Latest news with #SenateBill27
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Higher cosmetology fees intended to offset costs
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — One of the purposes of the higher licensing and examination fees that the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission plans to start charging is to deal with a budget that has gone into the red. Judge won't hide officers' names in SF shooting case The cosmetology office is self-supporting, meaning it relies only on funds it collects. A state budget document shows that the office's regulatory expenses totaled $376,037 in fiscal 2023, which was less than the office's $396,227 in revenue that year. But in fiscal 2024, expenses totaled $431,360, while revenues fell to $387,296, requiring the office to tap reserves that had built up in previous years. The office's fiscal 2025 budget, which runs through the end of June, calls for spending $481,958, but only an estimated $439,277 in revenues were expected, putting the office into a potential deficit situation once again. The cosmetology office also is replacing an outdated technology system that its director, Tyler Evins, described as 'old and brittle' during legislative testimony earlier this year. State lawmakers approved Senate Bill 27 that allows the Cosmetology Commission to charge more for licenses and examinations, and the commission earlier this week approved higher fees after a public hearing that drew no opposition. Those fee increases still need final clearance from the Legislature's Rules Review Committee. The increases are expected to generate an estimated $237.385. of additional revenue. Beside paying for new technology, the additional revenue also will pay for converting one of the office's three part-time inspectors to full time, according to Dawn Dovre, a spokesperson for the state Department of Labor and Regulation, which oversees the cosmetology office. A state law calls for inspections, and a series of state administrative rules say that each salon or booth must be inspected 'approximately once per calendar year' and schools shall be inspected 'approximately two times per calendar year.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cosmetologists might be paying more for licenses
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — People who earn a living by styling and cosmetically treating other people's hair, nails and skin could soon be paying higher fees to perform their services in South Dakota. On Monday the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission held a public hearing on its proposal to raise prices for licenses and related services. The commission received no written comments by the Sunday deadline and no one spoke during the hearing. The commission voted 4-0 for approval. The meeting adjourned less than 10 minutes after it started. The package now awaits final clearance from the South Dakota Legislature's Rules Review Committee, which is scheduled to meet June 10. Earlier this year, South Dakota lawmakers passed Senate Bill 27 raising many of the maximum amounts that the commission can charge. The package that the commission adopted Monday would generate an estimated $237,385, according to an official fiscal note. Among the changes: The examination/initial license rises to $120 from the current $100. It would generate an additional $4,000 if 200 people receive new licenses. The examination-retake fee increases to $90 from the current $60. It would generate an additional $6,600 if 220 people retry. The operator license renewal fee goes to $45 from the current $25. For the approximately 6,640 current license holders, it would cost an additional $132,800 total. The annual booth or salon license fee rises to $55 from the current $40. For the current 2,029 current license holders, it would cost an additional $30,435 total. The salon or booth permit fee goes to $75 from the current $60. The charge for re-inspecting a salon rises to $75 from the current $50. The instructor license fee rises to $45 from the current $35. There currently are approximately 400 instructors. The six schools that currently operate would pay $350 apiece rather than the current $300. Student licenses would rise to $15 from the current $6. The apprentice salon license would go to $300 from the current $250. A reciprocity license for a person licensed in another state would rise to $120 from the current $100. Fees also would rise for license certifications, duplicate licenses and lapsed licenses, while a new fee would be charged for inspections of prospective salons or booths. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Vermont passes law to exclude medical debt from credit reports
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Governor Phil Scott signed a bill Thursday passed by the Vermont legislature that will eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt, but not without voicing his concerns. Senate backs bill to pay some Vermonters' medical debt Senate Bill 27 (S. 27) follows in the footsteps of states like Rhode Island, which passed its own medical debt relief program in October of last year. It eliminates some medical debt for low- and medium-income Vermonters by purchasing it 'at fair market value', and forbids credit agencies from including medical debt on their reports. Read the full text of the bill hereDownload Though the Governor signed the bill, he wrote in a letter to the General Assembly that care needs to be taken for the program to be effective in the future. 'With a looming healthcare crisis and our growing crisis of affordability in Vermont,' wrote Governor Scott, 'we should anticipate this debt financing program to grow which raises significant concerns about future appropriations and where the funding will come from. 'Finally, now that we have created this million-dollar program, we may be disincentivizing repayment because of a misperception that 'the State' will eventually pay for it.' The bill was proposed in January and endorsed by State Treasurer Mike Pieciak. It was passed unanimously by the Senate in March. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill criminalizing ‘doxxing' in Georgia advances in spite of free speech concerns
Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican, makes the case for making doxxing a crime in Georgia at a committee meeting Tuesday. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder An attempt to crack down on so-called doxxing has been met with concerns from attorneys and First Amendment advocates who say the proposal is too broad and would hamper free speech. Senate Bill 27, which is sponsored by Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican, would make it a crime to distribute someone's personal information – such as their home address – in a way that could cause more than $500 in economic losses or leave the victim scared of being stalked or hurt. 'It's really a contemporary and pernicious form of harassment just using the power of the internet,' Albers said. 'It's a gross violation of people's privacy, often resulting in emotional distress, reputational damages, and in some cases, it has resulted in physical harm and death. 'While we can continue to digitize our lives, we have to address this issue,' he said. The first offense would be a misdemeanor, but repeat offenders would be charged with a felony. More serious cases where the offender intends to cause harm could result in a felony that could land someone in prison for up to five years. 'I want to make sure we understand there's absolutely no curbing any free speech,' Albers said, pointing to exceptions included in the bill. But critics of the bill were not convinced. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation and individual attorneys spoke out against the bill during a House committee hearing Tuesday. Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, the foundation's president, said the doxxing issue is legitimate and needs to be addressed. But she argued that the proposal being considered is overly broad, particularly with the lower-level offense that includes situations where the offender demonstrated reckless disregard. If passed, she said the bill would have a chilling effect on First Amendment protected speech – and could even ensnare journalists. 'We appreciate that threats and harassment, particularly those enabled by the anonymity of social media, are real and serious concerns in Georgia and throughout society,' Brewerton-Palmer wrote in a letter she delivered to lawmakers Tuesday. 'However, Senate Bill 27 presents little realistic likelihood of remedying those ills, while exposing innocent speakers and writers to arrest and prosecution that could be triggered by nothing more than publishing an already-prominent person's name,' she said. Brewerton-Palmer and others have said the bill could be applied to an unfavorable Yelp review, such as one urging people to avoid a specific physician because they have had their license suspended numerous times. Andrew Fleischman, who is an attorney, presented a timely national example of what he argued could be considered doxxing under the proposal: An explosive report from The Atlantic's editor that said he had been accidentally included in a text exchange with Trump administration Cabinet members about plans to bomb Yemen. 'A reporter was part of a text thread about national security, and in that conversation you learned who those people's employers were and also where they'd be likely to be, and you know what? I think there's a pretty good chance that those people will suffer mental anguish or economic harm,' he said. Fleischman argued that existing laws can be used to go after people who are doxxing others in Georgia. The bill advanced out of committee Tuesday night with a few dissenting votes from both parties and now goes to the gatekeeping House Rules Committee. April 4 is the last day of this year's legislative session. After the vote, Fleischman posted this on X: 'It looks like this bill is going to pass. If you, or anyone you know, is charged with a violation of this law, call me. I will work for cheap or for free to overturn it.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Vermont Senate backs medical debt-relief bill
The Vermont Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would wipe out $100 million in medical debt for Vermonters. Senate Bill 27 would also prevent hospitals from reporting unpaid medical bills to credit-reporting agencies, as well as remove negative marks on the debtor's credit report. State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, who announced the plan with lawmakers in January, said the measure would 'provide life-changing relief to tens of thousands of Vermonters' without raising taxes or fees. Pieciak said the state would make a one-time investment of $1 million using funds previously appropriated to the Treasurer's Office and purchase medical debt from providers 'at pennies on the dollar.' In January, Piecek estimated that 62,000 Vermonters — more than 1 in 10 adults — hold medical debt. The Bill's sponsors — Sen. Ginny Lyons and Rep. Alyssa Black — say people with unpaid medical debt often put off seeking care, which can put them out of work and lead to more costly treatments later. The Vermont Department of Health's 2021 Vermont Household Health Insurance Survey found that the fear of medical debt impacted 85,000 Vermonters' health care decisions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
