JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Aug. 1, 2016) – Two provisions in a bill recently signed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will help facilitate healthcare freedom and takes another small step toward setting the stage to nullify Obamacare and federal hemp prohibition in practice. Rep. Keith Frederick filed House Bill 1682 (HB1682) last December. The legislation amends…
BATON ROUGE, La. (Aug. 1, 2016) – Today, a Louisiana law goes into effect requiring a court order for the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications. The new law will not only protect privacy in the state, but will also hinder one aspect of the federal surveillance…
JUNEAU, Alaska (Jul. 29, 2016) – Yesterday, a bill became law allowing parents to opt their children out of standardized testing. The new law gives parents a powerful tool to push back against Common Core. Rep. Wes Keller (R-Wasilla) introduced House Bill 156 (HB156) last year. The legislation broadly defines the rights of Alaska parents to direct…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (July 25, 2016) – Last week, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill banning the use of “stingrays” to track the location of phones and sweep up electronic communications without a warrant in most situations. The new law will not only protect privacy in Illinois, but will also hinder one aspect of the federal…
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 25, 2016) – Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo signed a bill expanding the state’s medical marijuana law, further nullifying federal prohibition in practice. A trio of Democrats, Rep. Scott Slater, Rep. Patricia Serpa and Rep. Joseph Solomon, introduced House Bill 7142 (HB7142) in January. The legislation expands the state’s medical…
LINCOLN, Neb. (July 20, 2016) – Today, a new law that will help facilitate healthcare freedom in Nebraska goes into effect. Sen. Merv Riepe (R-Omaha) introduced Legislative Bill 817 (LB817) back in January. The new law specifies that direct primary care agreements (sometimes called medical retainer agreements) do not constitute insurance, thereby freeing doctors and…
LINCOLN, Neb. (July 20, 2016) – Today, civil asset forfeiture officially ends in Nebraska as reforms to asset forfeiture laws passed in the spring go into effect. Under the new law, the state can no longer take property without a criminal conviction. The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing…
PROVIDENCE R.I. (July 18, 2016) – Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has signed a bill legalizing the production and processing of industrial hemp for commercial purposes in the state, setting the foundation to nullify federal prohibition in practice. A coalition of five Democrats introduced House Bill 8232 (H8232) on May 19. As introduced, the legislation would…
PHOENIX, Ariz. (July 11, 2016) – The Arizona State House and Senate leadership soundly rejected the principles of the Founding Fathers during the 2016 legislative session. They protected the Washington D.C. status quo by killing 18 bills that would have blocked the federal enforcement of various unconstitutional programs. To make matters worse, most of the…
CONCORD, N.H. (July 6, 2016) – A bill that would have restricted the use of drones by state and local law enforcement died in the New Hampshire legislature after a conference committee failed to reconcile House and Senate versions. The legislation would not only have establish important privacy protections at the state level, they would…