Latest news with #SenateBill8
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What is the ‘Move Over' law in Kansas?
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Changes made to a Kansas traffic law are in effect and having a big impact on travelers in the Sunflower State this year. Numerous laws became effective on July 1, 2025, including the newly revamped 'Move Over' law passed by the Kansas Legislature in the spring. The existing law is meant to help protect first responders and others who are involved in crashes or experiencing car trouble on the side of the road. Senate bill 8 specifies that drivers are required to move with caution when passing stationary vehicles that are displaying hazard warning lights. Drivers on highways that have two or more lanes heading in the same direction must, if possible, change lanes into a lane which is not next to that of the stationary vehicle. 'It's that special': How much do the new blackout license plates cost in Kansas? April McCollum with the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) told 27 News the new Move Over law is added into existing statutes that will grant an additional layer of protection to people who are in emergency situations on the road. She said drivers are encouraged to keep an eye out for hazard lights on the road and move over to protect those who are at a stop. 'Kansas Highway Patrol troopers can attest to the danger encountered daily when working on the side of the road,' McCollum said. 'A matter of feet and inches can be the difference between a safe traffic stop and serious injury by a passing vehicle.' The new law also specifies that drivers should move over if they see road flares, caution signals or traffic cones that appear near a stopped vehicle. Drivers who violate the new Move Over law may be subject to a $75 fine for the traffic violation. 'Moving over and slowing down for disabled vehicles are small actions that can make a huge difference,' said Kate Craft replying on behalf of the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). 'Governor Kelly's expansion of the Move Over Law is a great step forward in protecting the lives of all road users. By expanding the law to include a wider range of vehicles and roadside situations, we're helping to create a safer environment for those stranded on the side of the road and all travelers. Together, we can reach our goal of zero crashes and zero fatalities on Kansas roads.' 'This is what Kansans voted for': Kansas lawmakers react to Senate passage of Trump mega bill For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
American Press
21-06-2025
- Politics
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Voters will see six amendments
Much of the job protection that Louisiana civil service workers enjoy will disappear if voters approve an amendment next April that changes that protecction. Louisiana legislators approved only six of the 21 proposed state constitutional amendments that were filed for their fiscal session that ended June 12. Unfortunately, they approved Senate Bill 8, one that would make it easier to move classified state workers whose jobs are protected by the state's civil service system into unclassified positions that aren't protected. The amendment sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, passed the Senate 28-8 and the House 70-28, the exact two-thirds vote needed. Morris sponsored a similar bill in 2024 that came up two votes short of 70. The civil service system was passed during the term of Gov. Sam Jones of Lake Charles (1940-44) in order to avoid the scandals that occurred after U.S. Sen. Huey Long was assassinated. State employees, those appointed by Long when he was governor, were required to give 5% to 10% of their salaries to Long. They put that money into what was called the 'Deduct Box' that was never found. An AI overview said, 'On the day of his assassination, when asked about the box's whereabouts, Long replied, 'I'll tell you later, Seymour,' but he never revealed its location. Jimmie Davis was governor from 1944-48, and Earl Long, Huey's brother, was governor from 1948-52. Earl Long had a law passed allowing him to appoint members of the Civil Service Commission. That law didn't go far enough to suit him, so Long called a special legislative session in September of 1948 to abolish civil service. Robert F. Kennon was governor from 1952-56. He campaigned on taking 'a civics book' approach to government by eliminating corruption and he re-established the state's civil service system during his first year in office. SB 8 puts the system in danger again. And here is the rest of the amendment story: Five of the amendments that were approved are scheduled to be on the April 18, 2026, ballot seeking statewide voter approval. The sixth one is scheduled for the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. One proposal that definitely deserved to die would have added two members to the five elected members of the state Public Service Commission that regulates public utilities. Those two would have been appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry. The Senate wisely decided not to eliminate the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund amendment that would have moved trust funds to the Budget Stabilization Fund (the rainy day fund). It used $1.2 billion of the $3.9 billion in the revenue fund for infrastructure improvements (roads, bridges, ports, airports), and local water systems and college maintenance that has been delayed much too long. In addition to SB 8, here are the other four April 18, 2026, amendments: Senate Bill 25 (Act 218) allows the new city of St. George in East Baton Rouge Parish to create a school system. It cleared the Senate 26-5 and the House 70-24. House Bill 63 (Act 219) would change the mandatory retirement age of judges from 70 to 75. It passed the House 81-16 and the Senate 26-13, the exact two-thirds needed in the Senate. Similar amendments have been defeated by voters. The last vote came in 2014 when 58% of the voters who cast ballots rejected the amendment. HB 366 (Act 221) would authorize parishes to exempt business inventory taxes from property taxes and they would receive state funding if they exempt those taxes. It passed the House and Senate unanimously. HB 473 (Act 222) would eliminate three education trust funds in order to fund $2,250 permanent annual raises for certified teachers and $1,125 for school support workers. The amendment passed the House 95-1 and the Senate unanimously. Here is the Nov. 3, 2026, amendment: HB 300 increases the income limit for qualifying for the special property tax assessment level from $100,000 to $150,000 beginning in 2026. It would be adjusted for inflation annually beginning in 2028. The special assessment protects those who qualify from higher taxes. People who are 65 or older qualify for the special exemption along with spouses of armed forces and National Guard members who are killed in action and people with disabilities. We can expect to see much more news about the amendments before the first five show up next April 18 on state ballots. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State employee protections will go before Louisiana voters
A sign directs voters to a polling place at Edward Hynes Charter School in New Orleans' Lakeview neighborhood on Nov. 8, 2022. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Louisiana voters will get to weigh in next on whether civil service protections should be removed from certain state employees, though it's not certain the measure will result in current government workers losing their status. Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris. R-West Monroe, received final passage Wednesday in the Senate on a 28-9 party-line vote. The proposal is a constitutional amendment that will be placed on a ballot April 18, 2026, pending approval of a separate bill to set that election date. Morris' bill would give state lawmakers power that currently rests with the Civil Service Commission, a seven-member independent review panel that oversees the hiring, promotion and firing of 39,000 'classified' state workers. The commission, working with state agencies on staffing goals, has the power to create and eliminate job positions and decide which jobs should have a protected status and which should not. Classified employees enjoy some degree of protection against politically motivated or otherwise unfair terminations and disciplinary practices because they have the right to appeal such decisions to the Civil Service Commission, which has the final say on staffing matters for most state agencies. Although there was debate and confusion earlier in the week over whether the bill would apply to current classified employees or just future-hires, Morris said in an interview Thursday it could affect current employees 'to a degree.' 'Obviously, it can affect future employees. That's obvious,' he said. 'But it can affect existing employees.' The degree to which it will affect current employees would depend on how the Legislature decides to use the amendment if voters adopt it. Morris said lawmakers would still need to pass a new statute that contains those specifics. 'Any bill passed would have to be carefully constructed to avoid any issues of an unconstitutional taking' of an existing employee's job, he said. Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR), a state government watchdog group, said the amendment would give lawmakers power to determine which state employees should be removed from classified civil service. Whether they choose to take it that far remains to be seen, he said. 'Does it affect current employees?' Procopio said. 'I think it's technically possible. You can do it, but there has to be due process applied.' There is a legal precedent from a court case that could require some level of due process before currently classified employees can be fired, he added. 'PAR is for civil service reforms, but I am concerned this doesn't provide enough safeguards,' Procopio said. At any rate, the matter could end up in court before the election over the proposal's ballot language, which does not mention the 'classified' civil service and could mislead voters into thinking it doesn't apply to those workers. The ballot language states: 'Do you support an amendment to allow the legislature to remove or add officers, positions, and employees to the unclassified civil service?' Lawmakers based the ballot language off of a current constitutional provision that states: 'Additional positions may be added to the unclassified service and those positions may be revoked by rules adopted by a commission.' All state employees are classified unless their job falls under one of the 13 unclassified positions listed in the Louisiana Constitution. 'I think that the ballot language could be misleading,' Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, said, noting that the state constitution specifically allows for legal challenges in such situations. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Voter referendum of minimum wage law submitted to Michigan canvassers
A supporter signs a One Fair Wage petition in 2022. | Ken Coleman Updated at 12:25 p.m. A group seeking to upend a new minimum wage law passed in February submitted a petition for referendum to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers on Wednesday – a move that restaurant groups have called misguided. Meanwhile, supporters of the proposed referendum submitted by Voters to Stop Pay Cuts said the Michigan Supreme Court upheld 2018 voter-initiated laws to change the state's minimum wage law and that the Michigan Legislature should have let those laws go into effect without meddling with them. One Fair Wage, which helped to spearhead the movement to change the minimum wage law only to have their attempts circumvented by the Michigan Legislature – twice – in a statement said workers are now prepared to fight the law head on. 'The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that these wage increases should be implemented, yet lawmakers rolled them back before they even took effect,' said Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, in a statement. 'We're mobilizing to ensure voters – not politicians – have the ultimate say in whether these protections are upheld.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In proposed voter referendum language submitted to the Board of State Canvassers on Tuesday, Voters to Stop Pay Cuts said it is seeking to repeal Public Act 1 of 2025, which was born from Senate Bill 8, introduced by state Sen. Kevin Hertel Jr. The Michigan Legislature passed the bill in February and the bill was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shortly thereafter. The act was a compromise with tipped-wage workers and restaurants who foretold doom and gloom if Michigan phased out tipped wages and instituted a more than $12 an hour minimum wage. That was likely without action from the Legislature after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that two voter-initiated laws passed in 2018 should have gone into law as written. The Legislature gutted the 2018 changes to minimum wage, tipped wages and paid sick time in the same session they were passed, which prevented the issues from going before the voters. It was a controversial move known as 'adopt and amend' because legislators took up the legislation, circumventing voter input, and then amending them in the same session. Organizers who supported the initiatives sued and argued the scheme was unconstitutional. The Michigan Supreme Court's liberal majority agreed and struck down the amended laws in a landmark 4-3 decision. The state's high court also determined that the Legislature had no authority to adopt voter-initiated laws and amend them in the same session. With that, the laws were set to go into effect in 2025, but a movement supported by tipped wage workers, restaurant and hospitality business owners rallied support to have the Legislature step in and amend the laws – which was now allowed because the appropriate time had passed for the Legislature to amend the laws. Whitmer signed the bill in February. The resulting Public Act 1 of 2025 set minimum wage $12.48 in 2025, $13.73 in 2026, and $15 an hour starting in 2026. The act also kept tipped wages intact and raised their percentage of hourly wage on a graduated scale up until 2030, much like it did with non-tipped workers' minimum wage. Voters to Stop Pay Cuts would like that law exorcised from statute, with referendum language arguing that Public Act 1 reduced the minimum wage for tipped workers and changed the way future inflation adjustments for minimum wage increases occurred in the future. A notice from the board notes a suggested petition summary with explanatory materials is due on June 18. Canvassers plan to meet to discuss the summary on June 27. The deadline for the board to either approve or reject the summary is July 10. The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association squarely opposed the effort. 'PA 1 of 2025 represents that rare outcome voters hope for from their elected officials but rarely experience – a true bipartisan solution in the midst of a polarized environment,' said MRLA President and CEO Justin Winslow in a statement. 'This particular diamond in the rough was crafted after extensive input from tens of thousands of Michigan servers, business owners, and community diners ultimately passed by both the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate, and signed by Governor Whitmer.' Winslow called the effort misguided and said Voters to Stop Pay Cuts was just One Fair Wage under a new name. He said suspending Public Act 1 would do nothing but slow the pace toward a $15 minimum wage. 'After six years of legal uncertainty, our industry finally has clarity and a responsible path forward. Michigan's restaurant workers and operators deserve certainty, not the chaos that would result from suspending thoughtful, bipartisan legislation,' Winslow said. 'We urge voters to decline to sign this irresponsible attempt to undermine worker-focused legislation that reflects the voices of actual Michiganders, not out-of-state interests.' This story was updated to note that the referendum petition language was submitted on Wednesday.
American Press
11-06-2025
- Politics
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Bad bills often surface late
The civil service system that serves Louisiana so well is targeted by late Legislative action. Writing about the Louisiana Legislature the day before it has to adjourn the next day at 6 p.m. is a risky undertaking. Sometimes lawmakers leave controversial bills sitting on the calendar and then pass them at the last minute. Senate Bill 8, a proposed state constitutional amendment that is designed to make it easier to fire employees protected by the state's civil service system, passed the Senate on May 15 with a 26-11 vote, the exact two-thirds vote needed. The House vote didn't take place until Monday and it cleared the lower chamber with a 70-28 vote, again with the exact two-thirds vote needed. Southwest Louisiana's 12 Republican senators and representatives voted for the bill. The Senate has to agree with a House amendment before the bill goes to the governor who is expected to sign it. Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, sponsored pretty much the same bill in 2024 that came up eight votes short of the 70 House votes needed. What he said last year explained his motive for sponsoring the legislation. The Louisiana Illuminator on May 29, 2024, reported that Morris 'said his preference would be to do away with civil service entirely, even though his bill stops short of doing so.' The Illuminator on June 5 reported that Morris' SB 8 was 'trying to change the state constitution to wrestle power away from the Civil Service Commission to eliminate state worker protections and could, according to some critics, allow for the quick firing of thousands of employees for any reason, creating fear that some dismissals could be politically motivated.' The Morris amendment would give lawmakers the power that currently rests with the Civil Service Commission. It is a seven-member independent review panel that oversees the hiring and firing of 28,000 'classified' state workers. Unclassified workers don't have that protection and can be fired 'at will' for no reason. Morris said, 'If you believe in democracy or republicanism — (because) we're a republic — then the Legislature should have some ability to alter how our civil service system works. Right now we can't do anything because the constitution prevents it.' Yes, it does prevent changes because voters approved the civil service system during the administration of the late-Gov. Sam Jones of Lake Charles (1940-44). Charles E. Dunbar Jr. is credited with drafting the 1940 and 1952 civil service basic laws and is considered the 'father' of the system. The Illuminator said some Democrats have taken issue with the ballot language on Morris' bill. They say it doesn't explicitly mention classified employees and could mislead voters into thinking the amendment doesn't affect those state workers who are currently protected under civil service. The news report said Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has tried repeatedly to exert authority over the civil service commission. In February, he tried unsuccessfully to revoke civil service classifications from 900 state jobs, mostly positions for engineers and attorneys, shortly after President Donald Trump made a similar move at the federal level. The state Civil Service Commission rejected Landry's request in a 4-2 decision. Daniel Sullivan, retired CEO with the Louisiana Civil Service League, in a letter to The Advocate said, '…This legislation would allow the entire classified civil service workforce in our state to be politicized…' Sullivan said 39,000 classified employees would be affected by Morris' legislation. He added that state civil service isn't perfect, but it is one of the most successful reforms in the state's history. He said it had received numerous national awards for the effectiveness of its human resource program. 'Our present system must be retained to ensure the most qualified applicants are hired and promoted, protected from political influence, and the incompetent or nonperforming are removed,' Sullivan said. 'Stop this political ploy before it returns us to the days of Huey Long and the deduct box.' The deduct box was a system where state employees, particularly those appointed by Long, were required to give 5% to 10% of their salary to Long himself. The major civil service complaint is that it's too hard to fire classified employees who aren't performing well. However, the Civil Service Commission has the power to make reforms that are necessary. Voters statewide will decide the fate of Morris' amendment on April 18, 2026. I hope the voters reject the amendment because of what it is — an effort to deny classified workers the job protection they deserve. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
