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States Loosening Occupational Licensing Laws In an effort to boost their workforces, states are advancing legislation to loosen their occupational licensing laws. For example, the Louisiana House passed...
ME House Passes Restrictive Data Privacy Bill Maine’s House narrowly approved a bill ( LD 1977 ) that would impose restrictions on the digital information that companies can collect. Businesses...
By many if not most people’s standards, Heidi Clayton was a clear victim of workplace harassment . A member of the Atlantic City Police Department, Clayton was asked out on dates by a lieutenant...
MD Drug Affordability Board Weighing Caps on Eight Drugs Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board could soon impose price limits on up to eight drugs on state-run health insurance plans...
MD Passes Major Data Privacy Bills With the approval of a pair of bills last week, Maryland joined a handful of other states, including California, Connecticut, Texas and Utah, that have passed both...
Florida’s House Judiciary Committee approved a bill (HB 1) that would prevent those under 16 from having a social media account and require social media platforms to confirm the age of new and existing users. The measure—which goes significantly further than legislation passed last year in other states, including Arkansas (SB 396), Ohio (HB 33) and Utah (SB 152), requiring minors to obtain parental consent to access social media platforms—now goes to the full House. A top priority for Speaker Paul Renner (R), it is expected to pass. (PLURIBUS NEWS, ORLANDO SENTINEL)
On the first day of their new session, Republican legislative leaders in Utah pledged to revise laws they passed last year HB 311 [2023] and SB 152 [2023], establishing social media protections for minors—so they will hold up in court. The laws are facing multiple legal challenges from tech and civil liberties groups. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)
Indiana’s Senate passed a bill (SB 17) prohibiting adult-oriented websites from allowing anyone to access content without first verifying their age. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a similar federal law passed in 1996 unconstitutional. (NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES)
A bill (HB 4472) introduced in Illinois would create a board of health care experts with the authority to set limits on prescriptions drug prices. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D) has signed on as a cosponsor of the measure, which has been assigned to the Rules Committee. (CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)
Wisconsin’s Senate passed a pair of bills (SB 791 and SB 792) that would allow the use of about $80 million in federal money to create a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations. The measures would also exempt businesses like gas stations and convenience stores that supplied electric vehicle charging stations from regulation as a public utility and allow them to sell electricity by the kilowatt-hour instead of by the amount of time it takes to charge a vehicle. (WISCONSIN EXAMINER, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)
A bill introduced in Georgia (SB 351) would require social media companies to verify the age of their users. The bill would also update rules requiring schools to monitor bullying to address cyberbullying. (GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING)
—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK
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