Latest Legislation News

EU calls on Bosnian Serb parliament to reject draft law that brands NGOs as 'foreign agents'

Sep. 21, 2023 10:57 AM EDT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The European Union on Thursday urged authorities in the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia to without delay withdraw a draft law that brands non-profit groups funded from abroad as “foreign agents.” The law is to be adopted by the Bosnian Serb...

South Africa to host US trade forum as diplomatic tensions subside

Sep. 21, 2023 05:24 AM EDT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa will host a meeting in November of nations participating in the U.S. Africa Growth and Opportunity Act despite earlier calls to exclude the country from the forum due to its ties to Russia and the docking of a sanctioned Russian vessel near Cape Town last year. ...

Iran's parliament passes a stricter headscarf law days after protest anniversary

Sep. 20, 2023 20:50 PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to impose heavier penalties on women who refuse to wear the mandatory Islamic headscarf in public and those who support them. The move came just days after the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini,...

Bill for preserving site of Wounded Knee massacre in South Dakota passes U.S. House

Sep. 20, 2023 20:32 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to preserve the site of the Wounded Knee massacre — one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history — cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, introduced by Republican U.S. Rep....

Swiss parliament approves ban on full-face coverings like burqas, and sets fine for violators

Sep. 20, 2023 19:09 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — The lower house of Switzerland's parliament voted Wednesday to give final legislative passage to a ban on face coverings, such as the burqas worn by some Muslim women. The National Council voted 151-29 for the legislation, which was already approved by the upper...

Seattle City Council OKs law to prosecute for having and using drugs such as fentanyl in public

Sep. 20, 2023 16:58 PM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle City Council on Tuesday adopted a controlled substance law after rejecting it earlier this summer, making the possession and public use of drugs such as fentanyl a gross misdemeanor. The council voted to approve the measure by a 6-3 vote on Tuesday,...

India moves toward reserving 33% of the seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women

Sep. 20, 2023 12:34 PM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India's Parliament on Wednesday took a major step toward reserving 33% of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, an issue that had languished for nearly three decades because of a lack of consensus among...

California truck drivers ask Gov. Newsom to sign job-saving bill as self-driving big rigs are tested

Sep. 20, 2023 12:30 PM EDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers, union leaders and truck drivers are trying to steer Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom toward signing into law a proposal that could save jobs as self-driving trucks are tested for their safety on the roads. The legislation would ban...

Thai king's estranged son urges open discussion of monarchy, in rejection of anti-defamation law

Sep. 20, 2023 10:48 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — An estranged son of Thailand’s king who has spent almost all his adult life away from his homeland has unexpectedly gone public with his belief that open discussions about the country's monarchy should be allowed, in a rejection of a harsh royal anti-defamation law. ...

California law restricting companies' use of information from kids online is halted by federal judge

Sep. 19, 2023 16:56 PM EDT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has halted implementation of a California law intended to restrict companies’ use of information gathered from young internet users in order to protect the privacy of minors. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman on Monday granted a...