Written by: Paul Barnes | August 21, 2021

In today’s blog post, we will be taking a look at the bills that have been read the most times on BillTrack50 this year. This list will provide a brief description of each of the bills and other information about the bill, such as who sponsored it and if the bill has passed yet. Additionally, the bill number for each bill on the list serves as a link, so if you want to know more about a specific bill, then feel free to click on the bill number, which will take you directly to that bill’s page.

Some of the bills on this list are meant to make changes to existing laws, the summaries for said bills will only cover the changes and not the entire law. Additionally, view numbers, sponsors, bill progress and so on, are based on what they were at the time of writing, and may have changed. Some of the bills on this list are quite long and a short summary will not do them justice. Hence, for the longer bills on this list, only the more basic points will be covered, for a more in-depth look at a specific bill, feel free to take a look at the bill yourself, using the provided links. All of these bills will be given a brief, self-made title to describe what the bill does, these are not the official titles of these bill and are simply intended to make it easy for you to understand what a bill is about at a glance.

Without further ado, let us go to the list of the top ten most popular bills of this year (so far).

Number 10: NJ S3540, 6,404 Total Views – Restricting Transgender Athletes Bill

  • Bill Progress: In Committee (03/11/2021). This is still the case as of 8/22/2021.
  • Sponsors (2 total): James Holzapfel (R) and Michael Testa (R)
  • Summary: This bill requires that participation in school-sanctioned sports be based on an individual’s biological sex at birth. It provides that public and nonpublic schools, as well as institutions of higher education, designate athletic or sports teams on the basis of biological sex. The bill also prohibits any athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls from being open to males. In the event the sex of a student is disputed, the student will establish sex by presenting a signed physician’s statement that indicates the student’s sex based solely on (1) the student’s internal and external reproductive anatomy; (2) the student’s normal endogenously produced levels of testosterone; and (3) an analysis of the student’s genetic makeup.

Number 9: MA H2808, 6,798 Total Views – Covid-19 Retirement Credit Bill

Number 8: IL HB5306, 8,312 Total Views – Tax Avoiding Trailer Plates

  • Bill Progress: Dead/Failed (12/31/2020).
  • Sponsors (2 Total): Terri Bryant (R), Tony McCombie (R)
  • Summary: This bill would have amended the Illinois Vehicle Code as it relates to trailers. The change in question made it so that starting in 2022, trailer owners could choose to be issued a permanent registration plate for their trailer that has a gross weight of 3000 or less. The cost of this plate is $118, and having the plate allows the plate holder to not pay the annual weight tax or the registration fee. The cost of the tax is $10 a year, meaning if one plans on having the trailer for more then 12 years, they will be saving money by getting the permanent plate.

Number 7: WA HB1028, 10,800 Total Views – Certification of Teachers 

  • Bill Progress: Signed/Enacted (05/10/2021).
  • Sponsors (5 Total): Steve Bergquist (D), Laurie Dolan (D), Bob McCaslin (R), Gerald Pollet (D), Monica Stonier (D)
  • Summary: This bill sets out the requirements that someone who is seeking recommendation for a residency teacher certification must meet before they can be recommended. The main requirement is that they must have undergone a board approved preparation program, that used the most recent teaching standards published by a consortium of state and national education organizations. The bill also requires that each board approved teacher preparation program must publish and provide candidates with a list of requirements for completing the program. The candidates who are recommended must meet or exceed the requirements of the preparation program. If a candidate does not meet the requirements of the program then they do not qualify for recommendation. The bill also removes several sections from the bill such as the definition of “cultural competency” and several sections that mention the “Washington Progression Educator Standards”.

Number 6: NJ S3664, 11,935 Total Views – Licensing for Cannabis Business/Cultivation

  • Bill Progress: In Committee (04/26/2021). This is still the case as of 08/22/2021.
  • Sponsors (1 Total): Vin Gopal (D)
  • Summary: This bill relates to legal cannabis business and the applications for a license for such a business. It mostly deals with outlining the process of submitting an application and how those applications will be processed, including how long this process will usually take and other limitations or requirements. If the application is accepted then the applicant will be given their license no later than 30 days after the notice of approval, if it was rejected they applicant will instead be informed of the reason for the rejection. The applicant that was rejected will be given a chance to have a hearing about their rejection. The bill also details the requirements for those who want to apply for cultivating cannabis and other cannabis related opportunities. Those applying for the cultivation of cannabis license are required to include a written description of their knowledge/plans on the following; cultivation of cannabis, agriculture, quality control/assurance, recall plans, packaging/labeling, inventory control/tracking, analytical chemistry and testing of cannabis, water management, odor mitigation, recordkeeping, plant genetics. pest control, waste disposal and compliance with the law. The bill includes many technical points, please refer to the bill for full details.

Number 5: MS SB2765, 14,106 Total Views – Medical Cannabis Bill

  • Bill Progress: Dead/Failed (03/10/2021).
  • Sponsors (1 Total): Kevin Blackwell (R)
  • Summary: Similar to the NJ bill above, this MS bill also relates to cannabis, but in this case it is about medical cannabis. The bill would have allowed for certain patients to use medical cannabis. The bill goes into detail about how much medical cannabis could have be given by dispensaries and what medical conditions/diseases would have been required for an individual to be given medical cannabis. The bill also lists what the consequences would have been for doctors prescribing cannabis to someone who does not qualify. Additionally, the bill covers places that would have been allowed to produce cannabis and the protections that they would have had under this law.

Number 4: AL HB1 / AL SB10, 15,000 Total Views – Prohibiting Minors From Getting Gender Change Therapy

  • Bill Progress: Dead/Failed (05/17/2021).
  • Sponsors House: Wesley Allen (R), Chip Brown (R), Mike Holmes (R), Arnold Mooney (R), Phillip Pettus (R) Senate Shay Shelnutt (R)
  • Summary: The bill would have prohibited gender change therapy for minors. Specifically the bill called for an end to the following; The use of puberty blocking medication, the use of testosterone medication by females, the use of estrogen medication by males, surgeries that are meant to sterilize someone, including castration, vasectomy, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, orchiectomy and penectomy. It would have also prohibited surgeries being done to artificially create genitalia that differs from the individuals biological sex and from removing any healthy body part in general.

Number 3: US HR127, 20,598 Total Views – Firearm Registration and Licensing

  • Bill Progress: In Committee (03/01/2021). This is still the case as of 08/22/2021.
  • Sponsors (1 Total): Sheila Jackson Lee (D)
  • Summary: This bill focuses on the registration of all firearms and licensing for owning a firearm. The bill requires that all firearms be registered in a database by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, specifically the following information should be included; firearms make, model, serial number, the identity of the owner, the date the firearm was acquired, where the firearm will be stored and a notice about any individual who the firearm will be loaned to for any period of time. If a firearm was acquired before the effective date of this bill, its owner has 3 months to send the information. If the firearm is acquired after this bills effective date, then the information must be sent on the day the firearm is acquired. The information in this database would be available to the public, law enforcement, all branches of the military, and state/local governments. The law would also set up a licensing system with a lot of requirements and restrictions for owning a firearm. The law would also make it unlawful to possess a firearm if one did not have a license. The process of getting a license includes; being 21, undergoing a criminal background check, undergoing psychological evaluation, complete a certified training course (minimum of 24 hours).  The bill would also prohibit the possession of certain types of ammunition.

Number 2: DC B23-0171, 38,420 Total Views – Vaccination For Minors Without Parental Consent

  • Bill Progress: Enacted with Mayor’s signature 12/23/2020 and sent to Congress 2/1/2021, went into effect 3/16/2021.
  • Sponsors (9 Total): Mary Cheh (D), Charles Allen (D), Jack Evans (D), Vincent Gray (D), David Grosso (I), Phil Mendelson (D), Brianne Nadeau (D), Elissa Silverman (I), Trayon White (D)
  • Summary: This bill allows for minors that are 11 years or older to consent to being vaccinated without parental permission, but only if the minor fulfills the informed consent standard. The bill defines informed consent as being “able to comprehend the need for, the nature of, and any significant risks ordinarily inherent in medical care”. The cost of the vaccination will be sent directly to the insurer without parental consent. The vaccination record would be sent to the child’s school, not to their parents, if the parents are using a religious exemption that allows their child to attend school without vaccines against communicable diseases.

Number 1: NJ S3582 / NJ A5552, 183,519 Total Views – Legalized Growing of Marijuana

  • Bill Progress: In Committee (03/22/2021). This is still the case as of 08/22/2021.
  • Sponsors Senate: Vin Gopal (D), Patrick Diegnan (D), Shirley Turner (D) House: JoAnn Downey (D),  Eric Houghtaling (D),   Andrew Zwicker (D),   Valerie Huttle (D),   Anthony Verrelli (D), 
  • Summary: This bill would make it legal for a person aged 21 or over to grow and possess certain amounts of marijuana for personal use. Possession of six ounces or less of marijuana, including any adulterants or dilutants, would not be subject to any punishment, as this possession would no longer be a crime, offense, act of delinquency, or civil violation of law. Under the bill, growing or possessing marijuana plants for personal recreational use or personal medical use, by a person aged 21 or older would also not be a crime, offense, act of delinquency, or civil violation of law. The bill would apply under the following circumstances: (1) A person aged 21 or older may grow or possess up to six marijuana plants for personal recreational use, with a maximum of 12 plants per household; and (2) A qualifying patient, aged 21 or older, or a designated caregiver, aged 21 or older, on behalf of the qualifying patient, may grow or possess up to 10 marijuana plants for personal medical use, with a maximum of 12 plants per household.

Conclusion

And that is the end of our top ten most viewed bills of 2021, were you surprised by any of the items on this list?

If you are interested in other bills or want to know more about the services we provide, then please feel free to contact us here, you can also create a new account for free and get started right away, by going here!

We hope to see you browsing bills soon!