Industry Groups Sue over Biden Regulation Requiring Electric School Buses, Trucks

Rich Moskowitz, AFPM General Counsel

A coalition of industry groups have filed a lawsuit challenging a Biden administration rule.

A dozen groups joined together to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for the Biden administration’s new rule, finalized earlier this year, which requires model 2027 trucks to meet strict emissions standards that critics say are meant to push out diesel and gas vehicles and to replace them with electric vehicles.

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Biden Announces Widespread Amnesty Plan for Illegal Immigrants

President Joe Biden announced a new plan on Tuesday that will fast track a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who’ve been living in the country illegally for more than 10 years and married a U.S. citizen. He also expanded protections for DACA recipients, according to several reports.

In a statement issued by the White House, the president blamed Republicans in Congress for not securing the border and fixing the “broken immigration system.”

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House Republican Gains Bipartisan Support for Estate Reform Bill

Doug Wozniak

Estate planning could get a little easier in Michigan if a bill that cleared the Michigan House continues to move forward.

Sponsored by Rep. Doug Wozniak, R-Shelby Township, HB 5110 allows income trusts to convert to unitrusts, and vice versa. A unitrust gives a fixed percentage of the assets to the recipient per year, while an income trust provides a steady stream of income.

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Maricopa County Pays Down Pension Liabilities

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

Maricopa County is taking a victory lap for taking steps toward wiping out some pension debt in this year’s budget.

The Public Safety Personnel Retirement System and Corrections Officer Retirement Plan, which is used for law enforcement when they retire, will have $500 million sent its way for “unfunded pension liabilities.” This came after a vote in which every member of the Board of Supervisors agreed to tackle the debt.

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Georgia Again Reports Lower Tax Collections

Georgia State Capitol

Georgia continues to report tax collections lower than a year ago, with May’s collections down by more than 1% as the state heads toward the end of the fiscal year, new numbers reveal.

Georgia officials said the state’s net tax collections in May surpassed $2.4 billion. However, that is a decrease of 1.1% or $26.3 million compared to last May, when net tax collections approached $2.5 billion.

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Tampa Electric Wants Rate Hike Despite Opposition from Customers

Big Bend Power Station

Customers of one of Florida’s largest utilities had the opportunity to voice their opinions during a public hearing held by Florida regulators last week.

The Tampa Electric Company filed a petition with the Florida Public Service Commission in April to increase base rates for 810,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Hillsborough County and portions of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

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More Officials Issue ‘Imminent Terrorist Attack’ Warnings

Another member of Congress has warned a terrorist attack is imminent. This latest warning comes after a former CIA director argued that similar warning signs exist today that did before the 9/11 terror attack occurred.

U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, told CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday, “We are at the highest level of a possible terrorist threat” resulting from Biden administration policies.

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Georgia’s Fiscal 2025 Budget Includes Nearly $13.8 Million for State-Owned Railroads

Georgia Railroad

Georgia owns several railroads, thanks to a 1977 law allowing the state transportation department to financially help railroads to continue rail service that would otherwise be abandoned. The Georgia Department of Transportation’s Intermodal Division manages the state-owned short lines, including the contracts with lessees and administers taxpayer funding.

The Georgia Department of Transportation’s 2021 State Rail Plan executive summary said the state “serves as the epicenter of rail in the Southeast with connections throughout” the country.

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Georgia Again Reports Lower Tax Collections

Georgia continues to report tax collections lower than a year ago, with May’s collections down by more than 1 percent as the state heads toward the end of the fiscal year, new numbers reveal.

Georgia officials said the state’s net tax collections in May surpassed $2.4 billion. However, that is a decrease of 1.1 percent or $26.3 million compared to last May, when net tax collections approached $2.5 billion.

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Ohio Lawmaker Wants State to Return Denied Land to Randolph Freedpeople

Dontavius Jarrells

An Ohio lawmaker is looking for support to return land in western Ohio to formerly enslaved people denied to them during the Civil War.

In a letter to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and other state agencies and elected officials, Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, wants the governor to support exploring all options to address what Jarrells calls the historical injustice faced by the Randolph Freedpeople.

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Budgeteers Clap Back at Arizona AG’s Threat over Opioid Settlement Money in Budget

Kris Mayes

Seventy-five million dollars from the federal opioid settlement is expected to head toward the state’s Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry in the latest budget proposal, but Attorney General Kris Mayes and some lawmakers are unhappy about it.

Mayes might sue over the proposed use of the money, saying it would act as a “sweep” to help with the budget deficit in an illegal fashion, according to Capitol Media Services. The budget is far from finalized as of Friday morning, but lawmakers could pass a budget on Friday night or Saturday morning. The proposed budget is the result of months of negotiations between Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office and Republican legislative leadership.

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Inspector General: Vetting of Asylum Seekers Is Inadequate

DHS employee

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security must improve the screening and vetting process of noncitizens claiming asylum who are being released into the country, the department’s inspector general says in a new report.

The Office of the Inspector General evaluated the screening process being implemented by two DHS agencies: U.S. Customs and Border Protection screening foreign nationals arriving at land ports of entry and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) screening asylum seekers. The OIG audited the effectiveness of the technology, procedures, and other processes used to screen and vet asylum seekers. It concluded they “were not fully effective to screen and vet noncitizens applying for admission into the United States or asylum seekers whose asylum applications were pending for an extended period.”

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Virginia Lawsuit Filed to Halt Prosecution of Speed Camera Violations by Citing Constitution

Speed Camera

A former Virginia delegate has filed an injunction against the city of Chesapeake for its prosecutions of speed camera violations in a case that could have implications for the whole state.

Virginia law allows the city to prosecute cases in a way that may violate the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution, according to attorney and former delegate for Hampton Roads District 83 Tim Anderson.

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Judicial Retention Elections Could Get Scrapped in Arizona, Voters Get Final Say

People Voting

Judicial retention elections in Arizona could soon be a thing of the past.

Arizona voters can decide whether or not a judge should be retained or removed. Supreme Court justices and intermediate appellate court judges are up for retention every six years, compared with four years for Superior Court judges in Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, and Coconino counties, according to the Arizona Judicial Branch. This is because these judges are appointed by the governor.

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Georgia’s Cobb and Gwinnett Counties Voters to Decide Transit Tax on November 5

Cobb County Bus

Voters in two metro Atlanta counties will decide on a tax to support transit when they head to the polls for November’s presidential election.

On Tuesday, Cobb County commissioners voted 3-2 to place the 1% 30-year Mobility SPLOST on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. Officials previously said a 1% SPLOST could generate $10.9 billion in tax revenue for the county over 30 years.

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Arizona Attorney Won’t Back Away from Hobbs Group Home Investigation

Rachel Mitchell and Katie Hobbs

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has no plans to stand down after Attorney General Kris Mayes requested that there only be one investigation into the Hobbs administration’s “pay to play” scheme allegations.

Sunshine Residential Homes gave nearly $400,000 to Hobbs and the state Democratic Party, and it was one of the group home operators with contracts with the state that received a substantial increase in its daily per child pay rate, roughly 60%, by the Department of Child Safety, the Arizona Republic reported. Mayes has already opened an investigation following a request by Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope, but Mitchell is also planning to assist the Auditor General’s office after they reached out to Mitchell.

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Unorthodox Pennsylvania Program Challenges Traditional School Curriculum

Students enrolled in the Total Learning Experience program

An unorthodox learning program percolating across Pennsylvania schools infuses business innovation into traditional curriculum, leaving lawmakers split on its effectiveness.

Dr. Adelle Schade, founder of the Total Learning Experience, told a joint Senate committee on Tuesday about how she “reimagined” school curriculum to help students “win at capitalism.”

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$12.5 Million in Water Investments Announced in Arizona

Glen Canyon Dam

Arizona will be getting millions more in federal taxpayer dollars for water infrastructure projects.

The $12.445 million in investment will be going to Glen Canyon Dam outlet works, Bypass Drain O&M Access Road Repairs and Deer Island Backwater Infrastructure Replacement. Nearly $9 million of those funds is going to Glen Canyon for “recoating” steel pipes, valves, and gates, according to a news release. The Glen Canyon Dam reportedly has major issues involving the infrastructure that is being funded for repair, as it could impact how it functions, according to the Associated Press in April.

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Texas, Montana Sue Biden over Rule Requiring States to Pay for ‘Gender Transition’

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (composite image)

Texas and Montana have sued the Biden administration over another federal rule change it implemented, this time over one that requires states to pay for “gender transition” procedures through their Medicaid programs.

It also requires health-care providers to perform such procedures in states where the practice has been banned, including in Montana and Texas. Their state legislatures passed bills their governors signed into law prohibiting “gender transition” procedures from being performed on minors in their states, among other restrictions.

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Pennsylvania Charter Schools Hit Hard in Proposed Funding Formula

Dr. Anne Clark

A bill altering the state’s public school funding formula passed the lower chamber Monday, spawning both fanfare and consternation among lawmakers.

While supporters call the plan a victory for students held back by economic disparities, critics point out that 64 of the bill’s 87 pages focus on cutting financial support and tightening regulations for charter schools to save money.

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer Requests FEMA Assistance Following May Tornadoes

Michigan Tornado

Southwestern Michigan impacted by recent storms might be given a federal disaster declaration.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants President Joe Biden to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for four Michigan counties after the multiple tornadoes earlier this month. While Branch, Cass, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties have all received state disaster support, and preliminary estimates suggest a need for federal financial assistance.

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Connecticut Weighs Ranked Choice Voting

People Voting Polling Place

Connecticut’s Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont wants the state to look into scrapping the state’s winner-take-all electoral system for ranked choice voting.

Lamont has created a new bipartisan commission to study a legislative proposal that would allow local governments and political parties in Connecticut the option to use ranked choice voting in caucuses, conventions, primaries and municipal elections.

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