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Tag: Legislation

  • Texas Gov. Abbott vows to approve GOP-leaning congressional voting map

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    AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday promised to quickly sign off on a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map gerrymandered to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress.

    “One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” Abbott said in a statement.

    Texas lawmakers approved the final plans just hours before, inflaming an already tense battle unfolding among states as governors from both parties pledge to redraw maps with the goal of giving their political candidates a leg up in the 2026 midterm elections.

    In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved a special election to take place in November for residents to vote on a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats next year.

    Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has pushed other Republican-controlled states, including Indiana and Missouri, to also revise their maps to add more winnable GOP seats. Ohio Republicans were also already scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan.

    In Texas, the map includes five new districts that would favor Republicans.

    The effort by Trump and Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature prompted state Democrats to hold a two-week walkout and kicked off a wave of redistricting efforts across the country.

    Democrats had prepared for a final show of resistance, with plans to push the Senate vote into the early morning hours in a last-ditch attempt to delay passage. Yet Republicans blocked those efforts by citing a rule violation.

    “What we have seen in this redistricting process has been maneuvers and mechanisms to shut down people’s voices,” said state Sen. Carol Alvarado, leader of the Senate Democratic caucus, on social media after the new map was finalized by the GOP-controlled Senate.

    Democrats had already delayed the bill’s passage during hours of debate, pressing Republican Sen. Phil King, the measure’s sponsor, on the proposal’s legality, with many alleging that the redrawn districts violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting voters’ influence based on race.

    King vehemently denied that accusation, saying, “I had two goals in mind: That all maps would be legal and would be better for Republican congressional candidates in Texas.”

    “There is extreme risk the Republican majority will be lost” in the House if the map does not pass, King said.

    On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing districts puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. The incumbent president’s party usually loses seats in the midterms.

    The Texas redraw is already reshaping the 2026 race, with Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the dean of the state’s congressional delegation, announcing Thursday that he will not seek reelection to his Austin-based seat if the new map takes effect. Under the proposed map, Doggett’s district would overlap with that of another Democratic incumbent, Rep. Greg Casar.

    Redistricting typically occurs once a decade, immediately after a census. While some states have their own limitations, there is no national impediment to a state trying to redraw districts in the middle of the decade.

    The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that the Constitution does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering to increase a party’s clout, only gerrymandering that’s explicitly done by race.

    More Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps. New York, for example, cannot draw new maps until 2028, and even then only with voter approval.

    Republicans and some Democrats championed a 2008 ballot measure that established California’s nonpartisan redistricting commission, along with a 2010 one that extended its role to drawing congressional maps.

    Both sides have shown concern over what the redistricting war could lead to.

    California Assemblyman James Gallagher, the Republican minority leader, said Trump was “wrong” to push for new Republican seats elsewhere. But he warned that Newsom’s approach, which the governor has dubbed “fight fire with fire,” is dangerous.

    “You move forward fighting fire with fire, and what happens?” Gallagher asked. “You burn it all down.”

    ___

    Cappelletti reported from Washington and Golden from Seattle. Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island.

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  • CA redistricting special election approved; Proposed congressional maps no longer hinge on Texas

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    It’s official. California voters this fall will be asked to approve Democratic-drawn congressional maps, after the Legislature approved a bill Thursday calling for a special election in the fall. Earlier Thursday, California’s Democratic leaders moved forward with an effort to change the congressional district maps so that they heavily favor Democrats, regardless of what Texas or other Republican states do. (Video below: Gov. Newsom, Democratic lawmakers answer questions about the redistricting special election.)The effort that was promoted by California Democrats as a way to counteract efforts in Texas to send more Republicans to Congress will no longer rely on the action in the Lone Star state or others that allegedly spurred redistricting efforts, according to legislative documents KCRA 3 obtained Thursday. Democratic state lawmakers in the California Assembly made changes to the legislation known as ACA 8 on Thursday morning, minutes before they began debating and voting on the proposed ballot measure that would present the new maps to voters in a special statewide election this fall.(Video below: Gov. Newsom speaks with legislative leaders at a bill signing.)The changes clarifying that the maps do not rely on Texas or other states were put in a separate bill that lawmakers are prepared to approve on Monday. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders have repeatedly insisted that California would have no need to enact new Congressional maps if Texas and other GOP states cease redistricting efforts. It has been part of a bitter fight between states over which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives halfway through President Donald Trump’s term.But now the legislation, known as the Election Rigging Response Act in California, has all references to any red state’s redistricting efforts stricken out of the language. That special election would ask voters to allow the new, politically drawn maps heavily favoring Democrats to take effect 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. It could be a legal gamble in the state, where voters in 2008 and 2010 took the power away from politicians to draw Congressional districts and gave it to an independent, citizens-led redistricting commission. (VIDEO BELOW: How did we get here?)The change comes a day after the Texas House approved new Congressional maps that attempt to remove five Democrats from its representation and replace them with Republicans. The maps are now halfway through that state’s process. The Republican-controlled state Senate was scheduled to vote on a map Thursday night. “Yesterday, Texas moved forward with their Trump power grab so this notion of “conditioning” is no longer applicable — it is self-evident that California will need to move forward in response to what Texas has done,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement.The governor’s office noted California’s change is also meant to simplify the question that is presented to voters this fall. Republican states will no longer be mentioned in the ballot measure, which will ask voters to simultaneously approve the new politically drawn congressional maps and support independent redistricting nationwide. The act of redrawing district lines to specifically favor a political party is known as gerrymandering, a once taboo practice to openly admit to that is now being boasted by both Democrats and Republicans.California Democrats began publicly advocating for redistricting after President Donald Trump called on Texas to send five additional Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Trump made the request because midterm elections could typically lead to shifts in power.California lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that will establish the Nov. 4 special election. The Assembly approved ACA 8 with 57 ayes and 20 nos, with Democrat Alex Lee abstaining from the vote. Democrat Dawn Addis was absent on Thursday.The state Senate then voted to approve ACA 8 on a 30-8 vote. The ballot measure is expected to be known as Proposition 50. The cost of a special election is not yet public, but it is expected to cost at least $200 million, which is around what it cost for the 2021 election that attempted to recall Newsom from office. Newsom signed two pieces of legislation later Thursday that outline the logistics for the special election and provide resources and money for it. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    It’s official.

    California voters this fall will be asked to approve Democratic-drawn congressional maps, after the Legislature approved a bill Thursday calling for a special election in the fall.

    Earlier Thursday, California’s Democratic leaders moved forward with an effort to change the congressional district maps so that they heavily favor Democrats, regardless of what Texas or other Republican states do.

    (Video below: Gov. Newsom, Democratic lawmakers answer questions about the redistricting special election.)

    This content is imported from YouTube.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.



    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    The effort that was promoted by California Democrats as a way to counteract efforts in Texas to send more Republicans to Congress will no longer rely on the action in the Lone Star state or others that allegedly spurred redistricting efforts, according to legislative documents KCRA 3 obtained Thursday.

    Democratic state lawmakers in the California Assembly made changes to the legislation known as ACA 8 on Thursday morning, minutes before they began debating and voting on the proposed ballot measure that would present the new maps to voters in a special statewide election this fall.

    (Video below: Gov. Newsom speaks with legislative leaders at a bill signing.)

    This content is imported from YouTube.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    The changes clarifying that the maps do not rely on Texas or other states were put in a separate bill that lawmakers are prepared to approve on Monday.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders have repeatedly insisted that California would have no need to enact new Congressional maps if Texas and other GOP states cease redistricting efforts. It has been part of a bitter fight between states over which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives halfway through President Donald Trump’s term.

    But now the legislation, known as the Election Rigging Response Act in California, has all references to any red state’s redistricting efforts stricken out of the language.

    That special election would ask voters to allow the new, politically drawn maps heavily favoring Democrats to take effect 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. It could be a legal gamble in the state, where voters in 2008 and 2010 took the power away from politicians to draw Congressional districts and gave it to an independent, citizens-led redistricting commission.

    (VIDEO BELOW: How did we get here?)

    The change comes a day after the Texas House approved new Congressional maps that attempt to remove five Democrats from its representation and replace them with Republicans. The maps are now halfway through that state’s process. The Republican-controlled state Senate was scheduled to vote on a map Thursday night.

    “Yesterday, Texas moved forward with their Trump power grab so this notion of “conditioning” is no longer applicable — it is self-evident that California will need to move forward in response to what Texas has done,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement.

    The governor’s office noted California’s change is also meant to simplify the question that is presented to voters this fall. Republican states will no longer be mentioned in the ballot measure, which will ask voters to simultaneously approve the new politically drawn congressional maps and support independent redistricting nationwide.

    The act of redrawing district lines to specifically favor a political party is known as gerrymandering, a once taboo practice to openly admit to that is now being boasted by both Democrats and Republicans.

    California Democrats began publicly advocating for redistricting after President Donald Trump called on Texas to send five additional Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. Trump made the request because midterm elections could typically lead to shifts in power.

    California lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that will establish the Nov. 4 special election.

    The Assembly approved ACA 8 with 57 ayes and 20 nos, with Democrat Alex Lee abstaining from the vote. Democrat Dawn Addis was absent on Thursday.

    The state Senate then voted to approve ACA 8 on a 30-8 vote.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    The ballot measure is expected to be known as Proposition 50.

    The cost of a special election is not yet public, but it is expected to cost at least $200 million, which is around what it cost for the 2021 election that attempted to recall Newsom from office.

    Newsom signed two pieces of legislation later Thursday that outline the logistics for the special election and provide resources and money for it.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • FACT FOCUS: No, taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks this summer

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    Don’t splurge just yet.

    Rumors spread online Friday that the U.S. government will soon be issuing stimulus checks to taxpayers in certain income brackets.

    But Congress has not passed legislation to authorize such payments, and, according to the IRS, no new stimulus checks will be distributed in the coming weeks.

    Here’s a closer look at the facts.

    CLAIM: The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have approved $1,390 stimulus checks that will be distributed to low- and middle-income taxpayers by the end of the summer.

    THE FACTS: This is false. Taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks of any amount this summer, an IRS official said. Stimulus checks, also known as economic impact payments, are authorized by Congress through legislation and distributed by the Treasury Department. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri last month introduced a bill that would send tax rebates to qualified taxpayers using revenue from tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump. Hawley’s bill has not passed the Senate or the House.

    The IRS announced early this year that it would distribute about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who failed to claim on their 2021 tax returns a Recovery Rebate Credit — a refundable credit for individuals who did not receive one or more COVID-19 stimulus checks. The maximum amount was $1,400 per individual.

    Those who hadn’t already filed their 2021 tax return would have needed to file it by April 15 to claim the credit. The IRS official said there is no new credit that taxpayers can claim.

    Past stimulus checks have been authorized through legislation passed by Congress. For example, payments during the coronavirus pandemic were made by possible by three bills: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act; the COVID-related Tax Relief Act; and the American Rescue Plan Act.

    In 2008, stimulus checks were authorized in response to the Great Recession through the Economic Stimulus Act.

    The Treasury Department, which includes the Internal Revenue Service, distributed stimulus payments during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Recession. The Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, formed in 2012, played a role as well during the former crisis.

    Hawley in July introduced the American Worker Rebate Act, which would share tariff revenue with qualified Americans through tax rebates. The proposed rebates would amount to at minimum $600 per individual, with additional payments for qualifying children. Rebates could increase if tariff revenue is higher than expected. Taxpayers with an adjusted annual gross income above a certain amount — $75,000 for those filing individually — would receive a reduced rebate.

    Hawley said Americans “deserve a tax rebate.”

    “Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country,” Hawley said in a press release.

    Neither the Senate nor the House had passed the American Worker Rebate Act as of Friday. It was read twice by the Senate on July 28, the day it was introduced, and referred to the Committee on Finance.

    ___

    Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

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  • Contributor: It’s time to save the whales again

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    Diving in a kelp forest in Monterey Bay recently, I watched a tubby 200-pound harbor seal follow a fellow diver, nibbling on his flippers. The diver, a graduate student, was using sponges to collect DNA samples from the ocean floor. Curious seals, he told me, can be a nuisance. When he bags his sponges and places them in his collection net, they sometimes bite into them, puncturing the bags and spoiling his samples.

    Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, coming closer than 50 yards to seals and dolphins is considered harassment, but they’re free to harass you, which seems only fair given the centuries of deadly whaling and seal hunting that preceded a generational shift in how we view the world around us.

    The shift took hold in 1969, the year a massive oil spill coated the Santa Barbara coastline and the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland, caught fire. Those two events helped spark the first Earth Day, in 1970, and the shutdown of America’s last whaling station in 1971. Protecting the environment from pollution and from loss of wilderness and wildlife quickly moved from a protest issue to a societal ethic as America’s keystone environmental legislation was passed at around the same time, written by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Republican president, Richard Nixon.

    Those laws include the National Environmental Policy Act (1969) , the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1972) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972), which goes further than the Endangered Species Act (1973) in protecting all marine mammals, not just threatened ones, from harassment, killing or capture by U.S. citizens in U.S. waters and on the high seas.

    All these “green” laws and more are under attack by the Trump administration, its congressional minions and longtime corporate opponents of environmental protections, including the oil and gas industry. Republicans’ disingenuous argument for weakening the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act is that the legislation has worked so well in rebuilding wildlife populations that it’s time to loosen regulations for a better balance between nature and human enterprise. When it comes to marine mammal populations, that premise is wrong.

    On July 22, at a House Natural Resources subcommittee meeting, Republican Rep. Nick Begich of Alaska introduced draft legislation that would scale back the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Among other things, his proposal would limit the ability of the federal government to take action against “incidental take,” the killing of whales, dolphins and seals by sonic blasts from oil exploration, ship and boat strikes or by drowning as accidental catch (also known as bycatch) in fishing gear. Begich complained that marine mammal protections interfere with “essential projects like energy development, port construction, and even fishery operations.”

    Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), the ranking member on the House Resources Committee, calls the legislation a “death sentence” for marine mammals.

    It’s true that the marine mammal law has been a success in many ways. Since its passage, no marine mammal has gone extinct and some species have recovered dramatically. The number of northern elephant seals migrating to California beaches to mate and molt grew from 10,000 in 1972 to about 125,000 today. There were an estimated 11,000 gray whales off the West Coast when the Marine Mammal Protection Act became law; by 2016, the population peaked at 27,000.

    But not all species have thrived. Historically there were about 20,000 North Atlantic right whales off the Eastern Seaboard. They got their name because they were the “right” whales to harpoon — their bodies floated for easy recovery after they were killed. In 1972 they were down to an estimated 350 individuals. After more than half a century of federal legal protection, the population is estimated at 370. They continue to suffer high mortality rates from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear and other causes, including noise pollution and greater difficulty finding prey in warming seas.

    Off Florida, a combination of boat strikes and algal pollution threaten some 8,000-10,000 manatees. The population’s recovery (from about 1,000 in 1979) has been significant enough to move them off the endangered species list in 2017, but since the beginning of this year alone, nearly 500 have died. Scientists would like to see them relisted, but at least they’re still covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

    A 2022 study in the Gulf of Mexico found that in areas affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill 12 years earlier, the dolphin population had declined 45% and that it might take 35 years to recover. In the Arctic Ocean off Alaska, loss of sea ice is threatening polar bears (they’re considered marine mammals), bowhead and beluga whales, walruses, ringed seals and harp seals.

    On the West Coast the number of gray whales — a Marine Mammal Act success story and now a cautionary tale — has crashed by more than half in the last decade to fewer than 13,000, according to a recent report by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, the nation’s lead ocean agency, is an endangered species in its own right in the Trump era). Declining prey, including tiny shrimp-like amphipods, in the whales’ summer feeding grounds in the Arctic probably caused by warming water are thought to be a major contributor to their starvation deaths and reduced birth rates.

    The whale’s diving numbers are just one signal that climate change alone makes maintaining the Marine Mammal Act urgent. Widespread marine heat waves linked to a warming ocean are contributing to the loss of kelp forests that sea otters and other marine mammals depend on. Algal blooms off California, and for the first time ever, Alaska, supercharged by warmer waters and nutrient pollution, are leading to the deaths of thousands of dolphins and sea lions.

    What the Trump administration and its antiregulation, anti-environmental-protection supporters fail to recognize is that the loss of marine mammals is an indicator for the declining health of our oceans and the natural world we depend on and are a part of. This time, saving the whales will be about saving ourselves.

    David Helvarg is executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy group. His next book, “Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp,” is scheduled to be published in 2026.

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  • ND Gov Signs Bill Allowing Medical Cannabis Edibles

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    Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed legislation into law regulating the manufacturing and dispensing of cannabis-infused edible products to state-qualified patients.

    House Bill 1203 legalizes patients’ access to “cannabinoid edible products.” The law defines these products as “soft or hard lozenges in a geometric square shape into which a cannabinoid concentrate or the dried leaves or flowers of the plant of the genus cannabis is incorporated.” It limits the THC content in edible products to no more than 5 milligrams per serving and 50 milligrams per package.

    Patients are currently limited to the use of botanical cannabis and/or tinctures, capsules, or topical patches.

    Approximately 10,000 North Dakotans are registered in the state’s medical cannabis access program, which voters approved in 2016.

    Patients prefer different methods of cannabis ingestion based on their own particular needs. Those seeking rapid relief typically prefer inhaling cannabis, which provides a rapid onset of effects. By contrast, cannabinoids consumed in the form of edibles possess delayed onset but tend to have longer-lasting effects.

    Additional information is available from the NORML document, Marijuana: A Primer.

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  • Nebraska AG & US Senator Urge Lawmakers To Ignore Medical Marijuana Legalization Vote

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    Nebraska’s Attorney General and former Governor are urging state lawmakers to halt efforts to adopt a pair of citizen-initiated measures regulating the possession, use, and production of medical cannabis. Some 70 percent of Nebraska voters approved the measures on election day.

    Writing in an op-ed, AG Mike Hilgers and former Governor (now US Senator) Pete Ricketts called on lawmakers to ignore the voters’ will. “The legislature has no duty to act now,” they wrote. “In fact, there are plenty of reasons to not act at all.”

    The duo opined that cannabis is “harmful, easily abused, and is not safe to consume even under medical supervision.” Ricketts, a longtime opponent of marijuana policy reform, has previously alleged: “If you legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your kids. That’s what the data shows from around the country.”

    During public hearings yesterday, a representative from the AG’s office warned that the state would consider filing a lawsuit if regulators moved forward with licensing medical cannabis providers, arguing that such actions are inconsistent with federal law. Opponents of the law have already filed a pair of lawsuits seeking to nullify the election outcome.

    On Monday, lawmakers also heard testimony regarding legislation, LB 483, repealing patients’ access to botanical cannabis. NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano provided testimony against the bill, stating: “Elections have consequences. Nebraskans have made it clear that they want patients to have regulated access to botanical cannabis. Lawmakers must respect their vote.”

    He added: “LB 483 is undemocratic; it is also bad public policy. … Many patients seeking rapid relief of symptoms such as pain, nausea, or spasticity will suffer by having their access limited solely to cannabis pills and other oral formulations,” which are far slower to take effect.

    In total, more than 300 witnesses testified against the bill.

    Lawmakers on Monday also deliberated over separate bills providing further clarity for regulating medical cannabis access. Those efforts were supported by initiative proponents Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, who held a rally at the state capitol yesterday morning during which they criticized the former Governor’s efforts.

    “The individuals who are continuing to be opposed are absolutely disregarding the fact that 71 percent of people in this state support safe and regulated medical cannabis,” said Campaign Manager Crista Eggers. “And I would ask them to take a look at any state that has legalized medical cannabis and I’d like them to see that their arguments hold no weight.”

    Ultimately, lawmakers did not take votes yesterday on any of the marijuana-related bills.

    NORML’s Armentano warned that elected officials’ efforts in Nebraska to undermine voters’ decisions is consistent with Republican-led efforts in several other states, including Ohio, where Senate lawmakers recently voted in favor of GOP-backed legislation rescinding much of the state’s voter-approved legalization law and recriminalizing many marijuana-related activities. Separate legislation introduced earlier this year in South Dakota that sought to repeal the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law failed by a single vote.

    “In a healthy democracy, those with competing visions on public policy vie for voters’ support and abide by their voting decisions. However, it is becoming clear that those who oppose marijuana policy reform would rather take voters out of the equation altogether,” Armentano said. “Whether or not one personally supports or opposes cannabis legalization, these cynical and undemocratic tactics ought to be a cause of deep concern.”

    A state-by-state guide to pending marijuana legislation is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.

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  • Homeowners demand relief from crumbling foundations

    Homeowners demand relief from crumbling foundations

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    Homeowners clamoring for state help as they deal with the hefty costs of fixing their crumbling foundations, which could eventually render their houses unlivable, called on Gov. Maura Healey Wednesday to wield her executive power to kickstart a potential solution.

    Advocates with Massachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Foundations say they want Healey to issue an executive order to create a committee to develop recommendations on providing assistance for those dealing with crumbling concrete woes. Those recommendations could form the basis for legislation on a relief plan and account, which advocates say would help people who are on the hook for hundreds of thousands dollars in repair or replacement costs for their deteriorating home foundations, caused by pyrite or pyrrhotite minerals.

    “We are asking for the ability to form a committee to start a captive insurance plan or start a plan that would allow us to get assistance to fix these foundations. We are mirroring a plan that’s already in place and working in the state of Connecticut — they’ve replaced over 1,000 homes,” said Cynthia Poirier, an assessor in Brimfield and Holland. “They use a $1 a month surcharge on homeowners’ polices, no more than $12 a year. The first year alone, if we were able to put that together in Massachusetts, we’d raise close to $22 million.”

    A Healey spokesperson did not directly answer a News Service question about whether the governor is willing to issue an executive order sought by advocates.

    “The Healey-Driscoll Administration recognizes the importance of providing support to homeowners whose concrete foundations are crumbling,” Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand said. “We will continue to work together with our partners in the Legislature to evaluate potential solutions that would provide relief to homeowners.”

    Financial relief proposals have failed to gain momentum on Beacon Hill, despite persistent lobbying from affected homeowners.

    The Senate, in its affordable housing bond bill, unanimously adopted an amendment that would have created a crumbling concrete working group and relief fund. The policy did not survive closed-door conference committee negotiations. Amendment sponsors, including Sens. Peter Durant, Ryan Fattman, Michael Moore and Jake Oliveira, joined with advocates outside the State House Wednesday morning.

    Advocates say more than 40 municipalities are affected by what they call the “crumbling foundation crisis” that stymies affected homeowners from selling or refinancing their houses.

    “My position is we have enough money to spend on so many other things and support so many other people, but we need to support the people that have been paying taxes in all of these towns, with these homes that are no fault of their own,” Monson Select Board member Peter Warren said. “And they’re not getting any support.”

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  • House Speaker Johnson says GOP may try to repeal CHIPS Act, then walks it back

    House Speaker Johnson says GOP may try to repeal CHIPS Act, then walks it back

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    WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday that Republicans “probably will” try to repeal legislation that spurred U.S. production of semiconductor chips, a statement he quickly tried to walk back by saying he would like to instead “streamline” it.

    Johnson made the initial comment while campaigning for a vulnerable New York GOP congressman in a district that is anticipating a large new Micron semiconductor manufacturing plant.

    A reporter asked Johnson whether he would try to repeal the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had disparaged last week. “I expect that we probably will, but we haven’t developed that part of the agenda yet,” Johnson replied.

    Democrats quickly jumped on the Republican speaker’s comments, warning that it showed how Johnson and Trump are pursuing an aggressive conservative agenda bent on dismantling even popular government programs. The White House has credited the CHIPS Act for spurring hundreds of billions of dollars of investments as well as hundreds of thousands of jobs. Vice President Kamala Harris has pointed to the legislation on the campaign trail as proof that Democrats can be entrusted with the U.S. economy.

    Johnson, who voted against the legislation, later said in a statement that the CHIPS Act, which poured $54 billion into the semiconductor manufacturing industry, “is not on the agenda for repeal.”

    “To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill—to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements,” the speaker’s statement said.

    It wasn’t the first recent comment Johnson has had to walk back. Earlier this week he had to clean up comments he made saying he wanted to “take a blow torch to the regulatory state” and make “massive” changes to the Affordable Care Act. After facing political blowback, he said that repealing the health care law was “not on the table.”

    The incident was emblematic of Johnson’s struggle working closely with Trump and at the same time campaigning for his House colleagues, especially those locked in tough reelection battles that are crucial to Republicans holding a narrow majority. The speaker was campaigning for Rep. Brandon Williams, a New York Republican who worked in the tech industry before running for Congress and supported the CHIPS Act.

    Williams said in a statement that he spoke privately with Johnson after he suggested that the act could be repealed.

    “He apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question,” Williams said.

    Williams’ district is anticipating a large new Micron semiconductor manufacturing plant. The company has said it received grants of $6.1 billion from the CHIPS Act to support its plans.

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday, “Anyone threatening to repeal the CHIPS & Science Act is threatening more than 50,000 good-paying jobs in Upstate New York and $231 billion worth of economic growth nationwide.”

    Democrats are hoping that the comments give them a late boost as they try to court working class voters in regions that depend on factory jobs. Harris, during a campaign stop in Saginaw, Michigan earlier this week, toured another semiconductor factory to bring attention to the 2022 law.

    In response to Johnson’s comments Friday, a spokesperson for Harris’ campaign, Ammar Moussa, said, “Harris is running to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and make us competitive globally. The only way to guarantee these Republicans never get a chance to repeal these laws that are creating jobs and saving Americans money is to elect her president.”

    As of August, the CHIPS and Science Act had provided $30 billion in support for 23 projects in 15 states that would add 115,000 manufacturing and construction jobs, according to the Commerce Department. That funding helped to draw in private capital and would enable the United States to produce 30% of the world’s most advanced computer chips, up from 0% when the Biden-Harris administration succeeded Trump’s presidency.

    Viet Shelton, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said, “Most politicians usually go to a community promising to create jobs in the town they’re visiting… Mike Johnson, ever the trendsetter, decided to visit a town and promise to kill jobs in that town.”

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  • 1-seat Democratic margin has Pennsylvania House control up for grabs in fall voting

    1-seat Democratic margin has Pennsylvania House control up for grabs in fall voting

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    HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s legislative Republicans would like to pass additional voter ID requirements, restrict abortion and make election changes to improve their odds of winning judicial races. Democrats want to bump up the state’s minimum wage and widen civil rights for LGBTQ people.

    In the closely divided General Assembly, those proposals have gone nowhere.

    Next month the state’s voters will determine whether to change that dynamic, filling all 203 House seats and half the 50-member Senate. Democrats go into the election with a one-seat House majority, while in the Senate, Republicans have 28 seats and therefore majority control.

    Democrats would need to flip three Senate seats to get the chamber to a 25-25 deadlock, leaving Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis to break ties on procedural votes but not final passage of legislation. They hope to thread the needle by taking GOP seats in Harrisburg, Erie and the Pittsburgh area while returning all of their own incumbents.

    This year, a few dozen legislative races across the country could determine party control in state capitols, affecting state laws on abortion, guns and transgender rights. Statehouse control is more politically important in the wake of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions weakening federal regulatory oversight, giving more power to states.

    In state House elections, it’s typical that only a couple dozen races are close enough to be competitive — a handful in the Philadelphia suburbs along with others scattered around the state.

    Democrats were aided by redrawn district lines when they flipped a net of 12 seats two years ago, retaking majority control after more than a decade in the legislative wilderness. A state House rule linking majority status to the results of elections rather than new vacancies has meant Democrats have maintained control of the chamber floor even as two members resigned this summer and gave Republicans a bare 101-100 margin. Those seats were filled Sept. 17 by Democrats who ran unopposed, and both are also unopposed in the General Election.

    This fall, more than half of the House districts have only one candidate on the ballot.

    Among the Republican targets in the House is Rep. Frank Burns, a Cambria County Democrat who has somehow stayed in office despite facing biennial GOP challenges in the very Republican Johnstown area. Another is Rep. Jim Haddock, a freshman Democrat who won a Lackawanna and Luzerne district by about 4 percentage points two years ago.

    Democrats have hopes of unseating Rep. Craig Williams, R-Delaware, who made an unsuccessful bid for the GOP’s attorney general nomination this spring. Outside Pittsburgh, Rep. Valerie Gaydos is also seen as relatively vulnerable.

    Rep. Nick Pisciottano, a Democrat, is giving up his Allegheny County district to run for state Senate. Rep. Jim Gregory lost the Republican primary to Scott Barger, who is unopposed in a Blair County district. Brian Rasel, a Republican, faces no other candidate to succeed Rep. George Dunbar, R-Westmoreland.

    Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, is unopposed for reelection but he’s also running for auditor general, raising the possibility the two parties could be tied after the votes are counted.

    What to know about the 2024 Election

    The state Senate races widely seen as the most competitive are the reelection efforts of Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, and Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Allegheny. Dauphin County Sen. John DiSanto, a Republican, is not seeking another term after his district saw significant changes through redistricting. State Rep. Patty Kim, D-Dauphin, and Nick DiFrancesco, a Republican and the Dauphin County treasurer, are facing off to succeed DiSanto.

    Democrats have to defend a Pittsburgh state Senate opening because of the retirement of Sen. Jim Brewster, a Democrat. Pisciottano is going up against Republican security company owner Jen Dintini for Brewster’s seat.

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  • Florida Rep. Luna Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Legislation for Additional FEMA Funding

    Florida Rep. Luna Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Legislation for Additional FEMA Funding

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    Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to support recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on Florida and other states across the nation.

    “My constituents in Pinellas County depend on Congress to take swift and decisive action in the wake of this unprecedented disaster caused by Hurricane Helene,” said Republican Congresswoman Luna. “I am ready and willing to return to Washington and ensure our communities receive the critical resources necessary for a rapid recovery. Americans are counting on us, and we must take immediate action to address their life-saving needs.”

    The bill, introduced by Democratic Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz, allocates an additional $15 billion in response to Hurricane Helene, including $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief and emergency assistance and $5 billion in supplemental funding to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

    The office of Representative Anna Paulina Luna is committed to supporting constituents during this challenging time by providing a variety of resources. She provided a list of updated federal and local resources to help with assistance that is needed, and told residents do not hesitate to reach out directly to the Congresswoman’s office.

    Here is the list of resources provided by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna:

    Important Steps for Assistance:

    1. Contact Your Insurance Provider:
      If you have experienced damage to your home, business, or vehicle, your first step is to file a claim with your insurance company. Be sure to take photographs of all damages and submit them along with your claim.
    2. Filing a Claim with FEMA:
      After contacting your insurance company, you can also apply for disaster relief through FEMA. Below are links to the FEMA website and their mobile app, where you can access the application for disaster assistance:
    1. FEMA Helpline: 800-621-3362
    2. DisasterAssistance.gov (The fastest way to apply)
    3. FEMA Mobile App (Available for download on app stores)

    Please be aware that after disasters, scammers may take advantage of vulnerable individuals by offering fraudulent assistance or services. It’s essential to protect yourself. Be cautious of anyone who arrives uninvited and offers to perform repairs. Always verify that the contractor provides a valid address, telephone number, and license information. For more details or to file a complaint, you can contact Pinellas County Consumer Services at 727-464-6200.

    Federal Resources:

    FEMA (Federal Emergency Management)-

    Link to Application: DisasterAssistance.gov.

    Mobile App: FEMA mobile app.

    Helpline: 800-621-3362

    SBA (Small Business Administration)-

    Small Business Association (SBA)’s Office of Disaster Assistance

    provides low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery & equipment, inventory, and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster.

    Disaster Unemployment Assistance-

    https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/disaster.asp

    Veteran Resources:

    • If you or a veteran you know needs immediate housing assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (24/7) – 1-800-424-3838
    • If you’re unable to receive a benefit payment after a disaster, contact the VA National Call Center at 1-800-827-1000 to request a special one-time payment.
    • If you’re a displaced Veteran and receive VA employment services, you may qualify for two additional months of Employee Adjustment Allowance. Contact your local VA regional office to speak with a Veteran Readiness & Employment specialist to learn more.
    • American Red Cross Services for Veterans:

    https://www.redcross.org/get-help/military-families/services-for-veterans.html

    Local & State Resources:

    Pinellas County Information Center:

    The County Information Center remains open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.

    Call (727) 464-4333.

    Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the County Information Center via online chat at bit.ly/PinellasChat

    Disaster Distress Hotline:

    The Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7 toll-free, multilingual disaster crisis counseling for anyone experiencing emotional distress related to disasters. Call or text1-800-985-5990

    American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter: 

    (Can provide emergency medical assistance/medications, disaster recovery planning, meals and water.)

    Phone Number: 813-348-4820

    Website: https://www.redcross.org/local/florida/central-florida/about-us/locations/tampa-bay.html

    Salvation Army Disaster Assistance: 

    https://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/HeleneServiceLocations

    PODS (Points of Distribution): 

    Food, water, and tarps are available at three points of distribution on Pinellas barrier islands:

    • St. Pete Beach: 4700 Gulf Bvd. Food, water and tarps
    • Treasure Island: 10451 Gulf Blvd. Food, water and tarps
    • Tierra Verde Fire Station: 540 Sands Point Drive. Water only

    Crisis Cleanup 

    This is for people who need help cleaning up damage from Hurricane Helene and connects people with volunteers from local relief organizations, community groups, and faith communities who may be able to assist with jobs such as mucking (cleaning up), trees, tarp, and debris. All services are free, but service is not guaranteed. This hotline will remain open through Oct. 11, 2024.

    They have activated the Hurricane Helene Cleanup Hotline: (844) 965-1386.

    Website: https://crisiscleanup.org/disasters/171

    Temporary Place to Live / Shelter:

    Help with food/groceries:

    -Feeding Tampa Bay’s food distribution Disaster Relief

    –St. Pete Free Clinic:

    • We Help Free Pantry at 863 Third Ave. N (8:30am-3pm)
    • Deuces Drive-Thru at 2198 15th Ave. S (2pm-6pm).

    –3 Daughters Brewing– 222 22nd Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712

    -Fresh Meals from various local restaurants:

    • 4-6pm Monday, 340 E Davis Blvd.
    • 8-10am Tuesday, 2219 S Dale Mabry Highway
    • 4-6pm Wednesday, 3644 S West Shore Blvd.
    • 8-10am Thursday, 1700 W Fig Street and 340 E Davis Blvd
    • 4-6pm Friday, 340 E Davis Blvd.

    Fare Free Bus Services: 

    To assist residents affected by Hurricane Helene, the City of St. Petersburg and PSTA are offering a two-week period of fare-free bus service within St. Pete city limits, starting Monday, September 30 through Sunday, October 13.

    • Applies to: Regular bus trips that begin and end within St. Pete city limits
    • Exclusions: Does not apply to Access, MOD, or other mobility services
    • SunRunner Update: SunRunner is turning around at Pasadena due to westbound access limitations
    • Fares Resume: Monday, Oct. 14, 2024

    For more information on routes and schedules, visit psta.net.

    Free Laundry Services: 

    • Parking lot across from Allendale United Methodist Church (3803 Haines Rd. N) – 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Easy Kleen Laundromat (2970 54th Ave. S) – 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. (last wash at 8:30 p.m.)

    Cooling Stations

    These will provide a place for residents to cool off and charge their phones.

    Clearwater:

    Recreation Centers – Open Monday, Sept. 30, to Friday, Oct. 4:

    • Morningside Recreation Center, 2400 Harn Blvd, Clearwater – 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    • Long Center, 1501 N Belcher Road, Clearwater – 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Countryside Rec Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Drive, Clearwater – 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
    • McMullen Tennis Complex, 1000 Edenville Ave., Clearwater – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
    • Moccasin Lake Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater – CLOSED MONDAY; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday
    • North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic Center, 900 N Martin Luther King Jr Ave., Clearwater – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

    Libraries:

    • Clearwater Countryside Library, 2642 Sabal Springs Dr, Clearwater – Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Clearwater East Community Library at St Petersburg College, 2465 Drew St, Clearwater, FL 33765, Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., closed Sunday
    • Clearwater Main Library, 100 N. Osceola Ave, Clearwater, FL 33755, Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., closed Sunday
    • Clearwater North Greenwood Library, 905 N. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., Clearwater, FL 33755, Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Friday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., closed Sunday.

    St. Petersburg: 

    • St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 4444 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg – Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
    • Lakewood United Methodist Church, 5995 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St. S., St. Petersburg – Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Pets welcome)

    St. Pete Beach:

    • St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Dr., St. Pete Beach – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Madeira Beach:

    • Madeira Beach City Hall, 14225 Gulf Blvd, Madeira Beach, Open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice.

    Seminole: 

    • Seminole Recreation Center, 9100 113th St, Seminole, – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    Largo: 

    • Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Dr, Largo – Monday – Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Gulfport: 

    • Gulfport Senior Center, located at 5501 27th Ave. S., Gulfport – open through Oct. 4, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    Dunedin: 

    • First United Methodist Church of Dunedin, 421 Main St., Dunedin – Monday, Sept. 30, through Thursday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Lost Pets:

    • If you have lost or found a pet, visit pinellas.gov/lost-and-found.
    • You can visit the Pinellas County Animal Services’ Found Center to check for your lost pet or drop off a found pet at 12450 Ulmerton Road, Largo. Found Center hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can check other local animal shelters as well.

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  • Gavin Newsom signs controversial bill regulating California warehouse development

    Gavin Newsom signs controversial bill regulating California warehouse development

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    Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a controversial bill that establishes siting and design standards for industrial warehouses that, according to supporters, would better protect the health of nearby residents.

    The legislation comes as developers have converted large swaths of property along Inland Empire freeways into a logistics corridor for e-commerce, connecting goods shipped into Southern California ports with online shoppers across the nation. Although proponents of the developments say they bring jobs and infrastructure improvements, many residents living in the shadow lament the pollution, traffic and neighborhood disruption.

    Beginning in 2026, Assembly Bill 98 will prohibit cities and counties from approving new or expanded distribution centers unless they meet specified standards. New warehouse developments will need to be located on major thoroughfares or local roads that mainly serve commercial uses. And warehouses will need to be set back several hundred feet from so-called “sensitive sites” such as homes, schools and healthcare facilities.

    Additionally, if a developer demolishes housing to make way for a warehouse, the bill will require two new units of affordable housing for each unit that is destroyed. The developer will have to provide displaced tenants with 12 months’ rent.

    Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale), co-author of the legislation, previously described the measure as a “very delicate compromise” that resulted from lengthy negotiations among a group that included labor, health, environmental and business representatives.

    While some labor organizations supported the bill, environmental, community and civic groups statewide objected to the secrecy in which the bill was crafted in the final days of the session and said it fails to hold warehouse developers to higher standards.

    Several cities also opposed the legislation, which, according to an analysis by the Senate Appropriations Committee, requires general plan updates that could result in one-time costs for cities and counties ranging from tens of millions to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars.

    Environmental advocates are especially concerned about the bill’s setback requirements for projects involving warehouses 250,000 square feet and larger that are within 900 feet of homes, schools, parks or healthcare facilities.

    In those cases, the bill requires that truck loading bays are located at least 300 feet from the property line in areas zoned for industrial use and 500 feet from the property line in areas not zoned for industrial use. Warehouses would also need to comply with design and energy efficiency standards.

    Advocates argued the bill would simply enshrine current warehouse development practices into law and undermine local efforts to advocate for the much bigger setbacks recommended by state agencies.

    In a 2022 report on best practices for warehouse projects under the state’s environmental laws, the state attorney general’s office recommends locating warehouse facilities so that their property lines are at least 1,000 feet from the property lines of sensitive sites such as homes and schools. It cites the state Air Resources Board, which in 2005 estimated an 80% drop-off in pollutant concentrations at approximately 1,000 feet from a distribution center.

    This article is part of The Times’ equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic divide.

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    Rebecca Plevin

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  • California Gov. Newsom vetoes bill SB 1047 that aims to prevent AI disasters

    California Gov. Newsom vetoes bill SB 1047 that aims to prevent AI disasters

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed bill SB 1047, which aims to prevent bad actors from using AI to cause “critical harm” to humans. The California state assembly passed the legislation by a margin of 41-9 on August 28, but several organizations including the Chamber of Commerce had urged Newsom to veto the bill. In his veto message on Sept. 29, Newsom said the bill is “well-intentioned” but “does not take into account whether an Al system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data. Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions – so long as a large system deploys it.”

    SB 1047 would have made the developers of AI models liable for adopting safety protocols that would stop catastrophic uses of their technology. That includes preventive measures such as testing and outside risk assessment, as well as an “emergency stop” that would completely shut down the AI model. A first violation would cost a minimum of $10 million and $30 million for subsequent infractions. However, the bill was revised to eliminate the state attorney general’s ability to sue AI companies with negligent practices if a catastrophic event does not occur. Companies would only be subject to injunctive relief and could be sued if their model caused critical harm.

    This law would apply to AI models that cost at least $100 million to use and 10^26 FLOPS for training. It also would have covered derivative projects in instances where a third party has invested $10 million or more in developing or modifying the original model. Any company doing business in California would be subject to the rules if it meets the other requirements. Addressing the bill’s focus on large-scale systems, Newsom said, “I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology.” The veto message adds:

    By focusing only on the most expensive and large-scale models, SB 1047 establishes a regulatory framework that could give the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology. Smaller, specialized models may emerge as equally or even more dangerous than the models targeted by SB 1047 – at the potential expense of curtailing the very innovation that fuels advancement in favor of the public good.

    The earlier version of SB 1047 would have created a new department called the Frontier Model Division to oversee and enforce the rules. Instead, the bill was altered ahead of a committee vote to place governance at the hands of a Board of Frontier Models within the Government Operations Agency. The nine members would be appointed by the state’s governor and legislature.

    The bill faced a complicated path to the final vote. SB 1047 was authored by California State Sen. Scott Wiener, who told TechCrunch: “We have a history with technology of waiting for harms to happen, and then wringing our hands. Let’s not wait for something bad to happen. Let’s just get out ahead of it.” Notable AI researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio backed the legislation, as did the Center for AI Safety, which has been raising the alarm about AI’s risks over the past year.

    “Let me be clear – I agree with the author – we cannot afford to wait for a major catastrophe to occur before taking action to protect the public,” Newsom said in the veto message. The statement continues:

    California will not abandon its responsibility. Safety protocols must be adopted. Proactive guardrails should be implemented, and severe consequences for bad actors must be clear and enforceable. I do not agree, however, that to keep the public safe, we must settle for a solution that is not informed by an empirical trajectory analysis of Al systems and capabilities. Ultimately, any framework for effectively regulating Al needs to keep pace with the technology itself.

    SB 1047 drew heavy-hitting opposition from across the tech space. Researcher Fei-Fei Li critiqued the bill, as did Meta Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun, for limiting the potential to explore new uses of AI. The trade group repping tech giants such as Amazon, Apple and Google said SB 1047 would limit new developments in the state’s tech sector. Venture capital firm Andreeson Horowitz and several startups also questioned whether the bill placed unnecessary financial burdens on AI innovators. Anthropic and other opponents of the original bill pushed for amendments that were adopted in the version of SB 1047 that passed California’s Appropriations Committee on August 15.

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    Anna Washenko

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  • LA City Council puts teeth in law against tenant harassment

    LA City Council puts teeth in law against tenant harassment

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    Los Angeles will buttress its law protecting tenants from landlord harassment.

    The City Council voted 12-0 to beef up the city’s anti-harassment ordinance after 13,000 complaints poured in the three years since the law was passed, with no prosecutions, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    The city’s Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, approved in 2021, was trumpeted as a milestone for renters’ rights.

    At a time of rapidly rising housing costs, the law was meant to protect tenants from being threatened or intimidated by landlords, a tactic advocates say can be used to push people out of rent-controlled homes. 

    While tenant advocates say the law is “toothless,” landlord advocates call the law one-sided — and said the city should also ban harassment by tenants toward landlords.

    Some landlords have said they sometimes face harassment from upset renters, including when tenants and advocates protest in front of their homes. 

    “Until the city provides equal protection to all residents, people will continue to live in fear for their personal safety,” David Kaishchyan of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, told the council.

    This week, the council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance that would include several amendments to the TAHO law. They include redefining what constitutes harassment and imposing a minimum civil penalty of $2,000 per violation.

    The expected passage of the new ordinance, with its added protections, was not disclosed.

    The amendments are designed to create incentives for private attorneys to take on harassment cases, by introducing minimum penalties and requiring that tenants who win in court be awarded attorney’s fees.

    They also redefine the meaning of harassment.

    The original TAHO says harassment happens when landlords knowingly and willfully engage in conduct that causes detriment and harm and “serves no lawful purpose,” a standard advocates said was impossible to prove. 

    The changes would say harassment is “bad faith” conduct that causes tenants detriment or harm. 

    Tenant advocates filled the council chambers to call for the proposed amendments. Several renters broke down in tears about having been harassed by property owners.

    “Today’s vote is an indication of how much renters matter to this council,” said Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who helped introduce changes to the law this year. 

    — Dana Bartholomew

    Read more

    LA considers beefing up law against tenant harassment


    The ordinance was first proposed in 2017, and finally passed by City Council in June (Getty)

    LA tenants now have more options to sue landlords for harassment


    Judge rules in favor of evicted tenants at LA’s Barrington Plaza


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  • Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) Urges Immediate Medical Cannabis Law Reform in Nevada with Broad Support from Integrative Healthcare

    Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) Urges Immediate Medical Cannabis Law Reform in Nevada with Broad Support from Integrative Healthcare

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    LAS VEGAS, NV, September 25, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Compassion Center celebrates and champions the Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) in leading the charge for urgent reforms in Nevada’s medical cannabis laws, advocating for reduced fees, patient cultivation rights, and an overhaul of outdated DUID laws. Join CPR in protecting patient access, promoting fair legislation, and ensuring the safe use of natural, organic cannabis for qualifying patients across the state. Get involved by attending monthly meetings or supporting CPR’s Washington D.C. delegation.

    The Compassion Center celebrates and champions the Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) in urgently calling for reform of Nevada’s medical cannabis laws to protect patient access to safe and affordable medicine, and supports CPR’s Washington D.C. delegation in speaking up on behalf of patient rights. In light of growing concerns surrounding the current regulatory framework, the upcoming DEA rescheduling hearing, and the ongoing lack of understanding about medical cannabis, CPR is advocating for legislation that reduces fees and eliminates barriers to access. Our goal is to ensure that patients’ safety and rights are always protected, while providing law enforcement and regulators with clear, actionable guidelines.

    As medical cannabis continues to be recognized as a vital tool in managing a range of chronic conditions, qualifying patients in Nevada face unnecessary financial and procedural hurdles. CPR is urging lawmakers to take swift action to reduce registration fees, and even eliminate the fees altogether for disabled veterans and patients with permanent disabilities, while eliminating the current pre-application qualifications, streamlining patient access, and further eliminating the obstacles that disproportionately affect low-income and vulnerable populations.

    Central to this reform is the protection of a patient’s right to grow their own cannabis at home, free from exposure to harmful chemicals and pesticides, plant growth regulators (additives) and irradiation. CPR supports legislation that allows patients to cultivate natural, organic cannabis without the burden of taxation, ensuring they can safely manage their own treatment without any unnecessary interference, undue burdens on their privacy and liberty, without an excessive cost.

    Additionally, CPR advocates for a complete overhaul of Nevada’s pro se DUID laws, which are currently preventing medical cannabis patients from legally operating vehicles, boats, or aircraft while using cannabis to alleviate their conditions, making pharmaceuticals the only option for a professional or those supporting a family, which we all know can lead to harmful damage from side-effects. The current law is overly broad and does not account for varying levels of patient tolerance or experience, unfairly penalizing patients who rely on cannabis for chronic relief. CPR supports replacing these outdated laws with proven techniques to identify actual impairment, backed by police officer-worn body camera footage to ensure fairness and transparency.

    “With the DEA’s move to hold a hearing on rescheduling cannabis to a CSA schedule III, CPR believes the time has come for Nevada to modernize its approach to medical cannabis and the Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) laws regarding medical cannabis patients,” said Jeff Krajnak, CPR President and President of Pardon Me, Please. “Our laws should protect the patients who rely on this medicine, not punish them for seeking natural relief. Reforming access, protecting home cultivation, and replacing outdated DUI laws with science-backed measures will ensure that patients can live healthier, safer lives without fear of legal repercussions”, said Mr. Jason Greninger, CPR Director of Legislative Advocacy.”

    CPR is dedicated to collaborating with legislators, healthcare providers, and patient advocates to ensure that Nevada’s medical cannabis laws align with the needs and rights of its patients. We invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings, held on the last Wednesday of each month, or to consider donating to support a delegation that will testify at the upcoming DEA hearing in Washington D.C. on December 2nd, 2024.

    “While we acknowledge the consideration to reschedule cannabis to a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) will open up many doors for insurance billing and inpatient integration, we hope to see the plant restored to its original status in the updated U.S. Pharmacopeia as a plant-based medicine under the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) designation” Said Nurse Julie Monteiro, RN, BSK, Senior Vice President of Patient Education. “Additionally, it is critical to prioritize patients, their rights, and the accessibility and affordability of cannabis as the DEA moves forward with rescheduling.” Said James B. Creel, PgM, Board Secretary-Treasurer of Compassion Center, and Patient Advocate representing Coalition For Patient Rights (CPR) as a Research Fellow of Compassion Center’s Center for Incubation & Findings Research (CIFR).

    For more information or to get involved by volunteering or donating to send our delegation to Washington, D.C., please visit CPR at: https://coalitionforpatientrights.org/donate/

    To attend a Monthly CPR Town Hall Meeting, speak on a particular subject or just vent about the high cost of healthcare, please visit: https://coalitionforpatientrights.org/nevada-rsvp/ and a link/ ticket will be sent directly to you so you can attend. It is vital for you to let your voice be heard. We hold both in-person and online meetings regularly to ensure the voice of the people is heard.

    To be part of the next meeting, please email Vicki Higgins, Executive Vice President of Legislative Action at: Vicki.Higgins@MyCPR.us to obtain a personal invitation and directions or a link to the meeting. While some meetings are held in person at any one or more NV libraries, community centers and offices, CPR often conducts online-only meetings to ensure that the entire community has unfiltered access and the ability to get involved in the conversation.

    Contact Information

    James Garvey
    CIFR Director of Collaborative Programs
    james.garvey@compassion-center.org
    844-842-COMPASSION Ext 1

    Vicki Higgins
    Executive Vice President: Legislative Action
    vicki.higgins@mycpr.us
    844-842-8687 Ext 1

    Related Files

    CPR Flyer VOX Populi

    Related Video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLqqFFqolQY

    SOURCE: Coalition for Patient Rights

    Source: Compassion Center

    Related Media

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  • Video: France Rape Trial Renews Push to Revise Legal Definition of Rape

    Video: France Rape Trial Renews Push to Revise Legal Definition of Rape

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    Gisèle Pelicot waived anonymity to make public the trial of her former husband and the 50 men accused of joining him in raping her. The trial has revived the question of consent within French law and turned Ms. Pelicot into a feminist icon. Catherine Porter, an international correspondent for The New York Times based in France, explains.

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    Catherine Porter, Rebecca Suner, Christina Shaman, Laura Salaberry and Farah Otero-Amad

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  • DraftKings Contributes $5M to Missouri Sports Betting Legalization Campaign

    DraftKings Contributes $5M to Missouri Sports Betting Legalization Campaign

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    DK Crown Holdings Inc., the parent company of industry-leading operator DraftKings, has made a significant move in the ongoing effort to legalize sports betting in Missouri by donating $5 million to the “Winning for Missouri Education” campaign. The contribution is Missouri’s most substantial political donation in over 16 years in the push to legalize sports wagering in the state.

    Missouri Represents a Lucrative Opportunity

    The massive donation is only part of a broader campaign by DraftKings, FanDuel, and their affiliated companies to support the passage of Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment aimed at legalizing and regulating sports betting in Missouri. Since January, that campaign has raised over $16.5 million, entirely from those leading sports wagering companies.

    This newest $5 million donation surpasses the $3.5 million check that DraftKings contributed in August, which then was the single largest donation to the campaign in 2023. The continued flow of seven-figure donations into the committee’s cause underscores the value an open Missouri market represents to sports betting companies.

    Public opinion remains mixed. A March poll evaluated support for sports wagering among Missouri voters at 60%, with 25% opposing it. However, an Emerson College poll conducted in June put the score at 52%, suggesting it could be a close vote. While most industry experts agree that Missouri sports betting is a matter of time, stakeholders hope this will happen sooner rather than later.

    The Legislation Faces Significant Opposition

    The path to legalization faces some opposition. A coalition called “Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment” argues that the promises of increased education funding from this proposed sports betting law are deceptive. The group notes that the proposed sports wagering legislation may not provide the revenues the state expects.

    Amendment 2 is a bad deal for Missouri. This deceptive measure was written by and for the financial benefit of its out-of-state corporate sponsors and funders.

    Brooke Foster, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment spokesperson

    Caesars Entertainment, another gaming industry giant, surprisingly opposes Amendment 2. The company operates casinos in Missouri, including Horseshoe St. Louis, and has contributed over $4 million to the opposition group. Industry insiders believe the operator does not oppose legalized sports wagering but rather finds the proposed legislation too restrictive due to a limit on how many apps can be associated with a single operator.

    As the November vote approaches, both sides continue to rally support. The sports betting industry is betting on a favorable outcome, with DraftKings and FanDuel significantly investing in the pro-gambling campaign with the support of local teams like St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, and the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the future of legal sports betting in Missouri remains uncertain.

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    Deyan Dimitrov

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  • Senate to vote again on IVF protections in election-year push

    Senate to vote again on IVF protections in election-year push

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    WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote for the second time this year on legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization — Democrats’ latest election-year attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women’s health issues.

    The bill, which the Senate will vote on Tuesday, has little chance of passing this Congress, as Republicans already blocked the same bill earlier this year. But Democrats are hoping to use the do-over vote to put pressure on Republican congressional candidates and lay out a contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, especially as Trump has called himself a “ leader on IVF.”

    The push started earlier this year after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Several clinics in the state suspended IVF treatments until the GOP-led legislature rushed to enact a law to provide legal protections for the clinics.

    Democrats quickly capitalized, holding a vote in June on the bill from Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and warning that the U.S. Supreme Court could go after the procedure next after it overturned the right to an abortion in 2022. The legislation would also increase access to the procedure and lower costs.

    “The hard right has set its sights on a new target,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor Monday.

    All but two Republicans voted against the Democratic legislation, arguing that the federal government shouldn’t tell states what to do. They said the bill was an unserious effort.

    Still, Republicans have scrambled to counter Democrats on the issue, with many making clear that they support IVF treatments. Trump last month announced plans, without additional details, to require health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for the common fertility treatment.

    In his debate with Harris earlier this month, Trump said he was a “leader” on the issue and talked about the “very negative” decision by the Alabama court that was later reversed by the legislature.

    But the issue has threatened to become a vulnerability for Republicans as some state laws passed by their own party grant legal personhood not only to fetuses but to any embryos that are destroyed in the IVF process.

    Duckworth, a military veteran who has used the fertility treatment to have her two children, has led the Senate effort on the legislation. “How dare you,’” she said in comments directed toward her GOP colleagues after the first vote blocking the bill.

    Republicans have tried to push alternatives on the issue, including legislation that would discourage states from enacting explicit bans on the treatment, but those bills have been blocked by Democrats who say it is not enough.

    Republican Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas tried in June to pass a bill that would threaten to withhold Medicaid funding for states where IVF is banned. Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, said in a floor speech then that his daughter was currently receiving IVF treatment and proposed to expand the flexibility of health savings accounts.

    Cruz, who is running for reelection in Texas, said it showed Democrats’ efforts to pass legislation were a “cynical political decision.”

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  • Government in Thailand Hints at Plans for Three Casino Resorts in Bangkok

    Government in Thailand Hints at Plans for Three Casino Resorts in Bangkok

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    The new government in Thailand is exploring options for casino gambling at several locations across the country, including at least three in Bangkok, local media reports suggest. Last month, the country took a major step toward casino resort regulation. This happened after a draft casino bill was released which outlined key regulations related to integrated resorts that would be permitted to offer casino gambling.

    Thailand retained the positive momentum with the casino legalization receiving overwhelming public support. During a recent public hearing on the proposal, the casino project received approval from approximately 80% of the participants.

    Thai Government Presses Forward with Entertainment Complex Project Proposal

    Earlier this week, Suksit Srichomkwan, the deputy secretary-general to the country’s Prime Minister for Political Affairs, quoted by the Nation, revealed that the government intends to push for legislation that permits the development of several large-scale integrated resorts.

    Developed under the same model as the one operating in Singapore, the government anticipates that the “entertainment complex” projects will boost tourism while attracting investments worth billions of baht.

    The efforts in Thailand do not come as a surprise, considering that countries across the globe capitalize on gambling as a way to generate extra tax revenue and boost tourism. In addition to proceeds from taxes and licensing fees, such large-scale projects provide new employment opportunities and provide significant economic stimulus.

    The Country Considers the Development of Seven Integrated Resorts

    In the words of Srichomkwan, Thailand will consider the development of a total of seven entertainment resorts. The government’s proposal is expected to include the development of three such venues in Bangkok, the country’s capital and home to nearly 11 million people.

    Besides Bangkok, entertainment venues are expected to be developed in four other tourist provinces. The large-scale projects would offer luxury hotel accommodation, shopping outlets, entertainment venues and other amenities with casinos taking no more than 10% of the total area of each venue.

    The Projects Represent Investments Worth Billions of Baht

    Per the media report, citing sources close to the Ministry of Finance, the seven entertainment complexes are expected to represent an investment between 300 billion baht ($8.9 billion) and 500 billion baht ($14.9 billion). The minimum investment in each of the four projects outside Bangkok is expected to be 50 billion baht ($1.49 billion). On the other hand, each of the three casino resort projects in Bangkok would require an investment of a minimum of 100 billion baht ($2.97 billion).

    Considering the size of the investments, should Thailand proceed with opening bids, it is likely to attract major gambling and hospitality operators. The list includes Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, as well as MGM Resorts International, among others, that have already explored options for expanding their operations to Thailand.

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    Jerome García

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  • Yellen says ending Biden tax incentives would be ‘historic mistake’ for states like North Carolina

    Yellen says ending Biden tax incentives would be ‘historic mistake’ for states like North Carolina

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned voters in the battleground state of North Carolina that they could lose jobs if Republicans weaken a signature Biden administration law that encourages investments in manufacturing and clean energy.

    Yellen said that Republican-dominated states like North Carolina are greatly benefiting from tax incentives under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and that eliminating them would be a “historic mistake,” in a Thursday speech a community college in Raleigh.

    North Carolina has emerged as a key battleground this election cycle between Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, where Trump ultimately won North Carolina in the 2020 presidential election.

    Yellen said Treasury data shows that 90,000 North Carolina households claimed more than $100 million in residential clean energy credits and $60 million in energy efficiency credits.

    “Rolling them back could raise costs for working families at a moment when it’s imperative that we continue to take action to lower prices,” Yellen said. “It could jeopardize the significant investments in manufacturing we’re seeing here and across the country, along with the jobs that come with them, many of which don’t require a college degree. And it could give a leg-up to China and other countries that are also investing to compete in these critical industries.”

    “As we see clearly here in North Carolina, this would be a historic mistake,” she said.

    Some Republicans have called on their leaders to reconsider repealing IRA energy tax incentives.

    A group of 18 House Republicans in August called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to reconsider efforts to eliminate them.

    “Prematurely repealing energy tax credits, particularly those which were used to justify investments that already broke ground, would undermine private investments and stop development that is already ongoing,” the letter reads. “A full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return.”

    But Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, tweeted on social media site X that the lawmakers who signed the letter want to “preserve so-called ‘green’ handouts to Democrats’ corporate cronies.”

    “The GOP must ignore K-Street lobbyists and refuse to fund the climate corporate cronies destroying our country,” he said.

    The Republican case against the Inflation Reduction Act hinges on the argument that the spending is wasteful and benefits China.

    IRS data released in August states that 3.4 million American families have claimed $8.4 billion in residential clean energy and home energy efficiency tax credits in 2023 — mostly towards solar panels and battery storage.

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  • Biden says rural electrification and internet improvements underscore ‘American comeback’

    Biden says rural electrification and internet improvements underscore ‘American comeback’

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    WESTBY, Wisconsin (AP) — President Joe Biden traveled to rural southwest Wisconsin on Thursday to champion new investments in electrification and expanded high-speed internet, proclaiming that “all these investments mean family farms can stay in the family.”

    In the town of Westby, Biden announced $7.3 billion in investments for 16 cooperatives that will provide electricity for millions of families in rural areas across 23 states, with the goal of lowering the cost of badly needed electricity connections in hard-to-reach areas.

    Funding for the project comes from the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August 2022 and passed in Congress along party lines. The law invests roughly $13 billion in rural electrification across multiple programs and will create 4,500 permanent jobs and 16,000 construction jobs, according to the White House, which called the effort the largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal in the 1930s.

    Biden also championed 2021’s infrastructure law, which was approved with some support from congressional Republicans and which he said had provided 72,000 additional Wisconsin homes and small businesses with high-speed internet.

    “Just like we’re making the most significant investment in rural electrification since FDR, we’re also making the most significant investment ever in affordable, high-speed internet because affordable high-speed internet is just as essential today as electricity was a century ago,” Biden said, referring to New Deal architect and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

    Biden said “all of these investments mean family farms can stay in the family, rural entrepreneurs can build their dreams, your children and grandchildren won’t have to leave home to make a living.”

    “That’s stopping now because we’re spreading opportunities to benefit everyone,” he added.

    Before talking policy, Biden addressed Wednesday’s school shooting in Georgia, where a 14-year-old student fatally shot four people. The president lamented that, during a back-to-school season that should have been a “joyous and exciting,” another community in America was instead left “absolutely shattered” by gun violence.

    Biden endorsed calls for stricter requirements for owners to lock up and better secure their firearms — leaning into the fact that he himself is a gun owner.

    “There are too many people who are able to access guns that shouldn’t be able to,” he said. “So let’s require safe storage of firearms. I know I’ve mine locked up.”

    Biden also praised Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he endorsed after dropping his reelection bid in July. And he sharply criticized her opponent in November, former President Donald Trump, for failing to keep promises to spur public works and instead running up towering federal deficits by passing tax cuts that Biden argued primarily benefited the rich.

    “In thousands of cities and towns across the country and across Wisconsin, we’re seeing the great American comeback story,” Biden said, contrasting that with Trump and top Republicans who he said talk “about how bad off we are.”

    “Today’s announcement is about far more than just giving rural America the power to turn on the lights. It’s about giving the power to shape our own future,” Biden said.

    Democrats consider Wisconsin to be one of the must-win states in November’s presidential election between Trump and Harris. Biden won the state in 2020 by about 20,000 votes, flipping Wisconsin to the Democratic column after Trump narrowly won it in 2016.

    Thursday was also personal for Biden, who returned to Wisconsin to revisit a promise he made early in his presidency to provide, among other infrastructure improvements, better internet to rural areas.

    “It isn’t a luxury; it’s now a necessity, like water and electricity,” Biden said at the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility in June 2021. White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said the latest visit means Biden has “delivered on so many of those promises.”

    ___

    This story has been corrected to reflect that the goal is to bring down the cost of electricity connections, not internet connections, in hard-to-reach areas.

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