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Another House Democrat Pushes For Clarence Thomas Impeachment Amid Ethics Scandal - Forbes
A state bill ending child marriage in Washington has been tabled until 2024 after a Democratic state senator opted to pass other pieces of legislation this year.
House Bill 1455 passed the Washington House in a unanimous vote in early March, but the bill stalled in the Senate, unable to meet the April 23 legislative deadline to get voted out of the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
Democratic state Senator Manka Dhingra, who chairs the panel, told The Seattle Times that after evaluating the 65 bills sent to her committee, and narrowing down which needed to pass this year and which needed to wait, HB 1455 would have to wait until lawmakers convene early next year. Without moving past the committee, the bill cannot go to a Senate floor vote.
Washington is one of 43 states that allow children to get married, according to Unchained At Last, an organization that advocates against child marriage. It is also one of six states that do not specify an age minimum, meaning a child at any age could get married, with parental consent at age 17 or a judge's approval if younger. Comparably, in other states where children are allowed to marry, the minimum age is between 15 and 17.
Other states have recently moved to raise the minimum marrying age. Data from Unchained At Last show that 19 states have passed bills limiting child marriage, and 10 states, including Washington, have introduced bills seeking to ban all marriages before 18 years of age.
Washington's bill, however, will have to wait until the next legislative session.
"This session, the Law & Justice Committee was referred 174 bills, which was over 50 bills more than any other policy committee in the Senate," Dhingra told Newsweek in a statement. "The simple math of the situation meant that many important bills were not able to get a hearing this year. I know the sponsors will continue working on this legislation, and it will definitely have a hearing next session."
If the next year trends as the last year of available data suggest, there could be roughly 68 minors being wed before the bill comes back before the lawmakers.
Washington Department of Health data shared with Newsweek shows that 4,465 children were married in Washington between 2000 and 2014 and that another 366 are estimated to have been married between 2015 and 2018. Of those marriages, 97 percent involved 17-year-olds, two percent were 16-year-olds and one percent were 15-year-olds.
The figures shared by Unchained At Last show that girls in Washington are disproportionately impacted by child marriages. All the child marriages involving 16-year-olds and 15-year-olds were among girls, and while 10 percent of all child marriages were between a minor boy and an adult woman, marriages between a minor girl and an adult man accounted for 80 percent of all child marriages.
"Even the most mature teen, even a day before their 18th birthday, cannot easily say no to a forced marriage, because of their limited legal rights," Fraidy Reiss, the founder and executive director of Unchained At Last, told Newsweek. "Every day that the current, archaic laws remain on the books is another day that minorsmostly girlscan be forced into an unwanted marriage and subjected to a human rights abuse."
Those seeking a marriage license in Washington need to sign affidavits to prove they are at least 18 years old, but 17-year-olds can also obtain a license with written parental consent and anyone younger can do so if a superior court judge waives the age requirement.
Update 4/19/23, 9:21 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Dhingra.
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Democrat Stops Bill to End Child Marriage in Washington - Newsweek
Carlos David Gamez of Lakeland has filed to challenge incumbent Florida Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, as a Democrat in the 2024 election.
Gamez, 20, is listed as a qualified candidate with the Florida Division of Elections for House District 50, which covers the Lakeland area.
A graduate of Lake Gibson High School, Gamez said he is a student majoring in education at Western Governors University, based in Utah. He expects to graduate in December.
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Gamez said his parents are immigrants from Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. He said he has lived in Lakeland for most of his life.
Gamez said he was spurred to enter the race after seeing news about the expulsion of two Democratic representatives from the Tennessee Legislature after they joined a floor protest for gun restrictions. Both Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones have since been reinstated.
In the Florida Legislature, one of the things that kind of worries me has been the lack of thorough debate and hearing the public opinion, whether you're with them or not, Gamez said, I think in order for the Legislature to work, it has to be able to hear the opinions and not kind of pass legislation in the middle of the night.
Canady is in her first term and has already filed to seek re-election next year. She was one of two House sponsors on a six-week abortion limit signed into law last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Three candidates are running in Florida House District 48, where current Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, faces term limits. Polk Countys other House members, Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, and Rep. Josie Tomkow, R-Polk City, have filed to seek re-election.
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Lakeland Democrat files to challenge Canady next year in Florida ... - The Ledger
Emily BuschSUBMITTED PHOTO
A mother of an Oxford High School student who is focusing on gun safety will try to get the chance to knock off John James for the 10th District congressional district seat.
Emily Busch, 50, of Rochester, is the third Democrat to announce her candidacy to try to advance to the general election to oppose James, who began serving his first term in January, in November 2024.
Busch says in a video her then her son, Andrew, who was 14, was a student at Oxford High on Nov. 30, 2021 when student Ethan Crumbley shot 11 people, killing four and wounding seven. Andrew and classmates hid in a classroom and fled to the adjacent Meijer store, she says.
My son was forced to run for his life from a school shooter, and I knew I had to act because thats what moms do. We roll up our sleeves and get things done, Emily says in a news release. Im running for Congress to fight for your kids just as hard as I do mine and build stronger, safer communities for all of us.
She accuses Congress and James of failing to act on gun safety legislation to protect children. She says James has offered zero solutions to gun violence beyond thoughts & prayers.'
Michigan Democrats are taking action in Lansing, but Washington is failing us, and John James will never stand up to the gun lobby, she says.
Busch says she never thought of running for office before but in the weeks and months following the shooting, she started attending school board meetings and organizing discussions with parents, teachers and neighbors. She testified before the Michigan Legislature and said she advocated for the gun-safety laws that were passed recently in Michigan, she says.
Busch is the third Democrat to announce a candidacy for the 10th District, which is composed of all of Macomb County south of Hall Road, Shelby Township, part of Macomb Township, and Rochester and Rochester Hills. Other Dems who will square off in the August 2024 primary include Diane Young, 58, a Warren financial planner, and Brian Jaye, a Rochester lawyer.
James last November defeated Democrat Carl Marlinga by a narrow margin despite outspending him by two to one.
James campaign team announced Saturday that he had raised well over $1 million in the first three months of this year. John James for Congress took in $497,460 and John James for Michigan received $849,962 for a total of $1.35 million, according to his camp. He has $1.1 million cash on hand.
I am grateful for the confidence and support of those who sent me to Congress to speak for them, James said in a release. My focus as your congressman has been pragmatic policymaking, not partisan politics.
He cited as early achievements his support of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township and his bill to protect seniors Social Security and Medicare benefits, along with his votes to lower prices and to help grow American jobs.
Busch criticizes James for opposing abortion access even in cases of rape and incest, although he supports exceptions to protect the life of the mother.
Busch says she has lived in Oakland County for two decades and has worked in medical and dental sales for nearly 30 years. She has a bachelors degree in biology from Indiana University and masters degree from Michigan State University.
She adds she has the perspective and experience needed to work with anyone, regardless of party, to tackle our most urgent challenges, and in Congress will get to work to keep our kids safe, protect our rights, and lower costs for Michigan families.
Buschs husband is a retired firefighter and Marine, she stated.
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Third Democrat announces to seek to oppose John James for Congress in 24 - The Macomb Daily
The level of polarization in U.S. politics is often highlighted when neither party has enough of a majority to pass legislation. Thats exactly the situation we find ourselves in right now at the federal level.
With a Republican majority in the House and a Democrat controlled Senate, both parties are finding it difficult to get much done. As a result, representatives in Washington are facing challenges when it comes to delivering their constituents results including lawmakers from Michigan.
Im still hopeful that well get things done. I always work in a bipartisan way Sen. Gary Peters (D)
Listen: Senator Gary Peters discusses navigating a divided Congress
Guest
U.S. Senator Gary Peters is a Democrat from Michigan. Hes been working on legislation to expand grants for firefighters in Michigan.
Peters says Republicans havent put forward the slate of things they want in the new budget.
My view is at this point, says Peters, before you start negotiating, put everything on the table that you want to do.
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Detroit Today: What Democrat Gary Peters has been working on in ... - WDET