Latest news with #SenateRulesCommittee
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Alex Padilla blames first Trump campaign for igniting political tensions in wake of Minnesota shootings
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., suggested on Sunday that President Donald Trump's original campaign was responsible for raising political tensions to the point of the weekend shooting of two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses. On CBS' "Face the Nation," host Margaret Brennan asked Padilla, who is a ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee, if there have been any new discussions on security measures for lawmakers. Padilla said there were "a lot of concerns" in the wake of the shooting, but he was more interested in discussing how they got to this point. "I think it's more than appropriate to step back and say, why are tensions so high? Not just in Los Angeles but throughout the country," Padilla said. "And I can't help but point to the beginning of not just the first Trump term, but the beginning of the campaign, the tone with which the president had launched his first campaign for president, served throughout his first term, and continues in this term." Monday marks the 10-year anniversary of Trump announcing his run for president on June 16, 2015. Padilla went on to use himself being forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference in Los Angeles last week as an example of the Trump administration's escalating political tensions in plain sight. "For a cabinet secretary during a press conference to not be able or be willing to deescalate a situation when I was trying to ask a question, that's just indicative of the tone of the administration," Padilla said. State Rep. Melissa Hortman, a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), and her husband, Mark Hortman, were fatally shot in Brooklyn Park on Saturday. In a related shooting, DFL Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot in Champlin. They are expected to survive and are out of surgery. At a press briefing, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Hortman and her husband's shooting was a "politically motivated assassination." "This was an act of targeted political violence," Walz said. "Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle their differences with violence or at gunpoint in the state of Minnesota." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislators advocate for bill banning ghost guns, untraceable firearms
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday considered a federal firearm regulation aimed at reining in ghost guns, untraceable, unregulated weapons made from kits. In this photo, a ghost gun is displayed before the start of an event about gun violence in the Rose Garden of the White House April 11, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) Lawmakers and community members held a press conference Tuesday morning to back legislation prohibiting ghost guns and other untraceable weapons. Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) organized the event to garner support for Senate Bill 409: 'Ban Ghost Guns & Undetectable Firearms.' This measure would prohibit the sale and possession of ghost guns, which are firearms without a unique serial number. Undetectable firearms can be purchased in separate components and assembled at home, or manufactured through a 3D printing process. Chaudhuri filed the bill in March, when it was initially introduced to the legislature and assigned to the Senate Rules Committee. The bill has not moved since then. 'At the time when the General Assembly is set on passing permitless concealed carry bills… we're ringing the alarm bell about the need to address a real 21st century firearms threat: ghost guns,' Chaudhuri said. Senate Bill 50, 'Freedom to Carry NC,' would remove the permit process for individuals to carry concealed firearms. This legislation will be heard in the House Rules Committee Tuesday afternoon. Sen. Val Applewhite (D-Cumberland) collaborated with Chaudhuri on SB 409. She emphasized that the measure is not about infringing on gun ownership. 'This is about untraceable, unserialized weapons, often assembled in basements or garages that are increasingly finding their way into the hands of people with no intention of using them responsibly,' Applewhite said. 'These are weapons with no paper trail, no accountability, and no way for law enforcement to do their jobs effectively.' Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, a Fayetteville city council member and appointed member of the governor's crime commission, spoke at the conference as a grieving parent. Banks-McLaughlin lost her 15-year-old daughter, Coryonna Treasure Young, to a ghost gun. This week, Young would've graduated high school with her peers with her family cheering her on, Banks-McLaughlin said. She had dreams of joining the Air Force and becoming a pilot. 'No parent should have to stand right where I'm standing, no community should have to grieve a child who has a name that will never be called again at a dinner table,' Banks-McLaughlin said.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate Agriculture Committee reviews zoning, excavation, wasterwater bills
(Photo: NC Department of Agriculture 2018 Pesticide Report) The Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved one bill and discussed two others during its hearing on Tuesday. Lawmakers voted to pass House Bill 126, titled 'Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws,' without any discussion or testimony. This measure would require government agencies considering condemning or rezoning property within a voluntary agricultural district to hold a public hearing. There would be 45 days to set up the hearing and 120 days for the local agricultural advisory board to submit its findings and recommendations to the agency. 'At this point, I've heard no opposition to this bill,' primary sponsor Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin, Wayne) said. The bill now heads to the Senate Rules Committee. Legislators also reviewed two bills for discussion only: House Bill 247 ('8-1-1 Amendments') and House Bill 694 ('Study Water/Wastewater Regionalization'). Sen. Michael Lazzara (R-Onslow) presented HB 247 to the panel, explaining the language would be replaced with text from Senate Bill 328, which updates the Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act. 'We just made the corrections to some of the language, but essentially, it's a consensus,' he said. Sen. Tom McInnis (R-Cumberland, Moore) said he appreciated the bill, seeing as he's had a lot of complaints about 8-1-1. That's the number individuals should call prior to excavating to ensure they don't encounter any buried utilities. 'We can't move forward in our state unless we have a cohesive unit of construction,' McInnis said. If this bill passes the panel, it will proceed to the Senate Rules Committee. It's the same case for HB 694, which would direct the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina to study wastewater and water regionalization efforts. Sen. David Craven (R-Anson, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Union) presented the legislation. Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) asked about the Department of Environmental Quality's role in the process of transferring water between basins. 'This starts with a notice, then DEQ works with the water applicant to develop a draft environmental statement that looks at environmental impacts, it looks at alternatives to the water withdrawal, as well as several other things of that nature,' legislative analysis Kyle Evans said.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Clock is ticking for Insurance Consumers Protection Act to be heard on senate floor before end of session
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The clock is ticking for House Bill 2144 to be heard on the senate floor with less than three weeks left in this year's legislative session. If signed into law, the bill would give patients and their doctors the right to sue medical companies who deny or delay care in bad faith. The Insurance Consumers Protection Act passed the house floor in March. It was then stalled, but because of News 4's reporting, it was put on the agenda for the Senate Rules Committee Meeting, passing with overwhelming support. Pat Hall is a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Medical Association, saying 'It would make the health insurance companies wake up and realize that deny and delay of a medical benefit could lead to harm.' Homeland Security backtracks, KFOR uncovers new information on ICE raid Lacy Cornelius-Boyd has been fighting for her life and fighting against her insurance company after being in a devastating car crash. Cornelius-Boyd needs an intestinal transplant, but her insurance company has denied it more than once, adding to health challenges. She's now in kidney and liver failure. 'Since my car accident, I've been saying, like, something good has to come from this,' Cornelius-Boyd said. She's chosen to use her tragic experience to do something good, putting the issue on the radar of state lawmakers. However, the bill still has a long way to go. The legislation now has to be heard on the senate floor in a matter of weeks. 'What we're asking is for the public to continue putting pressure to pass House Bill 2144,' said Hall. Cornelius-Boyd is also urging Oklahomans to act. 'I feel like it's so important for everyone to stay invested. Keep calling. So that this bill can move forward,' said Cornelius-Boyd. If the bill isn't heard on the senate floor, it will not complete the full legal process to make it to the Governor's desk, which would be the final step getting the bill signed into law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill banning foreign farmland ownership passes NC Senate hurdle
(USDA Photo by Lance Cheung) The North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would ban certain foreign groups from purchasing farmland in the state. Senate Bill 394, 'Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land,' passed without discussion after the panel approved a technical amendment. The legislation now moves to the Senate Rules Committee. The bill comes at the same time that tensions between the U.S. a several other nations have been on the rise as the result of the Trump administration's economic tariffs and other foreign policy shifts. Sens. Bob Brinson (R-Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir), Bobby Hanig (R-Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell), and Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson, Polk, Rutherford) serve as the primary sponsors for SB 394. The bill would prohibit the 'adversarial' nations of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from making claims to land that is agricultural, situated within a 25-mile radius of a military installation, or underneath special use airspace as designated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Lawmakers on the same committee reviewed SB 394 during a meeting on April 16, prior to taking a one-week recess. During that session, legislators discussed the bill but did not vote. 'This bill essentially acknowledges that food security is national security and it's a state effort to protect our military bases,' Brinson said during that meeting. Entities falling under the bill's stipulations who own the land prior to the legislation becoming law, if it happens, would need to register with the secretary of state and attorney general. Twelve states have already enacted similar measures, according to Brinson. Sen. Sophia Chitlik (D-Durham) asked if the bill would apply to dual citizens and prohibit them from owning farmland in North Carolina. Legislative staff responded that individuals holding U.S. citizenship, permanent residence, or other forms of lawful presence would not be subject to the measure. Chitlik also asked if the bill would pose challenges to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. Brinson said the legislation was modeled after language in Florida, where it did not run into issues. 'It doesn't mention nationality, it mentions citizenship,' Brinson said. 'There is a distinction and a difference.' A similar bill in the lower chamber, House Bill 133 — 'NC Farmland and Military Protection Act,' wqas approved 111-0 on April 16 and currently resides in the Senate Rules Committee.
