SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2015) – On Wednesday, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have stopped transfers of some battlefield-ready military equipment to state or local law enforcement agencies. His reasoning was a load of crap. Introduced by Asm. Nora Campos (D-San Jose), Assembly Bill 36 (AB36) would have unconditionally banned law enforcement…
BOSTON (Oct. 9, 2015) – A privacy bill that would prohibit collection of electronic data from communication service providers without a warrant in most cases, and that would effectively block an NSA data sharing program, continues to work its way through the Massachusetts legislature. Last spring, a bipartisan coalition of 36 legislators introduced Senate Bill…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2015) – Today, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law not just one, but two bills that represent some of the strongest privacy protections in the country. The new laws work together to protect privacy from some of the worst spying programs on the state level, but also take on a…
TALLAHASSEE, FL. (Oct. 8, 2015) – Last week, a bill was filed in the Florida State House to authorize the farming, production, and sale of industrial hemp in the state, effectively nullifying in practice the unconstitutional federal prohibition on the same. Introduced on Oct. 1 by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda (D-Tallahassee), House Bill 271 (H271)…
TOPEKA, Kan. (Oct. 8, 2015) – A bill prefiled in the Kansas House represents an important first step toward limiting the influence of the federal government in the Sunflower State and could open the door to stopping a wide range of federal programs. Rep. J. R. Claeys (R – Salina) prefiled House Bill 2437 (HB2437)…
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Oct. 6, 2015) – Last week, a coalition of Ohio legislators introduced a bill that 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.…
BOSTON, Oct. 4, 2015 – A bill under consideration in the Massachusetts House would reaffirm the right of jury nullification by explicitly allowing defendants to tell jurors about their ability to nullify unjust or immoral laws. Introduced by Reps. Elizabeth Poirier (R-North Attleboro) and Paul Heroux (D-Attleboro), House Bill 1544 (H1544) would “permit the defendant…
Efforts to jump-start industrial hemp farming in Minnesota have failed because the state tied its program to federal regulations instead of ignoring federal prohibition and simply formulating its own policy to encourage hemp farming and nullify the feds’ ban in effect. Under the “Industrial Hemp Development Act,” passed by the state legislature in June, the…
HELENA, Mont. (Oct. 1, 2015) – Today, a law that will heavily diminish the impact of federal programs militarizing local police in Montana went into effect. Introduced by Rep. Nicholas Schwaderer (R-Superior), House Bill 330 (HB330) bans state or local law enforcement from receiving significant classes of military equipment from the Pentagon’s “1033 Program.” It…
The fear generated by media use of the words “government shutdown” is amazing. The hysteria peddlers using this terminology, and the media that purposely play to it, must know these two words emit such an extreme emotional response. It appears designed to frighten the least informed against the other political party, thus the terminology. It…