Tennessee’s Republican-controlled Senate on Monday tweaked a proposal initially designed to keep the state’s tourism records hidden from public scrutiny, bidding to add more sunshine into how the state secures high-profile events. Last month, the GOP-dominant House approved legislation that would have allowed the head of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to exempt any public records for 10 years …
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MD Senate panel supports Republican nominee to elections board after previous member charged in Jan. 6 protest
A Maryland Senate panel voted Monday night to support a Republican nominee to the state elections board to replace a previous board member who resigned this year when he was charged with participating in the January 2021 rioting at the U.S. Capitol. The vote by the Senate Executive Nominations Committee sends the nomination of Diane Butler to the full Senate …
Read More »Students sue over Florida law limiting research exchanges with China, Iran
Two graduate students from China whose studies were put on hold, and a professor who says he is unable to recruit research assistants, sued Florida education officials on Monday, trying to stop enforcement of a new state law which limits research exchanges between state universities and academics from seven prohibited countries. The law passed last year by the Republican-controlled Florida …
Read More »Florida Gov Ron DeSantis signs controversial bill to ban social media for children under 14
Florida will have one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a …
Read More »Boston activists seeking $15B in reparations, call on 'White churches' to commit to extending wealth
The Boston Task Force on Reparations called on “White churches” to step up and pay the Black community back for racial inequities that root back to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, according to reports. The Boston Globe reported that Black and White clergy members met in Roxbury for a press conference intended to be held outside, though it was instead held …
Read More »Wyoming governor cites constitutional concerns after signing school choice bill, narrows eligibility for funds
Although Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a school choice bill into law on Thursday, he cited constitutionality concerns when he vetoed most of the eligibility provisions that would provide taxpayer funds to pay for private, pre-K, and homeschool education expenses. The Wyoming legislature sent Gordon a bill that would establish education savings accounts (ESAs) based on a tiered system–the more …
Read More »German government to decriminalize limited amounts of marijuana
The German government’s plan to liberalize rules on cannabis cleared its final parliamentary hurdle Friday, paving the way for the possession of limited amounts of marijuana to be decriminalized on April 1. In a second step, “cannabis clubs” that will be allowed to grow the substance for members’ personal use will be permitted to start work on July 1. The …
Read More »Education voucher expansion passes South Carolina House, but chances in Senate are uncertain
Republicans in the South Carolina House gave key approval Wednesday to a bill expanding a program allowing parents to spend taxpayer money on private and home-school education even as a pilot plan is just starting and the state’s highest court is considering whether it is legal. After the 69-32 vote, the bill faces one more routine approval before heading to …
Read More »Texas Republican introduces bill requiring CBP to screen migrants against federal terrorist watch list
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, will introduce a bill in the House of Representatives this week that would require federal immigration authorities to screen all migrants who come across the U.S. border against the FBI’s terror watch list. The measure, the Identifying Potential Terrorist at the Border Act of 2024, would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) …
Read More »Nebraska governor tightens restrictions on gender transition treatments for minors
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has approved restrictions on gender transition treatments for people under the age of 19, as more states enact regulations for “gender-affirming” procedures for minors. “Nebraska’s kids are our future. They deserve the opportunity to grow up and develop to their full, God-given potential,” Pillen said in a statement last week. “As a state, we must protect …
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