Legislation before New York state lawmakers would create a new tax break for restaurants that donate oyster shells for environmental conservation. Under the bill, the state would award a 10-cent tax credit for every pound of shells, up to $1,000. Old shells provide vital habitat for new oysters to grow and form new shells. Conservation groups around the country have used old shells for oyster restoration projects. Oysters are noted for their ability to act as natural water filters, improving water quality in polluted areas. One of the bill's sponsors, Democrat Linda Rosenthal of Manhattan, said Monday that the proposal was inspired by the work of local students concerned about protecting the Hudson River. … [Read more...] about State bill would create restaurant tax break for oyster shells
Politics
Philadelphia primary election 2019: Live updates
They’ll be joined by other staffers bringing you stories on philly.com and our social platforms: Chris Brennan, Laura McCrystal, Michaelle Bond, and Justine McDaniel will be tracking the mayoral race. Julia Terruso, William Bender, Craig McCoy, and Maddie Hanna will have all the City Council action. Claudia Vargas will keep you up to date on the sheriff’s race, while Andrew Seidman covers the judicial contests, and Tom Fitzgerald will let you know ballot-measure results. Chris Palmer and Tommy Rowan will have the latest from election court, while TyLisa Johnson, Samantha Melamed, Jesenia De Moya Correa, and Juliana Feliciano Reyes tell you what’s on voters’ minds and bring you other election day updates from around the region. … [Read more...] about Philadelphia primary election 2019: Live updates
Oklahoma House OKs alternate bill on trains blocking traffic
A substitute bill that would authorize local law officers to cite train owners or operators for blocking a road-rail intersection for longer than 10 minutes without good reason cleared Oklahoma’s House of Representatives on Monday. The House approved a version of the measure that came out of a conference committee with a greatly reduced proposed maximum fine by an 82-to-3 vote. Like the bill’s original version, the proposed law would authorize local police, deputy sheriffs and highway patrol troopers to issue citations to train operators for lengthy intersection blockages. But it reduces the maximum fine that could be imposed to $1,000 per violation. Otherwise, its language mirrors existing Oklahoma Corporation Commission rules that require railroads operating in Oklahoma to minimize obstructions for emergency vehicles where possible and to avoid blocking a track-road intersection with a stopped train for longer than 10 minutes. Those rules and the proposed law waive that … [Read more...] about Oklahoma House OKs alternate bill on trains blocking traffic
Social media abuzz over Constitutional carry audits
News headlines and social media have been abuzz lately with videos of people performing First Amendment and Second Amendment audits. Can you tell us a bit more about this trend? It is generally accepted that the First Amendment allows individuals to record videos of public officials in public places. A prime example of this is videos taken by individuals who have been pulled over by the police as a way to ensure their safety. However, most people would agree this is not an “audit.” Rather, a First Amendment audit is better described as the process of seeking out an interaction with either law enforcement or another group of public officials in an effort to assess the legality of the official's response to recording in public places. Performers of Second Amendment audits take these same principles and add a firearm to the mix. More than half the states in the U.S., including Oklahoma, allow individuals to openly carry certain firearms in public places without a permit. In … [Read more...] about Social media abuzz over Constitutional carry audits
Budget has $2M for anti-abortion pregnancy centers
A state budget proposal appropriates $2 million to private entities that encourage women to carry their unborn children to term. The proposed fiscal year 2020 budget would allow the state to allocate money to crisis pregnancy centers — nonprofits that dissuade women from having an abortion. This would be the first time the state has funded such grants since the Oklahoma Legislature made the grants possible when it passed the Choosing Childbirth Act in 2017. In order to be eligible for grant funding, an entity must be a nonprofit that counsels pregnant women with accurate information on the development of unborn children. Per the 2017 act, the nonprofit cannot counsel women to have a non-medically necessary abortion nor can it refer a woman for such an abortion. The line item in the proposed budget, which gives the funding the state Department of Health, stems from House Bill 2592, introduced by Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City. The House Majority Leader’s bill calls for … [Read more...] about Budget has $2M for anti-abortion pregnancy centers