21, informing Republicans that they would likely vote soon after the House Rules Committee's meeting was over. However, that meeting alone had already dragged on for hours, from just after 1 a.m. on May 21 to finally voting on Trump's tax bill just after 2:30 a.m. on May 22. Lawmakers and reporters alike struggled to stay awake as Democratic lawmakers forced votes on over 500 amendments, largely symbolic, in a bid to drag out the process. Meanwhile, at some point overnight, talks with GOP holdouts went south. The House Freedom Caucus held an impromptu press conference directly after Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., met with Johnson. "The leadership's going to have to figure out where to go from here," Harris said. "I think there is a pathway forward that we can see…I'm not sure this can be done this week. I'm pretty confident it could be done in 10 days. But that's up to leadership to decide." Harris also said the Freedom Caucus had struck a "deal" with the White House, something a White House official denied. "The White House presented HFC with policy options that the administration can live with, provided they can get the votes," the official said. However, the manager's amendment, which finally came out just after 11 p.m. on May 21, eased the concerns of at least several of the fiscal hawks. It bolstered funding to states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included additional tax relief for gun owners, and quickened the implementation of Medicaid work requirements, among other measures. Meanwhile, a small group of those House Freedom Caucus members had also been meeting with a small group of conservative senators who assured them they would seek deep spending cuts in the bill when it landed in the upper chamber, Norman said. Mike Johnson, Donald Trump Get 'Big, 'Beautiful' Win As Budget Passes House "It was our hope that the Senate would come back and even make the cuts deeper, so that the deficit could be cut," Norman said. The moves were not enough to ease everyone's concerns, however. Roughly three hours after the amendment's release, Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, was the only Republican member of the House Rules Committee to miss the key vote. Fox News Digital inquired via text message why Roy missed the vote and was told he was "actually reading the bill…" Nevertheless, it passed by an 8 to 4 vote — prompting House leaders to warn their members to return for what would be an all-night series of voting and debates. Democratic leaders, recognizing they would be sidelined completely if Republicans had enough support on their side, again moved to delay the proceedings. A whip notice sent to House Democrats, obtained by Fox News Digital, warned left-wing lawmakers that "House Republicans are planning to finish debate and vote on final passage of H.R. 1 late tonight." The notice advised that House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., would force a vote on adjourning the House and that "additional procedural votes are expected." In a bid to keep Republicans close to the House floor for what was an hourslong night, the speaker set up a side room with snacks and coffee for lawmakers to wait out proceedings. In the House Appropriations Committee room just down the hall, more Republicans were huddled over cigars and other refreshments. The smell of tobacco smoke wafted out as increasingly haggard lawmakers shuffled between the two rooms. Fox News Digital even heard from several lawmakers inquiring when the final vote was expected to be — and wondering whether they had time for a nap themselves. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital spotted Harris and Roy walking the opposite way from the hullabaloo of the House floor, toward the much quieter Longworth House Office Building. Both said they were leaving for more conversations with White House staff before the final vote. Scoop: House Gop Memo Highlights Republican Wins In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' "The manager's amendment gets us a little closer, but we're still in discussions with the executive branch to see whether we can achieve the objectives that we seek, which is support the president's goals on waste fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid and, you know, making sure that we've got all we can out of the Inflation Reduction Act," Harris said. Roy said he hoped Republicans would go further against states that drastically expanded their Medicaid populations under the ACA. He also signaled that leaders suggested at the time some further Medicaid reform could come from the White House. "The speaker alluded to this afternoon…that there are things in the executive space, executive actions, that we think could take care of some of the concerns that we were having about — again, it's not what we want, but it does ameliorate some of our concerns on the Medicaid expansion front," Roy said. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the speaker's office for comment. When it came time for the final vote, it appeared enough was done to get Roy on board. Harris, however, voted "present." Neither made themselves available for an interview for this story. The final vote saw just two Republican defections — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., long a critic of Johnson, and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. "While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we're in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO," Davidson posted on X just before the vote began. Two other Republicans, Reps. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., both fell asleep before the final vote — but both said they would have voted to pass the bill. In the end, it advanced by a 215-214 vote — with Republicans erupting in cheers when they realized the victory was locked. "The media, the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility that House Republicans could get this done. They did not believe that we could succeed in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda. But this is a big one. And once again, they've been proven wrong," Johnson said during a press conference after the vote. Now, the bill is expected to be considered by the Senate next week — when senators are already signaling they are gearing up to make changes. "I encourage our Senate colleagues to think of this as a one-team effort as we have, and to modify this as little as possible, because it will make it easier for us to get it over the line ultimately, and finish and get it to the president's desk by July fourth," Johnson article source: Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump's tax bill passing by 1 vote
