February has been an interesting month with legislation. I’ve been seeing many more bills having to do with the current political climate and President Donald Trump’s actions. Some of these pertain to the immigration order Trump signed, the increased number of protests since the Trump presidency, issues raised about possible conflicts of interest for the president and others. The rest of the bills are the classic slices of American life; athletic training, early voting, social security and electronic cigarettes.
AR HB1040 – Limit The Practice Of Athletic Training In A Nonclinical Setting – “Athletic training” is defined as the prevention, recognition, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of an athletic injury or illness and the organization and administration of exercise, conditioning, and athletic training programs. “Nonclinical setting” is defined as a facility or setting that is unable to bill Medicare for services provided at the facility or setting in the acute or sub-acute stage (beginning stage of recovery). If an athletic trainer violates this they are subject to suspension or revocation of their professional license. This has been one of our top trending bills for the second month in a row.
AZ SB1142 – Relating to riots – planning, participation and racketeering. This bill aims to expand Arizona’s racketeering laws. Currently, these laws are aimed at organized crime but this bill wants to make them include rioting. The bill also redefines what constitutes rioting to actions that result in damage to the property of others. Opponents to the bill says it allows the state to prosecute “guilty by association” and giving the government the right to criminally prosecute and seize the assets of people who participate and plan protests. This bill is part of a growing trend of limiting people’s right to gather and protest.
CO HB1124 – Relating to government bans on fracking of oil and gas. This Colorado bill aims to hold the state government of Colorado for the monetary value of their resources they are not able to sell due to bans. So if a local government “enacts a moratorium on oil and gas activities” they need to compensate oil and gas operators, mineral lessees, and royalty owners for all costs, damages, and losses of fair market value associated with the ban.
MN HF1066 – Relating to increasing penalties for obstructing the highway. This, like AZ SB1142, is Public nuisance is defined as “maintaining or permitting a condition which unreasonably annoys, injures or endangers the safety, health, morals, comfort, or repose of any considerable number of members of the public.” If you are a nuisance on public highway or right-of-way, or waters used by the public the penalty for “maintaining a public nuisance” is a misdemeanor.
KY HCR7 – Relating to repealing the Government Pension Offset provision (offsetting government employees spouse’s, widow’s or widower’s Social Security benefit) from the Social Security Act. The bill stats that the Government Pension Offset provision reduces public employees’ Social Security spousal or survival benefits by up to two-thirds of their public pension. Public employee’s the bill is specifically concerned about are teachers, police officers, firefighters and postal workers. These employees have supplemented their income from other jobs where they paid into Social Security over the years who may end up losing $3,600 to the provision. According to the bill, Kentucky is one of 15 states most affective by the provision, causing nine out of ten employees to lose their entire spousal benefit.
MN HF314 – Relating to establishing districting principles for legislative and congressional plans. This bill requires legislative and congressional districts to be drawn by the legislature banning them from delegating any commission, council, panel, or other entity that is not comprised solely of members of the legislature. It also requires legislative districts to equal the population, be numbered in a regular series and start with southeast corner and end with the northeast corner. More importantly than the direction of districts, the bill requires them to not be established with the intent of dispersing or concentrating minority population in a way that prevents minority communities from electing their candidates of choice.
AR HB1032 – Act 45, The Arkansas Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act. This bill effectively bans the majority of second trimester abortions (after 13 weeks or 3 months) in Arkansas and gives control of women’s bodies to other people in their lives. “Dismemberment Abortions” also known as a dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedure is the safest way for a woman to have an abortion in the second trimester. This act would make D&E procedures a felony punishable by a $10,000 fine or six years in prison. The second part of this bill is it would allow women to be barred from having an abortion by their spouse or family member, even in instances of spousal rape or incest. For more information on recent abortion bills go here, for other abortion blogs go here and here.
NY S2950 – Early Voting – provides that beginning the eighth day prior to any election and ending on and including the second day prior to the election a person duly registered and eligible to vote shall be permitted to vote. It also states “for early voting shall be equally divided between the major political parties. The board of elections shall assign staff and provide the resources they require to ensure wait times at early voting sites do not exceed thirty minutes.” For more on voting laws, read this, this or this. This is also the second month that this bill has been one of our top trending bills.
US S65 – Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017. This bill calls for the divestiture of all personal financial interests for the President and Vice President of the United States of America that pose a conflict of interest. It also calls for the disclosure of financial interests and for the spouse and family members of the President and Vice President to divest. The acts states that these need to be described in detail and need to be transferred to a qualified blind trust.
NJ S298 – Relating to prohibiting the sale or distribution of flavored electronic smoking devices. This bill amends current smoking bills to include information on the on the health risks associated with flavored electronic smoking devices, quickly replacing traditional cigarettes. The bill defines “electronic smoking device” as an electronic cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, or pipe.
VA HB2000 – Relating to prohibiting sanctuary policies. This bill aims to block locality from adopting any ordinance, procedure, or policy that restricts the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.
I am very interested to see where legislation will go next month and throughout the year. Although it is normal for legislation to reflect the climate in society and be in response to presidential actions, I feel like this month is especially reflective of the changing political climate in the United States due to the election and actions by President Donald Trump and members of his team. I guess you’ll have to tune in next month to see how it changes!
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