New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Wednesday to reduce the penalties for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The bill makes possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a petty misdemeanor instead of a criminal charge. However, possession of larger amounts could still result in a felony charge. The reduced penalty [...]
The Arkansas legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would ensure the confidentiality of certain capital offense procedures including the drug ingredients used in the state’s lethal injection. After pharmaceutical companies faced backlash for their drug products ending up in lethal injection formulas, the Arkansas Department of Correction has been unable to obtain the ingredients from [...]
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam signed a marijuana legalization bill for the US territory Thursday. Although Guam approved medical marijuana in 2014 and allowed for home grown marijuana last year, the regulated industry has been off to a slow start. Known as the Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019, the new bill allows for adults [...]
A bipartisan group of US Senators introduced a bill Wednesday known as the DETER Act to prevent Russia from meddling in future US elections by threatening sanctions on their major industries. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Marco Rubio are reintroducing a bill that they previously raised last year, but failed to reach a vote. The [...]
The New Zealand government introduced the Arms Amendment Bill Monday to reduce and restrict the number of semi-automatic and “military style” firearms, like the ones used by the recent Christchurch Mosque shooter. The legislation bans the use of semi-automatic rifles including detachable parts including detachable magazines and pump-action shotguns that can hold more than five [...]
Georgia’s lawmakers voted 92-78 to secure passage of a heartbeat abortion bill on Friday. The legislation would prohibit abortions once a vital heartbeat is detected reducing the number of weeks a woman can receive a legal abortion from 20 to almost six weeks. Following abortion bans in other states like Utah and Kentucky, this would become [...]
In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court on Monday rejected Russell Bucklew’s challenge regarding the use of lethal injection in the execution for his murder conviction in Missouri. Two weeks before his scheduled execution, Bucklew raised the issue of his rare medical condition, cavernous hemangioma, claiming the use of pentobarbital, a chemical found in [...]
The Democratic majority House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act on a vote of 242-187 on Wednesday. The bill attempts to close loopholes to the 1963 Equal Pay Act by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act. The legislation is intended to close the gender pay gap between men and women working in the same [...]
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) filed a complaint against Facebook Thursday for its targeted housing advertisement tools that allegedly discriminate against certain demographics. The complaint follows a 2018 statement of interest that similarly alleged that the data that Facebook collects from its users including race, religion, zip codes and language capabilities are [...]
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Wednesday allowing same-day voter registration starting in 2021. Voters will not be able to change their party affiliation on the same day of an election, but the bill allows New Mexicans to register to vote as long as they have a valid ID and vote through [...]
