Today in history: Thomas Jefferson was born on Apr. 13, 1743. Known as the principle author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s other “declaration” is not as well-known. That is, the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798. In his original draft of the Resolutions, he wrote: “Where powers are assumed which have not been…
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (Apr. 13, 2015) – West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has vetoed a bill to remove the state from any standardized testing related to Common Core. But efforts elsewhere show a path forward even without a veto override. House Bill 4014 (HB4014) was introduced by Del. Jim Butler (R-Mason) and 10 co-sponsors. As originally…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 12, 2016) – On Monday, the Tennessee legislature gave final approval to a bill that would help facilitate healthcare freedom. It now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam for his signature. Sen. Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) introduced Senate Bill 2443 (SB2443) on Jan. 21. Known as the “Health Care Empowerment Act,” the legislation specifies…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Apr. 12, 2016) – Yesterday, the Missouri House passed a bill to authorize the growth and production sale of industrial hemp for commercial purposes by larger producers. Passage into law would represent a foundation to nullify the unconstitutional federal prohibition in practice. Introduced by Rep. Paul Curtman, House Bill 2038 (HB2038) designates industrial hemp as…
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (April 12, 2016) – On March 30, the Rhode Island House Committee on Judiciary held a crucial hearing on a bill that would require a judicial order for the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications. Passage of the bill would not only protect privacy in…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 11, 2016) – A bill that would expand the hemp industry in Tennessee passed the House last week. The measure would open the door to in-state processing of hemp products, paving the way for faster development of the state’s hemp market, and further nullifying federal prohibition in effect. Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) introduced…
via Ron Calzone, Missouri First The Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee voted to “do pass” HB 2235 and bring Missouri into compliance with the REAL ID Act. The next step is in the Select Committee on General Laws, which will probably vote on it Tuesday and pass it on to the full House, unless we…
OKLAHOMA CITY (April 11, 2016) – Last week, an Oklahoma House committee passed a bill that would put limitations on the storage and sharing of information collected by Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) by law enforcement in the state, and place significant roadblocks in the way of a federal program using states to help track the…
Some people want you to believe that we should always defer to Washington D.C. in conflicts between state and federal power. But they’ve pretty much got things backwards
ALBANY, N.Y. (April 8, 2016) – On Tuesday, an Assembly committee passed a bill that would expand access to medical marijuana in the state. The bill would further open up the medicinal cannabis market in the state, and solidify the foundation to nullify federal prohibition. Asm. Richard N. Gottfried (D – New York City), along…