Legislation

Internet Censorship Bill Would Spell Disaster For Speech And Innovation

August 4, 2017 Elliot Harmon, www.eff.org Educate! Congress, Internet, Legislation, Net Neutrality

By Elliot Harmon for EFF - There’s a new bill in Congress that would threaten your right to free expression online. If that weren’t enough, it could also put small Internet businesses in danger of catastrophic litigation. Don’t let its name fool you: the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA, S. 1693) wouldn’t help punish sex traffickers. What the bill would do (PDF) is expose any person, organization, platform, or business that hosts third-party content on the Internet to the risk of overwhelming criminal and civil liability if sex traffickers use their services. For small Internet businesses, that could be fatal: with the possibility of devastating litigation costs hanging over their heads, we think that many entrepreneurs and investors will be deterred from building new businesses online. Make no mistake: sex trafficking is a real, horrible problem. This bill is not the way to address it. Lawmakers should think twice before passing a disastrous law and endangering free expression and innovation.

The Latest Sneaky Attempt To Increase Corporate Political Power

August 4, 2017 John Light, www.billmoyers.com Educate! Elections, Legislation, SEC

By John Light for Moyers and Company - “If you want to do something evil, put it inside something boring,” John Oliver said in 2014 of the tireless efforts of telecomm monopolists to get rid of net neutrality. It’s a tried and true strategy of the wealthy and their legislative allies, and, while Donald Trump’s destructive antics continue to hold America’s attention with the same unyielding grip he uses on foreign dignitaries’ hands, there are a lot of boring things ambling through Congress with corporate favors crammed deep inside. While Donald Trump’s destructive antics continue to hold America’s attention with the same unyielding grip he uses on foreign dignitaries’ hands, there are a lot of boring things ambling through Congress with corporate favors crammed deep inside. And so it is with the House’s appropriations bill, which includes riders that would further pare back campaign finance rules that have already been decimated over the last decade, in large part through Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United and McCutcheon v. FEC. These rulings and a Congress hell-bent on deregulating the campaign finance system has lead to increasingly expensive elections, with the money that helps candidates win often pouring in from anonymous interests. Watchdog groups and journalists call these billions from shadowy sources “dark money.”

Study: State That Restrict Abortion Have Laws That Hurt Women And Children

August 2, 2017 Staff, www.reproductiverights.org Educate! Abortion, Children, Legislation, Women

By Staff of Center for Reproductive RIghts - The report—titled Evaluating Priorities: Measuring Women and Children’s Health and Well-being against Abortion Restrictions in the States, Volume II—provides an update to the inaugural version of the report, originally published in 2014. As in 2014, the updated version challenges the claims of politicians who have passed abortion restrictions under the guise of protecting women’s health and safety. Indeed, the report finds that many of the states that have the highest number of restrictions included in the research—including Texas (11 restrictions), Louisiana (13 restrictions), and Arkansas (13 restrictions) —have dramatically fewer policies that would truly address the challenges women and their families face. Shareable infographics that illustrate the report’s findings are available on Ibis Reproductive Health’s website. The worst offenders—states that have passed ten or more of the restrictions included in analyses—account for a disproportionately large number of the nearly 400 abortion restrictions politicians have passed since 2010. And the trend continues; in the last three weeks the Texas legislature has introduced almost 20 new anti-abortion restrictions in a Special Legislative Session, convened after the end of the official session.

Massachusetts Governor Signs Bill To Allow Recreational Pot

August 1, 2017 Reid Wilson, www.thehill.com Create! Legislation, Marijuana, Marijuana Legalization, Massachusetts

By Reid Wilson for The Hill - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has signed a new measure that sets in motion a nearly yearlong process to legalize marijuana for recreational use, after months of negotiations with the state legislature. The law comes nine months after voters in Massachusetts and three other states approved ballot measures to allow recreational marijuana. The first recreational pot shops are set to open in July 2018. “We appreciate the careful consideration the legislature took to balance input from lawmakers, educators, public safety officials and public health professionals, while honoring the will of the voters regarding the adult use of marijuana,” Baker said in a statement. The new legislation makes significant changes to the initiative Bay State voters passed last year, increasing sales taxes on legal marijuana from 12 percent to 20 percent. The state will levy a 17 percent tax, while municipalities will issue their own 3 percent tax. Massachusetts anticipates generating as much as $83 million in tax revenue from marijuana sales during the first year of legalization alone, the state Department of Revenue estimated earlier this year. Sales during the second year are expected to top out at more than $1 billion, generating tax revenue of up to $200 million.

Incredible Quinceañera Protest At Texas Capitol Against Vile Anti-Immigrant Law

July 21, 2017 Rafi Schwartz, www.fusion.kinja.com Resist! Immigration, Law, Legislation, Protests, Texas, Youth, Youth Activism

By Rafi Schwartz for Fusion - On Wednesday, a group of 15 teenage girls, dressed in brightly colored gowns, stood in front of the Texas State Capitol to participate in one of Latin American culture’s most cherished traditions: the quinceañera. But this quinceañera was more than simply a coming-of-age celebration. Instead, it was a public protest against one of the most viciously anti-immigrant pieces of legislation in Texas’ recent history: SB4, the so-called “sanctuary cities bill.” SB4—which essentially forces Texas cities to comply with federal immigration law enforcement actions—has been one of the state’s most hotly contested pieces of legislation all year, drawing comparisons to Arizona’s infamous “papers please” law, and prompting massive protests. Dubbed “Quinceañera at the Capitol,” the protest was organized by Latino advocacy group Jolt, which describes itself on Facebook as a “Texas-based multi-issue organization that builds the political power and influence of Latinos in our democracy.”

Lawmakers Seek To Make It A Crime To Support BDS Against Israel

July 20, 2017 Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Grim, www.theintercept.com Educate! BDS, Legislation, Repression, United Kingdom (UK), United States

By Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Grim for The Intercept - THE CRIMINALIZATION OF political speech and activism against Israel has become one of the gravest threats to free speech in the West. In France, activists have been arrested and prosecuted for wearing T-shirts advocating a boycott of Israel. The U.K. has enacted a series of measures designed to outlaw such activism. In the U.S., governors compete with one another over who can implement the most extreme regulations to bar businesses from participating in any boycotts aimed even at Israeli settlements, which the world regards as illegal. On U.S. campuses, punishment of pro-Palestinian students for expressing criticisms of Israel is so commonplace that the Center for Constitutional Rights refers to it as “the Palestine Exception” to free speech. But now, a group of 43 senators — 29 Republicans and 14 Democrats — wants to implement a law that would make it a felony for Americans to support the international boycott against Israel, which was launched in protest of that country’s decades-old occupation of Palestine. The two primary sponsors of the bill are Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland and Republican Rob Portman of Ohio.

Scott Walker Set To Sign Koch Anti-Regulations Bill In Wisconsin

July 12, 2017 Steve Horn, www.desmogblog.com Educate! Deregulation, Legislation, Wisconsin

By Steve Horn for Desmog - A bill with the potential to hobble government agencies' ability to propose regulations, known as the REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act, has passed in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature and Republican Governor Scott Walker's office has told DeSmog he intends to sign it into law. REINS has been pushed for years at the federal level by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the conservative advocacy group funded and founded with money from Koch Industries, and a federal version of it currently awaits a U.S. Senate vote. The House bill, H.R. 26, passed on January 5 as one of the current Congress's first actions. Wisconsin's version mandates that if a proposed regulation causes “$10 million or more in implementation and compliance costs” over a two year period, that rule must either be rewritten or go by the wayside. Known as Senate Bill 15, the Wisconsin bill passed the state Senate on a party-line vote, 62-34 and would be the first state-level REINS bill on the books in the country. “Governor Walker has thanked the Legislature for sharing his commitment to bold regulatory reform and looks forward to signing the bill into law,” Jack Jablonski, a spokesperson for Governor Walker, said in a statement provided to DeSmog. Jablonski did not provide a timeline as to when Walker plans to sign the bill.

350+ Groups Oppose Dirty Senate Energy Bill That Will Hasten Climate Chaos

July 12, 2017 Staff, www.nationofchange.org Resist! Climate Change, Congress, Energy, Legislation, Senate

By Staff of Food & Water Watch - As the Senate considers a broad energy policy package that would encourage increased fossil fuel extraction and consumption, more than 350 national, statewide and local groups sent a letter to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer today calling on him to lead opposition to the bill – S. 1460, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 – and ultimately prevent its passage. The letter, organized by the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, states in part: “No energy legislation is better than bad energy legislation that serves to increase our dependence on dirty fossil fuel production instead of building on successful policies to expand clean energy sources… We find it astounding that any energy bill could contain a ‘Renewables’ subtitle but not include provisions on solar and wind energy.” The letter is signed by notable national organizations including: Food & Water Watch, League of Women Voters, Our Revolution, CREDO, Working Families Party, Friends of the Earth and Center for Biological Diversity. “This energy bill is long-term commitment pledge between America and the fossil fuel industry, and it will hasten our reckless advance toward climate chaos,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.

Nevada Governor Vetoes Bill Banning Private Prisons

June 22, 2017 Beryl Lipton, www.muckrock.com Educate! Legislation, Nevada, Private Prisons

By Beryl Lipton for Muckrock - After signing up for 200 private beds, the state leaves open the option of contracting even more. Nevada’s move to ban for-profit prisons was struck down at the finish line last week when Governor Brian Sandoval vetoed a bill that would have prohibited their use by the state law enforcement, citing the possibility that for-profit prisons have a larger role to play in managing the state’s incarcerated population. Assembly Bill 303 would have provided the Department of Corrections five years to renovate existing facilities, allowing for out-of-state and private prison use in the interim, before eliminating the state’s relationships with the for-profit operators. In his statement on the veto, Governor Sandoval pointed to an encroachment on the authority of the executive branch as well as the possibility that overcrowding in the state’s facilities may require the option of utilizing private prison beds out-of-state. Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D-North Las Vegas, a former corrections officer, introduced AB 303 and reportedly worked with the Nevada Department of Corrections to deal with concerns that implementation would be too costly. The state is currently operating at over 183 percent capacity, well over emergency levels.

In Red Pairs: Handmaids Are Resisting

June 20, 2017 AbZimet, www.commondreams.org Resist! Congress, Health Care, Legislation, Reproductive Rights, Women

By Abby Zimet for Common Dreams - Women occupying senators' offices Friday aren't alone in resisting the all-male "declaration of war on women" that would be repeal of Obamacare and enactment of a GOP health plan widely blasted as "catastrophic." Getting creative, women from Texas to Ohio have increasingly been protesting assaults on women's health care by dramatically donning red robes and white bonnets to channel Margaret Atwood's dystopian-themed "The Handmaid's Tale," wherein women are forced to bear children in a totalitarian society. Their goal: To remind persistently-backwards-looking conservatives that Atwood's vision of women defined purely by their reproductive capacity is not, in fact, "an instruction manual." Atwood's 1985 novel depicts women stripped of their rights in a theocratic, patriarchal, not-so-distant Gilead - aka America - rendered barren by environmental disaster, where fertile women, or handmaids, must bear the children of regime leaders and are controlled by them. Initially seen as a cautionary tale, the book has seen new life as a hit TV show on Hulu; it gained new resonance when Trump got "elected" in the middle of filming. Atwood has long argued its premise is based on old, real human themes: Historically, she notes, "There is no totalitarianism worth its salt that doesn't try to control women."

France Declares All New Rooftops Must Be Topped With Plants Or Solar Panels

June 5, 2017 Liam S. Whittaker, www.csglobe.com Create! France, Legislation, New Economy, Solar Energy

By Liam S. Whittaker for CS Globe - A new law recently passed in France mandates that all new buildings that are built in commercial zones in France must be partially covered in either plants or solar panels. Green roofs, as they are called, have an isolating effect which helps to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building during the winter or cool it in the summer. They are capable of retaining rainwater and reducing problems with runoff, and also offer birds a place to call home in the urban jungle. French environmental activists originally wanted to pass a law that would make the green roofs cover the entire surface of all new roofs. However, partially covered roofs make for a great start, and are still a huge step in the right direction. Some say the law that was passed is actually better, as it gives the business owners a chance to install solar panels to help provide the buildings with renewable energy, thereby leaving even less of a footprint. Green roofs are already very popular in Germany and Australia, as well as Canada’s city of Toronto! This by-law was adopted in 2009, by the city of Toronto which mandated green roofs on all new industrial and residential buildings.

Texas House Votes To Stop Jailing Those Too Poor To Pay Fines

May 26, 2017 Johnathan Silver, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! Legislation, Poverty, Texas

By Johnathan Silver for Mint Press News - Legislation that would make it easier for poor people to satisfy traffic tickets with alternatives to payment cleared the Texas House on Tuesday on a vote of 75-70. The bill needs to be approved by the Senate again before moving to Gov. Greg Abbott‘s desk. Senate Bill 1913, by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, would allow courts to ask defendants if they are too poor to pay for traffic tickets; fines for other low-level and fine-only offenses; or court costs. After making that determination, courts would be allowed to reduce or waive fines and costs and offer community service as an alternative. “They’re not getting off scot-free. We’re getting something for something,” the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, told members Monday. “We are filling our jails up with people who should not be there.” For fine-only offenses, jail time only comes into the picture when someone doesn’t pay their fine — a risk borne by thousands of Texans, according to a recently released report by Texas Appleseed and the Texas Fair Defense Project. Those who can’t afford to pay often find themselves hit with additional fines or other restrictions, such as being blocked from renewing their driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations. Critics call it debtors’ prison.

This Legislation Won’t Stop Protests – But Here’s What Would

May 19, 2017 Eleanor Goldfield, www.occupy.com Resist! Freedom of Assembly, Legislation, Protests

By Eleanor Goldfield for Occupy - As capitalism and its racist, sexist, ecocidal, homicidal and bigoted tenets push forwards, protests have been on the rise. And it is in fact our right to protest - it says so in the First amendment. Lawmakers, however, seem less interested in considering human or civil rights than they are in considering their peace, quiet and pocket books. Recently, 12 bills, filings, laws and proposals have been brought forward to directly curtail our exercise of Freedom of Speech, Press and the Right to Petition our Government - aka the First Amendment. In this special segment, we lay out the vehemently anti-dissident ideas popping up in state legislatures all over the country - from hit and run laws to getting put in jail for laughing; asset seizure for attending a protest to a $1 million fine for organizing a direct action. These creeping authoritarian style moves are directly made to intimidate, silence and destroy those fighting for justice. Interestingly enough, much in the same way that bombing innocent people only creates more terrorists, throwing down a gavel against protesters will only create more.

House Approves Bill To Address Perceived Threat Of Paid Protesters

May 8, 2017 Matt Trotter, www.publicradiotulsa.org Educate! House, Legislation, Protesters

By Matt Trotter for Public Radio Tulsa - Citing costs faced by North Dakota in the wake of Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the Oklahoma House passed a bill creating liability for anyone who compensates protesters. House Bill 2128 says anyone who compensates, remunerates or provides consideration to someone who causes damage while trespassing may be held liable. Rep. Mark McBride faced a barrage of questions from Democrats, including Rep. Cory Williams, who asked what constitutes compensation under HB2128. "It means just what we want it to on this bill. How about that?" McBride said. "I'm sorry, what?" Williams said. "Is it a check? Is it money? Is it staying at somebody's house? Is it some other benefit conferred?" "That would be for the courts to decide," McBride said. "All due respect, we're supposed to be writing laws. They interpret them. Our laws should have definitions in them," Williams said. Rep. Collin Walke bristled at a provision saying an arrest — not necessarily a conviction — is enough to create that liability.

Indiana Governor Passes Anti-Solar Bill: Death Blow To The Industry?

May 4, 2017 Danielle Ola, www.pv-tech.org Educate! Indiana, Legislation, Solar Energy

By Danielle Ola for PV Tech - The financial benefit currently available to solar users will be sharply curtailed over the next few years, after Indiana governor Eric Holcomb signed SEA 309 into law yesterday. Ignoring pleas of the industry, who beseeched Holcomb to keep the current financial incentives for residential solar, the Republican elected not to veto the bill. “I support solar as an important part of Indiana’s comprehensive energy mix. I understand the concerns some have expressed, but this legislation ensures those who currently have interests in small solar operations will not be affected for decades,” he said of his decision. The bill will now drastically reduce the rate of compensation for excess solar power over five years. It does allow anyone who installed a PV system after June but before 2022 to be grandfathered until 2032, but anyone after the 2022 cut-off point would only receive a lower financial rate for their power. By 2046, solar users are likely to receive little more than the wholesale rate for their power – a difference of around US$0.08/kWh – as well as a US$0.25 premium. Yesterday was the last day Holcomb could veto or sign the bill, which critics contend is part of a broader nationwide push by utilities to seize control of the emerging solar market.

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