On Mar. 1817, President James Madison vetoed the Bonus Bill of 1817 – a plan that called for the federal construction of various roads, bridges, and canals throughout the country. In a letter to Congress, the president explained his rationale. Out of all historical writings on constitutional interpretation, I believe it stands today as one…
LANSING, Mich. (March 2, 2018) – Yesterday, the Michigan House gave final approval to a bill that would ban “material support or resources” for warrantless federal surveillance programs. This represents an essential step states need to take at a time when the federal government seems unlikely to ever end unconstitutional spying on its own. Rep. Martin Howrylak…
Yesterday, the Maryland House passed a bill saying they’d legalize hemp as soon as the federal government (or other federal law) “delegates authority over industrial hemp to the states.” They felt so strongly about this provision they included it two times one section of the bill: The Maryland Department of Agriculture shall notify the Department…
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 1, 2018) – A bill introduced in the Rhode Island House 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 the state, but would also hinder one aspect of the federal…
On Mar. 1, 1781, the states adopted the Articles of Confederation, putting into operation the first constitution of the United States. Primarily written by prominent Pennsylvania lawyer John Dickinson, the Articles of Confederation was an attempt to establish a confederated union in the United States. Prior to the Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress had…
The recent school shooting in Florida has reignited the debate on guns. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I wade into the fray and tackle a common myth related to the Second Amendment – this strange idea that it was never intended to allow people to own military weapons. Actually, that’s exactly what…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 1, 2018) – On Tuesday, a third and final Florida Senate committee unanimously passed a bill that would help facilitate healthcare freedom outside of government regulatory schemes. Sen. Tom Lee (R-Brandon) prefiled Senate Bill 80 (SB80) on Aug. 9. The legislation specifies that direct primary care agreements (sometimes called medical retainer agreements) do not…
BOISE, Idaho (Feb. 28, 2018) – Yesterday, the Idaho House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would set the foundation to nullify indefinite detention under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA) or any other federal act. The House of Delegates State Affairs Committee Committee introduced House Bill 473 (H473) on Jan. 31. Titled the Restoring…
LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 28, 2018) – Today, the Michigan Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban “material support or resources” for warrantless federal surveillance programs. This represents an essential step states need to take at a time when the federal government seems unlikely to ever end unconstitutional spying on its own. Rep. Martin Howrylak (R-Troy)…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Feb. 28, 2018) – Yesterday, the Wyoming Senate passed a bill to exempt cryptocurrency from property taxes. The proposed law would expand the of use digital currency and help undermine the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money. A bipartisan coalition of six senators and representatives introduced Senate Bill 111 (SF111) on Feb. 14. The legislation…