KREKORIAN GENOCIDE BILL ADVANCES
Jason Wells and Zain Shauk
Glendale News Press
09/04/24/politics/gnp-pollandscape24.txt
April 24 2009
CA
A bill that would require California-based companies to certify
that they do not "wrongfully hold" assets that belonged to victims
of genocide advanced to the state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee
on Tuesday.
AB 961, submitted by Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, would also prohibit
companies from contracting with the state if they can’t prove their
compliance. The so-called Justice for Genocide Victims bill unanimously
passed the Business and Professions Committee on Tuesday during the
main week of genocide remembrance events throughout the world.
Krekorian, in a statement released after the vote, cited a range of
massacres — from the Armenian Genocide that started in 1915, to the
ongoing conflict in Darfur — in calling for a continued legislative
crackdown on "homicidal tyrannies."
"This legislation will send an important message by ensuring that
California will not do business with companies that have enriched
themselves at the expense of genocide victims," he said.
The bill is scheduled to go to the Judiciary Committee for review
next week.
School district bill clears Senate hurdle
Legislation that would make permanent a 17-year-old law allowing
parents to send their children to schools outside their home district
unanimously passed the Senate on Monday.
The bill, jointly written by Sen. Bob Huff, whose district includes
portions of La Crescenta, would make the District of Choice program
permanent before it is scheduled to sunset on July 1. Under the
current rules, parents can send their children to outside districts
participating in the program without first getting permission from
their home district.
Typically, families must receive permission to transfer their students
to outside districts since federal and state funding allotments are
based in large part on school attendance, but the current law was
established to allow districts to participate in the transfer program
if they chose.
Huff has pushed the law as "a tool that rewards schools doing a great
job, and motivates other schools to do a better job with our limited
education dollars."
The Assembly Education Committee is due to take up the bill in
coming weeks.
Dreier supports a Reagan statue in D.C.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed
a resolution to bring a statue of former President Ronald Reagan to
the nation’s capital this summer.
Set up to promote the 40th president’s legacy on the 20th anniversary
of the end of his term, was hailed as an appropriate move considering
the parallel economic circumstances now faced by the current president,
Barack Obama.
Speaking from the House floor, Rep. David Dreier said that at the
time, "it was Reagan’s belief in the power of free markets and free
peoples that saw us through the crisis. Today, I remain hopeful that
the Reagan example will be looked to as an inspiration for how to
navigate difficult times."
Dreier voted along mostly party lines against the federal budget this
month, arguing it was too heavy on taxes and promoted out-of-control
government spending.
Antonovich calls for investigation into deaths
Los Angeles County Sup. Michael Antonovich called for an investigation
into the deaths of 14 children who were under the scrutiny of county
child welfare officials last year.
Antonovich’s call came in light of a report in the Los Angeles Times
that the children had died while foster care, even though complaints
had been lodged against their families.
The county Department of Child and Family Services told The Times
that it had opened investigations into 10 of the 14 cases, and that
the child welfare workers involved had been assigned to desk jobs.
Congressional proposal targets truck safety
Truckers, like the one who smashed through a La Cañada Flintridge
bookstore and killed two on April 1, may have an incentive to add
safety devices to their vehicles if a new congressional proposal
gains approval.
Republican Rep. David Dreier has cosponsored a resolution that would
give trucking companies a tax credit for purchasing technologies that
aim to improve safety in truck operations, he said in a statement.
The plan would encourage companies to equip their trucks with brake
stroke monitoring, lane departure warning, collision warning and
vehicle stability systems.
It will also push for more research for truck-specific satellite
navigation systems that might help drivers find the best routes for
their big rigs, Dreier said. Improved technology for trucks could
prevent future accidents, he said.
"The recent accidents in La Cañada Flintridge have brought to
the forefront the gaps in the dissemination of information on road
conditions and safe routes, especially for the trucking industry,"
he said. "We must take steps to prevent these tragic circumstances
from causing any more fatalities in Southern California or anywhere
else in the country."
If passed, the government would offer a 50% tax credit for truck
safety purchases, worth up to $1,500 per individual system. The
credits would be capped at $3,500 per truck and $350,000 per company.
Navigation systems could be an important addition to the list of
products that the incentives would apply to, but more study on the
subject is needed, Dreier said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
