News from around the nation.

New Hampshire House passes strict voter ID bill allowing registration challenges; Sen. Lisa Murkowski "done" with Donald Trump; anti-DEI bill in higher education could have ripple effects; bill would fund National Parent & Youth Helpline.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Still Newscast, March the 25th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The New Hampshire House has passed a bill that eliminates any exceptions to the state's voter ID law and requires documented proof of citizenship in order to register.

The bill would eliminate affidavit voting for those without ID and give any registered voter the right to challenge a person's voter registration on Election Day.

State Representative Heath Howard says those challenges would require the lowest burden of legal proof and could prevent eligible voters from casting a ballot.

It doesn't seem logical to me or fair that somebody could walk into a polling place, sign an affidavit, and take away somebody else's right to vote.

Howard says people would have to visit a state superior court to reclaim their eligibility, an often lengthy and costly process.

Supporters say the bill simply aims to solidify existing ID law and prevent voter fraud.

I'm Catherine Carley reporting.

A similar law in Kansas was struck down by a federal appeals court as unconstitutional.

And the veteran Alaska Republican, one of seven who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial amid the aftermath of January 6th, said she is done with the former president and absolutely would not vote for him.

That from CNN.

They quote Senator Lisa Murkowski as saying, "I wish that as Republicans we had a nominee that I could get behind.

I certainly can't get behind Donald Trump."

CNN notes that the party's shift toward Trump has caused Murkowski to consider her future with the GOP.

In the interview, she would not say if she would remain a Republican.

Next to Idaho, where lawmakers are considering a measure that would eliminate diversity, equality and inclusion programs on college campuses.

More from Eric Tegedorf.

Critics say it would keep potential students from attending school in the state.

Senate Bill 1357 would prohibit the use of state funds for DEI and DEI offices from operating at colleges and universities.

Nick Koenig is a PhD student in geography at the University of Idaho.

These positions that are trying to be taken away from this bill are specifically to foster student success on campus, not just for students from marginalized groups, but also just the totality of the campus community.

Lawmakers supporting the bill say eliminating DEI programs would save the state more than three million dollars.

But Koenig says the consequences of eliminating these positions will have ripple effects.

He spoke with the LGBTQ office at the University of Idaho before deciding to attend.

The person I originally chatted with before coming to this university, if her position was just not there, I would not have come to this university at all.

Koenig says the legislation would also make it hard to recruit people to colleges and universities in Idaho.

This is public news service.

There is a new national parent and youth helpline.

It has already taken 6,700 calls, texts and live chats since it started in January.

And now the U.S. House is considering a bill to fund it permanently.

California Congresswoman Norma Torres introduced the bill on Friday.

Dr. Lisa Payan Berlin is CEO of Parents Anonymous, which sponsored the bill and runs the helpline.

They build what we call protective factors.

So that's resilience, social support, that's helping people deal with their underlying emotional issues, addresses substance abuse, domestic violence and helps children flourish.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

That bill would allocate $20 million a year to the program.

So far, it has attracted endorsements from the non-profits, including Parents Anonymous, Zero to Three and the Child Welfare League of America.

Next to North Carolina, where three attorneys are joining forces to seek justice for a family in that state.

At a news conference, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, along with attorneys Don Blagrove with Emancipate N.C. and Joe Fauché announced the filing of a $25 million lawsuit on behalf of the family of Daryl Tyree Williams.

The suit is against the city of Raleigh.

Raleigh's police chief and five officers, Ben Crump, says this was a case of excessive force stemming from a controversial practice of proactive policing.

They use this excuse, well, we're going to call it high crime areas.

And because of that, those people who live there don't have any constitutional rights.

He says this lawsuit calls on the city and police department to be accountable in upholding the Fourth Amendment rights of black people.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Finally, from Alex Gonzalez, Nevada state leaders held a workshop on clean energy home upgrades and discussed how people can leverage available tax credits on solar power, heat pump appliances and weatherization projects.

State Senator Dena Neal says while there are many beneficial federal investments coming to the Silver State that can help Nevadans save on utility bills, she wants to see more work being done to ensure communities of color and low-income households can tap into them.

Typically in our community, we are underbanked, under-loaned.

So what are the chances of us getting it anyway?

So you have to be able to make it reachable for those communities that are already in that situation, meaning they don't have access to capital, they don't have a new credit score.

A study found that majority black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the U.S. installed 69 percent and 30 percent less rooftop solar systems, respectively, than majority white neighborhoods.

This is Mike Clifford.

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