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9 Strange New Laws for 2013
On January 1, 400 new federal laws took effect. Meanwhile, state legislatures passed 29,000 bills and resolutions, many of which came into force on the first of the year. Local government added thousands of new laws.
Ignorance is no excuse, so start cramming on all the weird new regulations you have to follow as of Tuesday:
Tags: Alcohol, Animals, California, Children, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Sex, State Legislature -
Coming Soon to Michigan's Gun-Free Zones: Guns
The end of a lame duck legislative session is always a harried time for state lawmakers as they scramble to pass bills before their terms expire. It's a lot like Cinderella, except instead of dancing with a prince, legislators pass abortion bans. And at term's end, instead of carriages turning back into pumpkins, politicians turn into lobbyists.So it was in Michigan, where GOP lawmakers, concerned about their diminished majorities in the coming legislative session, stayed up until 4:30 in the morning to pass a raft of legislation for Gov. Rick Snyder's signature.
On top of a right-to-work law Snyder signed on Tuesday, legislators adopted one of the country's most restrictive abortion regulations, renewed an emergency managers law that voters had rejected in a referendum just months before, passed property tax cuts and moved one step closer to re-branding "gun-free" zones as places where the government gives out free guns:
Tags: Abortion, Guns, Michigan, Rick Snyder, State Legislature -
Michigan Cops and Firefighters Refused "Right to Work"
This afternoon the Michigan House of Representatives passed two separate "right-to-work" measures covering workers in the private and public sectors, setting the stage for final passage sometime next week.
A fun game for Michigan residents who may be confused by the phrase "right-to-work":
1. If you're unemployed or working part-time, approach Governor Rick Snyder and ask for a job. Claim you're just exercising the right to work. Better yet, walk in to any office you fancy. Do your research. Pick one that has good coffee, not one with a stupid Flavia machine.
2. If anyone calls security, tell them the legislature passed a right-to-work law and you're only following the rules.
3. If that strategy somehow fails, it may be because right-to-work bills are the Grape-Nuts of public policy: they contain neither rights nor work.
Tags: Michigan, Rick Snyder, State Legislature, Unions -
5 Funniest Local Campaign Ads of 2012 [VIDEO]
Most everyone is relieved that with the campaign season over, the airwaves are no longer cluttered with political ads. But some of us aren't ready to return to an endless stream of dog food advertisements and catheter commercials.
Previously, we looked back at the funniest ads in the 2012 House and Senate races. Today, let's celebrate state and local campaigns, the kind of races that have previously given us Basil Marceaux and restored our faith in democracy…
Tags: Advertising, California, Florida, Missouri, State Legislature, Television, Texas -
Montana Legislator Demands to Be Paid in Gold, GOLD!
These really are exciting times in politics, aren't they? We have a black president, an openly lesbian senator and — apparently — our first leprechaun state congressperson…State Rep. Jerry O'Neil, R-Columbia Falls [Montana], is spooked enough about the country's fiscal picture to request that his legislative pay come in the form of gold and silver coins…
"They might just go to the coin shop and get me gold and silver coins, or they might say I have to do it myself," he said. "I don't know."
I wish I knew what Rep. O'Neil thinks is going to happen with the economy. And, as of this time, he could not be captured for further comment.
(via Political Wire)
Tags: Money, Montana, State Legislature
