Tag Archives: Topic: Legislation

The Hill: “The Senate voted 81 to 19 in favor of the deal struck by President Obama and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).”

Bishop Jeffrey Lee writing at the Chicago Tribune / The Seeker: “The Illinois’ General Assembly’s approval of a bill authorizing civil unions is a step toward dismantling the barriers that limit access of gay and lesbian couples to the full protections and benefits guaranteed all Americans in our Constitution.”

Washington Post: “Virginia’s go-it-alone legal strategy to challenge the nation’s sweeping federal health-care overhaul – once questioned by both advocates and some opponents of the law – seems to be paying off for state Attorney General Ken T. Cuccinelli II after Monday’s court ruling, in his favor, that a key provision of the law is unconstitutional.”

Heritage Foundation: “By waiting until late yesterday to unveil this 1,924-page monstrosity, Reid is playing a high stakes game of chicken with small government conservatives. Since the FY 2010 budget expired on September 30th, the federal government has been operating on a series of continuing resolutions (CR). The most recent CR expires on midnight Saturday. If the Senate does not pass a bill by then the federal government shuts down. Reid believes that conservatives do not have courage to back up their spending cut convictions. Conservative Senators should call Reid’s bluff.”

CNSNews: “Senate Democrats today introduced a 1,924-page omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2011, forgoing a planned continuing resolution to fund the federal government until the next Congress could take up the issue after Jan. 3.”

Bloomberg: “New Hampshire’s Democratic Gov. John Lynch is upbeat about working with the state House and Senate next month despite overwhelming Republican majorities in both chambers . . . But Lynch reiterated Tuesday that he will veto legislation that repeals gay marriage. Lynch signed a law last year legalizing the unions.”

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: “The U.S. House is scheduled to vote tomorrow to add repeal language to a bill that already once passed the House floor and the Senate Armed Services Committee – thus, helping chances that repeal passes as little time remains in the lame-duck session.”

Iowa Independent: “State lawmakers are seriously considering legislation that would for the first time mandate 501(c)4 nonprofits that spend money trying to influence elections to disclose their donors, an idea that has garnered support from both Democratic and Republican leaders.”

Manila Times: “Rep. Kaka Bag-ao of Akbayan party-list, the principal author of House Bill 515, or the Act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and providing penalties, noted that such homophobia is stirred by the fact that the country has no standing policy on human rights abuses against lesbians, gays bisexual and transgenders (LGBT).”

Times of Malta: “Labour MP Evarist Bartolo is to present a Private Member’s Bill that would make it easier for trans-gender people to change the gender annotation on their official documents, without having to undergo a lengthy and intrusive court process.”

Senator Mark Leno Press Release: “Senator Mark Leno introduced legislation today that helps address the nation’s bullying crisis by ensuring that historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are accurately and fairly portrayed in instructional materials. Senate Bill 48, known as the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act, adds the LGBT community to the existing list of under-represented cultural and ethnic groups already listed in the state’s inclusionary education requirements.”

Pacific News Center: “Governor Camacho has vetoed the controversial informed consent on abortion bill. The measure called for a 24 hour waiting period and was meant to provide women options on abortion before going through with the procedure.”

Indianapolis Star: “Abortion foes, strengthened by the November election that put Republicans in charge of the Indiana legislature, will seek measures to restrict both the procedure and those who perform it. Among the bills being proposed: banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and barring Planned Parenthood of Indiana from receiving taxpayer dollars.”

Scotsman: “Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie has predicted the Scottish Parliament will back marriage for gays and lesbians after next year’s elections.”

Washington Post: “A majority of senators on a key committee in Maryland now favor legalizing same-sex marriage, making it increasingly likely that the state will join five others and the District in allowing such unions.”

Associated Press: “Abortion rights foes emboldened by a new Nebraska law that restricts late-term procedures based on the disputed notion that fetuses can feel pain after 20 weeks are pushing for similar legislation in other states, particularly those where Republicans won big in November.”

Family Research Council: “Family Research Council applauded Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators John McCain and Jim Inhofe, along with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who stood together to stop the Defense Authorization bill from being considered by the Senate.”

Human Rights Campaign: “Today the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, praised the bipartisan proposal under the leadership of Sens. Lieberman and Collins that emerged this evening to pass repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ as a stand-alone piece of legislation. The news comes from a bipartisan group of Senators after today’s failed vote to proceed to debate on the National Defense Authorization Act.”

LifeNews: “The Senate turned back a second [attempt] by pro-abortion Democrats to stop a Republican filibuster against a Defense Department funding measure that would also allow abortions at military base hospitals.”

Thomas More Law Center: “The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed its opening brief earlier this week with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, seeking to overturn a lower court decision dismissing its federal lawsuit challenging the Federal Hate Crimes Act passed in 2009.” The brief is here.

Pink News: “The Lithuanian parliament will vote next week on legislation to impose heavy fines on those who ‘promote’ homosexuality.”

LifeSiteNews: “The Parliament of the African nation of Malawi has passed a law adding lesbian sodomy to its list of criminalized sexual perversions, despite international pressures to eliminate such laws.”

Christian Science Monitor: “Years in the making, the so-called Pigford II settlement has stirred much debate about government responsibility to repay blacks for unfair US Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan policies and about whether such settlements amount to backdoor reparations for general historic discrimination.”

“In 1995, legislators in the Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act; but due to legal challenges by the ACLU and their allies, the law has been enjoined for 15 years . . . ”

Houston Chronicle [AP]: “Texas legislators will consider proposals to better define bullying in schools as students face being targeted on campus and online.”

The Missoulian: “With Republicans controlling both chambers in the 2011 Legislature, some GOP lawmakers are proposing a broad collection of bills to restrict or possibly ban legalized abortion in Montana.”

LifeNews: “The Senate may vote as early today on the 2011 defense authorization bill that contains language turning military base hospitals into abortion facilities.”

Adventist News Network: “Members of Peru’s congress voted last week to approve legislation guaranteeing the religious liberty of all citizens, a freedom already recognized by the South American country’s constitution.” | Via Religion Clause.

New York Times: “[E]ven the most ardent supporters of the bill, which was resoundingly rejected by the State Senate last December, said the measure would meet the same fate if it were brought to the floor now, and the governor, apparently reaching the same conclusion, has abandoned the idea.”

Chicago Sun-Times: “In a landmark 32 to 24 vote, legislation recognizing civil unions among gay and lesbian couples passed the Illinois Senate on Wednesday with the bill now heading to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has pledged to sign it.”

Chicago Sun-Times: Gov. Quinn to ‘follow conscience’ on unions

Lambda Legal Press Release

FIRE: “Unfortunately—but perhaps not surprisingly, given the understandably powerful emotions driving the legislation—some have taken our criticism of the bill as evidence that FIRE is serving some sinister partisan agenda . . . As “proof” of our hidden agenda, LaVictoire charges that FIRE is ‘rather strongly tied to groups like the Alliance Defense Fund and the Family Research Council.’ But this lazy guilt-by-association dog won’t hunt. While FIRE has successfully worked with the Alliance Defense Fund to defend First Amendment rights on campus, so too have we won crucial victories with many state and regional chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union.”

St. Louis Today: “Both supporters and opponents of a controversial ‘civil unions’ measure say it could come to a vote in the Illinois House as early as today, in a lame-duck session that may give it the best chance of passage that it’s likely to have.”

Pakistan Dawn: “Amid announcements by the religious forces in the country to resist any move to change the blasphemy laws, former information minister and Pakistan People’s Party MNA Sherry Rehman has submitted a bill to the National Assembly Secretariat seeking an end to the death penalty under the existing blasphemy laws.”

KWTX: “Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, proposed a law Monday that would create new penalties for minors convicted of sexting.”

New York Times: “The novel question before the courts is whether the government can require citizens to buy a commercial product like health insurance. Because the Supreme Court has said the commerce clause of the Constitution allows Congress to regulate ‘activities that substantially affect interstate commerce,’ the judges must decide whether the failure to obtain insurance can be defined as an ‘activity.’”

Chicago Tribune: “Mayoral candidate Gery Chico said Sunday he supports civil unions for same-sex couples and will urge state lawmakers to legalize them when the General Assembly meets this week.”

Sydney Morning Herald: “Greens leader Bob Brown will not marry his partner if gay marriage is legalised in Australia – an event the party founder has predicted will occur in the Gillard government’s first term . . . Senator Brown claimed ownership of the recent push to legalise same-sex marriage, but said he felt no duty to marry his long-time partner, farmer and activist Paul Thomas.”

Chicago Tribune: “Gay marriage was a key issue on the Nov. 2 ballot, but Republicans said state spending and jobs will be their focus in the upcoming legislative session.”

LezGetReal: “The Foundation for Individual Rights In Education has decided unilaterally that it is necessary to maintain harassment and discrimination against students in schools because they believe that it is alright to bully lesbians and gays . . . FIRE, which is rather strongly tied to groups like the Alliance Defense Fund and the Family Research Council claims to work on ‘behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation’s colleges and universities.’”

LifeNews: “The state Assembly approved a pair of bills to restore the funding pro-life Gov. Chris Christie revoked for financial reasons. However, the passage of the bills came seven votes shy of what is needed to override another expected gubernatorial veto.”

FIRE: “An ‘anti-bullying’ bill introduced in Congress last week gravely threatens free speech on America’s college campuses. Despite the bill’s admirable intention of preventing future tragedies, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has determined that the bill is at odds with the Supreme Court’s carefully crafted definition of harassment and would require colleges to violate the First Amendment.”

Reuters: “Pakistan will not repeal its controversial blasphemy law but may amend it to prevent abuse because scrapping the legislation could fuel Islamist militancy, a government minister said on Tuesday.”

The Shorthorn (University of Texas at Arlington): “Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van, pre-filed a bill which would allow prominent display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms around the state . . . ‘The bill gives them an opportunity to display it if they want to,’ Flynn said. ‘It’s sad that we have to do it, but the teachers deserve that kind of protection. They shouldn’t be worried about being taken to task.’”

Providence Journal / Projo 7 to 7 News Blog: “Same-sex marriage opponents mounted a post-election effort to try to change Gov.-elect Lincoln D. Chafee’s mind . . . ‘The governor elect feels that the issue should be addressed as soon as possible by the General Assembly, and does not believe that the question should be decided by a ballot referendum . . . Marriage equality is a basic right that should be extended to all Rhode Islanders.’”

ACLU Blog of Rights: “On Friday, the ACLU joined with Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights in challenging a law that requires a teen to notify a parent or go to court before having an abortion. It is critical that laws like this don’t go unchallenged. I know from my own experience how bad these laws can be.”

CNN: “A legislator from Thailand’s ruling party said Tuesday that he is proposing a new abortion law there after police found thousands of illegally aborted fetuses in a Buddhist temple . . .”

Associated Press: “New Jersey lawmakers have approved what advocates say will be the nation’s toughest laws to fight bullying in institutions of learning . . . It would require anti-bullying programs in public schools and language in college codes of conduct to address bullying. The measure would update a law on the books since 2001.” | Bill Nos. A3466; S2392

The Daily Caller: “Conservatives are planning to propose an amendment to the Constitution at some time in the next few weeks aimed at allowing states to repeal legislation without the approval of Washington . . . The Repeal Amendment calls for allowing states to band together to repeal, or overturn, federal legislation. As it is written now, if approved and ratified, two-thirds of states’ legislatures would need to vote in favor of a repeal.”

Courthouse News Service: “A third challenge has been filed to Louisiana’s new abortion law. Five outpatient clincis and a doctor say Louisiana’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ allows state officials to suspend or revoke their licenses ‘based on any violation of any state or federal law or regulation’ without warning, in violation of due process. They say the law intends ‘to close down outpatient abortion facilities regardless of whether those facilities are operating safely.’” Complaint is here.

LifeNews: “Yesterday, the Thomas More Society took another step toward the long-overdue enforcement of Illinois’ Parental Notice of Abortion Act by filing a ‘friend of the court’ brief in the Illinois Appellate Court on behalf of a bipartisan group of Illinois state attorneys.” Thomas More Society press release | Brief is here.

LifeSiteNews: “A bill that proposed to legalize assisted suicide in Scotland has been rejected by a committee of cross-party Scottish parliamentarians. A five-to-one majority of the committee said Wednesday that they could not recommend approval of the principles of the bill.”

For more information, see this ADF Alliance Alert compound tag: http://www.alliancealert.org/tag/country-scotland+topic-euthanasia/

OneNewsNow: “According to open homosexual Congressman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), there is ‘zero chance’ that Congress will do anything on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). He says the focus will be on repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ But the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) has warned since last May that returning Democrats would try to pass ENDA and other controversial measures after the November 2 midterm elections.”

Wired: “On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill that would give the Attorney General the right to shut down websites with a court order if copyright infringement is deemed ‘central to the activity’ of the site — regardless if the website has actually committed a crime.”

NJToday.net: “U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ-12) today introduced the ‘Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act,’ legislation that would require colleges and universities to have anti-harassment policies in place.” More information from the Ridgewood Patch.

Scotsman.com: “Margo MacDonald’s bid to legalise assisted suicide should be thrown out by the Scottish Parliament, a committee of MSPs urged today The six-strong, cross-party committee appointed to examine the independent Lothians MSP’s proposals decided by a majority of five to one that they could not recommend approval of the principles of her End of Life Assistance Bill.”

Lambda Legal: “The Illinois General Assembly is expected to vote on a civil unions bill during this veto session, and Lambda Legal urges the Illinois House and Senate to provide much needed protections for same-sex couples.”

LifeSiteNews: “The New York City Council considered a bill yesterday that would require crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to post signs warning that the CPCs do not provide abortion services . . . The bill is similar to two laws currently enforced in Baltimore, Maryland and Austin, Texas. These bills also require CPCs to post signs explaining that they do not provide abortions. The Baltimore law is currently being challenged by the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Alliance Defense Fund.”

LifeSiteNews: “The Vancouver City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to back a controversial federal private members bill seeking to criminalize ‘discrimination’ against the gender-confused. The motion, brought forward by Councillor Ellen Woodsworth, supported New Democrat MP Bill Siksay’s Bill C-389, which aims to add ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as prohibited grounds for discrimination to the Canada Human Rights Act and as identifiable groups in the Criminal Code’s hate crimes legislation.”

Related:

“Scary” Canadian transgender discrimination bill sails thru committee

Sydney Star Observer: “The Surrogacy Bill 2010 has been welcomed for giving certainty to parents entering altruistic surrogacy arrangements, but blasted for punishing those who enter into commercial arrangements with up to two years jail or a fine of $110,000 or both.”

Center for Reproductive Rights: “Even though IVF has helped countless couples around the world have children they desperately want, Costa Rica has outlawed it since 2000. The Center filed an friend-of-the-court brief supporting a lawsuit against the absolute ban before the IACHR in 2004. In August the Commission issued a preliminary decision that found the ban to be a violation of basic human rights.”

ABC: “ABC News’ Sunlen Miller and Devin Dwyer report: President Obama today joined top Congressional Democrats in urging Congress to pass a small piece of immigration legislation known as the DREAM Act before it adjourns for the year. The measure would give hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants a conditional path to legal residency.” | Mickey Kaus comments here.

Wall Street Journal: “A contentious bill that would require about two-dozen so-called crisis pregnancy centers to disclose that they don’t offer abortions drew more than 50 abortion supporters and opponents to a City Council committee meeting Tuesday . . . ”

Navy Times: “A bill recognizing proxy marriages involving service members in immigration cases passed the House of Representatives on Monday. The bipartisan legislation is aimed, specifically, at helping the Japanese widow of a Marine killed in Iraq come to the U.S. to raise the couple’s child — but it would change the law for other military couples as well.”

Baltic Times: “Lithuanian parliament defeated by just two votes a controversial law that would have banned pride parades and, in the words of one MEP, ‘effectively made homosexuality illegal.’”

Catholic News Agency: “The president of the Peruvian bishops’ committee on the family has warned the country’s Congress that lowering the age of sexual consent will turn Peru into a ‘sexual paradise’ for tourists interested in child prostitution. The Peruvian Congress is currently debating a measure that would lower the legal age of sexual consent from 18 to 14 years old.”

CNSNews

NewsChief.com (AP): “None, though, will be as contentious as an abortion bill that was one of two vetoed measures the Legislature last overrode on March 11, 1998. Nor will the Legislature consider hot-button bills on teacher merit pay and retention, elections and abortion that Crist vetoed.”

LifeNews: “The Michigan legislature has taken the first step in responding to the dumping of the bodies of babies killed in abortions at abortion centers in the state . . . ‘The news created more interest in a package of bills in the Michigan legislature that would require that the remains of aborted or miscarried children to be disposed of in a dignified manner,’ Right to Life of Michigan indicated.”

Pacific Daily News: “A bill that would require ‘informed consent’ and a 24-hour delay before a woman could get an abortion on Guam moved forward yesterday. Bill 54-30, also known as the Woman’s Reproductive Health Information Act of 2009, was reported to the legislative Rules Committee yesterday with amendments based on recommendations from the attorney general’s office.”

EU Business: “In a first reading Friday, 31 legislators voted in favour and seven were against the draft law that envisages fines from 2,000 to 10,000 litas (580-2,900 euros, 792-3,955 dollars ) for ‘publicly promoting homosexual relations.’”

LifeNews: “In a letter released today, according to Politico, the Tea Party activists, joined by representatives of a gay Republican group, say they want Republicans in Congress to lay off social issues . . . Some of the signers of the letter, Politico indicates, include gay group GOProud’s chairman Christopher Barron, libertarian host Tammy Bruce, bloggers Bruce Carroll, Dan Blatt and Doug Welch and Tea party activists unrelated to the gay rights group . . . 73 percent picked pro-life candidates while just 27 percent supported abortion advocates.” | More from Politico.

Related:

Sen. Jim DeMint: “You can’t be a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative”

The Age: “Federal Labor member for Melbourne Ports Michael Danby has called for any same-sex marriage legislation to provide protection for religious ministers so they are not forced to perform those marriages. As parliament prepares to debate a Greens motion on same-sex marriage next week, Mr Danby said he agreed with Labor Right powerbroker Mark Arbib that change was coming.”

TriValleyCentral.com (AP): “Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council, says his group will push for a statewide vote in 2012 to ban gay marriage and civil unions in Minnesota’s Constitution. Previous efforts to do so in 2004, 2005 and 2006 met a firewall in the strongly Democratic state Senate, but that liberal majority crumbled Nov. 2.”

Chicago Sun-Times: “A push to recognize civil unions among same-sex couples is near having enough votes to pass the Illinois House, its main legislative backer predicted Tuesday.”

Washington Post: “Mexico’s House of Representatives has voted to amend social security rules to include medical and social benefits for same-sex couples.”