Latest news with #HALTAct
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
D.C. Dispatch: Iowa legislators cheer fentanyl reclassification, federal spending cuts
President Donald Trump signs the HALT Fentanyl Act, July 16, 2025, in the East Room of the White House. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is second from the right. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok) This week in the nation's capital, President Donald Trump signed a fentanyl reclassification act led by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa legislators cheered the passing of a federal rescission bill through Congress and House members helped send a $832 billion defense appropriations bill through the GOP-led chamber. The Grassley-led HALT Act permanently reclassifies fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule 1 drug. In February 2020, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a temporary scheduling order reclassifying fentanyl-related substances to Schedule 1. Congress has since extended this order a total of 10 times. The act has received criticism from advocacy groups such as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights stating that classwide drug rescheduling may exacerbate incarceration rates and sentencing. The president's signing of the HALT Act Wednesday was attended by several Iowa officials including Grassley, Attorney General Brenna Bird and Rep. Randy Feenstra. 'The HALT Fentanyl Act is now the law of the land, marking a major victory in America's fight against fentanyl,' Grassley said in a press release. 'By permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I, the HALT Fentanyl Act will save American lives and prevent deadly fentanyl knockoffs from making their way into Iowa communities.' 'This bill is a huge win for Iowa and the entire country,' Bird said in a press release. 'As a mom and prosecutor, I am deeply aware of the devastating effects fentanyl has had on our communities. And as Attorney General, I hear about this issue from Iowans regularly. 'I applaud President Trump for signing into law the HALT Fentanyl Act and taking decisive action to keep fentanyl and other poisonous substances out of our country.' Feenstra stated. 'In conjunction with our work to secure the border, this legislation will help law enforcement confiscate dangerous drugs, combat the drug cartels, and save lives.' Rep. Ashley Hinson stated: 'This bill will help end the scourge of the opioid epidemic that has taken too many American lives — we will continue working together to get dangerous drugs off our streets & ensure dealers are punished for their crimes.' Rep. Zach Nunn also stated he 'proudly cosigned' the HALT act for its ability to 'crack down on traffickers,' keep 'deadly substances off our streets' and ensure consistent penalties for fentanyl distributors. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks stated in a press release: 'As an original cosponsor in the House, I was proud to help lead the fight to get this bill across the finish line. With this law in place, we're going on offense. We're giving law enforcement what they need to crack down, take control, and stop this poison from claiming more lives.' Miller-Meeks also reintroduced a bipartisan bill Thursday requiring social media companies and other communication service providers to alert law enforcement officials when illegal drug distributions occur on their platforms. All of Iowa's delegates voted in favor of Trump's rescission bill to axe $9 billion in previously approved funding for programs including the U.S. Agency for International Aid, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. The rescission bill passed both chambers of Congress Friday with a vote of 51-48 in the Senate and 216-213 in the House. This marks the second time in over three decades Congress has approved a presidential rescission request. Ernst praised the cuts to USAID, citing 'abuses' such as an alleged $148,000 sent to a pickle-maker in Ukraine through USAID and $20 million spent on Sesame Street programming in Iraq. 'If we are ever going to get serious about our debt crisis, Congress needs to pass a rescissions bill like this every single week,' she stated in a press release. Hinson responded to the bill with a statement on X: 'President Trump is the first president to actually deliver on real savings for the American people and end the culture of wasteful spending in Washington.' Grassley took to X as well to state 'Fed govt is $36 TRILLION in debt Last night Sen Republicans voted to roll back DC's out of control spending.' He added that Republicans plan to build on the provisions in the 'big, beautiful bill' going forward. Miller-Meeks called the rescission cuts a one of two 'big wins for the American people' in an X post. She also cheered the passing of a defense appropriations bill increasing military spending. Democrats in both the House and Senate voted against passing the rescission bill. Several Democratic legislators criticized the rescission bill for cutting funding from public broadcasting that will impact rural news sources and withdrawing U.S. support from countries in need. Ernst led an amendment to the defense appropriations bill to require all defense spending be posted on the public website This amendment will directly target 'Other Transaction Agreements' which are flexible spending agreements not subject to standard acquisition laws and requirements. 'I am ending Pentagon bureaucrats' game of hide and seek with your tax dollars,' Ernst stated in a press release. 'Americans have a right to know where their hard-earned dollars are going. I've long been working to make the Pentagon more transparent and accountable and will continue to work to review the hidden receipts.' The expansive defense bill passed through the House with a split vote of 221-209 on Friday. It allocates nearly $832 billion for provisions such as: Basic pay increase for all military members by 3.8% starting 2026 Codifies Trump's executive order to end military diversity, equity and inclusion programs $13 billion for missile defense and space programs $7 billion for 'classified space superiority programs.' $2.6 billion for hypersonic missiles. $1.15 billion for counterdrug programs $500 million for Israeli Missile Defense $500 million for Taiwan Security Operative Miller-Meeks responded to the provisions in a press release stating: 'This bill gives our troops the pay raise they deserve and the resources they need to defend this country.' The bill moves to the Senate for reconciliation. Cedar Rapids is set to receive $25 million in federal funding through the Grassley-backed Infrastructure and Jobs Act of 2021. The funding is allocated for a 'flood resiliency project' and road improvements on highway I-380. 'I'm happy to announce that the City of Cedar Rapids is receiving a $25 million award to improve its flood resilience and infrastructure,' Grassley said in a press release. 'You can imagine how important this funding is for Cedar Rapids, after the city has been hit by devastating floods. These federal dollars will be put to good use to strengthen the Cedar Rapids community.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
NY prisons must comply with law limiting solitary confinement, judge says
NEW YORK — A state judge in Albany granted a temporary injunction forcing New York State to fully implement a law sharply limiting solitary confinement in the prisons after elements of the law were suspended following the 22-day prison guards strike earlier this year, court records show. Judge Daniel Lynch ruled the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision could not invoke emergency provisions to suspend the so-called HALT Solitary Confinement Act and keep inmates in their cells more than 17 hours a days or suspend programming and recreation in the prisons. 'The court understands the defendants' concerns regarding DOCCS staffing and the resulting safety risks,' Lynch wrote. 'However HALT is a duly enacted law and the people have a strong interest in seeing the implementation of laws enacted by their elected representatives.' Lynch set July 11 as the date the order would become effective, in order to give prison officials time to adjust, he wrote. 'The department is reviewing the decision,' DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. The initial class action lawsuit, Alfonso Smalls vs. DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, was filed by the Legal Aid Society on April 17 after Martuscello ordered elements of HALT suspended Feb. 20 due to the strike. When the prison guards strike ended on March 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul fired roughly 2,000 officers who had refused to return to work — increasing an already existing staffing gap. But the law's suspension meant that inmates were being kept in their cells longer than the law allows, isolated and deprived of basic services, the lawsuit alleged. Smalls, the lawsuit alleges, was isolated in his cell for 22 to 24 hours a day from Feb. 20 through at least April 17, when the suit was filed. During the prison guards' strike, he was locked in 24 hours a day, allowed to leave only for three 8-minute showers, the society said. After the strike ended, Smalls was allowed to leave his cell for just 90 minutes to one hour and 45 minutes a day. 'We are grateful that the court recognized the grave harm caused by DOCCS's unlawful suspension of the HALT Solitary Law and acted to stop it,' said Antony Gemmell, supervising attorney with the Prisoners' Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society. 'This decision reaffirms that no agency — regardless of political pressure — can unilaterally disregard laws enacted to protect human rights,' he said. 'HALT was passed to end the torture of prolonged solitary confinement, and this injunction is a critical step toward ensuring the state honors that commitment and upholds the dignity of those in its custody.'
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
NY prisons must comply with law limiting solitary confinement, judge says
NEW YORK — A state judge in Albany granted a temporary injunction forcing New York State to fully implement a law sharply limiting solitary confinement in the prisons after elements of the law were suspended following the 22-day prison guards strike earlier this year, court records show. Judge Daniel Lynch ruled the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision could not invoke emergency provisions to suspend the so-called HALT Solitary Confinement Act and keep inmates in their cells more than 17 hours a days or suspend programming and recreation in the prisons. 'The court understands the defendants' concerns regarding DOCCS staffing and the resulting safety risks,' Lynch wrote. 'However HALT is a duly enacted law and the people have a strong interest in seeing the implementation of laws enacted by their elected representatives.' Lynch set July 11 as the date the order would become effective, in order to give prison officials time to adjust, he wrote. 'The department is reviewing the decision,' DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. The initial class action lawsuit, Alfonso Smalls vs. DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, was filed by the Legal Aid Society on April 17 after Martuscello ordered elements of HALT suspended Feb. 20 due to the strike. When the prison guards strike ended on March 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul fired roughly 2,000 officers who had refused to return to work — increasing an already existing staffing gap. But the law's suspension meant that inmates were being kept in their cells longer than the law allows, isolated and deprived of basic services, the lawsuit alleged. Smalls, the lawsuit alleges, was isolated in his cell for 22 to 24 hours a day from Feb. 20 through at least April 17, when the suit was filed. During the prison guards' strike, he was locked in 24 hours a day, allowed to leave only for three 8-minute showers, the society said. After the strike ended, Smalls was allowed to leave his cell for just 90 minutes to one hour and 45 minutes a day. 'We are grateful that the court recognized the grave harm caused by DOCCS's unlawful suspension of the HALT Solitary Law and acted to stop it,' said Antony Gemmell, supervising attorney with the Prisoners' Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society. 'This decision reaffirms that no agency — regardless of political pressure — can unilaterally disregard laws enacted to protect human rights,' he said. 'HALT was passed to end the torture of prolonged solitary confinement, and this injunction is a critical step toward ensuring the state honors that commitment and upholds the dignity of those in its custody.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Life after strike: Former Collins Corrections officer speaks out
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A former corrections officer said there were dangerous working conditions, horrible policies, and retaliation against staff who held the line at Collins Correctional Facility. Cain Luther, who served as a CO for over ten years, said the problems that they were standing up for had been happening years before the wildcat strike. In his view, there was a toxic culture, ineffective discipline, and the state was unreceptive to their complaints inside New York State Prisons. The former CO said everything changed once the HALT Act was implemented. The act was a testament to reforming solitary confinement practices. While state officials argued the law was a step towards more humane treatment for the incarcerated, Luther claimed the inside of NYS facilities is anything but that. 'The first letter in HALT stands for 'humane,'' Luther said. 'But there's nothing humane about what's happening in there. Guys are overdosing in front of you, flopping on the ground, puking on themselves—and there's no meaningful discipline anymore. Five years ago, that would have been a violation. Now? We carry them to the infirmary, and they're back on the unit later that shift.' According to Luther, the HALT Act has stripped COs of their ability to enforce rules, even with minor consequences. He explained that when inmates would smoke before the HALT Act, it would be a violation. But that has changed. 'Now they laugh at you,' Luther said. 'You write the misbehavior ticket, they say, 'waste your ink.' That's what we're dealing with.' He described the inside of the facilities being filled with thick smoke in housing units. Luther also said there were unknown chemicals in the air, which have caused him symptoms such as headaches, eye irritation, and dizziness — all hitting within minutes of stepping into a unit. Weeks after the strike, Luther shared that the conditions for current COs are still awful, with them being locked into 12-hour shifts, and the common practice of shift swapping has been eliminated. Many corrections officers who participated in a recent strike, according to Luther, are now being punished for it. He is one of several former employees who claim they've been blackballed from future employment, denied unemployment benefits, and cut off from programs like SNAP and HEAP. 'They're doing whatever they can to make things hard for us,' he said. One former officer, Dave Hilberger, who was a friend of Luther's, passed away on April 9 in the Groveland Correctional Facility. Luther believes his death could have been prevented. 'Dave had been feeling sick for a week, but he couldn't call out. They'd mark you AWOL,' Luther said. 'And this was someone who'd been asking for help publicly for months, saying 'we're tired, we need help.' But no one listened.' More than 2,000 New York State corrections officers were terminated after the wildcat strike that ended March 10 earlier this year. Now, many are claiming that they were wrongfully terminated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYSCOPBA requests 'urgent meeting' with state over 'workplace crisis'
ALBANY, N.Y. (WWTI) – New York state's corrections union is asking for an 'urgent meeting' with the state to discuss what they call a 'workplace crisis.' In a letter from New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), the union said there are a number of issues affecting the their members' safety, working conditions and well-being. 'There is nothing good in that bill': Retired deputy superintendent speaks out against HALT Act & striker firings Some of these issues include staffing shortages, workplace conditions, the implementation of 12-hour shifts, scheduled regular days off and vacation periods. The union would like to meet with Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) because these and other issues have 'reached a critical point following the recent organization of a grassroots strike organized by NYSCOPBA members to highlight unsafe working conditions.' The strike ended up leading to the firing of 2,000 correctional officers. A recent announcement regarding the early release of inmates up to 110 days before the end of their sentence is also compounding the issue. The early release of inmates undermines public safety and sends a troubling message to crime victims who continue to live with the trauma caused by those incarcerated and only highlights DOCCS failure to face the on-going consequences of staffing shortages in our prisons. NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers NYSCOPBA officials added that the state has 'been largely ignored by the Governor's leadership and DOCCS.' 'It's time for the State and DOCCS to recognize the importance of these concerns and work together with us to find lasting solutions,' Summers added. 'Temporary, short-sighted solutions of the early release of inmates is not a long-term solution needed to address workplace violence, staffing shortages and the inability to recruit new officers. ' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
