RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 30, 2015) – A bill prefiled in the Virginia House for the 2016 legislative session would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws, making it more difficult for police to seize property. But a loophole in the legislation would allow law enforcement to work with the feds to skirt the more stringent state laws. Del.…
"The Obama administration’s efforts to rein in Wall Street face opposition from members of the president’s own party. Since 2011, after Dodd-Frank became law, Democrats have raised over $330 million from the financial industry, and their party’s presumptive incoming Senate leader, New York's Chuck Schumer, is considered a close ally of the financial sector. As the year-end legislative wrangling intensifies, here are the other Democrats who have been Wall Street’s key allies in fighting the Obama administration. They have all raised big money from the financial industry." Continue reading →
"While the current rationale for encryption back doors is to fight terrorism, they wouldn’t be used just for that purpose. For proof, just look at the history of the PATRIOT Act. This law gives the US government unprecedented civil forfeiture authority over the US 'correspondent accounts' of any bank in the world. If an alleged terrorist or other criminal deposits money at the bank overseas, the PATRIOT Act allows the government to seize an equivalent sum of money in the correspondent account in the US. Proponents justified the law as a necessary escalation in the 'War on Terror.' But the very first time the government used its new civil forfeiture authority, it had nothing to do with terrorism." Continue reading →
According to at least one federal judge, warrantless bulk collection of phone data belonging to you and every American fits nicely within the parameters of the Fourth Amendment. In other words, this federal government employee agrees with the federal government that it has the power and authority to collect your phone records, in mass, with…
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 24, 2015) – A bill under consideration in the Michigan House would restrict the use of drones by state and local law enforcement. The legislation would not only establish important privacy protections at the state level, it would also help thwart the federal surveillance state. Rep. Jim Runestad introduced House Bill 5026…
MADISON, WI (Nov. 24, 2015) – A Wisconsin legislator is planning to introduce a bill for 2016 that would expand consumer access to raw milk in the state, and strengthen the foundation to nullify in practice federal goals to fully ban this natural dairy product nationwide. According to a Journal Sentinel report, Rep. David Murphy (R-Greenville)…
CONCORD, N.H. (Nov. 23, 2015) – A New Hampshire legislative study committee continues to consider a proposal that would drastically limit the impact of federal programs militarizing local police. During the 2015 legislative session, Rep. J.R. Hoell introduced HB407. It would have prohibited state and local police departments from acquiring military vehicles or equipment not…
This is what I found: The Refiners Fire on Ishmael and Isaac
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2015) – A Florida bill that would help facilitate healthcare freedom and set the stage to nullify Obamacare in practice overwhelmingly passed out of a House committee Thursday. Rep. Fred Costello introduced House Bill 37 (HB37) in August. The legislation specifies that direct primary care agreements (sometimes called medical retainer agreements)…
TALLAHASSEE, FL. (Nov. 19, 2015) – Two bills that would allow terminally ill patients access to medicinal marijuana, further nullifying in effect federal prohibition of cannabis, passed unanimously out of committees Tuesday. The legislation expands on a recently passed “right to try” law that effectively nullifies in practice some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules…