#Senate Bill 1349

[pscottm]

Bills to require instruction of communism in schools move in the FL Legislature with some changes | News From The States

Proposals to extend instruction about the dangers of communism to kindergarteners are moving forward in the Florida Legislature, but lawmakers have dropped some inflammatory language about topics they want students to learn about.

Both the House and Senate bills, HB 1349 and SB 1264, would establish a task force to create curricula for K-12 public schools on the history of communism, to be taught starting in the 2026-27 school year.

The proposals have fostered tense debate between Republicans and Democrats in committee meetings. North Florida Republican Rep. Chuck Brannan, one of the House sponsors, deleted from his bill the term “cultural Marxism,” which alt-right groups have used to describe a conspiracy theory describing a group of Jewish scholars in Germany who hoped to weaken Western society.

[eastcountytoday]

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Prepare to Place Half-Cent Sales Tax on November Ballot

On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to have staff bring back an Ordinance after receiving polling data on a potential 0.5% sales tax increase measure that would be on the November 2020 ballot aimed at raising $81 million annually for the county.

The sales tax revenue would help fund community health centers; provide timely fire and emergency response; support crucial…

[ustribunenews-blog]

Republican Senator, 3rd Class John Thune introduce new bill S.1349 in the Senate

Republican Senator, 3rd Class John Thune introduce new bill S.1349 in the Senate

New bill introduced: A bill to expand enrollment in TSA PreCheck to expedite commercial travel screening and improve airport security.

Republican Senator John Thune from the state of SD, along with just one cosponsor, introduced bill S.1349 on May 07, 2019.

There are currently no amendments. So far none of the bill’s cosponsors has withdrawn their support.

Read this bill online

John Thune Short…

[wxxv-tv]

Teacher Pay increase passed

Teacher Pay increase passed

Teachers in Mississippi are one step closer to an increase in pay.

On Thursday, the House Education Committee passed House Bill 1349 which proposes a $500 pay increase for teachers over each of the next two years. The pay increase would bump the starting salary of teachers with a bachelor’s degree from $34,390 to $35,390 starting July 1st, 2020.

Senator Philip Moran tells News 25 that while…

[caseinpoints]

Dominion invests more than $800 million in Virginia solar power

Dominion is investing more than $800 million in solar power in Virginia, with much of it being built at little or no cost to most customers. Additional solar projects are now in the planning stages.

“Our company has made a major commitment to develop significant blocks of solar generation to meet customers’ energy needs going forward,” said Paul Koonce, CEO of power generation at Dominion Energy. “Our goal is to have a balanced generating portfolio that is highly reliable, cost effective and environmentally responsible. The cost of energy powered by the sun is coming down and we are working hard to develop projects in new and economical ways for our customers.”

Some 398 megawatts of solar generation have either been completed or are under development throughout much of Virginia–enough to power 100,000 homes. Most of the development and construction costs will be borne by specific contractual customers such as large business and government.

In February 2015, Dominion committed to developing 400 megawatts of large-scale solar generation facilities in Virginia and placing them in service by 2020. Additionally, legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2015 found that development by Virginia utilities of up to 500 megawatts of solar projects in the state was “in the public interest.”

“We are well ahead of schedule on the solar expansion and what we have added so far will have a very minimal impact on the price of electricity for the 2.5 million regulated customers we serve in Virginia,” Koonce said.

The Corporate Clean Energy Procurement Index, in partnership with the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Information Technology Council, recently ranked Virginia among the top 20 states for solar power and in the top three for utility clean energy purchasing options.

More than 80% of the cost of the facilities is being covered by large business and government customers, including the Commonwealth of Virginia and the University of Virginia, who signed long-term contracts with Dominion to develop the generation.

In addition to building larger solar-powered units, Dominion’s Solar Partnership Program has placed company-owned solar panels on leased rooftops and grounds of government and business properties throughout its Virginia service area. Ten of these facilities have been installed at sites including Canon in Gloucester, Old Dominion University in Norfolk and Capital One in Chester.

The Commonwealth’s commitment to 500 megawatts of large-scale solar development by 2020 was included in Senate Bill 1349, passed by the General Assembly in February 2015. SB 1349 froze the company’s base rates–making up about 60 percent of the typical residential bill–at 2015 levels for five years. This helped provide price stability for customers as the company deals with complex federal air quality regulations, including those limiting power station carbon dioxide emissions.

The bill also directed utilities to provide more assistance to low income, elderly and disabled customers. In response, Dominion dramatically expanded EnergyShare, the company’s energy assistance program for customers in need. The company committed $57 million in additional funding for EnergyShare over five years. More than 20,000 families and individuals have received assistance since the expanded program began in September 2015.

News item from Dominion

Solar Power World