Podcasts about house finance committee

Tune in here to this ​Tuesday's edition of Breaking With Brett Jensen! Breaking Brett Jensen kicks the show off by talking about the latest developments in Raleigh politics and the advancing transit bill affecting Mecklenburg County. Jensen breaks down the movement of the controversial one-cent sales tax proposal aimed at funding light rail expansion, noting that it passed through the House Finance Committee and is headed toward a public referendum in November. Jensen critiques the practicality of increased bus services in towns like Matthews, where community support is low, and questions the state’s assumptions around commuter behavior. Jensen also touches on tensions within local leadership, highlighting concerns from representatives who oppose the plan. Listen here for all of this and more on Breaking With Brett Jensen.To be the first to hear about Breaking Brett Jensen's exclusives and more follow him on X @Brett_Jensen!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(The Center Square) – With the session winding down, the House Finance Committee on Tuesday advanced three tax bills out of executive session, giving them a do-pass recommendation. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5794 aims to eliminate certain tax preferences, address changes in constitutional law, and clarify legislative intent. It proposes to eliminate some tax incentives deemed “obsolete” by the tax preference performance review process, including those affecting transportation, storage, and processing of goods, and packing of agricultural products. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_fe3d3c03-f15e-47a8-a12f-9a03d4e2c5e9.html

On this episode of Legislative Review:  Host Angela Nolasco takes a look at a couple of tax bills in the House Finance Committee.

In today's episode, President Nikos Christodoulides departed with the Greek Cypriot delegation for the informal conference on the Cyprus Problem, an announcement said on Sunday afternoon. Elsewhere, the House Finance Committee on Monday will start debating the government bill that abolishes the ban on filling vacancies with permanent staff in the public sector, a measure imposed in 2013 amid the economic crisis.Also, a 45-year-old man, suspected of stabbing his girlfriend and her 17-year-old son in Limassol, was remanded for five days on Sunday morning, police said. All this and more in today's Daily News Briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.

Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, District 46, Jackson. Bill to rollback Michigan's income tax rate, which she introduced last week and will be up in the House Finance Committee this morning.

Sam Rohrer is the President of the American Pastors Network. He is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He is the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--As we observe what is happening in society today, we cannot help but conclude that lawlessness abounds. Just earlier today, there was a school shooting at Apalachee High School in north central Georgia which is about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. At last report there were four killed and at least nine injured. The suspect is in custody.--Crime and violence are off the charts. Ritzy neighborhoods in California are falling prey to thievery. -Smash and grab- is now commonplace. Rape and violence are becoming everyday news. Many district attorneys are shirking their responsibilities and allowing violent criminals to walk. Car jackings go on without penalty. Then there is the impact of illegal immigration which is consuming neighborhoods and whole communities. Illegal drugs are sweeping across the nation. The morality of our nation is being attacked by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement. Political animosity is at an all-time high.--There are many who want to throw up their arms in despair and say, -I give up.- -I'm done with this fight.- -I'm just going into the recesses and protection of my cocoon.- -It just doesn't matter anymore.---As we observe a society that is running amok, it's critical to point out the role and responsibilities of believers today and know that God has us here for such a time as this.

Sam Rohrer is the President of the American Pastors Network. He is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He is the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.As we observe what is happening in society today, we cannot help but conclude that lawlessness abounds. Just earlier today, there was a school shooting at Apalachee High School in north central Georgia which is about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. At last report there were four killed and at least nine injured. The suspect is in custody.Crime and violence are off the charts. Ritzy neighborhoods in California are falling prey to thievery. "Smash and grab" is now commonplace. Rape and violence are becoming everyday news. Many district attorneys are shirking their responsibilities and allowing violent criminals to walk. Car jackings go on without penalty. Then there is the impact of illegal immigration which is consuming neighborhoods and whole communities. Illegal drugs are sweeping across the nation. The morality of our nation is being attacked by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement. Political animosity is at an all-time high.There are many who want to throw up their arms in despair and say, "I give up." "I'm done with this fight." "I'm just going into the recesses and protection of my cocoon." "It just doesn't matter anymore."As we observe a society that is running amok, it's critical to point out the role and responsibilities of believers today and know that God has us here for such a time as this.

Sam Rohrer is the President of the American Pastors Network. He is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He is the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--As we observe what is happening in society today, we cannot help but conclude that lawlessness abounds. Just earlier today, there was a school shooting at Apalachee High School in north central Georgia which is about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. At last report there were four killed and at least nine injured. The suspect is in custody.--Crime and violence are off the charts. Ritzy neighborhoods in California are falling prey to thievery. -Smash and grab- is now commonplace. Rape and violence are becoming everyday news. Many district attorneys are shirking their responsibilities and allowing violent criminals to walk. Car jackings go on without penalty. Then there is the impact of illegal immigration which is consuming neighborhoods and whole communities. Illegal drugs are sweeping across the nation. The morality of our nation is being attacked by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement. Political animosity is at an all-time high.--There are many who want to throw up their arms in despair and say, -I give up.- -I'm done with this fight.- -I'm just going into the recesses and protection of my cocoon.- -It just doesn't matter anymore.---As we observe a society that is running amok, it's critical to point out the role and responsibilities of believers today and know that God has us here for such a time as this.

Sam Rohrer is the President of the American Pastors Network. He is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He is the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.As we observe what is happening in society today, we cannot help but conclude that lawlessness abounds. Just earlier today, there was a school shooting at Apalachee High School in north central Georgia which is about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. At last report there were four killed and at least nine injured. The suspect is in custody.Crime and violence are off the charts. Ritzy neighborhoods in California are falling prey to thievery. "Smash and grab" is now commonplace. Rape and violence are becoming everyday news. Many district attorneys are shirking their responsibilities and allowing violent criminals to walk. Car jackings go on without penalty. Then there is the impact of illegal immigration which is consuming neighborhoods and whole communities. Illegal drugs are sweeping across the nation. The morality of our nation is being attacked by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement. Political animosity is at an all-time high.There are many who want to throw up their arms in despair and say, "I give up." "I'm done with this fight." "I'm just going into the recesses and protection of my cocoon." "It just doesn't matter anymore."As we observe a society that is running amok, it's critical to point out the role and responsibilities of believers today and know that God has us here for such a time as this.

In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau has negotiated a conceptual agreement with cruise lines that could limit the number of daily passengers that come off their ships and into Juneau; It's also moving forward with a plan to relocate its seasonal campground to a different site further from downtown; The House Finance Committee is working through its latest draft of the state budget, after lawmakers rejected a roughly $3,500 PFD Thursday; The Southeast Regional Health Consortium is suing the United States for over $8 million it claims it is owed for indirect costs in 2016

As the Ohio General Assembly continues to debate the education-related measures that are proposed in this year's state budget, it is imperative that every stakeholder has a full understanding of the state of education funding in our state. Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan thinktank, just released a new report digging into the data. The report's author, Dr. Tanisha Pruitt, explains her findings and looks ahead to other education-related research reports that are in the works. READ THE LATEST RESEARCH | Click here to check out Policy Matters Ohio's "Funding Ohio's Future" report, which takes a look at K-12 funding in the state. To see more Policy Matters Ohio reports, click here. OEA'S REACTION TO THE HOUSE-PASSED BUDGET BILL | On April 26, the Ohio House voted to adopt the version of the budget bill that came out of the House Finance Committee as-written. It now moves to the Senate for consideration. Click here to read OEA's press release about the public education investments in the House-passed version of the bill. Featured Education Matters guest: Dr. Tanisha Pruitt, Policy Matters Ohio  Tanisha is serving as a State Policy Fellow and Budget Researcher at Policy Matters Ohio working on examining the state budget through the lens of the K-12 school funding structure, youth safety, and reforming Ohio's criminal legal system.  Currently, Tanisha is responsible for understanding, tracking, and developing expertise on Ohio's K-12 funding formula, its history, and its impact on equity and success. Tanisha is also focused on analyzing the budget funding streams for youth safety and development, and data support for projects related to criminal legal reform.  Tanisha received a PhD in Public Policy and Urban Affairs with a concentration in International Development from Southern University and A & M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her research interests include, International development and sustainability, closing the achievement gap, school funding and resources, broadband equity and the digital divide, dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, sentencing reform, reducing mass incarceration for minority populations, and youth development and outcomes among underserved populations. Tanisha received her bachelor's degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in Sociology with a minor in Child and family relationships. In 2015, Tanisha received her master's in Applied Behavioral Science from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Tanisha currently serves as the Co-Founder and President of the Nelson Mandela Institute for Research (NMIR) at Southern University and A & M College, a senior research consultant with Crane R& D research firm, and as a research scholar with the Global Technology Management Partnership research group (GTMP), where she engages in research, conference presentations and publications.  National organization memberships include the Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).   SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to subscribe on Google podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.Connect with OEA: Email educationmatters@ohea.org with your feedback or ideas for future Education Matters topics Like OEA on Facebook Follow OEA on Twitter Follow OEA on Instagram Get the latest news and statements from OEA here Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues  Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch About us: The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio's schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio's children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio's schools. Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. This episode was recorded on April 18, 2023.The Ohio House passed its version of the state budget on April 26, 2023.

In this episode, Trish Regan is joined by Rep. Byron Donalds (FL), who sits on the House Finance Committee, to discuss the alarming inflation crisis, reckless government spending, and the potential collapse of the U.S. economy.

A shocking new poll shows Donald Trump is polling best with a group of voters that you'd least expect to like him. Trish Regan breaks down the poll results, explaining the reasons for the surge among this surprising demo. Plus, she's joined on the program by the Republican Representative from Florida, Rep. Byron Donalds who sounds off on the Trump arraignment as "stupid" and "reckless."  Donalds, who sits on the House Finance Committee, also has some thoughts on the long term health of the U.S. economy and tells us where he comes out on the Treasuries versus Gold debate. (You might be surprised by his answer.) Join Trish for more by subscribing to her newsletter at https://TrishReganShow.com Today's show is sponsored by: https://LegacyPMInvestments.com https://RuffGreens.com/Trish  Support the show: https://trishregan.store/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rep. April Berg has done a lot. In today's Capitol Ideas we'll get to know the lawmaker who chairs one of the Legislature's key standing committees, and we'll find out what she's learned during her three years in the House.

Budget writers in the New Hampshire House have adopted a proposed two year state spending plan. The House Finance Committee voted this week to increase Medicaid rates and raise wages for state workers. The House has also backed a plan to replace the Sununu Youth Services Center with a smaller facility. We talked about these stories and more on this edition of the NH News Recap with NHPR's Josh Rogers and New Hampshire Bulletin's Annmarie Timmins.

Members of the House Finance Committee got an earful Wednesday morning from Washingtonians opposed to proposed legislation that would add to the cost of purchasing certain wireless devices. House Bill 1793 would add $2 at the point of sale to wireless devices that cost more than $250. Money from the tax would go toward efforts to close the “digital divide” between the haves and the have-nots in terms of internet access and download speed. The legislation defines smart devices as those “capable of wireless access to the internet. This includes, but is not limited to, smart phones, laptop computers, tablets, wearable devices, smart speakers, gaming consoles, smart gyms, and smart televisions.” Join The Center Square's Jeremy Lott and Brett Davis on this episode of Washington in Focus. --- Listen to Other ATN Productions: America in Focus: A weekly feature of the top TheCenterSquare.com stories of the week out of Washington D.C. with commentary from The Center Square editors and more! America's Talking: An interview podcast hosted by Austin Berg. Guests include professors, journalists, artists, business and nonprofit leaders, authors, and more. Everyday Economics: Join economist Dr. Orphe Divounguy and Chris Krug as they discuss global markets, inflation, and everything else that will help you understand the economic world around you. Future of Freedom: Future of Freedom is a bi-weekly podcast highlighting the work of the non-profits which are shaping the future of the freedom movement. Listeners will hear civil, intellectual conversations about why the organizations exist, what their mission is, and how they work to achieve it. Hosted by Scot Bertram. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/washington-in-focus/support

Legislative Review features highlights from Tuesday's legislative activity (2/21/23).The House Finance Committee hears a bill dubbed by its proponents as the "Affordable Homes Act," which would raise the real estate excise tax (REET) on certain properties in order to pay for housing via the House Trust Fund. The Senate Ways and Means Committee hears a bill that would regulate health care mergers, if those mergers would affect access to certain health care services -- like abortion services, end-of-life care, and gender-affirming care. The House Appropriations Committee hears a bill that aims to improve community preparedness when faced with wildfires.

On this episode of Legislative Review: A bill proposing a new tax on "extreme wealth" draws passionate debate both pro and con before the House Finance Committee. Also bills regarding used car warranties and allowing DNR to enter the carbon market.

North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-10) pushes back on allegations from conservative media that he's pushing diversity and inclusion as a priority on the House Finance Committee - where he is now the chairman.  Get exclusive content here!: https://thepetekalinershow.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on After 9: It's U.S. Thanksgiving. It was a wild day yesterday at the Emergencies Act Inquiry. Bars are going to be busy this weekend. The Bank of Canada is testifying at before the House Finance Committee. Drake's coat from the Raptors game is getting a lot of attention. The Rogers Centre renovations look really cool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our nation is facing a critical election. At the same time, Christians are called to be both salt and light. As such we must recognize our accountability before God in the way that we handle the stewardship of our vote.--Returning to Crosstalk to remind listeners of the importance of this issue was Sam Rohrer. Sam is the president of the American Pastors Network. He's a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He's also the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--Sam began by explaining the importance of stewardship for Christians. There's stewardship of the environment, the raising of our children, our resources, as well as our intellect. In essence, there's nothing that anyone has that did not come from God. These things are loaned to us and our obligation is to steward them for God's glory. That includes everything we do such as our speech, our actions, and also our vote. So yes, when we stand before God one day, we will give an account for our votes as well.--What about those who believe that as Christians we shouldn't be engaged in earthly affairs such as voting-- Sam noted that a true believer in Christ is first and foremost a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible tells us this. However, as believers we realize we're merely passing through this life and only here for a short time. During that time, part of our responsibility is to be an ambassador for Christ. Do we really perceive of ourselves as ambassadors sent by the King of heaven to reflect a millennial, earthly kingdom that is to come--

Our nation is facing a critical election. At the same time, Christians are called to be both salt and light. As such we must recognize our accountability before God in the way that we handle the stewardship of our vote.--Returning to Crosstalk to remind listeners of the importance of this issue was Sam Rohrer. Sam is the president of the American Pastors Network. He's a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He's also the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--Sam began by explaining the importance of stewardship for Christians. There's stewardship of the environment, the raising of our children, our resources, as well as our intellect. In essence, there's nothing that anyone has that did not come from God. These things are loaned to us and our obligation is to steward them for God's glory. That includes everything we do such as our speech, our actions, and also our vote. So yes, when we stand before God one day, we will give an account for our votes as well.--What about those who believe that as Christians we shouldn't be engaged in earthly affairs such as voting- Sam noted that a true believer in Christ is first and foremost a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible tells us this. However, as believers we realize we're merely passing through this life and only here for a short time. During that time, part of our responsibility is to be an ambassador for Christ. Do we really perceive of ourselves as ambassadors sent by the King of heaven to reflect a millennial, earthly kingdom that is to come-

Our nation is facing a critical election. At the same time, Christians are called to be both salt and light. As such we must recognize our accountability before God in the way that we handle the stewardship of our vote.--Returning to Crosstalk to remind listeners of the importance of this issue was Sam Rohrer. Sam is the president of the American Pastors Network. He's a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He's also the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--Sam began by explaining the importance of stewardship for Christians. There's stewardship of the environment, the raising of our children, our resources, as well as our intellect. In essence, there's nothing that anyone has that did not come from God. These things are loaned to us and our obligation is to steward them for God's glory. That includes everything we do such as our speech, our actions, and also our vote. So yes, when we stand before God one day, we will give an account for our votes as well.--What about those who believe that as Christians we shouldn't be engaged in earthly affairs such as voting- Sam noted that a true believer in Christ is first and foremost a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible tells us this. However, as believers we realize we're merely passing through this life and only here for a short time. During that time, part of our responsibility is to be an ambassador for Christ. Do we really perceive of ourselves as ambassadors sent by the King of heaven to reflect a millennial, earthly kingdom that is to come-

Our nation is facing a critical election. At the same time, Christians are called to be both salt and light. As such we must recognize our accountability before God in the way that we handle the stewardship of our vote.--Returning to Crosstalk to remind listeners of the importance of this issue was Sam Rohrer. Sam is the president of the American Pastors Network. He's a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He's also the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--Sam began by explaining the importance of stewardship for Christians. There's stewardship of the environment, the raising of our children, our resources, as well as our intellect. In essence, there's nothing that anyone has that did not come from God. These things are loaned to us and our obligation is to steward them for God's glory. That includes everything we do such as our speech, our actions, and also our vote. So yes, when we stand before God one day, we will give an account for our votes as well.--What about those who believe that as Christians we shouldn't be engaged in earthly affairs such as voting-- Sam noted that a true believer in Christ is first and foremost a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible tells us this. However, as believers we realize we're merely passing through this life and only here for a short time. During that time, part of our responsibility is to be an ambassador for Christ. Do we really perceive of ourselves as ambassadors sent by the King of heaven to reflect a millennial, earthly kingdom that is to come--

Deb Ruggiero participa en la serie de entrevistas El Candidato Responde en Poder 102.1 FMDeb Ruggiero aspira a ser electa ViceGobernadora de Rhode Island. Esta entrevista fue realizada el 7 de Septiembre, 2022 Para más información sobre Deb Ruggiero seleccione el link de su campaña: https://debruggiero.com/Representative Deborah Ruggiero Chairwoman, House Committee on Innovation, Internet and Technology  Member, House Finance Committee Representative Deborah Ruggiero (D) has served the residents of Jamestown and Middletown in District 74 since first being elected in November 2008. She is the chair of the House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee; she has been a member of the House Finance Committee for 8 years framing the state budget.Representative Ruggiero is the chairwoman of the House Committee on Innovation, Internet, and Technology. She is also the chairperson of a legislative commission that is studying the possible reorganization of the Coastal Resources Management Council as a result of legislation she sponsored in 2021.   She has also chaired the House Committee on Small Business.The cornerstone of her legislative career has been the 4 E's – Economy, Education, Environment, and our Elders.Representative Ruggiero has championed legislation improving home care for older citizens, assisting the agricultural and seafood communities,   expanding renewable energy opportunities, and supporting economic development at Rhode Island's ports. She co-chaired the Joint Port Facilities Study Commission, which developed several recommendations to help the state's economy.She co-chaired the task force that studied the nexus of mental health laws and gun rights following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting and sponsored the resulting law requiring Rhode Island to submit more data to the national database used to screen gun purchases.She was the sponsor of the Safe Schools Act, Rhode Island's anti-bullying law. She also sponsored legislation to remove regulations on small businesses.As chairperson of the Small Business Renewable Energy Commission, she helped enact several comprehensive renewable energy laws to help reduce dependency on fossil fuels. She has been a leader in sponsoring numerous renewable energy laws, including several encouraging distributed generation that promote good economic and environmental policy. She sponsored the legislation creating the

La Representante estatal Deb Ruggiero participa en la serie de entrevistas El Candidato Responde en Poder 102.1 FMDeb Ruggiero aspira a ser electa Vicegobernadora de Rhode Island.Para mas informacion sobre Deb Ruggiero seleccione el link de su campaña:https://debruggiero.com/Representative Deborah RuggieroChairwoman, House Committee on Innovation, Internet and Technology Member, House Finance CommitteeRepresentative Deborah Ruggiero (D) has served the residents of Jamestown and Middletown in District 74 since first being elected in November 2008. She is the chair of the House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee; she has been a member of the House Finance Committee for 8 years framing the state budget.Representative Ruggiero is the chairwoman of the House Committee on Innovation, Internet, and Technology. She is also the chairperson of a legislative commission that is studying the possible reorganization of the Coastal Resources Management Council as a result of legislation she sponsored in 2021.   She has also chaired the House Committee on Small Business.The cornerstone of her legislative career has been the 4 E's – Economy, Education, Environment, and our Elders.Representative Ruggiero has championed legislation improving home care for older citizens, assisting the agricultural and seafood communities,   expanding renewable energy opportunities, and supporting economic development at Rhode Island's ports. She co-chaired the Joint Port Facilities Study Commission, which developed several recommendations to help the state's economy.She co-chaired the task force that studied the nexus of mental health laws and gun rights following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting and sponsored the resulting law requiring Rhode Island to submit more data to the national database used to screen gun purchases.She was the sponsor of the Safe Schools Act, Rhode Island's anti-bullying law. She also sponsored legislation to remove regulations on small businesses.As chairperson of the Small Business Renewable Energy Commission, she helped enact several comprehensive renewable energy laws to help reduce dependency on fossil fuels. She has been a leader in sponsoring numerous renewable energy laws, including several encouraging distributed generation that promote good economic and environmental policy. She sponsored the legislation creating the

IIANC lobbyist Joe Stewart chats with Rep. John Bradford (R-Mecklenburg, House District 98) who recently become the 6th IIANC member of our legislative 'Agent Caucus.' John launched an independent agency within his business portfolio and decided to join IIANC after a conversation with Joe and IIANC Membership Coordinator Jill Lewis. Rep. Bradford talks about his background and experience as an entrepreneur, his perspective on tax policy as the Senior Chair of the House Finance Committee, and what he thinks it will take to preserve and enhance North Carolina's positive economic landscape.

APAC stocks were mostly positive following the choppy price action on Wall St with lower oil prices and recession fears in focus; S&P 500 -0.17%. European equity futures are indicative of a softer open with Eurostoxx 50 -0.5% after the cash market closed lower by 0.8% yesterday.DXY is a touch softer but maintains 104 status, EUR/USD encountered resistance around 1.06, JPY leads G10 FX. Looking ahead, highlights include EZ, UK & US Flash PMIs, US IJC, Policy Announcements from Norges Bank, CBRT & Banxico, US Bank Stress Test Results, Fed's Chair Powell Speaks at the House Finance Committee.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

European bourses are pressured overall, but well off lows going into the US session, Euro Stoxx 50 -0.2%Broad pressure was seen post-PMIs which missed expectations and featured pessimistic internal commentary; hitting EUR and lifting EGBsEUR impaired by the PMIs which lifted the DXY to a 104.78 peak and pressured peers in turn, though JPY outperforms on riskFixed firmer on the data with Bunds and OATs leading the way and peers lifted in sympathyCrude complex remains pressured with specific newsflow limited and focused on known themes; note, the EIA release has been delayedLooking ahead, highlights include US Flash PMIs, US IJC, Policy Announcements CBRT & Banxico, US Bank Stress Test Results, Fed's Chair Powell Speaks at the House Finance Committee.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

The Eagle Creek storage basin project is set to receive the final funding it needs with $30M in Ohio's new capital appropriations bill... State Representative Jon Cross, a member of the House Finance Committee, explains what happens next (at 14:48) --- Around Town: Fire up your hot rods, classic cars and motorcycles... A special show for a special cause in memory of a special person will be held this weekend (at 26:11) --- What's Happening: Details on June's special programming at the Hancock Historical Museum (at 42:55)

As Jim noted as he opened the show, we are living in perilous times. These are times that the Apostle Paul warned young pastor Timothy about. He talked about how men will be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy and more, all of which you can read about in 1 Timothy It all reads like a commentary on 2022. --God's hand of blessing on America certainly appears to be slipping away. Will it ever return- Is there a way back to what we once were- Where is the solution---Joining Jim to explore this issue was Sam Rohrer. Sam is president of the American Pastors Network. Sam is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He is the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--Sam noted that God raises up nations and he takes them down. So as God worked with Israel, that's the pattern for nations around the world. - -He indicated that America got off course when we began to experience what Israel did as God communicates in Deuteronomy 28. God told Israel that he brought them out of bondage to a new land and if they'd fear him and keep his commandments, then he'd pour out so many blessings, Israel would not be able to handle it. Then after listing those blessings, God told Israel that if they turn their back on him and think that those blessings came from their own hands, he'd turn those blessings into judgment.--Don't miss your opportunity to review this special National Day of Prayer broadcast that also answers the following---Are we just now walking into judgment or are we close to final judgment-

As Jim noted as he opened the show, we are living in perilous times. These are times that the Apostle Paul warned young pastor Timothy about. He talked about how men will be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy and more, all of which you can read about in 1 Timothy It all reads like a commentary on 2022. --God's hand of blessing on America certainly appears to be slipping away. Will it ever return- Is there a way back to what we once were- Where is the solution---Joining Jim to explore this issue was Sam Rohrer. Sam is president of the American Pastors Network. Sam is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he was Chair of the House Finance Committee. He is the speaker on Stand in the Gap Radio and Stand in the Gap Television.--Sam noted that God raises up nations and he takes them down. So as God worked with Israel, that's the pattern for nations around the world. - -He indicated that America got off course when we began to experience what Israel did as God communicates in Deuteronomy 28. God told Israel that he brought them out of bondage to a new land and if they'd fear him and keep his commandments, then he'd pour out so many blessings, Israel would not be able to handle it. Then after listing those blessings, God told Israel that if they turn their back on him and think that those blessings came from their own hands, he'd turn those blessings into judgment.--Don't miss your opportunity to review this special National Day of Prayer broadcast that also answers the following---Are we just now walking into judgment or are we close to final judgment-

April 20 is Chinese Language Day but perhaps more importantly, 4/20 is also Lima Bean Respect Day, National Banana Day, and National Cheddar Fries Day. Is there anything else that signifies this day? While you ponder that question, I’ll tell you that this is Charlottesville Community Engagement, a program back from a brief break and ready to get going with another year of information as it flows. On today’s program:Charlottesville City Council gets an update on what environmental staff are doing to plan for climate actionFatalities on Virginia roads reached a 14-year high in 2021Andy Parker concedes in the 5th District race to be the Democratic nomineePaul Goldman explains in writing to a federal judge why he thinks a House of Delegates race must be run this year And the Virginia House of Finance advances a bill to provide a three month period where fuel haulers would not have to pay a tax to the state of Virginia First shout-out goes to the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority for e-waste collection dayIn today’s first subscriber supported public service announcement, the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority wants you to know about Electronic Waste Collection Day coming up on April 23, 2022. Residents of both Albemarle County and Charlottesville have the opportunity to drop off old electronics from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ivy Material Utilization Center. Permissible items include computers, printers, VCRs, stereos and televisions and people can dispose of up to ten items. Only two tube-style monitors or televisions per person! You must register in advance online where you will be give a time slot. Registration is limited to 110 people per hour. Visit rivanna.org for more information.Crashes reached 14-year high in Virginia in 2021Nine hundred and sixty-eight people died on Virginia roads last year. That’s the highest number in 14 years, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Fatalities were up in several categories including speed-related crashes, pedestrians, motorcyclists, young drivers, and bicyclists. The acting commissioner of the DMV is urging people to slow down, wear seat belts, and avoid distractions. “Vehicles and roadways are safer than they ever have been, yet we continue to lose lives to senseless crashes,” said Linda Ford, who is also Governor Glenn Youngkin’s highway safety representative. “Do your part to help.”Last year’s numbers in Virginia are part of a national trend toward higher fatalities in 2021 when over 31,000 people died across the United States in the first nine months. The full data for the whole country will be available later this year. 2022 might be worse than 2021. So far this year, 245 people have been killed on Virginia roadways, which is a 12 percent increase over last year. Parker concedes Democratic nomination to ThroneburgA candidate who failed to get a thousand signatures to be on the Democratic ballot in the June 21 primary has conceded to the only one who met that threshold. Andy Parker made his announcement via Twitter on Monday.“I was looking forward to a spirited primary and campaign against [incumbent Bob] Good but did not meet the technical requirements to be on the primary ballot,” Parker wrote in the tweet. Parker’s daughter was murdered on live television while doing a report from Smith Mountain Lake in 2015, along with her colleague. The default nominee, Josh Throneburg, noted this in his statement on Parker’s concession. "Andy is a person who rose from the ashes of his tragic personal loss and dedicated himself to a life of public service,” Throneburg wrote in a statement. “He was a tireless advocate who wanted to shield other families from the terrible grief he experienced, and I know his mission doesn’t end with this race.” First-term incumbent Bob Good faces Dan Moy in the Republican convention to be held on May 21 at Hampden Sydney College in Prince Edward County. That’s right in the middle of the new Fifth District as drawn by two Special Masters appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court last year to complete the redistricting process. Goldman files new motion arguing for oral arguments in suit to force 2022 Delegate electionWhen the statewide primary is held on June 21, will there be candidates for the House of Delegates on the ballot? Richmond attorney Paul Goldman hopes so and filed a new document on Monday arguing why Judge David Novak should not dismiss the case. To recap, Goldman filed suit against the Virginia Board of Elections last year asserting that their certification of the 2021 election was unlawful because the districts were based on the 2010 Census. Goldman argues that action violates the principle of “one person, one vote” because some legislative districts are much larger than others. “The old House District 87 ranked as the most populated with 130,192 inhabitants,” Goldman writes on page seven. “Old House District 75 ranked as the least populated with 67,404 inhabitants.” The response goes into detail in its claim that this deviation is unconstitutional and deserves a remedy in the form of an election this year based on the new districts. At heart, Goldman argues that none of the current members of the House of Delegates are in legally valid districts, citing the Cosner v. Dalton case that forced a House of Delegates race in 1982. (learn more on Wikipedia)Virginia’s Solicitor General has until April 25 to respond to Goldman’s response. Second shout-out goes to a Charlottesville Jazz Society event this weekendIn today’s second subscriber-supported shout-out, the Charlottesville Jazz Society is partnering with the Front Porch and the Tom Tom Festival to host musician Joel Harrison and Free Country this upcoming Saturday. The free show will feature the guitarist, composer, and vocalist with the touring band of Adam Larrabee on guitar, Stephan Crump on bass, and Jordan Perlson on drums. The timeless, haunting melodies of this music anchor the flights of improvisation that the band creates anew every night. The tour is funded in part by South Arts through the auspices of the Doris Duke Fund and the Jazz Road initiative. For more information, visit frontporchcville.org! Charlottesville City Council briefed on climate actionEarlier this year, the nonprofit group Community Climate Collaborative waged a campaign to get Charlottesville City Council to push staff toward meeting the city’s greenhouse gas emission goals. On July 1, 2019, Council adopted a goal of reducing community-wide gas emissions by 45 percent of 2011 levels by 2030, and to be carbon neutral by 2050. Council had an hour-long work session on the issue on Monday. Kristel Riddervold, the city’s environmental sustainability and facilities development manager, led off the discussion.“The city of Charlottesville has had an active climate program since 2007 when it committed to reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by joining the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement,” Riddervold said. (watch the update)Riddervold said the City reaffirmed that commitment by also joining the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which offers resources for both reduction of gasses and adaptation to changing weather patterns. “We use the terms climate action to be the umbrella for both of these areas of focus,” Riddervold said. The presentation covered what work has been underway since the July 2019 goal was endorsed by Council. Riddervold said there have been stumbling blocks to preparing a specific climate action plan, and that includes the adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan. She also said going through several city managers during that time has been an issue, as has been the loss of top management in city government.“I for example have been serving not only as the environmental sustainability manager, but also since mid-2018, the facilities development manager, and have been pulled into a variety of roles and responsibilities,” Riddervold said. The city is currently taking applications for a climate program specialist to assist with planning and action. The job closes April 29, if you know of anyone. “What we are looking at now is a reboot of focused effort to bring this process back on the rails and to get back on the same page,” Riddervold said. Riddervold acknowledged the frustration on the part of climate groups and she asked for their support going forward.Susan Elliott, the city’s climate protection manager, said a climate hazard assessment is complete, a climate vulnerability assessment is underway, and the adaptation plan will be ready for review next year.“In parallel with these planning activities on these two tracks, we are also still delivering a program aimed at supporting and achieving greenhouse gas emissions across our community,” Elliot said. “What we have seen when we look at our emissions community-wide is that approximately 95 percent of emissions are coming from the community outside of our local government control and about five percent are from our municipal operations.” About 30 percent comes from residential, 30 percent comes from transportation, and 30 percent comes from commercial uses. That will inform where government resources will go. “This includes supporting and funding energy efficiency improvements including hundreds of home energy assessments annually, helping to find gap fill measures so that our low-income houses are as eligible for as many utility-funded programs as possible, providing EnergySmart home rebates, [and] the Commercial and Clean Energy Loan Fund,” Elliott said.Other recent initiatives:This month, the city hired CMTA Energy Solutions to review public buildings to see how energy and water usage could be reduced (press release)Charlottesville Area Transit is conducting a study of how vehicles might transition to alternative fuels Charlottesville participated in an urban heat island study last summer (press release)Lower occupancy in city buildings due to the pandemic lead to less water and energy use (press release)This morning, the city also released two public surveys to help inform future planning efforts. One is a climate action survey and the other is a climate vulnerability survey. Both will close on May 20. Youngkin’s bill to temporarily eliminate gas tax advances The Virginia General Assembly is in special session but have not had much action. Yesterday, the House of Delegates Finance Committee heard testimony of a bill sent down from Governor Glenn Youngkin that would waive the state motor fuel tax from May 1 to July 31. “The purpose for this bill is to help cut the cost for Virginia families and fight the price of gasoline that has increased 48 percent in the last 12 months,” said Delegate Tara Durant (R-28). “This uses unanticipated transportation revenues to provide Virginians much needed tax relief.”Under the bill, the tax would be restored to half-strength in August and September before going back to normal in October. Speaking to the bill, Transportation Secretary Shep Miller talked about its fiscal impact. “The revenue impact for the FY22-24 budget that I am responsible for is about $470 million,” Miller said. “That’s about a 12 percent reduction in the motor fuels over the 26 month period in question. The total [Commonwealth Transportation Fund] collections during that same period is about $14 billion. So this represents about a three percent reduction in the CTF collections during that period.”Democrats are skeptical that any of the reduction in the tax will translate to lower prices at the pump because consumers don’t actually pay the tax. Here’s Delegate Vivian Watts (D-39).“I wanted to make sure that the patron was aware that the gas tax is collected when the tanker truck fills up,” Watts said. “There’s no guarantee at all that when I fill up my tank that if there’s no gas tax charged that I’m going to benefit from this.” Delegate Sally Hudson (D-57) said many in the state want to invest more in transportation. “When I hear from Virginians, I hear them tell me that they think our transportation infrastructure or even behind, that the roads are too crowded, their commutes are too long, the buses are infrequent and unreliable,” Hudson said. “We have nothing approaching modern commuter trains.” Durant said no existing projects would be cut, but this would just lower the amount of funds available in exchange for tax relief. Testimony against the bill came from Virginians for Better Transportation, the Amalgamated Transit Union, the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Virginians for High Speed Rail, the Old Dominion Highway Contractors Association, the New Virginia Majority, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Commonwealth Institute, and the Virginia Association for Commercial Real Estate“This coalition includes some pretty strange bedfellows,” said Trip Pollard of the Southern Environmental Law Center. Testimony in favor of the bill came from a series of individuals representing small businesses or speaking to their own pain.“I’d rather spend the money than have the government spend the money,” said Colonel Courtney Whitney, who served in the Youngkin campaign. Democrats on the committee sought to introduce a substitute that would issue a direct tax relief to Virginians for each registered motor vehicle, but the effort failed. On voice vote, the motion to advance the bill passed and it will now move to the House Appropriations Committee. No meetings are currently scheduled. Support Town Crier Productions through Ting!Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

There are over 7.9 billion people on the planet, an orbital body that moves around the sun at a speed of 66,660 miles per hour. On any given day there are so many human actions as we all go about our individual lives. Is there a number to capture a snapshot of what’s happening in any given moment, or is it best to focus on a handful of stories at a time? Charlottesville Community Engagement seeks to make sense of some of the activity across an increasingly expanded geographic space. I’m the host, Sean Tubbs. The program is free, but your financial support will help Town Crier Productions grow and expand! On today’s fast-moving program:Area transportation officials learn about how a mobile app is seeking to make using transit in Dallas easier and more cost-effectiveA new climate change report has been published by the IPCCCharlottesville announces a campaign to increase energy efficiency and save water in public buildings The Virginia General Assembly convenes to begin finalization of the budget, consider suspension of Virginia gas tax Need a tree? Charlottesville Area Tree Steward sale is this Saturday! In today’s first Patreon-fueled public service announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards are preparing to hold their first in-person tree sale since 2019. On April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards will open up their tree nursery at the Fontaine Research Park and will sell saplings of native trees, some of which are hard to find from commercial sources for between $5 and $15. There will be large trees from Birch to Sycamore, smaller trees from Blackgum to Witch Hazel, and shrubbery! Visit charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org to learn more!Governor Youngkin’s gas tax holiday is before the Virginia General Assembly Both Houses of the Virginia General Assembly met very briefly in special session on Monday to complete work begun earlier this year. Governor Glenn Youngkin issued a proclamation in late March convening the session, as read by the clerks of both the House of Delegates and the Senate. “A proclamation that in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section VI and Article V, Section V of the Constitution of Virginia and the powers thereby invested in the Governor to call a special session of the General Assembly, I, Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia do hereby summon the members of the Senate and the House of Delegates constituting the General Assembly of Virginia, to meet in Special Session commencing the Fourth Day of April of 2022 for the purpose of completion of the 2023-2024 biennial budget.”Both the House of Delegates and Senate adopted bills to establish the rules for the special session. Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-1) explains House Joint Resolution 6001.“Basically it allows us to consider House Bill 29 and House Bill 30 and any other conference reports that were continued and still ongoing as we adjourned the 2022 regular session,” Kilgore said. “It would also allow legislation as may be communicated from the Governor.”Some Senators objected to the Governor’s ability to suggest legislation. “It’s up to us to decide what we want to consider in special sessions, not the Governor,” said Senator Scott Surovell (D-36). “I think that’s been the prerogative of our chambers forever. I think it’s important to protect that prerogative not only for this session but the for the future.”Surovell made an amendment to ban this, but later withdrew this request. Memorials and commendations are allowed, as well as confirmation of judges. Any legislation sent down to the legislature from the executive branch would need to go through the committee process in both Chambers. So far, Governor Youngkin has introduced one bill to eliminate the statewide gas tax from May 1 to July 31, as well as other provisions. This has been referred to the House Finance Committee. (HB6001). The Virginia Senate received the resolution from the House of Delegates, as confirmed by Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. “Senator Saslaw, the senior Senator from Fairfax County, is ordered to inform the House of Delegate that the Senate is duly organized and ready to proceed to business,” said the Lieutenant Governor. Budget conferees met immediately after the meeting. Delegate Barry Knight (R-81) gave an update from the House’s perspective. “Budget negotiations are ongoing,” Knight said. “We are talking to them a little bit back and forth. They are kind of taking their time and we are ready to meet any time they are.” Both Houses can reconvene by giving 48 hours notice. Stay tuned!IPCC releases new report seeking quick action on greenhouse gas emissionsA new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that production of greenhouse gas emissions across planet Earth were at their highest levels in recorded history, but suggests the rate may be slowing. “Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C is beyond reach,” reads the press release to mark the approval yesterday of an IPCC working group’s report called Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.The report states an 85 percent drop in the costs of solar and wind energy, as well as a push in many countries for laws and policies to reduce energy efficiency, limit deforestation, and create new forms of renewable energy. The report encourages creation of compact, walkable cities, a transition to electric fleets for public transportation, and further development of technologies to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it.According to the release, the IPCC’s overall strategy is to reduce warming to 1.5°C requires the greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025, and to begin to have them reduced 43 percent by 2030. View a message from the IPCC on YouTube:What are local governments doing?Charlottesville Charlottesville City Council will have a work session on April 18 to discuss efforts by city staff toward a climate action plan. (visit the city’s website)This morning, the city announced the hiring of a company to review over forty public buildings to see how energy and water use can be reduced. CMTA Energy Solutions will perform the audit, which includes city schools. “The Technical Energy Audits currently underway are part of the first phase of an Energy Saving Performance Contract (ESPC) process that aligns directly with fulfilling the City of Charlottesville’s commitment to climate action and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions,” reads the news release that went out today. The city’s public buildings cover an area of 1.7 million square feet. The audit will inform plans to upgrade heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, upgrade lighting, and install new plumbing. AlbemarleThe Albemarle Board of Supervisors adopted a Climate Action Plan on October 7, 2020. The Facilities and Environmental Services Department releases a quarterly report that includes updates on steps Albemarle is taking to reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s some highlights from the latest report:The grounds crew that takes care of county buildings are switching to all electric tools and vehicles. Albemarle will launch an “environmental stewardship hub” online to collect county resources for community members on county programs to promote biodiversity, clean water, climate action, and reduced waste. This should happen around Earth Day, or April 22Solar powered lights have been installed at electric vehicle charging stations at the McIntire Road County Office Building. County staff in the Environmental Services Division have developed a mapping resource to assist property owners with flooding issues, sinkholes, poor water quality. There’s a whole article in the report about how collecting this information in one place can identify causes to specific problems such as blocked drainage pipes. University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia’s reductions emission plans are documented in the 2020-2030 UVA Sustainability Plan. The UVA Sustainability Office’s report to the Board of Visitors is available for review in the March meeting packet for the Buildings and Grounds Committee. (page 20 of this document)Some examples:Student programs include the Zero Waste Ambassadors program which seeks to increase composting across UVA Grounds, the Cville Solar Project, and something called the Shut the Sash ChallengeProfessor Ben Laugelli has a course this spring called Science, Technology, and Contemporary Issues: Designing for a Sustainable World that will seek to direct further ways UVA can reach its goals Other recent courses include Professor Kate Stephenson’s Writing about Food Justice, and Designing a Carbon-Neutral Future, Sustainability Leadership: From the Grounds Up, and Write ClimateSecond shout-out: RCA wants your photographs for a new contest!In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance wants wildlife and nature photographers to enter their first-ever photography contest! They want high-resolution photos related to the Rivanna watershed and the winning entries will be displayed at the 2022 Riverfest Celebration on May 1. The two categories are 16 and under, and those over the age of 17. You can send in two entries, and the work may be used to supplement Rivanna Conservation Alliance publications. For more information, visit rivannariver.org.Dallas transit official briefs transit partnership on mobile app trip planningThe Jefferson Area Regional Transit Partnership was created a few years ago to serve as a clearinghouse to improve the efficiency of public transit in a community with multiple service providers. At their recent meeting in March, they learned about how Dallas Area Rapid Transit has benefited from having an office of innovation. “We now have the largest on-demand offering in North America,” said, Greg Elsborg, who has been Chief Innovation Officer since 2019 Since that time, he has focused on a few areas. “One was to try and drive a culture of innovation across the agency and pull ideas from our employers and from communities and us, and that’s been an exciting activity set,” Elsborg said. “But another area has been the continued development and scalability of a mobile trip-planning and management application that we have for our transit providers.”Dallas Area Rapid Transit covers 760 square miles including Dallas, and twelve other cities. On-demand service is available in a third of the service area. Part of their funding comes through a one cent sales tax, an idea that has been floated in this community but is not authorized by the General Assembly.  (view the presentation on the GoPass Mobility Platform)The DART system includes light rail and community rail, as well as a large bus fleet. The first mobile application was created in 2013 to help make it easier for people to travel across multiple transit systems. There is a regional fare. “So I can pay to travel across the entire region and pay a reduced fare to travel through the commuter rail and to get point to point in Fort Worth, as well as in Denton County in the north, as well as DART’s 13 cities,” Elsborg said. To unite it all, DART built its first mobile app in 2013. There have been several iterations of the GoPass Mobility Platform to add more capabilities over time. In 2018, they added a feature to allow riders to transfer cash to their mobile phones at local retailers.“So if I’m an individual that doesn’t have a debit card or a credit card but I’d like to use the mobile app, then I could use trip finding in the app and some of the other features, but to buy tickets, I could go and load cash at a retailer,” Elsborg said. “They would scan a barcode on the app and then this loads the funds into the app directly.”In 2018, DART also introduced a fare-capping system where an individual user would no longer be charged after they’d paid a certain amount. The app tracks this information. “And there’s a really nice tracker inside the app that shows you how much you spent to get toward that fare cap total,” Elsborg said. The next year, DART introduced Multimodal Microtransit to the system which introduced on-demand services that can be used in conjunction with fixed routes. Soon there will be a new feature.“We have a partnership that we’re working on with Uber so that we can direct people to Uber rides as on-demand mode through our app without having to have an Uber account or pay for your ticket through Uber,” Elsborg said. “You do it throughout our app. And that will be an industry first when that comes out.” Elsborg said DART is seeking to add other transit agencies so that there can continue to be more investment into the platform. Currently they are running the mobile app functions for over 50 cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the agencies is the one for Tulsa, Oklahoma, which until recently was run by Jaunt CEO director Ted Rieck. “I kind of call this the Swiss army knife for mobile apps,” Rieck said. “I think as we look for ways to bring our region together on transit, a mobile app like this could be a starting point.” The platform also has connections to e-scooter services as well as bike-sharing programs. To learn more about the app, view the March meeting on YouTube. Four people have viewed it so far. Will you give it a watch on YouTube and demonstrate the power of the CCE bump? Support Town Crier Productions!Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

We start off with the headlines, then dive into the "Weekly Top 3" with Brad Keithley from Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets in hour one. We'll cover the budget, as envisioned by the House Finance Committee, the latest editorial from the ADN on PF investment and why the Senate should focus on campaign finance reform. Then in hour two we'll take a few phone calls and chat with our life coaching guru and PMA guide Chris Story.

Jeff was joined by Representative James Kaufman (R - Anchorage). They discuss his background working in oil and gas, why he decided to run for the House, how it was running against the co-chair of the House Finance Committee, some of the bills he has been working on, his idea about a strategic management plan for the state, his time in the Capitol since being elected in 2020 including how COVID-19 impacted his first session, and his upcoming re-election. 

The final Friday of February is here, and March is just in front of us. In all of the next 115 days going forward, there will be more hours of light than dark and the first signs of emerging vegetation are popping out. The best thing to do is to focus on each and every day and Charlottesville Community Engagement seeks to capture as much of the journey as possible. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs.  On today’s program:No additional localities in Virginia will be able to hold a sales tax referendum this year to help pay for public school infrastructureCharlottesville releases the results of a citizen-science campaign to map the urban heat island And the Charlottesville Tree Commission details the decline in the city’s tree canopy Shout-out to the Piedmont Master GardenersThe first shout-out today goes to the Piedmont Master Gardeners to announce their 2022 Spring Lecture Series featuring leading experts on sustainable landscaping, indigenous gardening wisdom and small fruit production at home. For all four Thursdays in March, you can buy a virtual ticket for these informative events. On March 3, acclaimed garden designer and photographer C. Colston Burrell will discuss Beauty, Integrity and Resilience: Can A Garden Have Everything? On March 10, Renée Gokey and Christine Price-Abelow of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian will discuss: The Three Sisters: Indigenous Origins and Best Growing Practices.For the rest of the sessions and to purchase tickets, visit piedmontmastergardens.org/events.Urban Heat island data availableStaff working on climate action issues in Charlottesville have published the results of a survey conducted last summer to map out temperature and humidity levels across the city. “How urban environments and neighborhoods are built affects the amount of heat absorbed and retained, which can increase or reduce the impact of extreme heat events,” reads a page on the city’s climate protection website. “Increases in extreme heat are one of the top projected impacts Charlottesville will experience from climate change.”Areas with more concrete and less tree cover retain the heat from the previous day and the survey sought to document how this manifests in temperature differentials across the city’s neighborhoods. Thirteen volunteers took 34,401 measurements across the city on August 24, 2021, walking seven routes. The map shows a clear difference between neighborhoods on either side of West Main Street which are much hotter than those such as Fifeville which have a much greater tree cover. You can learn more about the project on the city’s Climate Action website.Council briefed on declining tree canopyThere are other data sources that the city uses to assess its environmental health. “About every five years we get a consultant to do what’s called a ‘leaf on aerial’ shot from a satellite and do an analysis of our overall tree canopy,” said Chris Gensic, the city’s parks planner. The Parks and Recreation Department has been measuring the tree canopy since 2004 when it was around 50 percent but the number has been dropping and was measured at 40 percent in 2018, the last year for which data is available. “Not only is it a continuous decline from that level that we see at 50 percent in 2004, but in fact the canopy is declining at an accelerating rate,” said Brian Menard, a past chair of the Tree Commission. Menard said another report will be done soon and he fears the decline will be even worse. The updated Comprehensive Plan has a goal of to “contribute to the creation, protection, and expansion of robust urban forests.” Menard said the latest data shows that the city is not meeting that goal. He urged Council to keep this in mind as the zoning code is rewritten. Chair Peggy Van Yahres said the Commission has four goals in mind. “One is to increase the requirements for new trees, strengthen and enforce tree protection, establish consequences for public tree damage,” Van Yahres said. “We can also refine the site plan application and review.” The Tree Commission wants a seat at the table for site plans to point out the ecological damage of removing mature trees. Van Yahres said the Tree Commission is helping with a program called ReLeaf Cville to help rebuild the canopy, and one of the ideas is to raise money to plant more trees on private property. “We believe that trees save lives so our mission is to protect the health and well-being, particularly of our low canopy neighborhoods from the heat effects of climate change,” Van Yahres. The ReLeaf effort will focus at first on the 10th and Page neighborhood, which has a tree canopy of 18 percent. Menard said the city government needs to plan 200 trees a year on its property and that requires funding. The Tree Commission has asked for $100,000 in the next capital budget. Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade said he felt the presentation was compelling. “I can only imagine what it’s going to be when they recalculate or redo it again because the storm in the beginning of January just took down a whole bunch of trees,” Wade said. “And if not the whole tree, certainly a lot of the branches so I think this is very valuable.” The presentation included a note that several mature trees would be removed at Friendship Court. Councilor Michael Payne responded that those decisions were approved by residents who live there. “It’s been a very intense resident-led process to design the specific types of units, their locations, and through that resident-led process and the priorities they chose in terms of the types of housing, number of units and locations of those units,” Payne said. “That’s where the project is.” Another request the Tree Commission has is to further increase setbacks for buildings and to eliminate the possibility of building right up to the property line. Mayor Lloyd Snook pointed out a tension. “We were told in part of the affordable housing debate that one of the things that is getting in the way of more affordable housing is bigger setback requirements,” Snook said. “But of course when you have set back requirements you have room for trees. At least part of the discussion we were having last year about all of this, and I kept saying ‘don’t worry, we’ll solve this when we get around to rewriting the zoning ordinance which is under but part of what we need to do I guess is make sure that we have some better way of recognizing the balance of what we’re trying to strike.” James Freas, the director of Neighborhood Development Services, said he hoped the zoning update will bring more flexible to help achieve a balance. “All of these things come with trade-offs and I know that will be part of the conversation as we go forward with the zoning ordinance rewrite,” Freas said. The Cville Plans Together Steering Committee will meet on March 2 at 5 p.m. Register to attend the virtual meeting here. Second shout-out goes to WTJU Algorithms know how to put songs and artists together based on genre or beats per minute. But only people can make connections that engage your mind and warm your heart. The music on WTJU 91.1 FM is chosen by dozens and dozens of volunteer hosts -- music lovers like you who live right here in the Charlottesville area. Listener donations keep WTJU alive and thriving. In this era of algorithm-driven everything, go against the grain. Support freeform community radio on WTJU and get ready for the Rock coming up in April. Consider a donation at wtju.net/donate.House Finance Subcommittee kills all three school sales-tax billsCharlottesville’s plan to invest dozens of millions in public schools conclusively lost one financing source this morning. A subcommittee of the House Finance Committee voted to lay three bills on the table that would have allowed localities to decide if they wanted to raise the sales tax to finance school construction. Under current law, localities have to ask permission from the General Assembly to hold a referendum in which community members would decide whether to levy the tax. For the past two years, the Democrats held a majority and legislation passed that put the question on the ballot in Danville and Pittsylvania County. Danville approved a one percent sales tax increase with a 60 percent margin, but Pittsylvania voters rejected the tax on a 33 vote margin. The Republicans picked up seven House of Delegates in that same election, giving them a 52-48 advantage. House Finance Subcommittee #3 has seven members, four of whom are Republicans. The panel this morning first dealt with SB37 which would add the Isle of Wight County to the list of localities that could hold a sales tax referendum. Senator Tommy Norment (R-3) was the chief patron and he told the Committee that Isle of Wight had a clear plan for how they would spend the revenue. He asked the Committee to allow for a pragmatic solution. “I came out of local government and in trying to balance my perspectives sometimes between local government and state government, I reflect,” Norment said. “In this instance, the Board of Supervisors in Isle of Wight unanimously supported it. They cultivated support by working through the Chamber [of Commerce] and the Board of Supervisors and there has not been any outcry of objection within the business community about this.” Norment said if Isle of Wight was not granted this avenue for revenue, there would be a 4.5 cent increase on the county’s property tax rate. However, he said he did not support legislation that would grant every locality the ability to hold such a referendum automatically because not all of them might have plans in place. “I am adamantly and unequivocally unsupportive of the statewide bill,” Norment said. William McCarty is chair of the Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors and said that body has not raised the property tax rate for six years. “The bill before you actually allows the citizens to choose by vote how to pay for school infrastructure in the future,” McCarty said. “The one percent in this bill is outlined for that very thing.” However, that bill was “laid on the table” which is a parliamentary way of saying it was defeated. The vote was four to three, with Delegate Bobby Orrock (R-54) explaining his opposition. “Philosophically I don’t like bifurcating sales tax,” Orrock said. “And to the point of what we have before us I will tell you with my inlaws living in Pittsylvania County, if they have a major purchase to make they don’t make it in Pittsylvania County, they go to Campbell because that one percent differential in sales tax if its a major purchase does make a difference in their shopping pattern.” Next up was Charlottesville’s specific request for a referendum in the form of SB298 which passed the Senate on a 28 to 12 vote. Senator Creigh Deeds (D-25) is the bill’s patron, which would help finance a proposal to renovate Buford Middle School to add 6th grade as the first step in a major reconfiguration. “Unlike a lot of localities, there’s a lot of retail in Charlottesville and they expect to generate $12 million a year which will more than service the debt they need to get the work done,” Deeds said. Subcommittee Chair Kathy Byron (R-22) acknowledged that there is a need to address Virginia’s growing school needs, but she could not support this kind of a tax increase, especially when Governor Glenn Youngkin wants to return $4.5 billion in tax payments back to taxpayers. “We’re going to have to look at other ways to help localities and to be able to determine how we can do this in a manner that’s beneficial,” Byron said. “We’re trying to return extra dollars at a time that people really need it and it just seems counterproductive to turn around and ask for more.” Senator Deeds called the measure “self-help” and said it should be up to local voters to decide whether to raise the sales tax to pay for public school improvements. “This is an issue we’ve been talking about the whole time I’ve been here, more than 30 years,” Deeds said. “We’ve got a dribs and drabs approach and we’ve not moved the ball significantly further in all that time.” Byron said it was a matter of political differences. “You represent an area and they may be in agreement with you,” Byron said. “I represent an area that sends us here to vote to hold back on taxes and they don’t want us to become where we have to put everything in a referendum back to them again. That’s what they elected us to do.”Delegate Sally Hudson (D-57) is a member of the subcommittee and she pled with her Republican colleagues to support the bill in part because a Virginia study group recommended this approach. (recommendations adopted December 1, 2021)“We do have a [Commission on School Construction and Modernization] and this tool was unanimously approved on a bipartisan basis by that commission so I don’t think we can argue that this was understudied,” Hudson said. “We know that we need many tools in the toolbox and this is one of them.” Both Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade and Mayor Lloyd Snook spoke in favor of the bill as well. “Charlottesville desperately needs the authority to pay for a $75 million improvement to Buford Middle School,” Wade said. Charlottesville has advertised a tax rate increase of ten cents per $100 to help cover the costs of a growing capital budget. “If we were forced to finance this school project through other taxes it will make it impossible in the next decade for us for example to buy a new fire truck or improve police and jail facilities or redevelop public housing,” Snook said. Motions to lay on the table are not debatable, and the Charlottesville bill also went down on a 4 to 3 vote despite the testimony.The final bill was SB472 from Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-9). It would have allowed all localities to proceed with a sales tax referendum. McClellan chaired the Commission on School Construction on Modernization. “Forty-one percent of school divisions are at or above enrollment capacity for their current building and twenty-nine percent are nearing capacity,” McClellan said. “Over fifty percent of the schools in Virginia are 50 years or older and that number is growing.” Justin Pope has two daughters at Prince Edward Elementary School, which he said is in dire conditions. “Our community has had a lot of disagreements but we have consensus, our Board of Supervisors has consensus that this approach to fixing our schools is what we need to do, or at least put to our voters,” Pope said. Pope said the alternative was a very steep increase in the property tax rate because real estate assessments are low in Prince Edward. His daughter Eliza also testified in favor of the bill. “Yesterday I counted seven buckets in the gym and saw many more leaks around the school,” Eliza Pope said. “I am also aware that there are two classes in the second grade building which cannot be used because of leaks and mold.” Byron pointed out that a similar House bill from Delegate Hudson had already been through the committee and it was time to move on. After the vote, Hudson addressed Eliza Pope and said this was an example of how government works. “You might rightly wonder what happened here today because you came and you shared your story and you did such a good job,” Hudson said. “And a handful of grown-ups who are leaving right now despite  hearing no opposition from any of the other people that we serve chose to vote against that so you might wonder…”Delegate Byron interrupted Hudson.“Young people, we think it’s very important that people come and have their voice heard and I want you to note that these Delegates who have to leave have to go see Senators over there who may vote for or against their bill too based on what they think that bill might be. This is how government works. I do support school construction but I just have a different way to get there and I promise Senator McClellan that we’re going to continue those discussions and Senator Norment as well in regards to different ways that we can get funding for our schools.”Charlottesville’s FY23 will be introduced to City Council on March 7. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

The House Finance Committee listens to a public hearing on HB 1734 regarding taxing certain alcoholic drinks.

2022 ends its third week today, and this edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement is intended to capture where we are as of January 21. Listeners and readers do not need to know that this is Squirrel Appreciation Day, National Cheesy Socks Day, National Hugging Day, and One-Liners Day. But, now you do, and that is information you may find useful. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs, and now here’s something I hope you’ll really like.In the 318th edition:The Blue Ridge Health District hits another one day record for COVID-19 with 800 casesA quick snapshot of where the General Assembly was as of this morning And the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership takes a look at “missing middle” housingFirst subscriber-supported public service announcement - #MLKCVILLEThe commemoration in Charlottesville of the life, times, and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. continues on Sunday with the 37th Community Celebration put on by the Mount Zion First African Baptist Church. Beginning at 4 p.m., a panel discussion will be held virtually on the topic of “The Urgency of Creating the Beloved Community.” Nancy O’Brien will moderate the event which will features speakers Bitsy Waters, Sarad Davenport, and Cameron Webb. Community members will be recognized and the winners of the local MLK essay contest will be announced. Visit and bookmark the YouTube mlkcville page to review last year’s celebration while you wait for Sunday at 4 p.m. New one-day record of new COVID cases in the Blue Ridge Health DistrictThe Virginia Department of Health reports another 800 new cases of COVID-19 in the Blue Ridge Health District. That’s the highest one day total so far. Those cases are among 17,027 reported across the Commonwealth today. The seven-day average for percent positivity statewide continues to decrease and is at 30.9 percent today. Kathryn Goodman of the Health District confirmed the numbers.“It is important that people follow multiple mitigation strategies to help prevent spreading COVID-19, which include staying home when sick, getting COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, wearing masks in public settings,” Goodman said. The highest plateau of hospitalization numbers so far continues with 3,836 new cases according to the Virginia Healthcare and Hospitalization Association. There are 632 patients in intensive care units and 387 are on ventilators. Today the UVA Health System has the most number of COVID patients then at any time of the pandemic to date. Wendy Horton is the Chief Executive Officer for UVA Health and said there are 114 in-patients today.“And of those 114 COVID patients, 36 are in our ICU’s and six of them are pediatric patients,” Horton said. Some of those COVID patients are asymptomatic and had gone to the hospital for other reasons. We’re now in the third year of the worldwide pandemic, and the Associated Press reports some countries across the world are opting to shift their public health strategy towards accepting COVID-19 as a continuing condition. More of an endemic rather than a pandemic. Dr. Costi Sifri is the director of hospital epidemiology at UVA Health he cautions against making that conclusion.“Many people have predicted the ending of the pandemic at various interactions through this and we think that we’re all a little bit concerned about doing that prematurely,” Dr. Sifri said. “We don’t know what things may look like after Omicron and if there are other variants that we’ll have to deal with. We may see some of the old variants come back and cause problems.”So far, Dr. Sifri said the omicron variant does not cause as many fatalities per infection. “There are reasons for that that seem to be bearing out based on studies,” Dr. Sifri said. “Things like the fact that it causes upper respiratory tract infections compared to pneumonia and lower respiratory tract infections.” Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order Two declared that mask usage in public schools was optional. One stated reason is that the omicron variant “results in less severe illness.” Dr. Sifri said it’s still a serious issue.“Omicron still really can cause very, very serious illness and we’re still seeing patient deaths and we’re seeing them almost on a daily basis,” Dr. Sifri said. Vaccination continues to be a protection against serious disease. The seven-day average for doses administered per day is at 20,915 today and 68.6 percent of the total Virginia population is fully vaccinated and around 2.3 million have received a third dose or a booster. Horton said it is a misnomer to state that omicron is not a threat. “It does cause quite a bit of disease especially in immunocompromised individuals so far our health systems a lot of strain on the intensive care units and caring for those individuals,” Horton said. Later in the week, Youngkin issued another executive order to declare a limited state of emergency to provide hospitals and health care with “flexibility” in the work against COVID-19. (Executive Order 11)“For a health system it really is an acknowledgment of where we’re at and really garners additional resources,” Horton said. “I was really so pleased to see an emphasis on making sure that people have access to vaccination. So that is really very, very important.” Horton said this allows hospitals the ability to increase bed capacity and increase staffing. “We are very fortunate here at UVA that we haven’t had to activate those special accommodations, but it is really great that we know that we have them if we ever need to activate or use any special resources available,” Horton said. Regional group briefed on “missing middle” housingChanges to land use rules are being made across the region to allow for additional density to create what planners and developers refer to as “missing middle” housing. The term was coined by Dan Parolek in 2010. “His focus is on small units and making them feasible to build in neighborhoods where only large single-family houses currently exist,” said Emily Hamilton is a senior research fellow and director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.Hamilton was one of the speakers at the latest discussion run by the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership on Thursday. She said additional flexibility to allow more housing can lead to units becoming more affordable. (watch the video)“In some of the cases where we see lots of small in-fill construction happening there is that increased flexibility where for example large duplex units or townhouses can be built in places where exclusively detached single family houses would have been permitted previously,” Hamilton said.The recent adoption of the Crozet Master Plan as well as the Future Land Use Map in the Charlottesville Comprehensive Plan are both intended to encourage the production of these units and developers have responded. Many community members have pushed back, as seen this week in Scottsville when community opposition may have led to a deferral of two special use permits.However, Hamilton said this is how houses in communities used to be built.“Historically in an era before zoning we saw that what we would now call missing middle was often times the bread and butter housing of working and middle income Americans because it has lower per-foot construction costs compared to a large multi-family building,” Hamilton said. The topic comes up a lot in the community. Here are two examples I’ve not yet had the chance to review completely: The Places29-North Community Advisory Committee was introduced to the new Middle Density Residential category at its meeting on January 13. (watch the video)The Crozet Community Advisory Committee discussed a planned residential community within that designated growth area on January 12. (watch the video)Second subscriber-supporter public service announcement goes to Shift/EnterDo you or someone you know want to find a job in the tech community? On this upcoming Saturday, there will be another Shift/Enter workshop in which participants can go through directed sessions with knowledgeable volunteers on resume feedback, interview advice, and perspectives on the tech landscape. For an $8 ticket, you'll have three different interview sessions with people to have a career conversation, to review your resume, or to have a mock interview. To learn more and to sign up, visit shiftenter.org. General Assembly update: Charlottesville sales tax referendum moves close to passage in the SenateToday is Day Nine of the Virginia General Assembly, and we’re at the point where the first pieces of legislation have made their way out of Committee and await a vote in either the House of Delegates or the Senate. There’s a lot of these, but here are some of note. For starters, a bill from Senator Creigh Deeds that would allow Charlottesville to levy a one-cent sales tax increase for capital education costs has been reported out of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on a 14-2 vote. Senators Steve Newman and Emmet Hanger voted against the measure. (SB298) Today, the bill was read for the second time by the full Senate. Delegate Sally Hudson has similar legislation in the House of Delegates. It is currently within a subcommittee of the House Finance Committee (HB545)If signed into law, voters would have to approve the measure in a referendum. The funding would be earmarked for the school reconfiguration project. Here’s the status on more legislation. A bill (HB28) from Delegate Ronnie Campbell (R-2) to increase the length of the Maury River’s Scenic River status by 23.2 miles was approved by the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee on a 19-2 vote. One of the two to vote against it was Delegate Chris Runion (R-25). The full House had first reading today. A bill (HB828) from Delegate Tony Wilt (R-26) to expand eligibility in the Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium Assistance Program was reported out of the same committee on a unanimous vote. Learn more about the program here. The full House had first reading today. Delegate John McGuire (R-56) has a bill (HB358) would direct the Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to examine the feasibility of waiving fees for small businesses owned by veterans. The House Commerce and Energy Committee unanimously recommended adoption. A bill (HB8) from Delegate Tim Anderson (R-83) would allow veterans hired by school boards to be school security officers to perform any other duty they are requested to do so. The House Education committee reported that out unanimously. The full House had first reading today. Another bill (HB9) carried by Delegate Lee Ware (R-65) would allow school boards to extend probationary period for teachers and would appear to make it easier for school boards to dismiss teachers by reducing the period of notice of a dismissal hearing from ten days to five days. That was also reported out of the House Education Committee unanimously. The full House had first reading today. A tax credit program for “major business facilities” is currently slated to sunset this July 1, but a bill from Delegate Kathy Byron (R-22) would extend that to July 1, 2025 (HB269). The House Finance Committee reported that out on a 20-1 vote. Delegate Nick Frietas was the lone vote against this action.  The full House had first reading today. The Attorney General would be required to report every year the number of fraudulent Medicaid claims on a public website if HB232 from Delegate Bobby Orrock (R-54) becomes law. The House Health, Welfare, and Institutions unanimously reported this out unanimously. The full House had first reading today. Over in the Senate, a bill (SB8) from Senator Chap Petersen (D-34) to permit hunting on Sunday reported out of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources on a 9 to 4 vote, with two abstentions. Second Here are some other bills of note:A bill from Senator Barbara Favola (D-31) that would allow roof replacement projects at for public buildings to enter into a energy performance-based contract (SB13). The Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources committee reported this out and it has been rereferred to the General Laws and Technology Committee. Another bill from Senator John Edwards (D-21) would remove the ability of the Department of Wildlife Resources to charge a fee for boat ramps that the agency manages but doesn’t own. (SB141) The same committee reported this out, and rereferred it to the Finance and Appropriations Committee. Currently localities with combined stormwater and sewer systems have until 2036 to have replacement systems in place. Under a bill from Richard Stuart (R-28), that would be moved up to 2030. This reported out of the same committee by an 11 to 4 vote, and the bill will go to the Finance and Appropriations Committee. (SB534)A bill has passed the full Senate that would add the City of Chesapeake to a list of localities that require an analysis of drinking water. Albemarle County already has this ability. (SB53)Localities would be allowed to require broadband be installed as part of a residential development if a bill from Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-33) is approved. The Senate Commerce and Labor reported that out and it now goes before the Local Government committee. (SB446)Boysko has another bill to be known as Adam’s Law to require private and public higher education facilities to develop anti-hazing policies (SB439). This was reported unanimously from the Education and Health Committee but with one abstention. Legislation is also pending to require the Department of Education to develop guidelines on policies to inform student athletes and their coaches about the dangers of heat-related illness. SB161 was reported out of the Senate Education Committee and is now before the Finance and Appropriations Committee. The Virginia Arts Foundation would be eliminated and its powers transferred to the Virginia Commission of the Arts under one bill (SB597) from Senator Todd Pillion (R-40). The Education and Health Committee unanimously reported this out. A bill from Siobhan Dunnavant (R-12) would allow certain pharmacists to dispense cannabis products until such time as retail sale licenses are available. (SB621) The Education and Health Committee reported this bill out, and it’s now been assigned to the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee. A bill from Senator Richard Stuart would require cyclists riding two abreast to not impede vehicular traffic passed out of the Transportation Committee on an 11-4 vote. (SB362)Support the program!Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Rep. John Bradford is all energy, all optimism, all the time.  It's how he runs two businesses he founded, prioritizes time with his family, chairs the powerful House Finance Committee, and sponsors an impressive number of successful bills each session to help small businesses in North Carolina as well as the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) community.   However, the Mecklenburg County Republican has faced adversity.  He discusses the hurt of his 2018 re-election loss and an alarming health care challenge his family faced that same year.   Brian and Skye also discuss the unique end of the 2021 legislative session, including a combative House Rules committee, more political shake-ups, a confrontation outside the Senate chamber recorded on video, and more. The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New Frame, the NC Travel Industry Association, and the NC Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association.

In this episode, we take our program to the community: We are on the ground with the American Constitution Society (ACS) for a show with Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. Along with host Michele Goodwin, Herod and Ford discuss being Black in public office: namely, how they deal with the challenges and demands while staying true to themselves. (This program is the final in a four-part series elevating Black lives in the wake of the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery,  Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.)     Joining us are very special guests: Attorney General Aaron D. Ford, Nevada's 34th attorney general, who took office on January 7, 2019, making him the first African American to hold statewide constitutional office in Nevada. A former state senator, Ford previously served as both the majority leader and minority leader in the Nevada Legislature.  He started his career of public service as a public school math teacher, shaping hundreds of lives. Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod was elected in 2016 as the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly, while receiving the highest number of votes of any candidate running in a contested election. She serves as the chair of the House Finance Committee, vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Committee on Legal Services. Herod also chairs the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus. Rate and review “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin" to let us know what you think of the show! Let's show the power of independent feminist media. Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com. Support the show (http://msmagazine.com)

This week, state Rep. Ken Weyler resigned from his position as chairman of the House Finance Committee after sharing a report with House colleagues that contained COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Gov. Sununu and Democrats have been calling for Weyler to resign. School boards across the state are receiving petitions to hold special meetings to revisit mask requirements. And there's been an increase in incidents of anger and harassment at public meetings throughout the state, especially where COVID-19-related policies are discussed.

What does independence mean for the rest of us? Women have long asked this question—as have groups that have felt or experienced being shut out, excluded, colonized or enslaved. On July 5, 1852—a time in which the U.S. reaped benefit from the enslavement of kidnapped and trafficked Black people from the shores of Africa—Frederick Douglass put it this way: “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” That was long ago, before the Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War and ratification of the 13th Amendment. However, the question—what does it mean to be free, equal and a citizen?—remains a vital point of discussion not only in the United States, but around the world. We dive into freedom, the 4th of July, and what it means to be represented in this episode.  What does liberty mean to and for you, your family, your communities?  To answer that, we are talking to folks making a difference at the local level:  Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod was elected in 2016 as the first LGBTQ African American in the General Assembly, after receiving the highest number of votes of any candidate running in a contested election. She serves as the chair of the House Finance Committee, vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and chair of the Committee on Legal Services. Herod also chairs the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus and the Arts Caucus. Since her election in 2016, Herod has sent 68 bills to the governor's desk, marshaling through numerous pieces of legislation addressing criminal justice reform, mental health and substance abuse, renewable energy, youth homelessness, and civil rights protections. Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott serves in the Kentucky legislature, representing House District 41. In 2016, Scott defeated a 34-year incumbent to become the first Black woman in nearly 20 years to serve in the state legislature. She serves on critical committees, including Education; Local Government; Elections; Constitutional Amendments; and others. Before becoming a state rep, she served as an English immersion teacher in China, as well as an adjunct faculty member at both Bellarmine University and Jefferson Community and Technical College.Heather Lende, a former elected local official and member of the Haines, Alaska Borough Assembly, was one of the thousands of women inspired to take a more active role in politics during the Trump presidency. Lende is also New York Times bestselling author; a contributor to NPR, the New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler, among other newspapers and magazines; and a former contributing editor at Woman's Day. A columnist for the Alaska Dispatch News, she is the obituary writer for the Chilkat Valley News in Haines and the recipient of the Suzan Nightingale McKay Best Columnist Award from the Alaska Press Club. Recently, Lende was named the Alaska State Writer Laureate for 2021-2023. Her most recent book, Of Bears and Ballots, was released in paperback in May 2021.  Rate and review “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin" to let us know what you think of the show! Let's show the power of independent feminist media.Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com.Support the show (http://msmagazine.com)

This week we have a conversation with  Debbie Phillips. Debbie is a former House member in Ohio and currently the CEO of Rural Action.  As a House member, she served on the House Finance Committee, House Education Committee, House Agriculture & Rural Development Committee, the Joint Legislative Ethics Commission and the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review. She also previously served as a member of Athens City Council. She was the founding Executive Director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, which was hosted through Rural Action and worked to promote quality public education.  Debbie’s core purpose is to help connect people to a sense of agency and joy. 

Show Notes On this week in review, Heather Weiner joins Crystal to analyze progressive revenue being passed in the state legislature, developments in fundraising in the Seattle mayoral race, and more on the “compassionate” charter amendment seeking to make encampment sweeps in Seattle more prevalent. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Heather Weiner, at @hlweiner. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources Learn more about the Working Families Tax Credit here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-lawmakers-passed-a-tax-credit-for-working-families-in-2008-is-this-the-year-they-finally-fund-it/  Track several of the bills mentioned in this show, including capital gains tax, here: https://crosscut.com/politics/2021/03/bills-were-tracking-2021-washington-state-legislature#taxes  Learn more about the background of the capital gains tax here: https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/03/29/democrats-include-capital-gains-tax-in-state-budget-proposals/  Read the Hugh Spitzer article mentioned by Heather in the show here: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/whatever-your-opinion-about-a-state-capital-gains-tax-its-constitutional/  Get to know more about candidates in the Seattle mayor's race here: https://southseattleemerald.com/tag/2021-seattle-mayoral-race/  Learn more about the proposed chart amendment meant to address the homelessness crisis here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-begins-to-digest-proposal-that-would-change-city-charter-to-address-homelessness/    Transcript Crystal Fincher: [00:00:00] Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm your host, Crystal Fincher. On this show, we talk with Policy Wonks and Political Hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy through the lens of those doing the work with behind the scenes perspectives on politics in our state. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week with a cohost. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show, and today's co-host, local political consultant, Heather Weiner. Heather Weiner: [00:00:44] Hi, Crystal. Crystal Fincher: [00:00:45] Hey. Heather Weiner: [00:00:46] Hey. Crystal Fincher: [00:00:47] So happy to have you back. Heather Weiner: [00:00:48] I'm so glad to be here. We have so much to talk about as usual. Crystal Fincher: [00:00:53] So much to talk about. And I guess the first thing that I'd love to talk about is... You know what? We're about to get some progressive revenue, it looks like. Capital gains in the legislature ... Heather Weiner: [00:01:03] Yeah - just minutes ago! Crystal Fincher: [00:01:04] ... is moving to the floor in the House. Heather Weiner: [00:01:07] Oh gosh, there's two really exciting things happening right now. So the first one is the legislature has finally included the Working Family Tax Credit in the budget process, which means that thousands and thousands of families in Washington state will get a cash infusion starting soon, coming from the state. And that'll be every year, not just during the pandemic. So that is great news. The second thing that's great news is we are taking a second step in balancing our regressive tax system and have just passed, out of the House committee - just minutes before this recording, hot off the presses - a capital gains tax. So that just passed out of committee 11-6, out of the House Finance Committee. That's Chair Noel Frame's committee. Go, Noel. Crystal Fincher: [00:01:59] Go, Noel. Heather Weiner: [00:01:59] And with Vice-chair April Berg, they have passed, really, a historic bill that will tax the extraordinary profits made by exceptionally rich people on the stock market. So this does not affect retirement accounts, it does not affect sales of small businesses, or any real estate at all. It's just people who are getting passive income from selling their stocks and bonds. And you would think, $250,000, wow. Who's selling $250,000 worth of stock? That are making $250,000 off of stock sales at a time. And the answer is not that many people, actually. It's really just the 0.02 per top 2%. Wait, 0.2 top percent. Am I saying that correctly? Crystal Fincher: [00:02:53] Yeah, not even 2 - 0.02 percent. Heather Weiner: [00:02:55] Yeah, right? So that's 2 out of 1,000 people who will be paying this tax. And it's just 7% of everything that they make over $250,000. Doesn't sound like that much, but we have enough billionaires in this state that that will raise $500 million for childcare and early learning every year from now going forward. And that's amazing. So Crystal, here's how the process works. The bill passed out of the Senate, came to the House, just passed with some amendments out of the House committee. The full House has to vote on it. It then goes back to the Senate and the Senate's got to decide if they're going to vote on the House version or not. It's all got to happen in 10 days. Only geeks like us - think this is exciting. Crystal Fincher: [00:03:44] We think it's super exciting. I think that there's a lot of people even beyond geeks. I mean, only the geeks are following along to every step in this process of the legislation moving, certainly, but my goodness, this is going to help a lot of people. And just thinking about, in this entire conversation about taxation, which is actually pretty popular - polls very well now, people are understanding, now more than they ever have, about just how wide the gap is between those who are regular working class. Whether it's lower, middle-class even upper middle class - completely different conversation, completely different universe, than the ultra wealthy, than the billionaires. And we have our fair share of billionaires here in Washington state because they have gotten off scot-free for so long. This is a great place, has been a great place for billionaires to live and to hoard wealth, and that they make so much money that just taxing 2 out of every 1,000 people can change lives of thousands of families in this state. That's what the stakes are in this conversation. Heather Weiner: [00:05:02] Right now, I'm looking at this spreadsheet with the Department of Revenue data. Okay. Okay. We will not spend the entire half an hour talking about this. [laughter, crosstalk] Nothing more sexy than talking about a spreadsheet you can't see. That's hot. But let me just tell you, look, according to the Department of Revenue, there are over 3.7 million households that file taxes every year. And of those 3.7 million, I'm going to tell you exactly how many people out of those 3.7 million are going to actually have to pay this. Are you ready? 8,000. Crystal Fincher: [00:05:43] Jeez. Heather Weiner: [00:05:44] 8,000. And you know how much money those folks make or have every year - just that's taxable? Crystal Fincher: [00:05:53] How much? Heather Weiner: [00:05:54] No, wait. $9.8 billion, just for those 8,000 people. Crystal Fincher: [00:06:04] Of taxable income? Annually? Heather Weiner: [00:06:08] Taxable capital gain income. [crosstalk] That's not money that they're making by selling gadgets or gidgets, right? Crystal Fincher: [00:06:19] Just money from capital gains. Okay. Heather Weiner: [00:06:20] It's just money from capital gains that they put into the stock market, where rich people trade money back and forth with each other. And then they take it off the top, right? It's basically gambling money, because when you're putting that much money into the stock market, what you're essentially doing is playing poker. And so, you're putting it in, you're trying to see if that bet works, and then you win off of that gambling money. So this is money that is [crosstalk] basically gambling winnings that we should be taxing. Crystal Fincher: [00:06:46] Every year, almost $10 billion of taxable capital gains income. Okay. Heather Weiner: [00:06:52] Okay. All right. All right. Let's not talk about this the whole time. Crystal Fincher: [00:06:55] That was a bigger number than I was prepared for. That was - I knew it was big. I did not know it was that big. That is obscenely huge. Heather Weiner: [00:07:03] Yeah, obscenely huge. Just off the stock market. Crystal Fincher: [00:07:08] Tax it, tax it. Tax it long and tax it hard. Tax it, Tax it. Heather Weiner: [00:07:12] Oh, you're saying the words to me that make me so excited. Let's tax it. Nearly every other state in the country, including our next door neighbors - Idaho, Oregon, California - all tax capital gains. It's time for us to do the same thing. And don't give me that BS argument about how it's an income tax. It's not an income tax. Income is something that you earn. This is from the sale of something. This is essentially a sales tax on the sale that you just did of your stocks. So it is an excise tax. It's a sales tax. There was a great op-ed written by Spitzer Hugh. Spitzer's a renowned constitutional lawyer here in the State of Washington, who said, "Not only is this going to pass a constitutional test, this is actually going to help a whole bunch of other issues." Now, here's what I think is going to happen next, Crystal. I think this is going to pass the House, going to pass the Senate, the governor's going to sign it. And then, conservatives - who want to protect the interests of these super wealthy, uber rich people - are going to try to do a referendum to repeal it. Just like what we saw with sex ed last year. So I think we may be in for a referendum fight. We'll see what happens. Crystal Fincher: [00:08:28] Bring it on. Heather Weiner: [00:08:29] Yeah. Bring it on. You tell people who are still struggling. You tell people who are still unemployed. You tell people who don't have childcare, whose children are being set back by the last year of not getting education, that you don't want to tax 8,000 super rich people in the State of Washington. Crystal Fincher: [00:08:49] Yeah. I think conservatives are - we saw it in last year's elections, I think, where for years and years and years, the kind of knee-jerk reaction to any revenue is - Taxes, taxes are bad. Say taxes, and it's scary, and people are going to run in the other direction. And that actually worked, but it worked too well for too long. And taxes actually fund things that collectively we need and have decided are valuable and necessary and beneficial to our entire society. And we robbed cities and states and localities of tax revenue for so long and created a situation where income is so unequal that we are seeing the effects of that and people have put together that, "Hey, this is actually what happens when not everyone is paying their fair share." When we ask people at the bottom to shoulder the burden for everyone, and then the work and all of the benefits just skyrocket to the people at the top and leave everyone else behind. People are not in the mood for it anymore. Public polling shows that's the case. Last year's elections show that that is the case. People are no longer afraid of the word tax. That's an old, tired boogeyman that does not play anymore. So - Heather Weiner: [00:10:04] No, and in fact, nationally, when now we are talking about Biden administration investing billions and billions of dollars into infrastructure, roads, broadband, repairing our bridges, trains, buses, transit, everything. People really support it. And then the support increases when you tell them the money is coming from big corporations and the super rich. So I think when it comes to childcare and early learning, I think that you say you want to cut funding for people to get childcare because you don't want to tax these 8,000 people? Bring it on. All right. So that's just one hot thing that's moving right now, Crystal. What else do you want to talk about? Crystal Fincher: [00:10:44] One hot thing. Well, look, let's talk about the Seattle mayor's race. Let's talk about what's going on in the realm of spending and fundraising. Heather Weiner: [00:10:54] Oh boy. Are you paying much attention to the Seattle mayor's race or you've got other things going on in your life? Crystal Fincher: [00:11:00] I am not working on anything in the mayor's race. I'm happily not working with anyone or on anything in the Seattle mayor's race. I'm just a bystander. I'm just watching, and looking, and learning, and listening, and doing all of that. I'm just over here in my corner, watching everyone. Heather Weiner: [00:11:19] Well, I'm excited to hear your take on these things, then, as an outsider. Because I am in it deep. I just can't quit Lorena González, I'm sorry. I just think she's fabulous. So full disclosure, I am doing a little bit of work for Lorena González who's running for mayor. So take everything that I say as the extremely biased point of view that it is. Nevertheless, I'll try to be still professional and honest when I say fundraising is very interesting right now. So if you'd just look at the plain SEC data and what's been filed - and filings just came in a couple of days ago - Colleen Echohawk is kicking ass. She's really out-fundraising everybody else right now. And she's doing that mostly through democracy vouchers, which is the way it was intended to work. As someone who helped pass democracy vouchers, I'm thrilled to see how many people are using it. Excuse me. Echohawk's numbers currently say that she is close to $300,000 and remember the cap for people taking democracy vouchers is $400,000 for the primaries. So she's about to max out. I think González - Lorena - is not that far behind her. She started a little bit about a month after Echohawk did. So, Echohawk got a little bit of a month lead there, going and picking up vouchers first - smart of her and González is not far behind her. Then there's Andrew Grant Houston, who has raised $137,000. And this is phenomenal - really great activist, architect, housing activist, homelessness activist, and also 100% behind defunding the police. And so, he's really captured people's attention on that. He's raised $137,000. Although if you look at his spending, he spent about half of it on fundraising, or half of it already. And really, when you're in a race where you have a cap like this of a very low amount, the race isn't so much who can raise the most, because everybody will get there. The race really is about who can spend the least until the moment when they're ready to start talking to voters. So I think it's interesting that Houston has already spent half of his, half of his funds. Crystal Fincher: [00:13:34] Just a pause in that, when you say, until the moment they're ready to talk to the voters, people are like, "Well, aren't they talking to voters right now?" And early on in campaigns, a lot of it is trying to fundraise, trying to get endorsements, establish credibility. And so, early on, there's a lot of talking to insiders, talking to people who are involved in the political process, are involved in organizations in one form or another. There are hundreds of thousands of voters that need to be talked to. And usually, that happens later on in a campaign as you get closer to the primary. So throughout June and July, as we get closer to the August primary, that's when campaigns are really focused, almost exclusively, on just making sure voters know who they are and understand their message. So that happens later. It's really expensive. And you need a lot of resources, a lot of money, to do it. Heather Weiner: [00:14:33] Yep. That's absolutely right. Direct voter contact is really what candidates should be spending the majority of their money on, not on fundraising and not on consultants like me, to be honest with you. Crystal Fincher: [00:14:43] Not on consultants. Yep. Heather Weiner: [00:14:45] Don't spend it on me, spend it on voter contact. Crystal Fincher: [00:14:48] Spend a little, but don't spend much. Heather Weiner: [00:14:50] No, don't even spend that much. Because I'm going to give you a lot of advice, but when it really comes down to it, what you want to be spending your money on is mail, you want to be spending it on advertising, you want to be spending it on people knocking on doors, on materials, on events. You want to be spending it on things where you can reach the biggest number of likely voters who are likely going to vote for you. And that's what we talk about when we say, "Get out the vote." So in this race, because it's going to be capped at $400,000, I am very interested to see who's going to be spending money on advertising, who's going to be spending it on mail, and who's just going to be spending it on grassroots door knocking during a pandemic. It's going to be really interesting to see what happens there. Now, you're going to ask, Crystal, because I am Crystal's crystal ball. You're going to say, "Well, is anybody going to do an independent expenditure?" And under the Seattle rules, if somebody comes in - if everybody is using the voucher system, which is what's happening right now. Bruce Harrell's using it, everybody's using it. If an independent group comes in and starts spending money for one candidate or against a candidate, the Ethics and Elections Commission will then lift that $400,000 cap and allow people to continue to raise more money, to keep up with the influence of that independent expenditure. So I'm very interested to see who might be spending money in this. Crystal Fincher: [00:16:11] Also very interested to see who might be spending money in this. And one entity who has announced that they won't be involved in the race, as we've seen them be involved before, is the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. That was an interesting announcement. What was your read on that? Heather Weiner: [00:16:30] As I said to the reporter, Daniel Beekman, about the... No, it was Paul Roberts in the Seattle Times, who wrote - they had this headline, Seattle Chamber Executive Director Rachel Smith Calls for a Truce. I was like, "I think it's more of a surrender." Because you don't call a truce after you've lost over and over and over again. And they really had a big misstep under the leadership of Marilyn Strickland when they raised millions of dollars, spent it to try to defeat a progressive slate of candidates, and the voters had a big backlash against that. So I don't think it's really... Crystal Fincher: [00:17:11] [inaudible] . Heather Weiner: [00:17:11] What did you say? Crystal Fincher: [00:17:12] Soundly and thoroughly rejected them after they spent a ton of money. Heather Weiner: [00:17:17] A ton of money. So, I also don't believe it. I mean, I think that we're not going to see money being spent directly from CASE, the Chamber's PAC. But I do think we're going to see it coming through some of those other groups, again, like Moms for Seattle. And I think the charter amendment is a proxy for that. Because - Crystal Fincher: [00:17:37] It's 100% of proxy for that. Heather Weiner: [00:17:38] Do you think so too? Crystal Fincher: [00:17:39] Oh my gosh. That's absolutely what it is. And to your point, the spending isn't going away. The title above the spending is going to change, and it's going to be just funneled through other groups and other means. So it's not going to come through through the Chamber's PAC but it's going to come through others. Heather Weiner: [00:17:59] Yeah. I mean, we're already seeing it in terms of the money that is currently going into the new PAC that's going to try to pass this charter amendment. So for your listeners who don't know - Crystal Fincher: [00:18:10] Compassionate Seattle, Heather ... It's compassion. Heather Weiner: [00:18:12] Yeah, okay. Compassionate Seattle. So for your listeners who don't know - Tim Burgess, bless his heart, is a nice guy. But served as the president of the Seattle Chamber, not Seattle Chamber, of the Seattle Council. And nevertheless, despite the fact that he was on the Council, now thinks that the Council is horrible, and blames the Council for everything that's going wrong. Really what he means when he says that is Kshama Sawant. So what he is doing, because he knows he can't run people directly against the Council, is he's trying to attack the Council by running a charter amendment. And the charter amendment, for your listeners who don't know about this yet, it's called Compassionate Seattle. And it claims to address the homelessness emergency that we have had - well, it's been declared for more than five years now, but it doesn't have any source of funding. So it sets a whole bunch of lofty goals - most of which are already in place and are being implemented with some success, some without success, by the current mayor. Have been authorized by the current City Council. And this, I think really, brilliantly - in a bad way, brilliantly - turns the table on the City Council by blaming the City Council and then saying, "We're going to make a charter amendment that requires the City and the City Council to do X, Y and Z." X, Y and Z, the City Council's already doing. And then it says, "But we're not going to give you any money to do it. You've got to take money from other programs." And I don't know what the voters are going to think about that. Crystal Fincher: [00:19:49] Well, it's interesting. So we've talked about this the last couple of weeks on the show and have certainly talked about how, from its title to how they're trying to spin this charter amendment change, it is wrapped in the language of compassion, wrapped in compassionate language. There's very much - that is the rhetoric direction that they've decided to take. Because although it's a lot of the same people who last year were talking - and frankly offensive, just very blatantly offensive and incorrect terms about people who are unhoused - equating them with crime, and everyone just wants to be, and they're refusing to get help, and they should be swept, and just get them off of the sidewalk. And viewing the problem with people being unhoused as one that the people who are looking at them - who have homes and warm places to be, and food, and are comfortable - they're the ones who are being inconvenienced by having to look at people and encounter people who do not have homes. Very much from that group. And so, they were defeated soundly, decisively. Seattle voters just wholesale rejected that. So now, that group is back, with prettier language this time, saying, "No, this is compassion. And what we're going to do is we're going to make sure that there are 2,000 new units built, that there's some money available. And then we're going to sweep everyone and have the police get them off sidewalks and confiscate the few belongings that they do have, and so on and so forth." Except that one, the amount of housing that they've identified does not come anywhere even close to what the actual need is. It is largely planned for already, from both the mayor and Council. There is no disagreement that there needs to be a lot more housing than they have planned. But what they have planned looks like what is proposed here. There is nothing substantively new or innovative. And in the timelines that they propose - as we've seen with this Durkan administration and the Council - you can appropriate money to be spent and the mayor can choose not to spend it and they can not act on it. It can take a long time to actually have policies that are approved and funded actually implemented. Certainly the case with housing. So yeah, we can say, "Hey, we've authorized the building of new units of housing." But those new units of housing may not materialize for years, as we have continued to see. Meanwhile, today, you're going to say, "Well, there is new housing appropriated. I know that you have nowhere to go, and that doesn't help you, or change this conversation in any way, but you need to get out of here and go somewhere else, mysteriously, just not here in this area, even though you have nowhere else to go." Heather Weiner: [00:22:58] Yeah, I think it's interesting to see what the positions are of the mayoral candidates. So Colleen Echohawk, who, of course, comes from a homelessness advocacy background, is in favor of it. And interestingly, a lot of the organizations, including the Chief Seattle Club that she is Executive Director of have been listed as endorsers of it. So that's really interesting. Jessyn Farrell has said, "It really depends on the next mayor." Kind of implicitly saying, a lot of the problems are this current mayor who has not been implementing or spending the money that the Seattle Council has authorized. Lorena González has said, "Great first step, but we need to go a lot bigger than this. We need to actually have a big source of funding in terms of progressive revenue. We need to make these goals much bigger so that we are able to keep up with the rising needs of people who need housing." That's not going to go away, particularly with the ending of eviction bans. And she's also said, "We need to deal with the lack of affordable housing and the way that the City is zoned." That such a large percentage of private property is zoned single family housing. And there's very little way for us to build multi-family and affordable housing. Bruce Harrell has said that he's in favor and Houston has said, "Absolutely not. 100% against it." So I think, again, it is going to be an interesting litmus test for mayoral candidates, and it is a proxy for attacking the City Council, which is going to also be very interesting to watch. Crystal Fincher: [00:24:45] It is going to be interesting to watch. I'm definitely very curious to see how the candidates for both the mayor and City Council talk about this charter amendment moving forward. You mentioned that there are some groups that have been helpful in areas, and who have been helpful in providing services for unhoused folks - who have signed on, notably Lisa Daugaard and the Public Defenders Association have been supportive of this bill. We had a conversation with Erica Barnett, who has been covering this at PubliCola for quite some time. And she brought up an excellent point - was that service providers, who actually stand to benefit from this in terms of revenue and contracts - we've seen service providers, some of them, come out in favor of it. But people who aren't - we haven't seen much of that from that community. Certainly, advocates, we've seen a lot of opposition. And there seems to not be communication or input that was gathered from people with lived experience. And from a lot of other very valuable, very knowledgeable expert resources on not just the issue of homelessness. But specifically in Seattle, and what we're dealing with in terms of the service and provider ecosystem, in relation to the need and how that's all playing together. So it certainly seems like there are a lot of voices missing from this conversation that should have been included and that should continue to be included. It will be interesting to see how people talk about, and account for, and respond to that. And how organizations who stand to profit from this, frankly - receive a lot of revenue from this and certainly, that helps the security of the folks in those organizations. No one wants people to wind up on the street or struggling themselves financially because of this. And even people who oppose this amendment don't want that. But how do you talk about that and account for that? And is that a motivator? That, if that were not a factor, may have impacted whether or not they chose to support this charter amendment. And certainly with the voices that have been left out of the conversation, and with some of the inadequacies of its - part of its stated intent - which I think people question is genuine or not. But it certainly seems like there's a lot more work that needs to be done on the housing and shelter end of this, for that conversation to be taken seriously. Heather Weiner: [00:27:35] So look for ads about the Compassionate Seattle charter amendment, as it's moving forward, that say things where the bad guy in this case is pictures of the City Council, and particularly people who are currently running, right? So Teresa Mosqueda, who's running for re-election, Lorena, who's running for governor - mayor, sorry, I skipped a step. Running for mayor. And Brianna Thomas, who is also running for City Council, who currently is Chief of Staff for Lorena. So that is who this charter amendment is going to be targeting as the bad guys, all women of color. Instead of really naming what's really happening here, which is that we have a massive wealth inequality. And going back to my first topic, no revenue to pay for all of the things that need to happen. And that happened 10 years ago during the great recession of 2008 and 2009, when our state cut funding resources for mental health, housing, and a whole bunch of other services. And that is why we are now seeing a homelessness epidemic in the state. Thank you so much, by the way, giving me a big soap box because this is - I think everything and every problem that the state is currently facing comes down to wealth inequality, and that we do not tax the rich enough. And I think we have a great solution in front of us right now, and I'm really excited about it. Can you tell, Crystal? I'm such a geek. Crystal Fincher: [00:29:04] I can tell and I'm absolutely excited about it. I think that this is a reflection of - I think, obviously, we work in politics. Conversations in politics have been different. They are different today than they were 10 years ago, 15 and 20 years ago. I think a lot of people are still hesitant to really acknowledge the reality that has been made apparent from - whichever type of data point you want to look at, whether it's polling or just general public sentiment, whether it's who's being elected, whether it's who the most vocal people are. No matter how you slice it, people are infuriated about the issues that are driven by income inequality. They know that is the cause and they are upset that people are not doing more to fix it. They are demanding action and showing up and holding people accountable who are not taking action. And so, this is long overdue and I'm happy to see that it is finally here with this one issue. And hopefully, this is the beginning of a conversation and not the end of it, when it comes to more fair and progressive taxation. Heather Weiner: [00:30:32] Well, we did not talk about the recent horrific shootings and murders of people by police, the horrific shootings by lone gunmen across the country. I mean, we've got a lot more to talk about. So are we going to stay on for an extra hour? No, we got to go. Don't we? Crystal Fincher: [00:30:51] We do have to go. Certainly that is being talked about in a lot of arenas. I'm very online. You can see my thoughts on Twitter about most things. Heather Weiner: [00:31:03] [crosstalk] Why don't you remind us of your Twitter account? Crystal Fincher: [00:31:09] Wait, what'd you say? Heather Weiner: [00:31:10] Remind us of what your Twitter account is. Crystal Fincher: [00:31:12] Oh, it's @finchfrii, F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. But, I mean, it's been a tough week, and when you have to ask, which police shooting? Which police shooting of a child? Which mass shooting? Which - we can't even keep them straight, they're coming so frequently, they're coming so relentlessly, and they're just so blatant and obvious and egregious. And the accounts that differ. Yeah. I won't get into all of that. That's - that's a lot. And - Heather Weiner: [00:31:50] Well, thank goodness for the people who we have elected to our State Senate and our State House who are changing the laws so that juries can hold police accountable for murders, which has been almost impossible for juries to do because of the way that the law has been written. So thank goodness we have elected those fantastic people, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens there. Crystal Fincher: [00:32:16] Absolutely. And as you mentioned, that is our time. So I do want to thank you for listening to Hacks and Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM this Friday, April 16th, 2021. Our chief audio engineer at KVRU is Maurice Jones Jr. The producer of Hacks and Wonks is Lisl Stadler. And our wonderful cohost today was Seattle political consultant, Heather Weiner. You can find Heather on Twitter @hlweiner, W-E-I-N-E-R. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, that's F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. Now you can follow Hacks and Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our mid-week show delivered to your podcast feed. And you know what? Reviews actually make a really big difference in the discovery of podcasts. If you like the show or whatever your thoughts are, please feel free to share a review on iTunes or wherever else you are listening. And if you would like to get a full transcript of the episode, it's available as well as links to the resources referenced on the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. So thanks for tuning in, and we'll talk to you next time.

In a House Finance Committee meeting at the state capitol in Juneau, a Department of Transportation official suggested some cost-saving measures, including ridding the fleet of one of its unused... Visit knba.org/news to get more information.

On today’s show we’re trying to make sense out of our financial markets. You would think that the Federal Reserve, the central bank for the world’s reserve currency is influential in the world’s monetary system. So therefore the chair of the Federal Reserve would hold the single most influential banking position in the world. You would also expect the person occupying that chair to demonstrate a modest amount of fiscal responsibility. It used to be the case that printing of money was something that was spoken of in hushed tones. It was a bit like cheating at the black jack table. Professional card players didn’t speak about it, but everyone knew it was happening to some degree. But now in 2021, there is no attempt to hide it. The US Federal Government brings in 1.7T in personal income taxes per year. That’s about half of the total revenues it brings in each year. But in 2020, the Federal Reserve printed about the same amount of money that the US government collected in taxes. Nearly 1/5 of the dollars in existence since the beginning of the US as a nation were printed in 2020. Now the latest comments from the Federal Reserve Chairman seem to focus less on any measure of inflation, but on the “anchoring of inflation expectations”. Anchoring is a concept that applies to psychology. If you believe it’s warm out, then it’s warm out. If the weatherman says the temperature is 10 degrees today, then it’s 10 degrees. The temperature has been measured and reported, irrespective of the weatherman’s opinion on the temperature. But if the weatherman says, it’s a beautiful warm day today, and the temperatures will be a nice balmy 10 degrees by mid afternoon, he is said to be anchoring an expectation. The Fed chairman in his remarks Monday, prepared for a presentation to the House Finance Committee today, said that a short term jump in prices would not be enough to trigger a panic about inflation. He said that as the economy emerges from the pandemic, there will be all kinds of increases in demand, and supply chain constraints, that will trigger price fluctuations. These price increases don’t concern him. He’s focused on the long term anchoring of inflation expectations at the 2% average. They intend to keep interest rates low until the economy reaches full employment and interest rates exceed the average 2% anchored expectation. The countries with excess US dollars are starting to get worried that the US is printing too much money and therefore the value of the dollars they’re holding is declining. The international market is clearly attaching a risk premium to the US dollar. But the US continues to behave as though it can do what it wants, when it wants as if it sets the rules alone. If the Fed says interest rates are low, then rates are low, irrespective of what international investors are saying. Other countries have tried this approach and failed. I’m thinking of modern day Argentina where interest rates are 38%. Back in 2012, their interest rate was a fairly respectable 9%. They boldly started printing their way out of their economic malaise. The memory of hyperinflation in the early 1990’s was a distant memory. But then why would other countries be selling their US Treasury bills and using the proceeds to buy gold? Russia sold almost all its US Treasuries and bought gold instead. China has been on a gold buying binge over the past 20 years. When I hear the word “anchoring” in the same sentence as inflation, I hear that the measurement is being replaced with a narrative, in order to direct attention away from the facts.

On Monday, March 15, the House Finance Committee held a public hearing on SB 5096, also known as the capital gains tax bill.

Stephan, Will, and Shasti talk this week about how progressive taxation seems to be having a moment, both on national stage, with Elizabeth Warren and Pramila Jayapal's Wealth Tax Act, and also here in WA, with a number of progressive bills that have an actual shot in the legislature. Guest: Rich Smith, writer for The Stranger Calls to Action: Working Family Tax Credit HB 1297 is scheduled to get a vote in the House on Sunday, March 7, so call or email your representative in support of it. Suggest Script: I'm [NAME] from [CITY]. I support HB 1297, the Working Families Tax Exemption, and urge you to vote 'yea.' [ADD A SENTENCE OR TWO MORE BASED ON THE POINTS BELOW] The Working Families Tax Credit/Recovery Rebate provides direct cash assistance to the households that need it most. The Recovery Rebate builds on the success of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and makes Washington state's version of the EITC, the Working Families Tax Credit, more equitable by: ensuring families with the lowest incomes receive more support by providing an annual cash rebate of $500 to qualifying households, plus $150 each for up to three kids; and including people who file taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), who are unjustly excluded from unemployment insurance and federal stimulus efforts. ITIN filers include undocumented immigrants, certain student visa holders, and survivors of intimate partner violence, among others. Studies have shown that each dollar returned to low income tax filers generates up to $2.00 in local economic activity, supporting local businesses, since they are most likely to spend the money on groceries, child care, etc. One of the main reasons people stay with an abusive partner is that they don't have the money to support themselves or their children. Access to an additional $340 has been shown to help survivors in our state find safety and stability by covering things like car repairs needed to keep a job, or changing the locks so they can safely stay in their own home. This bill is one of our legislative priorities this session because of the profound impact it would have on survivors' options for safety and stability. The Wealth Tax HB 1406 is currently in the House Finance Committee, so the action is to contact the chair, Noel Frame, and let her know you support it. She's the author, but it helps to know that there's public support. And finally, support the Capital Gains tax, SB 5096, by letting your senator know that you want him or her to vote for it when it comes up for a floor vote before March 6th. Sample Script: Please vote yes on SB 5096 in the Senate floor vote. I support this bill because it will raise revenue which Washington State needs to provide necessary services. Washington state has the most regressive tax structure in the nation. This excise tax will target the wealthiest taxpayers and make our tax structure more equitable. Thank you. [NAME], [CITY], [ZIP]

On February 16, the House Finance Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1299, which aims to reduce retail and hospitality businesses' Business and Occupation tax rates to 0.34 percent.

The House Finance Committee heard a public hearing on HB 1496, concerning a capital gains tax.

State Reps. Aaron Johanson and Sylvia Luke joined Spotlight Hawaii this morning to discuss the future of Aloha Stadium, and more broadly about the state's budget challenges. The Stadium Authority is seeking to redevelop the 98-acre site, with a 30,000-seat facility, to replace the aging 50,000-seat stadium. The project is expected to also include a mix of housing and retail development. “The stadium is great but for too long it's been sort of this fallow property that other than games, and a parking lot, and a swap meet, it hasn't really been leveraged for it's maximum potential,” said Johanson, whose district includes the redevelopment area. “We see this as a great opportunity to leverage not just the stadium itself, but the entire 98-acre campus, which is a prime jewel that is largely undeveloped, to turn it into an additional thriving community that really does connect the edge of Honolulu in the stadium area with Aiea.” The project is expected to run upwards of $300 million dollars. Luke, who chairs the House Finance Committee said that it is important for the public to understand the state funds allocated to the project have been generated through bonds, set aside long before the financial woes brought on by the pandemic. “This project was already underway before COVID and there's a commitment to continue, otherwise you know, any time there's a delay it will essentially be wasting taxpayer's money,” she said. Both Luke and Johanson said that they believe it may still be possible for the University of Hawaii to play games at Aloha Stadium in the near future, despite the Stadium Authority telling UH that that is no longer an option. Just this morning, UH athletic director Dave Matlin told the Board of Regents that the university is projecting expenses to play football games on its Manoa campus will exceed revenues by $400,000 a year. “When the Stadium Authority made an assessment that the stadium is partly unsafe, they looked at the utilization of the entire stadium. But as you know, we have not been filling all 50,000 seats so we could probably utilize a portion, so it really depends on what portion we can keep open to allow UH football and other things to happen,” Luke said. Luke suggested the possibility of repairing part of the existing stadium to allow for games. Johanson agreed, “The field is still very usable at the stadium…I think we have to do what is ultimately in the best interest of the taxpayer.”

Today's pod is all about how progressive taxation can fix the most upside-down tax structure in America. Washington State's tax system is broken, and Rep. Noel Frame has devoted much of her time in the state legislature to fixing it. In her capacity as the newly appointed chair of the House Finance Committee, she joins us to talk about the history of our tax system, and about a number of legislative cures, including a brand new wealth tax, aimed at making our state's 100 billionaires pay their fair share. Show notes: HB 1406 Wealth Tax: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1406&Initiative=false&Year=2021 HB 1406 text: http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1406.pdf?q=20210127165225 HB 1297 Working Family Tax Credit: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1297&Initiative=false&Year=2021 HB 1336 Broadband bill https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1336&Year=2021&Initiative=false Rep. Frame's Tax Structure Working Group: taxworkgroup.org Watch all live testimony here: http://tvw.org If you'd like to participate in the hearing on Tuesday, February 2nd at 1:30pm: • Go to: https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/House • Choose “Finance” as the committee • Choose Feb. 2 1:30pm as the meeting slot • Select which bill to support (Rep. Frame recommends selecting both the wealth tax, HB 1406, AND the Working Families Tax Credit, HB 1297) • Choose one of the following: - I would like to submit written testimony (deadline: 24 hours after start of hearing) - I would like to testify live during the hearing (deadline: 1 hour prior to start of hearing) - I would like my position noted for the legislative record (deadline: 1 hour prior to start of hearing) If you'd like to testify, please coordinate with Emily Parzybok with Balance Our Tax Code at emily@balanceourtaxcode.com. Per Rep. Frame: “Live testimony is time limited and we need to ensure advocates are coordinated. Once they coordinate and decide they'll indeed testify, they can sign up at that link up to 1 hour prior to the hearing.”

Power & Politics speaks to MPs about documents released to the House Finance Committee on the WE Charity student-grant controversy, as well as the decision to prorogue Parliament until late September. Also on the show, former American diplomat Samantha Power on the U.S. presidential election and what a Biden administration could mean for Canada.

Part 1 is about an issue that couldn't be more relevant or timely for millions of families: the reopening of our schools. To discuss what it will take to get teachers and students back to school safely in this pandemic, we have special guest Liz Stuart. Liz is President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, representing 45,000 educators in elementary and secondary schools. She's had a more than 20-year teaching career, brings a breadth of teacher and political activism to the job and is known for keeping her membership at the heart of everything she does.So, we're going to tackle the issue that's on so many minds: How do we get childrenback to school in September? Should we be getting children back to school in September? Is it safe for them? Safe for teachers and support staff? Safe for parents in the petri-dish of life at home? And what needs to be done to make it so.On Part 2 ... it's the #PoliticalPanel with Jenni Byrne and Chris Ball. We'll pick up on the getting our kids back to school question. Plus, we'll also talk about ... What else ... WE! The 3-hour Trudeau grilling in front of the House Finance Committee. How did he handle it? Jenni has some venom, I mean “thoughts” ... then I get bumped from my own podcast!Watch conversations from The Herle Burly on YouTube.The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Support us atcanadalandshow.com/join Last week’s House Finance Committee hearings into the WE Charity scandal yielded few new insights into why the government awarded it a massive sole-source contract or how the organization itself operates. Thankfully, the press has continued to turn up information that MPs have not. Craig Silverman, media editor at BuzzFeed News, joins us to unpack the latest revelations about efforts to burnish WE Charity’s online image while burying Canadaland’s reporting.  Then, Mark Blumberg, a lawyer specializing in non-profits and charities, tells us how he’s never seen anything quite like WE before.

Power & Politics speaks to Diversity, Inclusion and Youth Minister Bardish Chagger about the WE Charity contract, following her testimony at the House Finance Committee. Also on the show, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on the $19-billion the federal government is giving the provinces for a 'safe restart' of the economy.

On trade tenterhooks… Asian equities are mixed, looking for clues on trade negotiations, as White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow strikes a positive tone and China’s ambassador to the U.K. tells CNBC exclusively that Beijing wants to get a deal done. Speaking before the House Finance Committee, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell says the U.S. economy is stellar and there is no reason it shouldn’t continue to grow, despite risks in manufacturing. The fallout from the first public impeachment inquiry hearings continues, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying that President Trump’s behavior towards Ukraine is tantamount to bribery - a charge he vehemently denies. And in corporate news, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is upbeat about the future in spite of the ongoing violence in Hong Kong, where it is launching its retail campaign for a $13bn listing.

10/25/19 - Zuckerberg testifies in front of House Finance Committee, Facebook News tab debuts, Tesla 3rd Quarter production, Cybertruck

  Bio Data journalist Meredith Broussard (@merbroussard) is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and the author of “Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.”. Her academic research focuses on artificial intelligence in investigative reporting, with a particular interest in using data analysis for social good. She is also interested in reproducible research issues and is developing methods for preserving innovative digital journalism projects in scholarly archives so that we can read today’s news on tomorrow’s computers. She is an affiliate faculty member at the Moore Sloan Data Science Environment at the NYU Center for Data Science, a 2019 Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, and her work has been supported by the Institute of Museum & Library Services as well as the Tow Center at Columbia Journalism School. A former features editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has also worked as a software developer at AT&T Bell Labs and the MIT Media Lab. Her features and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, and other outlets.  Resources Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World (MIT Press, 2018)   News Roundup New York Daily News: Google trained facial recognition on ‘dark skinned’ homeless people The New York Daily News reports that Google apparently sent out contractors to pay homeless people $5 gift cards to train facial recognition on ‘dark skinned’ homeless people. The revelation comes after several former Google temp workers came forward. Google has acknowledged the program, though, and said its primary goal is to have a diverse and inclusive data set. Better security is also a goal, said the Google spokesperson, because the company is seeking to protect as many people as possible. But the workers took issue with some of the specific tactics they were asked to employ via their staffing agency, Randstad, under the direction of Google.  DNC goes after Facebook for enabling Trump The CEO of the Democratic National Committee, Seema Nanda, went on CNN last week and accused Facebook of catering to Trump by allowing him to “mislead the American people”. The previous week, Facebook refused to remove posts and ads from politicians even if they violate Facebook’s community rules. Also, Scott Lucas of BuzzFeed wrote a piece on Facebook’s growing popularity among older and more conservative voters, and whether Facebook may in fact be Trump’s secret weapon against Democrats in the 2020 election. Sen. Kamala Harris calls on Twitter to suspend Trump In a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Senator Kamala Harris, who is running for president, called on Twitter to suspend Trump’s Twitter account, citing the president’s attempts to “target, harass, and attempt to out” the first Ukraine whistleblower. She also referred to the president’s tweet stating that there would be a Civil War-like fracture, if he’s impeached, saying it was an incitement to violence. The president also referred to the impeachment investigation as a “coup” to which Harris retweeted with a comment saying “Hey Jack … time to do something about this.” But Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom are also running for president, disagreed that Twitter should suspend the president’s Twitter account. The two lawmakers said that “we can’t just cancel or shutdown or silence those who we disagree with or who hold different views or who say things even that we strongly disagree with or abhor.” Court of Appeals upholds the FCC’s net neutrality repeal The DC Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the FCC’s 2017 repeal of the 2015 net neutrality rules. The court sided with the FCC in saying that the internet isn’t a “telecommunications service”. But the court did say, however, that the FCC didn’t make a compelling argument that the FCC preempts state law, clearing the way for states to enact their own net neutrality rules, provided that they don’t undermine the repeal order. The court also said the FCC failed to properly consider the effect the rules would have on public safety, serving the underserved, and a wonky area of telecom law that deals with regulations around how ISPs should attach telecom equipment to existing telephone poles. DHS proposes rule to collect DNA evidence from detained migrants The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would allow the widespread collection of DNA from detained migrants. The Trump administration argues that the effort would aid the U.S. in identifying undocumented individuals. But policy experts cited in Roll Call are concerned that the program is just another way to target people of color.  Tim Cook urges Supreme Court to preserve DACA Tim Cook filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court urging the Court to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood (DACA) arrival program. If the Supreme Court rules against the program, hundreds of thousands of individuals who arrived in the U.S. as children, some of which work at Apple, could face deportation. Google can now recognize 9 “data-scarce” Indian languages Google researchers presented a model that recognizes speech in 9 “data scarce” Indian languages at Interspeech 2019 last week. The researches say the model allows for real-time speech recognition of all of the languages and does so better than other models. The languages include Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Gujarati. Rep. Maxine Waters and House Finance Committee press Zuckerberg to testify The House Financial Services Committee, for which California Representative Maxine Waters serves as chair, is demanding that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testify regarding its plan to introduce its Libra cryptocurrency. The company has planned to send COO Sheryl Sandberg, but the Committee indicated that sending Sandberg is insufficient. Waters has called for Zuckerberg to testify by January. Microsoft reports hacking attempts linked to Iran Microsoft reported a hacking attempt linked to Iran on 2,700 email accounts, of which 241 were successful. Some of the accounts included presidential candidates, according to the Hill, which also noted that an undisclosed source indicated that the Trump campaign was among the targets. The Trump campaign has said that it does not have any evidence of an attack. UPS gets FAA approval for a drone fleet The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved UPS’ plan to operate an unlimited fleet of drones nationwide. The drones are permitted to operate at night, but not yet in populated areas. UPS has not announced plans to train existing drivers to pilot the drones.

Trump exits a meeting on infrastructure with Chuck and Nancy after Pelosi says Trump is engaging in a cover-up. Some states are proposing ridiculous big government laws. The St. Louis Blues are going to the Stanley Cup Final!! Ben Carson had a rough hearing in front of the House Finance Committee. Democrats say men should have no say on whether his future child is aborted. Trump is planning military pardons on Memorial Day. Sean Gallagher, brother of Eddie Gallagher, joins us to discuss his brother's possible pardon from President Trump.

Trump exits a meeting on infrastructure with Chuck and Nancy after Pelosi says Trump is engaging in a cover-up. Some states are proposing ridiculous big government laws. The St. Louis Blues are going to the Stanley Cup Final!! Ben Carson had a rough hearing in front of the House Finance Committee. Democrats say men should have no say on whether his future child is aborted. Trump is planning military pardons on Memorial Day. Sean Gallagher, brother of Eddie Gallagher, joins us to discuss his brother’s possible pardon from President Trump.

Jeff was joined by Representative Dan Ortiz (I - Ketchikan). Ortiz was elected to the House in 2014 after former Representative Peggy Wilson retired. They discuss his history in Ketchikan, including being a teacher at Ketchikan High School, why he decided to run for the Legislature, the Marine Highway System, the shipyard in Ketchikan, the budget and his seat on the House Finance Committee, and other issues facing Alaska. 

Jeff was joined by newly elected Representative Bart LeBon (R - Fairbanks). LeBon ran for the open seat that Scott Kawasaki vacated to run for the Senate. He won the extremely close general election by one vote - 2663-2662! They discuss how he came to Fairbanks to play college basketball, his career in Fairbanks as a banker, why he decided to run for the Legislature, the story about his very close election and how it was not officially decided by the Alaska Supreme Court until early January, as well as the budget and his position on the House Finance Committee.

Jeff was joined by Representative Andy Josephson (D - Anchorage). Josephson was elected to the State House in 2012. They discuss his career as a teacher and lawyer before being in the legislature, his dad, former Senator Joe Josephson, who served in the State House and State Senate, his time in the Legislature, his current seat on the House Finance Committee, the budget, and Alaska's fiscal situation. He also tells the story of how he brought John Henry Heckendorn to Alaska to run his first campaign. 

In our latest episode of the podcast, Pete & Evan go off on a number of fun topics... They begin by dissecting the now Supreme Court Case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association vs. City of New York, and how NYC infringes on New York citizens' constitutional rights. Next, they dive into the implications of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being named to the House Finance Committee under Maxine Waters. Oh boy... Next, they dissect the Covington Catholic High School fiasco that took place after the March For Life event this past Friday. Why is the MSM so biased? They end by diving into a (we kid you not!) porn tax meant to fund the building of a border wall on the Arizona-Mexico border. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, AND LEAVE US A 5 STAR REVIEW! You can find Empire State Conservative Network here: Donate - https://www.empirestateconservativenetwork.com/donate Store - https://www.empirestateconservativenetwork.com/store iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/empire-state-conservatives-podcast/id1441178646 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/empire-state-conservative-network/message

Heatwave Episode! Trapped in a room with no air conditioning with rapidly rising temperatures we talk about the resignation of Anthony Kennedy, a bunch of other bad shit that happened and why if you vote right Maxine Waters will be the head of the House Finance Committee.

Washington Representative Noel Frame from the 36th Legislative District may be new to the State Legislature, but she has years of political experience as a political organizer and activist. She is the Vice Chair of the House Finance Committee, so we get in the weeds on tax reform. We also talk through the McCleary decision and her role as a progressive leader in the Democratic Party.

Marvin Abney joins the Tara Granahan Show to discuss Rep. Teresa Tanzi's comments who said she had been told that sexual favors would allow her bills to go further.

Continuing our in-depth look at K-12 education funding and the McCleary decision, today we're talking to state Rep. Kristine Lytton, D-Anacortes, chairwoman of the House Finance Committee and member of the governor's legislative McCleary workgroup.

School Board Presidents or Designated Board Member Presentations to House Finance Committee - Part 2 of 2

School Board Presidents or Designated Board Member Presentations to House Finance Committee - Part 1 of 2