CHARLESTON, W. Va. . (Mar. 20, 2017) – On Saturday, the West Virginia Senate passed a bill to withdraw the state from Common Core. Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) introduced Senate Bill 524 (SB524) to void Common Core standards in the state. It reads, in part: Effective July 1, 2018, the state board is prohibited from…
Arizona House Bill 2477 (HB2477) would require prosecutors to establish a higher evidentiary standard for asset forfeiture. The bill also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by passing cases off to the feds in most situations. It passed the House by a unanimous 60-0 vote. (learn more here) It now…
DENVER, Colo. (March 21, 2017) – A Republican controlled Colorado Senate committee killed a bill that would have closed an asset forfeiture loophole that allows state and local police to circumvent more stringent state asset forfeiture laws. Despite bipartisan sponsorship, Senate Bill 136 (SB136) failed to advance out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary by a…
States and local communities can stop federal programs that militarize local police.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Mar. 17, 2017) – Bills introduced in the Rhode Island legislature would legalize marijuana for recreational use, taking a big step toward nullifying federal cannabis prohibition in practice in the state. Senate Bill 420 (S420) was introduced by Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Cranston) and four bipartisan co-sponsors to legalize marijuana under a tax-and-regulate system…
HELENA, Mont. (March 17, 2017) – Yesterday, an important Senate committee unanimously passed a bill that would limit the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in the state. Passage into law would also place significant roadblocks in the way of a federal program using states to help track the location of millions of everyday…
PIERRE, S.D. (March 17, 2017) – South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard has signed a bill into law repealing the authority of the state Department of Social Services to enter into agreements related to the Refugee Act of 1980. A coalition of 12 Republican representatives and senators sponsored Senate Bill 124 (SB124). Originally, the bill would…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 17, 2017) – A bill introduced in the South Carolina House would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction. The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by passing cases off to the feds in…
HELENA, Mont. (March 17, 2017) – Deep-pocketed national organizations representing big dairy have thrown their political clout behind efforts to kill a bill that would legalize limited raw milk sales in Montana Last week, the National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association sent a 26-page document to members of the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and…
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (March 17, 2017) – The Minnesota Senate rejected a that bill would have set the state on the path toward compliance with the federal REAL ID program, but supporters of federal driver’s license mandates still hope to pass legislation to implement REAL ID during this session. A coalition of nine representatives introduced…