Latest news with #Pate
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former MSU QB calls out Big Ten rankings that snubbed Aidan Chiles
Former MSU QB calls out Big Ten rankings that snubbed Aidan Chiles Popular college football analyst for CBS Sports Josh Pate released his top 10 quarterbacks of the Big Ten, and a former Spartans signal caller had an issue with the list. Pate's top 10 quarterbacks list for the upcoming season left off Michigan State's Aidan Chiles -- which initially grabbed my attention as surprising to see. It also was alarming to former Michigan State starting quarterback Brian Lewerke -- who took to social media platform X to call out Pate. Lewerke called out Pate's list as "not very good" and noted that his feedback wasn't just because of Chiles being snubbed. You can see Lewerke's response and Pate's top 10 list in the post below: As I said above, I also was not a fan of this rankings from Pate. In my opinion, Chiles ranks as at top 10 quarterback in the league, with the potential to be a top five quarterback should he approach his ceiling. Last year, Chiles showed inconsistency but as a first year starter that was expected from him. Ironically, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola had comparable numbers to Chiles and he was ranked as the No. 6 quarterback in Pate's list while Chiles was left off. These type of lists are not ultimately a big deal and just used for fun offseason discussion. But I enjoyed seeing a former Spartans quarterback looking out for the current guy wearing green-and-white under center. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Windsor-Essex ready for a guaranteed basic income? This senator says it's time
Windsor had the dubious distinction of having the second highest unemployment in the country last month — and that's among the reasons our community would benefit from a universal basic income, according to a Canadian senator. In late May, Sen. Kim Pate introduced Bill S-206, which calls upon the federal government to develop a financial framework for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. "How can we actually weave a safety net that leaves no one behind?" Pate said. "This bill is one strand in a social and economic fabric that would help us rebuild." Statistics Canada says Windsor's unemployment rate in May was 10.8 per cent. Only Peterborough had it harder with an unemployment rate of 11.7 per cent. And the situation could worsen in the near future: Pate says the growing reality of job losses due to the trade war and artificial intelligence technology means talking about a guaranteed income in Canada is more relevant than ever. "At a time like now, when we're facing the threat from the United States, when we're facing the threat of A.I., when we're facing challenges to industry — it strikes me that it's a perfect time for us to develop a plan that actually leaves nobody behind," Pate said. Lorraine Goddard, CEO of United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County, also believes the community would benefit from a guaranteed livable basic income — because she feels the current system isn't providing people with the support they need to improve their situations. "Social assistance programs keep people in poverty. They don't give people enough to live," Goddard said. "You're just living moment to moment in deprivation mode." "I see so many families and children really struggling... If you could help a family get that basic income, get them stabilized, let them help their children get through school successfully — then you could see, in 10 years, a transformation in this community." It's not the first time Pate has advocated for a guaranteed basic income. In 2021, she introduced a similar bill — S-233. But progress on that bill ended with the prorogation of Parliament in January 2025. "It died on the order paper," Pate admitted. Bill S-206 is entering its second reading in the Senate. It will need to survive multiple readings in the House of Commons to become law. It's still too early for Pate's idea to involve actual numbers and policy. But in 2017, the Province of Ontario experimented with a pilot project that provided a basic income to around 4,000 low-income people in Hamilton, Thunder Bay, and Lindsay. That project offered approximately $17,000 a year to single individuals, and $24,000 to couples. The amount was reduced by 50 cents for every dollar earned through work. Pate said a federal program could have a similar system — adjusted for the current economy. "Let's streamline this process," she said. "Make it universally accessible to people once they drop below a set income. Let's provide the resources the people need to rebound out (of poverty). Not just stay stuck in it." Critics like Franco Terrazzano, director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, believe that such a program is something the country simply can't afford. "You've got to remember: The federal government is broke. It's more than a trillion dollars in debt," Terrazzano said. A universal basic income in Canada would be "massively expensive," Terrazzano said. "Even in the best case scenario, this would cost Canadian taxpayers billions of dollars every single year... This would be big time tax increases for Canadians who are already struggling." Indeed, in the Parliamentary Budget Officer's study of Bill S-206, the gross cost of implementation is estimated at $107 billion. But Pate pointed out that the PBO's estimate is for the gross cost: The net cost could be as low as $3 billion, taking into account potential long-term savings in existing social assistance, health care, and the legal system. As an example, Pate cited the work of Canadian economist Evelyn Forget, who found that low-income people in a Manitoba community were inducing massive costs at their local emergency room — because they didn't have preventative health care and proper nutrition. "If we looked at what we actually spend now on those initiatives, the administration alone would cover a lot of costs," Pate suggested. "[The PBO] has very much said we would likely see many cost savings, particularly in health care and the criminal legal system." According to Terrazzano, the reality is that "if you pay people not to work, fewer people will end up working." Meanwhile, Pate believes the main obstacle to adopting a guaranteed livable basic income isn't finding the funding or the political will — it's adjusting attitudes. "The biggest barrier to implementing this kind of approach is the view that poor people somehow will waste the money or defraud the system," Pate said. "It's the stigma that attaches to poor people, the presumption that it's their own fault... a presumption that there are some people who deserve to be supported — and some who don't." Patrick Clark is a Windsor civil lawyer who earned his master's degree in political science from the University of Windsor with a 2021 paper titled The Answer to Poverty: A Universal Basic Income in Canada. Four years later, Clark says his views on the issue haven't changed: "That's the big key, moving forward: To put in place a system that essentially helps those who no longer can help themselves. "Right now, we have a situation where there are a lot of people who are unable to cover their basic needs — while we see the corporations at the top continue to increase prices. You'll find people falling further and further behind."
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate to run for lieutenant governor
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate will run for lieutenant governor next year against current Secretary of State Wes Allen. Pate, a Republican, was elected agriculture commissioner in 2018 and reelected in 2022. 'I've spent my life working the land, running a business, and serving my neighbors,' Pate said in a statement announcing his campaign this week. He also stressed his support for President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach who is running for governor. 'As lieutenant governor, I'll bring that same hands-on leadership to supporting President Trump and Coach Tuberville in advancing the America First Agenda — so Alabama stays a place where families thrive, agriculture prospers, and conservative values lead the way.' The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, breaks ties in the chamber, steps in for the governor if that office becomes vacant and also makes a range of appointments, including for committees that dictate legislative priorities. The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, breaks ties in the chamber, steps in for the governor if that office becomes vacant and also makes a range of appointments, including for committees that dictate legislative priorities. The position used to have more power in the the legislative process, but those duties were given to the Senate's president pro tempore in 1999 after a partisan power struggle. Allen, who is also a Republican, previously announced that he would seek the position. Current Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who has served two terms, can not run again because of term limits. Party primaries are May 19, 2026, followed by the general election on Nov. 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bills on election recounts, voter citizenship verification
Gov. Kim Reynolds was joined by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, legislators and county auditors in her office June 2, 2025 as she signed into law two bills from the 2025 legislative session related to Iowa elections. (Photo courtesy the Iowa Secretary of State's office) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed two bills related to Iowa's election laws Monday, making changes to the state's citizenship verification for voting and election recount processes. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, alongside several county auditors and some of the lawmakers who worked on the bills during the 2025 legislative session, joined Reynolds at the signing. Pate thanked Reynolds and lawmakers for moving the two measures forward in a news release Monday, saying the bills are important steps in 'strengthening and maintaining Iowa's election integrity.' 'These new laws add additional layers of integrity to our robust election procedures, supporting our efforts to balance election integrity and voter participation,' Pate said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX House File 954, signed Monday, was the bill Pate proposed to better allow his office to check the citizenship status and other eligibility requirements of those on Iowa's voter rolls. The bill gives the Secretary of State's office the ability to contract with federal and state agencies, and with private entities, for voter roll verification and maintenance, in addition to setting up a process for setting a voter's registration status as 'unconfirmed' when the state or county officials have received information from a 'reliable source' that the person is not qualified to vote. The measure came up in the wake of Pate's guidance to county auditors shortly before the 2024 general election in November that directed the local elections officials to challenge the ballots of 2,176 voters at the polls. Pate had flagged these individuals as 'potential noncitizens' because they had, within the past 12 years, reported to the Iowa Department of Transportation or another state entity that they were noncitizens, and later registered to vote. A majority of these individuals were naturalized citizens who had the ability to vote, but Pate said the instruction was necessary because his office had been denied access by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database to verify these people's citizenship status. USCIS later granted the Iowa office access to the database — when Pate said his office confirmed 277 of the 2,176 'potential noncitizen' voters did not have U.S. citizenship. The secretary of state said the new law will prevent similar situations from arising in the future where individuals have their votes contested at the ballot box. The bill gives tools to election officials for voter eligibility verification before Election Day, but also allows registered voters to be challenged over their citizenship status at the polls. A challenged voter would have to present precinct election officials with evidence they are qualified to vote to cast a regular ballot. If the challenge is not withdrawn, they would cast a provisional ballot. The second measure, House File 928, makes changes to Iowa's system for election recounts, including setting new limits on who can request recounts. For statewide and federal races, the election results would have to have a 0.15% difference in votes between candidates for a candidate to request a recount. For state legislative and local races, a difference of 1% or 50 votes would be required. This would stop recounts in future elections similar to those requested in recent elections, like the 2024 election recount for the race between U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Christina Bohannan, that was within 0.2%. The measure would also make changes to election recount boards. Under the previous system, each candidate in a recount designates one person to serve on the board, alongside a third person agreed upon by both candidates. The new law has county auditors lead election recount boards with their staff and hired election workers, adding the requirement that boards must have an equal numbers of workers from each political party. Candidates can choose up to five people to observe the recount process in each county. While some Democrats said this new system could lead to Iowans questioning election integrity because of conflicts of interest with county auditors, Republican supporters argued the change will lead to more uniform and fair election recounts. Rep. Austin Harris, R-Moulton, who led the bill in the House, said in a news release the recount bill was 'one of the most important pieces of legislation we've passed this year.' 'We have seen in years past where the old system was used, abused, and manipulated by campaigns to try to 'fix the outcome' for their preferred candidate,' Harris said in a statement. 'Now we have a system that brings uniformity, consistency, and most importantly, trust to that system.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs new laws retooling elections. Here's what they'll do:
Iowa's election officials will have new tools to verify voters' citizenship and will be empowered to question voters at the polls about whether they are citizens under a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. The legislation, House File 954, also bans ranked-choice voting in Iowa and makes it harder for third-party groups such as Libertarians to qualify as a major political party. Reynolds, a Republican, also signed a separate law, House File 928, overhauling Iowa's election recount procedures. She announced the signing of both bills in a Monday, June 2, news release. The legislation comes in response to the chaotic weeks leading up to the 2024 election, when Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, instructed county auditors to challenge the ballots of 2,176 registered voters who he suspected were not citizens based on a faulty list from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The directive resulted in hundreds of registered voters being challenged at the polls and casting provisional ballots, which were only counted if they provided additional proof of citizenship. In March, Pate said an audit of the state's voter registration list confirmed 277 noncitizens on Iowa's voter rolls, including 35 noncitizens who successfully voted in the 2024 election and five more who tried to vote but had their ballots rejected. Pate praised lawmakers and Reynolds for enacting the legislation, saying the laws "add additional layers of integrity to our robust election procedures." "Keeping Iowa elections safe, fair and accurate is a team effort, from the Iowa Legislature and Governor Reynolds to our county auditors and local election officials on the frontlines of our elections," Pate said in a statement. "Today, we saw a clear consensus that upholding consistent, statewide procedures and ensuring voter eligibility are key to balancing participation by all eligible Iowans with election integrity." During legislative debate, Democrats raised concerns about election workers being able to ask voters about their citizenship status at the polls and said Iowa's elections are already secure. Beginning July 1, election workers may challenge a voter at the polls on the basis of their citizenship status under the law, which adds to a section of current law that allows election workers to challenge voters on their age and residency. The law also gives the Secretary of State's Office the ability to contract with "state and federal government agencies and private entities" to check voters' records. And it requires the Iowa Department of Transportation to send the Secretary of State's Office a list of everyone 17 years old and older who has submitted documentation to the DOT saying they are not a citizen. If a registered voter's citizenship status is in question, they must provide documentation affirming they are legally eligible to register and they will be designated as an active registered voter. The law bans ranked choice voting in Iowa at the state, federal and local level, although the voting method is not currently used in any elections in the state. It says any statewide or local government cannot conduct elections using ranked-choice voting, sometimes known as instant runoff voting, which involves ranking each candidate in order of preference and reallocating votes to a voter's second choice if their first choice fails to win a majority. Political parties will now need to receive at least 2% of the vote in three consecutive general elections in order to be recognized as major political parties in Iowa. That's a change from Iowa's previous law, which allowed major party status to be awarded to parties whose presidential or gubernatorial candidates earn 2% of the vote in one general election. Libertarians have objected to efforts to make it more difficult to qualify as a major party in Iowa. Libertarians gained major party status following the 2016 election, lost it following the 2018 election, gained it again following the 2022 election and lost it again after last fall's presidential election. The party's presidential or gubernatorial candidate has never received 2% of the vote in three consecutive general elections. After a razor-thin congressional race in Iowa was decided by just six votes in 2020, Iowa has finally taken steps to overhaul its election recount procedures. The law places county auditors and their staff of election workers in charge of conducting recounts, doing away with Iowa's current system which uses a recount board with members appointed by the leading and trailing political candidates, as well as a third agreed-upon member. Under the new law, candidates can only request recounts in local or state legislative races if the election was decided by 1% or 50 votes, whichever is less. For statewide and federal races, candidates can only request a recount if the election was within 0.15%. Iowa's previous law allowed candidates to request a recount regardless of the winner's margin of victory, but the state would only pay the costs if the results of the election were within one percentage point. Had it been in place last year, the new recount threshold would have prevented Democrat Christina Bohannan from requesting a recount in her 2024 race against U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in southeast Iowa's 1st Congressional District. Miller-Meeks won the race by 798 votes, or 0.2%. The law says the state will pick up the costs of the recount in all cases. The law requires recounts to be conducted using Iowa's vote tabulators. Recounts can only be conducted by hand in extraordinary circumstances, defined to include machine failures, a discrepancy between the results of the election and an initial recount and a number of overvotes that exceeds the margin between the candidates. Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@ or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kim Reynolds signs Iowa election laws on voter citizenship, recounts
