HELENA, Mont. (Feb. 2, 2017) – Two bills that would together ban warrantless collection of cell phone data in most situations unanimously passed an important Montana House committee yesterday. Final passage of the legislation would not only increase privacy protections in the state, it would also hinder one practical aspect of federal surveillance programs. Rep.…
SANTA FE, N.M. (Feb. 2, 2017) – A bill working its way through the New Mexico House that would remove the state ban on industrial hemp has already cleared its first committee hurdle. Passage into law would set the stage to nullify federal prohibition on the plant in practice. Rep. Rick Little (R-Chaparral) introduced House Bill…
I recently appeared on the Lions of Liberty podcast to talk about why libertarians should care about “state’s rights” and the importance of political decentralization as a strategy to advance liberty. “The bigger the government is, the more powerful it is, the more authority it wields, the more people it has control over, the more…
HELENA, Mont. (Feb. 2, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Montana House would legalize limited raw milk sales in the state, taking an important step toward nullifying a federal prohibition scheme in effect. Rep. Nancy Ballance (R-Hamilton) introduced House Bill 325 (HB325) on Jan. 26. The legislation would authorize limited sales of raw milk…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Feb 1, 2017) – A Wyoming bill would allow voters to legalize recreational marijuana in the state through a constitutional amendment ballot measure. Passage would set the stage to effectively nullify in practice the unconstitutional federal prohibition on the same. Introduced by Rep. James Byrd (D-Cheyenne) and Rep. Mark Baker (R-Rock Springs), House…
PHOENIX, Ariz. (Feb 1, 2017) – An Arizona bill that would eliminate state capital gains taxes on gold and silver specie, and encourage its use as currency, passed an important House committee today. Final approval of the legislation would help undermine the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money. Rep. Mark Finchem (R-Tucson) introduced House Bill 2014…
"We are not a political subdivision of the federal government," said Rep. Eddie Farnsworth in support of the bill.
Progressives have done a complete 180 on the Constitution over the last few week. And so have conservatives. Typical progressive narrative, circa 2009-2016: The Constitution is a “living document,” the expansion of executive authority is justified under numerous circumstances, the president is merely repeating the precedents of his predecessors, and the president has a pen…
SANTA FE, N.M. (Feb. 1, 2017) – A bill filed in the New Mexico Senate would close a loophole some city officials claim allows them to continue with civil asset forfeiture despite a 2015 law meant to end the practice in the state. Daniel A. Ivey-Soto (D-Albuquerque) filed Senate Bill 202 (SB202) on Jan. 26.…
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Feb. 1, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Utah legislature would build on the state’s Legal Tender Act, creating a foundation for further action to encourage the use of gold and silver as money, and take another step toward breaking the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money. Rep. Ken Ivory (R-West Jordan) introduced…