An $88.1 billion state operating budget cleared an Ohio House panel Tuesday with over $200 million in income tax cuts that majority Republicans say would help the middle class, increased eligibility for vouchers to help students attend private schools, and provisions to help ensure higher wages for some teachers and health care workers.

The two-year funding proposal passed the House Finance Committee with bipartisan support, and the full Republican-led House is expected to vote on it Wednesday.

House lawmakers’ biggest changes to GOP Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget proposal included adding over $200 million in income tax cuts by consolidating the two lowest tax brackets and lowering the rate for that new lowest bracket, to 2.75% for those making between $26,050 and $92,150. They also cut a $2,500 child tax deduction DeWine proposed.

The House version of the budget would continue efforts to implement a fairer, more reliable school funding formula from the last two-year budget, but factor in updated costs for expenses such as teacher salaries, transportation and technology needs, adding another $1 billion-plus to the state’s allocations for public education over the next two fiscal years. That’s a win for Democrats, whose priorities for the budget included getting more funding for public schools, said Cleveland-area Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, the top Democrat on the House Finance Committee.

Additionally, legislators upped eligibility for private school vouchers through the state’s EdChoice scholarship program. The governor proposed expanding eligibility to those at up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or $111,000 for a family of four, while the House plan sets that at 450%, or $135,000 for a family of four.

The House proposal also would require the Ohio Department of Education to conduct a performance comparison study between children at public schools and children participating in EdChoice — a bipartisan measure.

Other education provisions from the House are aimed at stopping students from having to repeat a grade under what’s known as the Third Grade Reading Guarantee; calling for a comprehensive study on the needs of ‘economically disadvantaged students;’ and raising the minimum teacher salary from $30,000 to $40,000.

In-home health care workers providing services through Medicaid could also see a wage increase from $16 to $18 under the proposal, something advocates say is desperately needed to boost recruitment into that workforce to meet demand.

The proposal also bans TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps from state computers and other electronic devices, in line with DeWine’s earlier executive order on the subject.

House Finance Chair Rep. Jay Edwards, a Nelsonville Republican, said he’s satisfied with the way the budget turned out, and that while not everyone on both sides of the aisle is completely happy, the committee ‘landed in a really good spot.’

While the latest version of the budget maintains much of DeWine’s wish list from his State of the State address, the House nixed several of his proposals, including a ban on flavored tobacco products; a $5,000 scholarship incentive for high school students in the top 5% of their classes to attend in-state universities; making failure to wear a seatbelt a primary offense; and the creation of the State of Ohio Action Resiliency network to conduct studies on mental health of Ohioans.

The House also reduced the All Ohio Future Fund from $2.5 billion to $500 million to invest in large economic development sites across the state.

And the House added a provision aimed at helping survivors of sexual assault and other ‘sexually oriented’ offenses get more access to the information obtained from a rape kit, such as whether DNA was found and whether that DNA matches someone in a state or federal database.

Once it clears the House, the budget would next head to the GOP-led Senate for consideration. Lawmakers must pass it by June 30.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a former two-time presidential candidate, said Tuesday he would forego a third run for the White House and would instead endorse President Biden’s re-election bid, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Biden announced earlier in the day that he would be seeking a second term despite polls showing a majority of Americans, and Democrats, don’t want him to run again.

According to the report, Sanders said he would ‘do everything I can to see the president is reelected,’ and warned against a victory by former President Trump or another Republican.

‘The last thing this country needs is a Donald Trump or some other right-wing demagogue who is going to try to undermine American democracy or take away a woman’s right to choose, or not address the crisis of gun violence, or racism, sexism or homophobia,’ Sanders reportedly said. ‘So, I’m in to do what I can to make sure that the president is reelected.’

Sanders predicted Biden would ultimately be the Democratic nominee on Election Day, and said he thought his job, and the job of the progressive movement, was ‘to make certain that [Biden] stands up and fights for the working class of this country and does not take anything for granted.’

Sanders, a socialist who has served in Congress for decades as a member of both the House and Senate, was the runner-up for the Democratic presidential nominations in both 2016 and 2020, and has commanded a large following among the progressive wing of the Democratic Party since entering the national stage.

The 81-year-old will likely never run for president again, given his age, but said it was ‘a wonderful privilege’ to have run when he did.

The Biden administration is warning migrants that entering the U.S. illegally ‘will result in removal’ — just as there are renewed concerns about a massive surge in numbers at the southern border once the Title 42 public health order ends on May 11.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was promoting its CBP One app — which allows migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry to request entry into the U.S. It is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to promote what it says is ‘orderly’ migration at the southern border.

‘CBP One is ready to use and makes the process better,’ the agency said in a tweet. ‘Illegal entry will result in removal.’

So far, illegal entry has not necessarily resulted in removal for those who enter the country illegally. While many are returned currently due to the Title 42 order — which allows for the rapid removal of migrants at the border due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — not all who enter illegally have been returned via the order.

CBP statistics show that only about 46% of migrant encounters at the border resulted in a Title 42 expulsion. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified to Senate lawmakers last week that of the nearly 1.3 million migrants in FY 2022 who were processed via Title 8, only about 360,000 were deported.

The rest would be placed into immigration removal proceedings and released into the U.S. pending their hearings — which can take years. Deportations, meanwhile, have plummeted under the Biden administration.

However, the administration is also preparing for a tougher asylum rule to come into effect in the coming days ahead of the end of Title 42 on May 11, when the order ends along with the COVID-19 public health emergency.

That rule will bar migrants from being eligible to claim asylum if they have crossed into the U.S. illegally, have not scheduled an appointment via the CBP One app and have not claimed asylum in a country through which they previously passed. 

Mayorkas has emphasized, in the face of criticism from left-wing activists, that the presumption of ineligibility is rebuttable and that there are exceptions. Unaccompanied children will be exempt, and there would be other factors that could rebut the presumption, including an acute medical emergency, being a trafficking victim, and facing an ‘extreme and imminent’ threat to life or safety. But all others would be presumed to be ineligible and therefore removable.

Activists have blasted the rule as inhumane, while immigration hawks have expressed skepticism about how the rule will be implemented and how broad the exceptions will be when applied.

But the warning from CBP marks the latest in increasingly tougher rhetoric from the administration ahead of the end of Title 42. Officials have feared that the end of Title 42 will bring a new wave of migration as migrants believe that they are more likely to be released into the U.S.

CBP recently put out messages in English and Spanish warning that the border ‘is not open’ as part of an effort to deter migrants from crossing into the U.S. The administration, more broadly, has paused a major asylum shakeup while also beginning a program to hold credible fear hearings in CBP facilities.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders were looking at ways to crack down on illicit pot shops threatening the state’s fledgling legal market for recreational marijuana as part of negotiations on the overdue budget.

Hochul, a Democrat, told reporters at the state Capitol on Tuesday that she expected the budget negotiations to wrap up soon. It was due April 1.

‘Its been a long process,’ she said. ‘I do see a path to ramp up the state budget, perhaps as early as the end of this week.’

Hundreds of unauthorized pot shops have opened in New York City — competing with legal dispensaries whose products are heavily taxed. The illicit stores and trucks have been multiplying even as New York slowly works to get its legal market established.

Hochul said she wants to give state tax officials and the Office of Cannabis Management enforcement tools to shut down or fine illegal pot shops, a proposal outlined in a bill she unveiled last month.

‘We are trying so hard to stand up to the illegal industry. This is not easy to do. But when you set up these businesses to fail already because of illegal competition, we have to take some dramatic steps now,’ Hochul said.

Legislators missed the deadline for adopting a state budget in part because of disagreements over the governor’s proposals to change bail rules and her ambitious plan to spur the creation of 800,000 new homes statewide over the next ten years. It’s common in New York for policy issues to be included in state budgets.

Hochul’s housing plan was ejected from the budget amid opposition from suburban lawmakers concerned about local zoning mandates. Hochul said she will push some of her plan’s elements this legislative session after the budget is passed.

Hochul’s proposed budget includes a change to the current bail law to give judges greater discretion by removing the ‘least restrictive means’ standard to ensure a defendant returns to court. Hochul describes it as a clarification of guidelines, but liberal lawmakers have resisted further changes to the state’s bail law.

Hochul declined to comment on whether an agreement had been reached on bail, but said she is ‘satisfied with where we are today.’

They called them ‘green on green’ attacks in Afghanistan. That’s when Afghan police fought with local military troops.  

On Capitol Hill recently, it was ‘Green on Greene.’

‘Green’ is Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. ‘Greene’ is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

And late last week, ‘Green’ finally had enough of ‘Greene’ during a hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

You may not have heard much about Mayorkas’s testimony because of a parliamentary kerfuffle.

It started when it was Greene’s time to pose questions to Mayorkas, just seconds after Rep. Eric Swalwell, R-Calif., concluded his questions. Swalwell burned some of his time asking about GOP demands to slash funding for the FBI.

With a smile, Greene looked across the dais at Swalwell.

‘That was quite entertaining for someone that had a sexual relationship with a Chinese spy. And everyone knows it,’ said Greene, flashing her teeth, voice dripping with sarcasm.

That’s long been a right-wing charge against Swalwell, but no one’s ever substantiated the claim.

Several years ago, Chinese intelligence operative Fang Fang targeted American politicians. Fang assisted in fundraising efforts for Swalwell in 2014. Swalwell’s office says he reported information about Fang to the FBI and cut off ties with her. The FBI put Fang under surveillance and presented Swalwell with a ‘defensive’ briefing about Fang.

After Greene’s imputation, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., immediately moved ‘take her words down.’

The ‘taking down of words’ on the House floor or in committee is the equivalent of a parliamentary indictment. A Member might flag the conduct or ‘words’ of a fellow Member of not comporting with the rules of the House, engaging with appropriate decorum, bringing dishonor on the body or impugning the motives or character of a fellow lawmaker.

‘Completely inappropriate!’ shouted Goldman.

Mark Green halted the hearing immediately.

The full House or committee then reviews the language in question. If they violated the rules, the offending Member is then given an opportunity to retract them and continue.

But Greene wasn’t having it.

Green asked Greene if she would retract her broadside directed Swalwell.

‘No, I will not,’ replied Greene.

Despite the weight of such a shocking allegation — uttered by one lawmaker and directed toward another at a public hearing — the committee voted that Greene’s conduct was appropriate. That meant Greene could continue to speak. The panel would have silenced Greene for the remainder of the day had they deemed her philippic out of order. It’s kind of like a player getting ejected from a baseball game. They can’t play the rest of the day.

So, Greene remained on the field.

Note that House Democrats who in the majority two years ago voted to remove Greene from her committee assignments because of her conduct.

‘I don’t think there’s any question about what the gentle lady has said (is improper),’ lamented Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the panel. ‘We have never had an accusation made of any member like that and I’m appalled by it. We all ought to be embarrassed by it.’

Since the committee didn’t sanction Greene, she appeared emboldened and tore into Mayorkas.

‘How many more people do we have to watch die every single day in America?’ Greene said to Mayorkas, slapping the dais multiple times with an open palm. ‘You are a liar!’

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Tex., found himself sitting in for Green, chairing the committee. That’s when Thompson raised issues to McCaul about Greene excoriating Mayorkas.

‘You don’t have to call a witness a liar,’ said Thompson.

He also asked that the committee again ‘take down’ Greene’s words

‘We’ve gotten to the point that the language is not the kind of language that this committee would use,’ said Thompson.

McCaul again offered Greene the option of withdrawing her incendiary accusations.

‘I will not withdraw my remarks because the facts show the proof,’ said defiant Greene.

‘Okay,’ said a resigned McCaul. By that point, Chairman Mark Green returned to oversee the hearing.

‘The rules state that it’s pretty clear that you can’t impugn someone’s character,’ said the chairman. ‘Identifying someone or calling someone a liar is unacceptable in this committee. And I make the ruling that we strike those words.’

With that, Green rapped the gavel. That censored Greene’s charges directed at Mayorkas and banished her from further questioning for the remainder of the hearing.

Goldman sought clarification from the chairman as to what just unfolded. But Greene interrupted.

‘Personal inquiry?’ requested Greene, her tone shallow compared to her verbal fusillade fired at Mayorkas earlier. ‘Point of personal inquiry?

‘There is no such thing,’ responded Goldman — which is accurate when it comes to House regulations.

‘In consulting the rules of the House, when we strike (words), it does terminate the time of the individual who was speaking,’ said Green. ‘So the gentle lady is no longer recognized.’

Green then turned over the floor to Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., to question Mayorkas.

However, Ivey and Goldman then sought clarification about Green’s decision to suspend Greene from speaking.

The chairman announced that, according to the rules of the House, a member may accuse someone of ‘lying.’ But you cannot call them ‘a liar.’ That’s because Clause 1 and Clause 4 of House Rule XVII prohibits attacking someone’s character and motive.

But Ivey wasn’t satisfied even though Green bounced the Georgia Republican from the hearing.

‘I can’t imagine an allegation worse than the one she just made,’ argued Ivey.

‘It does not fit the rules by the ruling of the chair,’ said Green. ‘We have the secretary until about 1:30 and we’re going to move on.’

And therein lies the rub about Greene attacking Mayorkas — whether he deserves criticism or not.

A cadre of House Republicans hope to impeach Mayorkas. Mark Green suggested that the hearing was part of a process to provide a ‘packet’ to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, about Mayorkas’s record. It would then be up to Jordan to launch an impeachment inquiry into Mayorkas. It’s far from clear whether the Judiciary Committee has the votes to prepare articles of impeachment for Mayorkas. It’s even less clear that Republicans would ever try to impeach Mayorkas on the floor because of the narrow GOP majority. Republicans would likely lack the votes.

The chairman said he was going to speak to Greene about her conduct. Other Republicans signaled while they lost no love for Mayorkas, they didn’t appreciate Greene’s lack of civility.

There wasn’t a lot of news coverage about Mayorkas’s testimony or problems at the border. That’s because in the social media age, the loudest voices command the most attention. It’s often volume over substance.

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green and Republicans on that panel wanted to explore Mayorkas’s record about the border last week. There was certainly some of that.

But Greene’s performance sidetracked that conversation.

Mark Green may have eventually silenced Marjorie Taylor Greene in the hearing. But she was far from silent. People may not have heard about Mayorkas. But they certainly heard about Greene.

Georgia is creating a $750,000 grant program to support mental health programs for military service members, veterans and their families through a law signed Tuesday by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Georgia’s Department of Veterans Service will offer grants to nonprofit groups to provide mental health and addiction services to those groups under House Bill 414.

The Republican Kemp told a group of lawmakers and veterans at a state Capitol ceremony in Atlanta that the effort is modeled on a clinic in Hinesville, near Fort Stewart, that opened last year. The Cohen Family Clinic provides free services to military members, veterans and their families and is run by Aspire Health Partners. The Florida-based nonprofit runs a similar clinic in Tampa.

‘For far too long, many of those who have sacrificed so much for freedoms have struggled with mental health challenges in silence,’ Kemp said Tuesday. ‘Whether due to the stigma, or lack of resources, or any number of other obstacles, these heroes have been unable to receive the help they need and deserve.’

To win a grant, an applicant must show that it uses evidence-based practices, trains staff members to understand the military, and connects clients to other mental health services upon discharge. Priority will be given to locations within 50 miles of a military base.

Applications for grants are supposed to be available soon.

Kemp on Tuesday also signed Senate Bill 21, which overhauls the board of the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation, and House Bill 175, which creates a retired military license plate and allows disabled veterans to exempt their vehicle from taxation even if they don’t use the current disabled veteran plate.

Indiana Republican state Senators signaled their final approval Tuesday of a bill that would remove the requirement for administrators to discuss some topics with a teachers union representative, a proposal educators across the state have denounced as an avenue to strip their negotiating power.

Proponents of the Senate bill have called the legislation a ‘deregulation bill’ that would better allow non-union teachers to discuss issues like curriculum, student discipline and class size.

Bill author Republican Sen. Linda Rogers said Tuesday the bill is ‘all about flexibility’ for teachers and school administrators.

‘This bill treats educators as the professionals they are,’ Rogers said before the 27-23 vote. ‘We cannot continue to embrace outdated mandates.’

Indiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature has restricted teacher union contract negotiations over the past decade, leaving negotiations solely to cover pay and benefits, such as health care coverage, and prohibiting those contracts from covering any other subjects.

The bill does not remove the requirement for school administrators to negotiate these contract topics with a teachers union representative. But critics of the proposal have said that if discussions, outside of the contract, about day-to-day issues at school are not required, student learning environments and teacher working conditions could worsen.

Indiana teachers clad in red shirts, holding signs protesting the Senate bill, filled the Statehouse hallways last week, on the day the state House advanced the bill. With Tuesday’s approval, however, the bill goes to the desk of GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb.

‘I think one thing has been very clear throughout this session, and that is, teachers are not willing to hesitate to let their voices be heard,’ Democratic Sen. Shelli Yoder said Tuesday. ‘We have heard them, and they oppose this.’

Several Republicans joined all 10 Democrats in voting against the bill, including GOP Sen. Michael Young, who argued the bill would prohibit administrators from listening to teachers’ concerns about school safety.

‘If I was a teacher, I’d like to have the opportunity to speak to my administration about those issues,’ Young said. ‘And I think that’s legitimate to do.’

Indiana State Teachers Association President Keith Gambill called for Holcomb to veto the bill, saying lawmakers ‘ignored the impassioned pleas of our state’s teachers’ in approving it.

‘This brazen act of disregard for the educators who tirelessly serve our students is unacceptable,’ Gambill said in a statement.