Legislation

A collection of 35 posts

FCC Plans to Reinstate Net Neutrality Rules

On Tuesday, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced plans to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality rules annulled under former president Donald Trump....

Politics

Fla. Gov. DeSantis Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban

On Thursday, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy....

Abortion

Biden to Extend Healthcare For DACA Migrants

On Thursday, US Pres. Joe Biden's administration announced a plan to allow undocumented immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — known as 'Dreamers' — to apply for access to federal health insurance services....

Immigration & refugees

Biden Proposes Tighter Privacy Rules Around Abortions

The US Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed new privacy protections to prevent women's health information from being used to take legal action or investigate individuals who have had or have helped the occurrence of an abortion....

Abortion

Shooting in Louisville, Ky. Leaves 4 Dead

At least four people were killed and nine others critically injured in a mass shooting at Louisville's Old National Bank on Monday morning. Among those shot were two officers, one of whom is undergoing surgery....

Murders and attempted murders

North Carolina Democrat Flips Parties, Gives Republicans Supermajority in State House

On Wednesday, North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham announced she was switching parties, thereby giving Republicans enough votes to override any veto from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper....

Legislation

Kansas Bans Trans Athletes From Women’s Sports

Overriding Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly's veto, the Kansas state legislature Wednesday passed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports after failing to gain the two-thirds majority needed for an override in 2021 and 2022....

Abortion

Tenn. House GOP Expels Democrat Over Gun Protest

On Thursday, in a 72-25 vote, the GOP-led Tennessee House of Representatives expelled Democratic Rep. Justin Jones for participating in a gun reform demonstration that involved protesters entering the statehouse last week....

Gun control

Idaho Passes Law Restricting Travel For Out-of-State Abortions

Idaho has become the first US state to limit interstate travel for abortion, passing a law banning adults from transporting minors for an abortion without parental consent. The legislation was signed by GOP Gov. Brad Little....

Abortion

Malaysian Parliament Moves to End Mandatory Death Penalty

Malaysia's House of Representatives on Monday approved a parliamentary bill abolishing the mandatory death penalty and lifelong imprisonment, after years of the government seeking to make such punishment optional in the country....

Singapore

Florida Passes Bill Allowing Concealed Carry Without Permit

On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation that eliminates the requirement of a permit to carry a concealed firearm, making Florida the 26th US state to pass a constitutional carry law....

Legislation

Canada Mass Shooting Inquiry Calls For Stricter Gun Control Laws

The final report issued by the Mass Casualty Commission investigating Canada's worst mass shooting in its province of Nova Scotia in 2020 has called for overhauling the country's federal police force and stricter gun regulations....

Gun control

UN Vote Asks World Court to Rule on Climate Obligations

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clearly define the world’s governments' obligations to fighting climate change. The High Courts' legal opinion could compel states to increase their investments and actions....

World

US House Passes GOP Energy Agenda

On Thursday, the Republican-majority US House voted 225-204 to pass a wide range of energy proposals that would boost oil and gas production, increase the mining of critical minerals, and change the National Environmental Policy Act's project approval process....

Oil & gasoline

Biden Signs New Gun Safety Executive Order

US Pres. Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order intended to increase background checks for gun buyers, promote safer storage of firearms, and encourage law enforcement agencies to enforce last summer’s bipartisan gun control law to the best of their abilities....

Legislation

US Threatens to Ban TikTok if ByteDance Doesn’t Sell Ownership Stake

The Biden admin. has demanded ByteDance divest its stake in the video app TikTok or face a possible US ban. The move is the most dramatic in a series of recent steps taken by American officials and legislators concerned that user data could potentially be passed on to the PRC....

China

UK Budget 2023: Economy Set to Avoid Recession

Following UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's announcement of the 2023 budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that the UK won't enter a technical recession this year, with inflation reportedly set to drop to 2.9% — a reduction by more than half its current rate — by the end of 20...

Taxation

California Court: App-based Drivers Are Contractors

A California appeals court Monday ruled to largely uphold Proposition 22, a voter-approved law that classified drivers for ride-share and delivery companies as independent contractors....

Verdicts & sentences

US House Panel Approves Bill Allowing Biden to Ban TikTok

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 on Wednesday to give Pres. Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok, the social media app owned by Chinese company ByteDance....

China

Biden Administration Creates Task Force on Migrant Child Labor

US Pres. Biden’s administration Monday announced plans to crack down on child labor — including establishing a joint task force between the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services to improve information sharing between the two agencies....

Labor

Canada Bans TikTok From Government Devices

Canada announced Monday that it's banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices following growing Western concerns surrounding the security of the video-sharing social media app....

Metaculus

Texas Land Bill Sparks Criticism

In the wake of Republican Texas state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's proposed ban on certain foreign purchases of Texas real estate — introduced to the Senate in December — which includes Chinese nationals, some activists and politicians are calling the measure anti-Asian and xenophobic....

China

SCOTUS to Hear Two Landmark Cases on Internet Speech

The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is slated to hear a pair of cases this week relating to the regulation of content posted online. Specifically, the cases focus on Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act which protects online platforms from being sued over content posted by their users....

Metaculus

Spain Approves Teen Abortion, Menstrual Leave, and Trans Laws

On Thursday, the Spanish legislature amended and passed two laws that bolster transgender and abortion rights and made Spain the first nation in Europe to offer workers paid menstrual leave....

Spain

Missouri Dismisses Ban on Minors Carrying Guns

Legislators in Missouri's Republican-majority House on Wednesday voted 104-39 to reject a proposal that would’ve banned minors from carrying guns in public without adult supervision. Only one Republican voted in favor of the proposal....

Gun control