N.C. Bill Would Punish Sanctuary Cities and Universities
Supporters of detained 19-year-old Wildin Acosta participate in an immigration rally in Durham, North Carolina in 2016. Gerry Broome / AP Photo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: A plan in Arizona to set a higher bar for ballot initiatives; NTSB says parade accidents are almost always preventable; and good news for New Jersey’s bald eagles.
SANCTUARY CITIES | North Carolina state Sen. Norman Sanderson, a Republican, filed a bill that would financially punish local governments and public universities granting “sanctuary” to undocumented immigrants. The bill would also ban non-official identification for immigrants from being accepted by such entities. State law already prohibits cities from passing “sanctuary city” ordinances. The state attorney general would be forced to investigate citizen complaints their city isn’t enforcing federal immigration law, and police could unilaterally enforce the law under the new legislation. [Winston Salem-Journal via News & Record]
STATE LEGISLATURES | The Arizona House of Representatives gave the thumbs up to a bill that would make it more difficult for organizations seeking to put ballot initiatives before voters. Currently, ballot initiatives need at least 152,000 signatures to meet the state’s threshold. The new proposal would require a certain amount of signatures from each of the state’s 30 legislative districts. [The Arizona Republic / AZCentral.com]
PUBLIC SAFETY | While the National Transportation Safety Board is not investigating a recent accident at a Mardis Gras parade in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the head of the NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety said that when it comes to parade incidents, there are rarely instances that can’t be prevented. "I've been working at the safety board for 20 years, and it's a rare case whenever we looked into the investigation of how the crash happened that we didn't have things that could've been done to prevent the crash from happening," Rob Molloy said. During the Gulf Shores incident, a dozen members of a marching band were injured when a Ford Expedition driven by a 73-year-old man drove into them. [AL.com]
REDISTRICTING | The U.S. Supreme Court held a Virginia district court failed to examine whether or not the state General Assembly redrew its legislative and congressional maps based on race. Instead the court attempted to justify districts being drawn for compactness and protecting incumbents, so the high court is compelling the three-judge panel to reevaluate for racial gerrymandering. Virginia Democrats have argued Republicans have packed minorities into a few districts to dominate larger surrounding areas and see the decision as a win at a time when they are attempting to field candidates in as many districts as possible. [The Washington Post]
URBAN PLANNING | Detroit’s east riverfront will not become another urban space dominated by high-end condominium buildings—as many suspected it would. In a new plan revealed on Wednesday evening, city planners presented a proposal that would include three zones of public parkland, including one area that is set to be made up of sand-filled beaches. [Detroit Free Press]
COUNTY GOVERNMENT | Commissioners in Franklin County, Ohio, which includes Columbus, are seeking a federal license to purchase narcotics and other drugs for the county’s Dog Shelter & Adoption Center, which needs the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency licensing since the center hasn’t had a full-time veterinarian for nearly two years. [The Columbus Dispatch]
ENVIRONMENT | The population of bald eagles in New Jersey continues to increase after being totally decimated 30 years. Last year, 172 bald eagle couples and 216 chicks were recorded in the Garden State. “It’s a success story beyond belief,” Don Torino, president of the Bergen County Audubon Society, said. “This didn’t happen overnight. It was because people fought for this decades ago.” [The Record / NorthJersey.com]
INCLUSIVITY | Homer, Alaska’s City Council voted down a resolution 5-1 that would have rejected discrimination of groups based on “race, religion, ethnicity, gender, national origin, physical capabilities or sexual orientation” and expressed commitment to a safe, inclusive community. More than 90 people gave public testimony mostly opposing the resolution and threatening to vote council members out of office, largely because a draft version posted to social media criticized President Trump. Those clauses were cut from the final version, which cited recent violence toward religious groups, minorities and the LGBTQ community. [Alaska Dispatch News]
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