Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed bipartisan legislation on Friday that protects patients from paying for surprise out-of-network medical bills. Surprise medical bills most often arise during medical emergencies when a patient with insurance receives treatment outside of his or her provider network. Frequently, when the insurance company and healthcare provider cannot agree on a fair [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division filed a statement of interest Monday supporting students who claim the state of Maine is discriminating against them by not paying for them to attend religious high schools. The state of Maine does pay for students to attend private high schools if they live in areas [...]
Upon request by US Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the President has exerted executive privilege over documents demanded by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform regarding the citizenship question on the 2020 census. In a letter to committee chairman Elijah Cummings, the Attorney General expressed his displeasure regarding the committee’s [...]
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal on Thursday unanimously granted a same sex-couple the same right to employment and tax benefits that an opposite-sex married couple has under Hong Kong law. In reaching its decision the court held that because Hong Kong recognizes opposite-sex couples married in other jurisdictions where there marriage is legitimized, [...]
The US Federal Elections Commission (FEC) Senior Campaign Finance & Reviewing Analyst, Ryan Furman, sent a letter Sunday, attached to a 233-page report detailing campaign contributions to the Trump campaign that were flagged as apparently excessive. The letter was addressed to Trump campaign treasurer Bradley Crate and referenced the campaign’s most recent quarterly report covering January [...]
Canada’s Senate voted 55-33 Tuesday to approve strict gun legislation. The bill enhances background checks, requires firearms retailers to keep records of sales for 20 years, and requires police-licensed handgun owners to get permission from police to transport their police registered firearms to police approved gunsmiths or face criminal charges. It also would be a [...]
The Louisiana House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, similar to those recently passed in Mississippi and other states. The bill was sponsored by Louisiana state Senator John Milkovich, a Democrat, and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, another Democrat, has indicated his willingness to sign the [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday on an Indiana abortion law requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains, deciding, without hearing arguments, to uphold the law. The decision overturned the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit’s decision that Indiana’s claim that they were interested in “the ‘humane and dignified disposal of human [...]
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation Wednesday that makes Washington a so-called “sanctuary state.” Senate Bill 5497 is described as “relating to establishing a statewide policy supporting Washington state’s economy and immigrants’ role in the workplace.” It codifies Inslee’s previous February 2017 executive order. The law prohibits law enforcement authorities, including state and local prisons, [...]
The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday to remove non-medical exemptions from vaccine requirements. The bill specifically targets religious and philosophical exemptions, which recently rose from 5 percent to 5.6 percent, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MCDCP). The MCDCP stated this rise threatens to breach the threshold at which the [...]
