Latest news with #HouseBill29
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Over 400K driver's license suspensions removed under new Ohio law
Over 400,000 Ohio drivers have had their license suspensions removed under a new Ohio law. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] House Bill 29 was implemented by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles as of May 9. The bill eliminates certain debt-related driver's license suspensions, waives reinstatement fees, and reduces long-standing penalties. It limits the court's authority to impose suspensions for drug offenses with the following exceptions: OVIs and if the offender used a vehicle to facilitate the commission of a drug offense. TRENDING STORIES: Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown sought on attempted murder charge Have you seen her? Police searching for missing 40-year-old woman Road closures expected as almost 600K pound 'superload' moves through Miami Valley The bill also eliminates reinstatement fees for eligible drivers. Over $8 million in fees have been forgiven in the month since the bill was implemented, according to a media release. More information on the bill can be found here. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A $20 billion effort to avoid calamity: Here's what Texas lawmakers did to save the state's water supply
Texas lawmakers took steps big and small to help save the state's water supply. A big one: investing $20 billion in water projects over the next two decades. A small one: banning homeowners' associations from punishing residents who don't have bright green lawns. The state's water supply is in peril. Legislators saw this year as their last chance to invest before the state faces calamity. Rapid population growth, aging infrastructure and extreme climate events like drought and flood have put pressure on the state's lakes and rivers. A Texas Tribune analysis found that cities and towns could be on a path toward a severe water shortage by 2030 if there is recurring, record-breaking drought conditions across the state, and if water entities and state leaders fail to put in place key strategies to secure water supplies. 'One of the great things about the legislative session around water is it is more of a bipartisan issue,' said Jennifer Walker, director for the Texas Coast and Water program with the National Wildlife Federation. 'And there's a great community of folks working together to find solutions.' Here's a look at some of the actions lawmakers took on water. A significant victory was House Bill 29 by Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Smithville, which targets water loss in large utilities with over 150,000 service connections. The bill requires regular water loss audits, external validation of the data, and the development of mitigation plans. Utilities that fail to comply face administrative fees. 'We need to make sure that we are using the water supplies that we already have as efficiently as possible,' Walker said. A recent report by the National Wildlife Federation found that 516 water utilities plan to save over 270,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2034 — enough water to meet the annual water needs of 1.7 million Texans — through conservation strategies like leak detection and minimizing water loss. Another bill, House Bill 517 by Rep. Caroline Harris Davila, R-Round Rock, prohibits homeowners' associations from penalizing residents for having brown or dormant lawns when water use is restricted. This bill would ensure that homeowner associations participate in water conservation measures. It was signed by the governor and goes into effect Sept. 1. One bill by Sen. Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa seeks to address flood mitigation and drought concerns. Senate Bill 1967 expands what kinds of projects that can be awarded money from the flood infrastructure fund. Starting Sept. 1, money will be eligible for projects that construct multi-purpose flood mitigation systems and drainage infrastructure systems to use flood, storm and agricultural runoff water as an additional source of water supply once it's treated. This bill will be especially helpful in South Texas, where there is ongoing drought and a rapidly growing population. The Delta Region Water Management Project, which Chuy discussed during legislative hearings, aims to address its water problems by capturing and treating water. Senate Bill 1253 by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, requires local subdivisions to provide credits for water and wastewater impact fees, which are one-time charges to a company developing in an area. The fees will be waived for new developments that incorporate conservation and reuse strategies. The goal, Walker said, is to encourage smarter growth that puts less of a strain on existing water infrastructure. This bill is awaiting the governor's signature. Lawmakers approved $7.5 million to support groundwater conservation districts in collecting better data and conducting scientific research. Groundwater — water that is trapped between rock formations under ground — makes up more than half of Texas' overall water supply. The state water plan projects a decline by 32% by 2070, which will make water even more scarce for communities that depend on groundwater. The Texas Water Development Board, the state agency that oversees Texas' water supply and funding, will administer grants to local groundwater districts — particularly those with limited budgets — to carry out projects focused on groundwater modeling, data collection, and science-based planning. Vanessa Puig-Williams, senior director of climate resilient water systems at Environmental Defense Fund, said Texas lacks localized data that helps groundwater districts understand how to manage and plan. 'This kind of information would allow them to make better permitting decisions, better planning decisions as part of the desired future condition process, and helps to improve our regional water planning process,' Puig-Williams said. She added that 68% of Texas' groundwater conservation districts operate on annual budgets under $500,000 and have struggled to fund robust scientific research. In a related move, the Legislature also included a provision in the new infrastructure package that restricts public funds from being used to export fresh groundwater from rural areas — aimed at protecting local aquifers and the communities that depend on them. Lawmakers also took strides toward ensuring the quality of Texas' water is protected. House Bill 3333 by state Rep. Eddie Morales prohibits the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from issuing new wastewater discharge permits into The Devils River in Val Verde County. The river contributes 30% to Lake Amistad, which supplies water to the Rio Grande River. Senate Bill 1302, by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, brings more changes for the state's environmental agency. Currently, if a facility or entity has its permit to dispose of wastewater suspended due to violations, they can later reapply through the system and get an automated approval. Kolkhorst called it a loophole. Beginning Sept. 1, Texas law will prohibit these facilities from obtaining a discharge permit until it is actively authorized by the TCEQ executive director. The bill also prohibits the executive director from using an automatic process to authorize the use of a general permit. Kolkhorst referenced a sand mine discharging waste into the water at Cook's Conservatory and how the permit was denied. However, it was later secured through the same process. Even as lawmakers showed interest in solutions for the water crisis, several bills researching different methods died in the legislative process. One is House Bill 1501 by state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington. The bill would have instructed the Texas State University Meadows Center for Water and the Environment to study the feasibility of seawater desalination processes. House Bill 3728 by Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, D-Houston, which would have required salinity studies and standards to protect coastal bays and estuaries from seawater desalination, failed to pass. Walker said it highlighted growing concerns about the environmental impacts of desalination. 'It's a delicate balance,' Walker said. 'If we screw it up, we risk having problems with the habitat for the plants and animals that are there — and it may be difficult or expensive or impossible to fix. We need to go in with our eyes wide open and make good choices so we can have water for our communities without damaging our coastal ecosystems.' Disclosure: Environmental Defense Fund has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio waives $8.4 million in fees for drivers. Find out why
Ohio reinstated licenses for thousands of drivers and waived $8.38 million in fees under a new law. Legislators adopted House Bill 29 in 2024 to make it harder to lose your driver's license for non-driving issues, such as unpaid parking tickets. The law took effect in April 2025. So far, 170,500 drivers have had suspensions and/or vehicle registration blocks removed and nearly 7,100 got their licenses reinstated. Another 24,400 drivers had suspensions removed and may be eligible to take a driving test to restore their licenses. Under previous law, Ohio drivers could lose their licenses for more than 30 reasons, many of which are not related to dangerous driving. Under the new law, license suspensions are largely limited to convictions that are related to dangerous driving. "We're trying to reduce the connection between not being able to pay a fine and being allowed to drive, which is pretty essential in this state," said Zack Eckles of the Ohio Poverty Law Center, which lobbied for the new law. Reinstatement fees can ramp up quickly, starting at $15 and maxing out at $650. Roughly 60% of license suspensions each year are for debt-related reasons. In Ohio, roughly three in four workers drive to work and 30% of jobs require a driver's license, according to a report from the Ohio Poverty Law Center issued in May 2023. Driving is so essential that most people with suspended licenses continue to drive anyway. People are automatically notified by mail if they're eligible to have their suspension removed. Drivers can check their driving record and update their current address with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to expedite the notification process if they are eligible to have their license reinstated. State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@ and @lbischoff on X. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Ohio law reinstates drivers and forgives millions in fees
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ohio bill that would require free feminine hygiene products in prisons moves forward
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A bill that would require Ohio prisons to offer incarcerated women free feminine hygiene products has taken a step toward becoming law. The Ohio House unanimously passed House Bill 29 on Wednesday, which would require all jails and prisons in the state that house women to provide an 'adequate supply' of free pads and tampons in a 'variety of sizes.' The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Marilyn John (R-Richland County), would also require facilities to allow at least one shower a day for inmates who are menstruating. Under the bill, correctional institutions could not deny an inmate feminine hygiene products and would have to implement formal policies surrounding the distribution of the products. Before passing the House, the bill went through four hearings where 13 people testified in its support, with nobody publicly opposing it. Zachary Miller with the Office of the Public Defender spoke at an April hearing, stating that feminine hygiene products are not a luxury but a necessary healthcare item. 'Scarcity of these products could cause the women to use the products for longer than recommended, leading to negative health outcomes or encourage them to barter for these products, opening the door for potential abuses of power,' Miller said. Multiple former female inmates also testified at the hearings, many of which shared stories of facing limited access to sanitary products and resorting to using socks, toilet paper or other items as makeshift pads and tampons. Some recalled negative health outcomes as a result of a lack of readily available products. Currently, there is no Ohio law requiring jails and prisons to provide feminine hygiene products. In 2022, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction issued a policy to ensure women receive free and unlimited feminine hygiene products. However, during testimony, multiple people claimed access is not always reliable, and Humphrey pointed out that the policy could be rescinded. There are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 women incarcerated in Ohio, according to Miller. The department of rehabilitation and correction oversees all 28 prisons in the state but does not operate jails. Last year, the state department spent about $173,500 on feminine products in prisons, according to an analysis of the bill. 'While the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections currently has a policy that requires these products to be provided to the women under its care at no cost, there are other correctional facilities in Ohio where access is not guaranteed,' Miller said. Humphrey introduced a similar bill in the last legislative session that passed the House unanimously but stalled in the Senate. The former bill also did not receive any opponent testimony. SB 29 will now move to the Senate for consideration. If the bill is signed into law, Ohio will join 25 other states that have statutes requiring free feminine hygiene products for incarcerated women. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ohio House votes to give state's inmates free menstrual products
May 29—The Ohio House approved a bipartisan bill this week that would require all Ohio correctional facilities to provide menstrual products to inmates free-of-charge. House Bill 29, passed Wednesday by a vote of 91-to-0, now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration. If it makes its way into law, the bill should have no substantial impact on the prisons run by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, as it's already the ODRC's policy to offer free tampons and pads to inmates. The impact of H.B. 29 could come, however, at the county level. The state's nonpartisan Legislative Budget Office found that many county jails already provide these products for free. Those jails that don't can expect costs to increase based on how many female inmates they have, the lengths of their stay, and the costs of products provided. Dayton Democrat and first-term legislator Rep. Desiree Tims told this outlet that she voted for the bill "because it will ensure some form of dignity for women menstruating while incarcerated." An identical bill passed the Ohio House 92-0 in 2024 before stalling out in the Ohio Senate under the leadership of then-President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, who now leads the Ohio House. He said the bill's fate in his former chamber wasn't an indicative of a lack of support. "I don't think it will have any problem getting passed in the Senate," Huffman told reporters Wednesday. Current Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, however, said he doesn't have a personal opinion on the bill and said his caucus has not yet discussed the bill. When asked for her stance, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, said feminine hygiene products were akin to toilet paper and asked posed a hypothetical about a Statehouse without T.P. "It would not be healthy, it would not be hygienic, and the same thing is true of feminine products. They should be provided absolutely everywhere without cost to the people who are using them." ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
