Latest news with #bipartisansupport
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
New Tennessee law will suspend driver's license of teens found guilty of bullying
Teens in Tennessee can lose their sweet 16 driving privileges if found guilty of bullying other children, per a new law in the state. The law, which took effect on July 1, will allow courts to revoke driver's licenses for up to a year for teenagers caught bullying or cyberbullying other kids. The measure, sponsored by Tennessee State Rep. Lowell Russell, R., was passed with significant bipartisan support. The bill received praise from supporters as a step in the right direction to combat bullying among teens. "Bullying can cause long-term harm that results in mental health problems later in a person's life. Most acts of violence and suicides are noted as the result of being bullied. I simply got tired of nothing being done to stop bullying," Russell had told CNN in a statement. Russell also said that he hoped for this new bill to gain the attention of bullies and deter them from being "mean to others" in the future. The driving restrictions will be enforced by the court notifying the Tennessee Department of Safety to prevent a driver's license being issued to anyone found guilty of bullying in a court of law. Additionally, if they are caught driving on a suspended license, the teenagers will be at risk of additional penalties. Despite the new restrictions, the law does allow for some flexibility for first-time offenders. If revoked, teens can apply for a restricted license that allows them to still commute to essential activities such as school or work. However, the restricted license does not include driving to after-school extracurricular activities or social events. In order for teens to secure these driving privileges, they must apply for them within 10 days of the court decision and pay a $20 application fee. This new law is a continuation of the effort by Tennessee lawmakers to combat the issues of bullying and suicides among young people. The new penalties will only be applicable to bullying incidents that occur after the July 1st. "I would like to see, going forward, movement towards working with the bullies," said Scott Payne, a manager for Contact Care Line, a Knoxville-based social services organization. "Bullies aren't just born. They don't just pop up. They're products of their environment. So we need to be talking with them and finding out what's going on in their lives that's bringing about this type of behavior from them," Payne told WVLT.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers unveil urgent plan to protect state from financial fallout: 'There's no scenario where we simply just don't pay'
Wisconsin lawmakers are working to garner public support for legislation that would significantly reduce the state's carbon footprint. As WQOW reported, several state lawmakers gathered in late April in Eau Claire to discuss the Climate Accountability Act, a bill that targets Wisconsin's harmful carbon pollution. The proposed bill doesn't feature concrete ideas. It would, however, require the legislature to create a plan that reduces emissions statewide by 52% by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The lawmakers stressed that the state must act now, and this bill must receive bipartisan support or pay the price when it comes to the effects of a changing, warming climate. "There's no scenario where we simply just don't pay," state Rep. Christian Phelps, a co-sponsor of the bill, said. "We either pay by destroying the planet or we pay by investing in renewable energy and by divesting from carbon emissions. I would rather do the latter." The bill also includes language guaranteeing that any carbon-reduction plan would also improve economic and racial equality. Wisconsin, the 20th most populous state, ranked 19th among all states for carbon emissions in 2022, at roughly 100 million tons. That puts it on par with levels from countries like Venezuela and the Czech Republic. Conservation nonprofit Clean Wisconsin says that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is possible with aggressive action from governmental and business leaders — and that would provide the state with several benefits outside of a cleaner, healthier planet. It said that investing in renewable energy sources to reach that goal would create nearly 70,000 new jobs and add $16 billion to the state's economy, boosting Wisconsin's gross state product by about 3%. It would also create a healthier population, potentially resulting in billions of dollars saved in avoided health care costs. Do you think America could ever go zero-waste? Never Not anytime soon Maybe in some states Definitely Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Evening Edition: Bipartisan Work On Threats From China And Prescription Drug Prices
Virginia Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA), member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has introduced legislation that would close a loophole in the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) which would ensure that individuals who were once acting as a foreign agent will be required to register for their foreign lobbying work. The bill is getting solid bipartisan support, along with support of President Trump's announcement the United States and China have agreed to lower most tariffs for 90 days saying the deal will cut tariffs on most Chinese products from 145 to 30 percent. FOX's Ryan Schmelz speaks with Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA), member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Committee on Appropriations, who says he hopes to get Democrats onboard to combat threats from China, lowering prescription drug prices and ways to save Medicaid. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
E&E News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Top House appropriator backs disaster program killed by Trump
The Republican leader of the House Appropriations Committee disputed President Donald Trump's decision to cancel billions of dollars in disaster grants, telling a top administration official Tuesday the grants are 'extraordinarily valuable.' Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said at a hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that the grant program has helped communities 'mitigate the next disaster before it strikes.' Trump canceled the program in April, denying states $3.6 billion that had been approved for projects designed to reduce potential disaster damage, such as demolishing flood-prone homes. The program is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Advertisement 'Please know that there's strong bipartisan support for the program, as there was when President Trump introduced it and signed it into law back in 2018,' Cole said, referring to a broad disaster bill that created the grant program. 'They have been extraordinarily valuable to communities.'
