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Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, chairperson of the House Education and Labor Committee

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, chairperson of the House Education and Labor Committee

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to spar over the need for more federal education aid.

How the legislative battle is resolved could have profound consequences for Californias efforts to save its public education system from budget cutbacks, or to keep many school districts from going deep into debtor both.

Last month,Democrats in the House of Representatives voted toapprove the HEROES Act that could result in close to $60 billion in direct emergency aid to schools nationally. However, it would need approval in the U.S. Senate, and there is no indication that the GOP leadership there is ready to consider additional support any time soon. But the Senate is not expected to take up legislation regarding additional funding until sometime in late July at the earliest.

At a hearing on Monday of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, the committee chairperson, said that the experience of the Great Recession makes it essential that Congress approves the additional funding, beyond the $13 billion in K-12 education funding authorized by the CARES Act approved by Congress in the spring.

The lessons from our past makes clear the school districts urgently need more relief, he said, noting that in 2008 Congress provided states nearly three times as much funding as it has approved so far. We cannot put the safety of students, teachers and communities at risk by reopening schools without providing them the resources they need.

However, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, the ranking Republican on the committee, argued vociferously against more funding from Congress. She said there had been no evaluation of how the education aid through the CARES Act has been spent. Her comments underscored Republican opposition to approving additional spending for schools in particular, and for states in general.

Congress must first evaluate the impact of the billions of dollars in federal taxpayer education aid before rushing to further burden taxpayers with additional spending, she said. Demanding additional funds at this time is premature and illogical.

Yet here we are with Democrats pushing taxpayers to dole out more of their hard-earned money at a time when many Americans are being forced to tighten their belts, she said, noting that some schools have not yet spent the funds they received under the CARES Act.

On top of that, she said, money is not a cure-all solution, and it is irresponsible to throw more money at this situation, she said.

Repeating a common argument made by GOP lawmakers, she said that per-pupil education spending has increased over the years but high school seniors arent performing better than they were 30 years ago, glossing over some improvements, including much-improved graduation rates.

Gov. Newsom is hoping to receive billions of dollars more in federal aid for schools in order to offset a projected $6.4 billion reduction in funding for schools, as well as multiple other cuts in his proposed budget for next year. Meanwhile, the state Legislature on Monday approved a budget based on the assumption that California will receive billions of dollars in additional federal aid, and if it doesnt, to allow the state to defer payments of state funds to school districts. That could result, among multiple consequences, in many districts having to borrow money until the state can repay them at a later time.

In his testimony to the committee, Michael Leachman, the vice president for state fiscal policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive nonpartisan research and policy organization, said many school districts have never fully recovered from the effects of the Great Recession. Nationally, schools employed 77,000 fewer staff than before the Great Recession, despite serving 1.5 million more students, he said.

He said states will experience a total of $615 billion in deficit funding over the next three years. Unless school districts receive more in federal aid, he predicted that they will have to lay off more and more teachers and other workers, in addition to other cuts. The impact, he said, would be especially damaging to students of color and low-income students, because they are more likely to attend schools with fewer resources.

The $13 billion in federal education aid Congress approved through the CARES Act, he said, was far too little to meet the extreme fiscal challenges that schools are facing. Even the $60 billion in direct education funding in the Houses HEROES Act, while a significant step in the right direction, on its own it is not enough, he said.

Continued here:
Democrats and Republicans in Congress spar over need for more federal education aid - EdSource

The magical Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.Photo: Getty

In the last year, some big banks have committed to protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska through withholding their investments from the Arctic as a whole. Seems like Alaskas elected officials are pretty pissed about it. In fact, theyve formally made a whole stink about the new environmental policies banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase have rolled out.

In a letter dated June 16, that Politico obtained, Rep. Don Young, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Senator Lisa Murkowski wrote to offices with the Federal Reserve System, Comptroller of the Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation pleading that they do something to stop these banks. It follows a similarly whiny letter on the same topic 36 Republicans sent to the White House last month. But the new letters go further both by begging for action and invoking the benefits oil and gas has had on Alaska Native communities to defend its argument.

This is a bit disingenuous given the role Alaska Natives have played in securing these commitments from banks (though it is true some Alaska Natives do support drilling). The letter goes on to say Arctic oil and gas is the U.S.s way out of this coronavirus-fueled economic slump. Really, though?

Lets back up real quick. The administration opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuges 1.5 million-acre coastal plain to drilling in 2017 under President Donald Trumps dumb ass tax bill. This was despite vocal opposition from the Gwichin Nation, whose members consider the coastal plain sacred. State attorneys general and even nuns also called to not expand drilling. Since then, however, theres been no luck in actually exploring for oil and gas due to regulatory delays and even a lack of ice thats needed for seismic tests to operate safely. (Hello, global warming?)

Its seeming less and less likely that any reasonable company will look to destroy this pristine landscape. After all, where will they secure funding for it? The Alaska Republicans are complaining that banks are staying away from the Arctic due to reputational risk, but its about a lot more than that. Its about banks bottom line. Drilling in the remote Arctic is costly. For many banks, oil and gas projects in this region are just not viable investments anymore, especially when they weigh the environmental risk should something go wrong. These banks are making a sound business decision in staying clear of this region.

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The coronavirus is only accelerating the trend of oil being a bad investment, particularly oil thats costly to dig up and ship. The market is essentially turning rapidly against risky oil. Its funny how Republicans love to tout the value of the free market until it doesnt line up with their interests.

This is nothing more than an ongoing temper tantrum from Republicans upset that banks are recognizing the reality that Arctic drilling is an expensive risk thats not worth taking, Sierra Club senior campaign representative Ben Cushing wrote in a statement to Earther. A growing number of banks are making the obvious business decision to stay away from drilling in the Arctic Refuge because it would threaten their reputation and their bottom line, and no amount of angry letters is going to change that.

Alaska Republicans, however, are in denial. They want to see the world burn I guess. The pandemic offers a rare opportunity for world leaders to completely transform the economy to be less carbon-intensive. This is urgent given the way the climate crisis is already affecting our planet, particularly the rapidly changing Arctic. Though many Alaska Native communities do benefit financially from oil and gas exploration on their lands, theyre also the ones that are set to suffer the most from melting sea ice, thawing permafrost, and other impacts that affect their land and way of life.

However, their representatives in Congress dont mention any of that in this letter. Instead of thinking about the long-term consequences of carbon pollution and damage wrought by drilling, theyre focused on the immediate benefits these communities may reap from the fossil fuel sector. If were talking about immediate concerns, though, what about a potential oil spill? How would that impact the marine resources many of these communities depend on?

The Congress members call this move from banks discriminatory in the letter, similar to what Trump administration officials have said. But whats actually discriminatory is their inaction on a global crisis that will disproportionately harm their constituents.

Original post:
Alaska Republicans Write Whiny Letter in Desperate Effort to Save Arctic Oil and Gas Industry - Gizmodo

HARRISBURG Last fall, more than 2,300 miles from Pennsylvanias Capitol, the top lobbyist for a gaming company seeking a lucrative gambling expansion helped host a fundraiser in Las Vegas for the leading Republican in the state Senate, Joe Scarnati.

The elaborate event was held at the famed Bellagio Hotel and Casino, records show. For tickets ranging in price from $7,500 to $25,000, donors gained access to rounds of golf, a hockey game, and a cocktail hour and dinner at a glitzy restaurant overlooking the Vegas strip.

Several months later, executives from the gaming company, Golden Entertainment, poured thousands of dollars into a campaign committee controlled by Scarnati and close associates.

Now, Scarnati and other top Republicans are working feverishly behind closed doors to whip up votes for a bill that would help Golden and others like it cash in on the next frontier of expanded gambling, potentially worth millions of dollars: video-gaming terminals, known better as VGTs.

In recent days, lobbyists and top Republican leaders have mounted a full-court press to convince rank-and-file senators to vote for ushering in thousands more of the slots-like terminals, according to two legislative sources familiar with the effort.

The behind-the-scenes push, expected to culminate in a Senate vote as soon as Monday, comes as the legislature faces massive challenges, most notably the fallout from a pandemic that has killed 6,361 Pennsylvanians and ravaged the economy, as well as the largest civil rights protests of a generation and demands for systemic overhauls of the police.

But with lawmakers set to soon depart Harrisburg for a summer of campaigning leading up to the November elections and Scarnati set to retire from the Senate the rush is on to expand VGTs. The maneuvering offers a window into the raw intersection of politics and policy-making in Pennsylvania, and how campaign dollars can drive the legislative agenda.

A spokesperson for Scarnati said the senator typically does not respond to inquiries on bills that have yet to see movement.

Calls and emails to Golden Entertainment officials were not returned. Dave Thomas, the lobbyist who heads the Harrisburg-based firm that helped organize Scarnatis Las Vegas fundraiser, declined to comment specifically on the fundraiser or the bill under discussion.

But speaking generally, Thomas said: Giving them money doesnt mean jack.

Campaign records and other documents reviewed by Spotlight PA and The Caucus show that gaming operators and their lobbyists have donated tens of thousands of dollars to legislative leaders and even appear to be drafting the exact language to be used in the expansion bill.

The push for more VGTs has been controversial in a state that has grappled with balancing the rapid expansion of gambling with the need for new revenue. In Pennsylvania, casino gambling was legalized in 2004. Since then, lawmakers have vastly expanded the types of games people can play and where they can play them. That includes VGTs.

They were first approved on a limited basis in late 2017 as part of a hard-fought budget deal between Gov. Tom Wolf and Republicans, who control both legislative chambers. That agreement which also legalized online gambling and authorized new mini-casinos around the state permitted VGTs, but only at truck stops.

There are now 135 terminals at 27 truck stops across the state.

The proposal now being championed by Scarnati and other top Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre), would allow those machines in bars, taverns, social clubs, and other venues with liquor licenses, vastly expanding their reach and profits.

Under current law, truck stops brought in nearly $6 million in VGT revenues in the most recent fiscal year. The state takes a 42% cut, and the host municipality another 10%. The steep taxes, however, are indicative of just how lucrative the machines are for operators.

Separately, the proposal also seeks to regulate and tax so-called skill game machines for the first time, which currently are in thousands of venues across the state, including gas stations. That proposal also has powerful and deep-pocketed interests for and against it.

In an interview Thursday, Corman confirmed there is a push to expand VGTs, which he said could raise money to offset property taxes for seniors.

Beyond that, supporters believe expanding VGTs and taxing them will help rake in revenue, not just for the state, but for many small bars whose business has been ravaged by the coronavirus. Detractors counter that the state already has too much gambling. The states casinos also fiercely oppose the proposal because they believe it will cut into their earnings.

We are shocked and alarmed by the persistent speculation that the General Assembly is considering an expansion of gaming to include both broad-based VGT gambling throughout communities and the legalization of currently illegal skill game slot machines that are being operated outside of our facilities, 13 licensed casino owners and operators wrote in a letter this week to legislative leaders. The legislature determined that such broad-based gaming expansion would have had a devastating impact on both Pennsylvanias casinos and the Pennsylvania Lottery. This is even more true today.

One legislative aide, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said some senators were surprised at the push given the legislature is wrestling with bills related to the states coronavirus response and measures to improve police oversight.

As of late Thursday, there did not appear to be a draft of an actual bill. But proposed language written by a lobbyist for the trade association representing gaming operators of VGTs including Golden Entertainment was making the rounds inside the Capitol.

In a statement, Jeff Sheridan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Video Gaming Association, did not address why the trade groups lobbyist had drafted the language, or to whom it was circulated.

Instead, he reiterated the associations support for the expansion and said it would benefit small businesses as they recover from the greatest economic and health crisis in our lifetimes.

The association and its members have pushed hard for placing VGTs beyond truck stops. And gaming operators, their executives, and their lobbyists have also contributed thousands of dollars to campaigns of key decision-makers in the Capitol.

One of the biggest beneficiaries was a campaign committee run by Scarnati.

In a series of stories last year on how some lawmakers are able to hide campaign expenses in their public disclosures, Spotlight PA and The Caucus reported that Scarnati and his campaign advisors began fundraising with casino executives in Las Vegas in May 2018.

According to newly obtained campaign receipts, Scarnati, his wife Amy, and his former chief of staff returned to Las Vegas last October. Almost all of the receipts totaling $1,757 for their flights and some meals between Oct. 16 and 19 have handwritten notes indicating they were for a DT event or DT fundraiser.

DT refers to Dave Thomas, the lobbyist for Golden Entertainment and a one-time top House and Senate lawyer. Campaign finance records show Thomas also does campaign work for Scarnati. In the months leading up to the October 2019 fundraiser, for instance, Scarnatis campaign paid The DT Firm $60,000 for consulting services.

According to a copy of the invitation for the fundraiser obtained by the news organizations, the event was a private reception supporting Scarnati that spanned several days. It was held during the same week of the 2019 Global Gaming Expo, which is North Americas largest gaming trade event. It asked guests to RSVP to The DT Firm, and make checks payable to Scarnatis campaign.

Check-in was at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on Oct. 17, followed by a hockey game between the Ottawa Senators and the Vegas Golden Knights. The next day included a round of golf at the Cascata Golf Club and dinner that evening at Top of the World, a restaurant in The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod located more than 800 feet above the Las Vegas strip that offers panoramic views as it revolves 360 degrees every 80 minutes.

The STRAT hotel and casino is owned by Golden Entertainment, according to its website.

This year, in the waning days of the primary election, four top executives at Golden Entertainment contributed a total of $42,500 to a political action committee run by Scarnati and his close associates called Citizens for a Better Pennsylvania.

Those were the only donations the committee which had $581,600 in the bank at the start of 2020 received all year. They came as Scarnati spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prop up the failed campaign of his hand-picked successor in Jefferson County, Herm Suplizio.

Most of Scarnatis spending was to pay The DT Firm, which then paid for advertising related to Suplizios campaign.

It is not clear when Thomas firm began doing paid campaign work in addition to lobbying, a practice that has been criticized by good government advocates as blurring the lines between politics and policy-making, and between lobbyists and elected officials.

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/Patriot-News and other Pennsylvania reporting organizations. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

Original post:
Top Pa. Republican is fast-tracking a lucrative gambling expansion that would benefit a major campaign donor - Bradford Era

This article is part of an ongoing TimesOC series about young politicians in Orange County. As a new generation is politically activated in the wake of the recent youth-driven protests, young O.C. politicians share insights about their paths in local government.

When Jeremy Yamaguchi was first elected into the Placentia City Council in 2008 at age 19, he became the youngest elected official in the city, county, and possibly the state. Same for when he became mayor at age 22.

But Yamaguchi, now 31, had been accompanying his parents as they volunteered for various city commissions since he was 10. His mother was involved in the neighborhood watch and the committee that plans the annual Placentia Heritage Day Parade.

By the age of 18, I had attended more city committee meetings than most people have attended in their lifetimes, he said.

A fourth-generation Japanese American, Yamaguchi said previous generations of his family relocated from Los Angeles to O.C. for opportunities in businesses and the aerospace industry.

His grandfather grew up in Los Angeles Terminal Island community before being sent to the Manzanar internment camp in the 1940s in reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He graduated high school in the camp and later joined the 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed almost entirely of second-generation Japanese Americans who volunteered to fight during World War II.

Yamaguchi is also the third generation of his family to work at Disneyland. His grandfather had an industrial-installation company that set up refineries, steam boilers and submarines at Disneyland, and hed pay his middle-school grandson to work in the Anaheim warehouse.

Yamaguchis dad, a retired sergeant of the Placentia Police Department, worked in food service at Disneyland, while his mom worked at the Main Street souvenir shops.

Placentia City Council members get paid $150 a month, so as his day job, Yamaguchi works in sound production. He has worked on live events for Disneyland, including its Christmas parade, marathon and recently the grand opening event for Star Wars Land, with the Placentia-based company Audiowest.

During the pandemic, he has pivoted to helping churches and other companies set up to livestream their services.

Yamaguchi started his own production company, Eagle Multimedia, in his senior year at El Dorado High School, right after he got his Eagle Scout award.

It was the Eagle Scouts that gave him the confidence to run for office where he received the highest total vote count before he had even completed his degree in political science at Cal State Fullerton.

In 2008, Jeremy Yamaguchi, 19 at the time, greets attendees at a Placentia Chamber of Commerce event, after being elected to the Placentia City Council.

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

In high school, he was a representative for the Southern California division of the Boy Scouts, which spanned from Bakersfield to San Diego, and he was on the board of directors for the Boy Scouts of America Orange County Council. Trained in executive-style leadership, he was comfortable running business meetings and reporting up to the state and national levels.

When he first joined the council, Placentia had lost millions of dollars on a failed railroad project, which resulted in indictments against former city officials charged with violating conflict-of-interest laws and put the city on the brink of bankruptcy.

Twelve years later, Yamaguchi feels the five council members work well together and have the best interests of the city at hand.

Protesters gather at Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach on June 5. In the last few weeks, there have been peaceful protests across Orange County, including one in Placentia on June 6.

(Raul Roa/Staff Photographer)

Earlier this month, as protests against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis spread to Orange County, Yamaguchi was frustrated by what he called the disproportionate attention the media paid to the rioting and looting.

Thats disheartening and frustrating to me, not only because of the victims of that who have to go back and pick up the pieces of their business on top of dealing with COVID-19 but also because the attention isnt going to the protesters being peaceful and exercising their 1st amendment rights, Yamaguchi said.

He said that at the June 6 protest in Placentia, the police didnt need to intervene. If anything, he saw demonstrators self-policing themselves, when anyone got too rowdy, and the police officers helping the marchers walk into roadways safely.

If somebody says there isnt room for improvement, theyre being naive, Yamaguchi said. At the very least, all elected officials and representatives of the government should take this moment in time to take pause and reflect on where weve come, where we are now and how can we make it even better? The cities that are open-minded are the ones showing the best leadership.

Placentias police budget is about 35% of the citys total, and Yamaguchi said that their officers are among the lower-compensated in the county.

Yet, despite having three gangs in Little Placentia, he said crime rates are low, which he attributes to their community policing, nonprofit groups and community centers that provide after school programs.

For those protesting, many of them youth interested in advocating for political change, Yamaguchi recommends nailing down a unified message and drafting an action plan.

Anyone can point out a problem, he said. But its the doers and thinkers that can come up with solutions and present them in a way that can work for public agencies.

Placentia Councilman Jeremy Yamaguchi speaks at a ceremony in 2012 when the traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall was displayed in the citys Tri-City Park.

(Courtesy of Jeremy Yamaguchi)

For young Placentia locals, he recommends applying for the citys Recycle Teen Team, an annual program he participated in back in the mid 2000s when it first started.

The members advocate for environmental sustainability in the community, attend commission and committee meetings and learn about how City Hall works.

While his own journey in politics has been relatively smooth, he acknowledges that age discrimination is an issue in government.

Republicans probably wont like me saying this, but the Republicans eat their own, especially in O.C., Yamaguchi said. And its unfortunate that they dont have a more inclusive environment.

Ive been on the receiving end of that energy coming from the Republican Party both at state level and county level, and until they wake up and realize that, theyre going to continue to see their numbers dwindle and their support stagnate.

He points to how difficult it is to get an endorsement as a Republican if youve ever voted for a tax increase or if youve ever taken money from unions. Yamaguchi himself recently voted for a tax increase in Placentia because he felt the city wasnt getting its fair share of revenue coming from online sales.

In that process, theyre in essence fighting conservatives and moderates from getting into office, he said.

He feels that his experience speaks for itself. At this point, he is the most tenured council member in Placentia.

And because Placentia recently voted to change their elections to voting by district, the term limits have been reset. This means that while he would have been capped at three consecutive terms of office its now possible for Yamaguchi to serve for another 12 years representing a specific district of Placentia.

Earlier in his political career, others encouraged him to run for higher office, and he even interned at a state senators office.

But after much soul searching, and especially now that he has a 2-year-old daughter at home, he wants to stay in local politics.

Its not everybodys cup of tea, Yamaguchi said. Its definitely a labor of love.

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12 years in office, Jeremy Yamaguchi still sees resistance from the Republican Party toward young politicians - Los Angeles Times

Cries of defund the police and abolish the police made their way to New York States legislators, who responded with legislation aimed at reforming the police. One of the most popular bills proposed, known as the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act, would make it a Class-C felony for a police officer to use a chokehold or similar restraint. The bill passed in the New York State Assembly 140-3, and passed unanimously in the New York State Senate.

One of those three no votes came from District 9 Assemblyman Mike LiPetri of Massapequa.

I understand the gravity of the situations that have unfolded, but we must remember that the heroes that protect our communities day in and day out also put their lives on the line every day, LiPetri said when explaining his vote to his fellow lawmakers in a speech. Officers must have all the tools available throughout the state to deter that criminal from hurting law-abiding Americans. The last thing I want to do is to disarm our police officers and put them at a disadvantage against a criminal.

On Twitter, LiPetri added that instead of legislating tactical decisions, we should focus on improving training, supervision and increasing our community policing efforts to solve the problems we face as Americans.

In speaking about the vote to a reporter from Anton Media Group, LiPetri continually referenced his need to do what he felt was the right thing instead of being P.C.

The bills namesake, Eric Garner, was choked to death by an NYPD officer who placed him in a chokehold while arresting him on suspicion of selling loose cigarettes, even though the NYPD banned the use of chokeholds by its officers in 1993.

Garner was 34 when he died. Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide.

LiPetri is currently seeking the Republican nomination to succeed Peter King as the congressman for New Yorks Second Congressional District. He is running against fellow Republican assemblyman Andrew Garbarino, who to this point has secured the lions share of endorsements from Long Islands Republicans, including Kings.

LiPetri has campaigned in part on a promise to support law enforcement. Prior to entering politics, LiPetri served as a defense attorney for New York City, in which capacity he said he defended the NYPD in civil suits.

As an attorney, Mike has worked with law enforcement and emergency services providers, LiPetris biography page on the assemblys website reads. Understanding their commitment to our neighborhoods and their unwavering service, Mike will continue to advocate on their behalf and take steps to provide additional resources to help curtail the proliferation of heroin and other opioids in communities across the state.

Original post:
Nassau Republican One Of Only Three To Vote No On Chokehold Ban - Glen Cove Record Pilot