February continued to be an interesting month full of legislation reflecting many of the current issues in America. From bills that work to address sexual harassment and assault, to marijuana, to perennial issues surrounding abortion to gun legislation, to gearing up for the election in November; looking at the month’s trending bills gives us a glimpse into what is going on across the country.
Many bills relating to firearms were trending this month in the aftermath of yet another school shooting, this time in Parkland, FL. The South Carolina Constitutional Carry Act of 2017 states it is lawful for anyone to carry about the person any handgun, whether concealed or not, unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law or if the person is otherwise prohibited from owning, carrying or purchasing a firearm as provided for by state or federal law. Situations people are not allowed to carry a handgun are: in a law enforcement, correctional, or detention facility, a courthouse or courtroom, a polling place on election days, schools or college athletic events not related to firearms, daycare or preschool facilities, churches, hospitals and more. The bill also prohibits people to have a handgun in a residence or dwelling of another person without the express permission to have one from the owner or person in legal control or possession of said place. These laws don’t apply to law enforcement officers or people given express permission. Another gun control related bills was also trending, the Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act which makes it unlawful for a person to engage in the business of selling, leasing, or otherwise transferring firearms without a license issued by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
GA HB605 – the Hidden Predator Act of 2018 – Versions of this bill have been proposed and parts of it have already passed in Georgia, however, this bill would extend the age, to 38, that past victims of child sexual assault could sue for damages. It would also (more severely than in past bills) hold organizations, businesses and churches accountable that were derelict in their duties and allowed kids to be abused. It is gaining attention from the Boy Scouts of America, the Georgia Catholic Conference, the insurance industry and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, all reportedly working to hold up the legislation in committee. This comes at a time where sexual harassment and assault are at the forefront of many people’s minds. For more information on this topic, read this post: #MeToo, Time’s Up and the Legislation Behind the Movement.
WV HB3010 – Making it a felony to knowingly expose another individual to HIV. The bill states “an individual that knowingly suffers from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and that willfully performs any act which exposes another person to HIV without that person’s informed consent shall be guilty of a felony.” Upon their conviction, they will be sent to a state correctional facility for one to five years and fined between $1,000 and $5,000. It also states that the court may order any individual convicted to pay all or any portion of the cost of medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment of the victim.
WI AB482 – Marijuana possession -This bill changes state law to permit both recreational and medical use of marijuana. With respect to recreational use of marijuana, this bill changes state law to permit a Wisconsin resident who is at least 21 to possess no more than two ounces of marijuana and to permit a nonresident of Wisconsin who is at least 21 to possess no more than one-quarter ounce. The bill also states that people may not operate a vehicle with a THC concentration of 5.0 ng/mL or more, instead of a detectable amount in their blood like many states have proposed. AL HB272 states a person commits the crime of unlawful possession of marijuana in the first degree if they have two ounces or more, a Class C felony. They commit it in the second degree if have more than one ounce but less than two ounces, a Class D felony. Both of these are less strict laws on possession and punishment than the state previously had.
NJ S2026 – “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” – this bill would ban abortion 20 weeks or more after fertilization. It provides that an abortion is not to be performed or attempted if the “probable post-fertilization age” is 20 weeks or greater, with certain exceptions. The exceptions provided are:
- The abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness or injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by, or arising from, the pregnancy itself
- The pregnancy is the result of rape, if reported to a law enforcement agency prior to the abortion
- The pregnancy is the result of rape or incest against a minor, if reported to a law enforcement agency or to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) in the Department of Children and Families prior to the abortion
US HR2552 – Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act – This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion of any Social Security or tier I railroad retirement benefits in gross income for income tax purposes. Essentially it would eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits and boost the retirement income for millions of older Americans. The bill’s sponsor, Congressman Thomas Massie, said “Social Security is financed with Americans’ tax dollars, so taxing Social Security is double-taxing by the Federal Government. Taxing Social Security reduces benefits to seniors.”
FL H0157 – Public Health Risk Created by Pornography. Florida’s House of Representatives passed a resolution this month declaring pornography a public health risk. The resolution called for education, research and policy changes to protect Florida citizens (especially teenagers) from pornography. Republican Representative Ross Spano, the bill’s sponsor, said research has “found a correlation between pornography use and mental and physical illnesses, difficulty forming and maintaining intimate relationships, unhealthy brain development and cognitive function, and deviant, problematic or dangerous sexual behavior.” The research also includes risks like an increased demand for prostitution.
AZ HB2567 – Regarding the representation of people in textbooks. The bill states the governing board will approve the basic textbook for each course and all units under each general subject prior implementing the course. If any course does not include a basic textbook, the board will approve all supplemental books used in the course prior to approving the course. Textbooks and supplemental materials that are selected must include fair, accurate, inclusive and respectful representations of people with disabilities and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
US S42 – Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act. This bill directs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to encourage women and girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), pursue careers in aerospace and further advance the nation’s space science and exploration efforts. It requires NASA to submit to Congress a specified plan on how they can best facilitate and support both current and retired astronauts, scientists, engineers and innovators, including early career female astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, to engage with K-12 female STEM students and inspire the next generation of women to consider participating in STEM fields and to pursue careers in aerospace.
The Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency Act – this bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to require online public inspection files to be uploaded by television broadcast stations, AM or FM radio broadcast stations, cable operators, direct broadcast satellite service providers or satellite digital audio radio service providers and made available to the public in machine-readable format. The format must support automated searching, bulk downloading, aggregation, manipulation and sorting of the data. Public inspection files include political files that contain records of requests to purchase broadcast time by or on behalf of candidates for public office or to communicate a message relating to a political matter of national importance.
About BillTrack50 – BillTrack50 offers free tools for citizens to easily research legislators and bills across all 50 states and Congress. BillTrack50 also offers professional tools to help organizations with ongoing legislative and regulatory tracking, as well as easy ways to share information both internally and with the public.