The Republican-controlled Kentucky legislature [official website] passed a series of controversial bills on Saturday, including right-to-work legislation and abortion restrictions, amid massive public protests. Among other things, House Bill 1 [text] prohibits government employees from striking and employers from forcing workers to pay dues to labor unions that may represent them in collective bargaining. Additionally, House Bill 3 [text] abolished the Prevailing Wage Review Board and created a new provision prohibiting local governments from requiring employers to pay employees higher wages for workers on publicly financed projects. House Bill 2 [text] and Senate Bill 5 [text], also passed on Saturday, prohibits an abortion “when the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater” and leaves no exceptions for rape or incest situations but leaves open an affirmative defense “if the probable post-fertilization age was less than 20 weeks or if there is a medical emergency.” Furthermore, House Bill 2 creates the “Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection Litigation Fund,” and subjects physicians to suspension or revocation of medical license and establishes criminal penalties. This bill also creates the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act, requiring a woman seeking an abortion to first undergo an ultrasound and listen to the fetal heartbeat. Nearly 20 states have now passed a 20-week abortion ban. All bills are now awaiting the governor’s signature. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and Planned Parenthood [advocacy websites] have criticized the pace at which the 20-week ban rushed through the legislature while massive public protests against all of the above-mentioned bills formed around the state capitol building in Frankfort supported by Democrat leaders.

Last month Ohio Governor John Kasich [official profile] signed [JURIST report] a similar 20-week gestation limit for abortions into law in his state, while also vetoing a “Heartbeat Bill,” similar to the provision in Kentucky’s House Bill 2. Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, raised issues [press release] with the 20-week bill in Ohio: “The 20-week ban will force women to travel long distances and cross state lines in order to access safe, legal abortion—a barrier that many women simply cannot afford.” Abortion and reproductive rights issues have been prominent issues in the US courts and states. Also last month, Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union [advocacy website] and other women’s groups filed suits challenging abortion laws [JURIST report] in Alaska, Missouri and North Carolina. Minimum wage also continues to be a controversial issue in the US. The US has not seen an increase [Reuters report] in federal minimum wage since 2009. In the absence of a federal increase, many states have responded by raising their own minimum wages. In November Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington all approved minimum wage increase initiatives [JURIST report], while South Dakota [Ballotpedia results] rejected a measure to lower the minimum wage.In January 14 states approved [Reuters report] increases in minimum wage from an average of $8.50 an hour to a little over $9. However, some states still, technically, have no minimum wage at all. Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama have no state minimum wage legislation [NCSL fact sheet] beyond the $7.25 per hour mandated by the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 [PDF], which is Congress’ most recent legislative act on the minimum wage.