COLUMBIA S.C. (Dec. 7, 2015) – A bill introduced in the South Carolina House would completely ban the use “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications. Passage of the bill would not only protect privacy in the Palmetto State, but would also hinder one aspect of the federal surveillance state.…
TALLAHASSEE, FL. (Dec, 7, 2015) – A bill that would allow terminally ill patients access to medicinal marijuana, further nullifying in effect federal prohibition of cannabis, passed unanimously out of a second Senate committee last Thursday. The legislation expands on a recently passed “right to try” law that effectively nullifies in practice some Food and…
BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 7, 2015) – An important Massachusetts committee held a hearing this week about a proposal that would drastically limit the impact of federal programs that facilitate the militarization of local police. House Bill 2144 (H.2144) was introduced on March 11 by Rep. Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) and 13 co-sponsors. The legislation would prohibit…
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (Dec. 5, 2015) – This week, a bill was prefiled in the Missouri State Senate to authorize the farming, production, and sale of industrial hemp in the state, effectively nullifying in practice the unconstitutional federal prohibition on the same. Prefiled on Dec. 1 for introduction during the 2016 legislative session by Sen.…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (Dec. 4, 2015) – Several bills introduced in the South Carolina legislature would end state cooperation with some contentious federal refugee resettlement programs, a significant step towards nullifying them in practice in the state. Legislators have filed five different bills that would limit state cooperation with Syrian refugee resettlement to varying degrees by denying…
MADISON, Wis. (Dec. 4, 2015) – A bill introduced in the Wisconsin House would reform 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 most situations. A…
Within hours of the tragic shooting in San Bernardino Wednesday, the political class was already clamoring to use the incident to push policies from gun control, to increased surveillance, to more militarized cops. While none of these proposals will prevent the next tragedy, they could have profound ramifications on our day-to-day lives. Fear has a…
Michigan HB5026 would put severe restrictions on the government use of drones in the state. HB5026 must pass through the House Committee on Government Operations before the bill can receive a vote in the full House. PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS to support this important bill. 1. Call the House Committee on Government Operations Chair,…
"The Alternative Bank Schweiz (ABS) caused shockwaves with a letter sent to all clients informing them that it would begin imposing interest charges on deposits in 2016. For current accounts, the bank said it would impose a -0.125-percent rate, while slapping a -0.75-percent rate on client deposits higher than 100,000 Swiss francs. ABS, which grew out of the ideals the 1960's protest movement, justified the unprecedented development by saying it would provide manoeuvering room for financing 'meaningful projects'. The Swiss central bank introduced a negative deposit rate in January after it abruptly abandoned its three-year effort to hold down the franc's exchange rate to protect exports." Continue reading →
"Central planners around the world are waging a War on Cash. In just the last few years: Italy made cash transactions over €1,000 illegal; Switzerland proposed banning cash payments in excess of 100,000 francs; Russia banned cash transactions over $10,000; Spain banned cash transactions over €2,500; Mexico made cash payments of more than 200,000 pesos illegal; Uruguay banned cash transactions over $5,000; and France made cash transactions over €1,000 illegal, down from the previous limit of €3,000. An increasing number of government restrictions are encouraging Swedes to dump cash. The pretexts are familiar…fighting terrorism, money laundering, etc." Continue reading →