OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Jan. 30, 2018) – A bill prefiled in the Oklahoma Senate would ban the warrantless collection of electronic data and the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications in most situations. Passage of the bill would not only protect privacy in the Sooner State, it…
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 30, 2018) – Yesterday, the California Senate passed a bill that would ban federal immigration officers from schools and state buildings unless they have a warrant. But questions remain on how the state could enforce it should it become law. Introduced by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and 16 co-sponsors, Senate…
A number of bills that have moved forward in several states over the last week. These include legislation to expand health freedom, to undermine the Federal Reserve's monopoly on money, to nullify federal hemp prohibition and to get government out of marriage.
"DRIPA was passed in 2014 as 'emergency' legislation, with parliamentary debate restricted to just a single day of discussion. The law paved the way for 2016’s Investigatory Powers Act, which authorized even more intrusive powers, and which Edward Snowden dubbed 'the most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy.' With DRIPA struck down as unlawful, it’s likely that the government will now have to scale back parts of the Investigatory Powers Act, otherwise known as the Snoopers’ Charter. The Act replaced DRIPA in 2016, and, among other measures, legalizes targeted hacking by the UK security services and requires that ISPs keep a record of all citizens’ web browsing habits for at least a year."
"When they insist government employee wages would plummet in the absence of a union, they’re simply confirming the workers are already earning more than their labors are actually worth on the open market. These are the kinds of hard economic truths that will be exposed when Janus is finally heard next month and the injustices that will be righted if the court this summer votes to ban mandatory dues and fees in the public sector."
JUNEAU, Alaska (Jan. 29, 2018) – A bill introduced in the Alaska House would ban the state from using resources to help the federal government enforce marijuana prohibition laws against people who are in compliance with the state law legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. Passage into law would greatly impact the federal government’s ability to…
"Even though the M.T.A. is paying for its capital construction with taxpayer dollars, the government does not get a seat at the table when labor conditions are determined. Instead, the task of reining in the unions falls to the construction companies — which often try to drive up costs themselves."
On January 8, 1790, President George Washington delivered the very first Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress (now known as the State of the Union address), in the Senate chamber of Federal Hall in New York City. The address fulfilled Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which states that…
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Jan. 29, 2018) – A bill filed in the Oklahoma House would end government licensing of marriages in the state, effectively nullifying in practice both major sides of the contentious national debate over government-sanctioned marriage. Rep. Todd Russ (R-Cordell), filed House Bill 3454 (HB3454). The legislation would end the issuance of state…
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Jan. 29, 2018) – Last week, a Washington state House committee passed a bill that would improve the state’s asset forfeiture laws and set the stage to close a loophole that allows state and local police to circumvent more strict state forfeiture laws by passing cases off to the feds. Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane…