Latest Legislation News

Maine govenor signs off on new gun laws, mental health supports in wake of Lewiston shootings

Apr. 26, 2024 16:39 PM EDT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law a suite of gun safety legislation approved by lawmakers after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, expanding background checks for private sales of weapons, bolstering the state's “yellow flag” law,...

A California bill aiming to ban confidentiality agreements when negotiating legislation fails

Apr. 26, 2024 16:27 PM EDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A bill that sought to ban the use of confidentiality agreements when negotiating potential laws in California has failed to pass a state legislative committee. The proposal by Republican Assemblymember Vince Fong failed to get enough votes to pass out of...

New York to require internet providers to charge low-income residents $15 for broadband

Apr. 26, 2024 15:05 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York can move ahead with a law requiring internet service providers to offer heavily discounted rates to low-income residents, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The decision from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan reverses a lower court...

The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?

Apr. 26, 2024 02:43 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular...

Alabama lawmakers advance bill that could lead to prosecution of librarians

Apr. 25, 2024 22:53 PM EDT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted under the state's obscenity law for providing “harmful” materials to minors, the latest in a wave of bills in Republican-led states targeting library content and decisions. ...

17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortion

Apr. 25, 2024 21:35 PM EDT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republican attorneys general from 17 states filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions, calling the rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law. The lawsuit led by...

House approves bill to criminalize organ retention without permission

Apr. 25, 2024 21:25 PM EDT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill making it a crime for medical examiners to retain a deceased person's organs without permission. The legislation was introduced after several families said inmates' bodies came back from autopsies with their...

Federal judge temporarily blocks confusing Montana voter registration law

Apr. 25, 2024 19:02 PM EDT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Montana law that appeared to require people to cancel any previous voter registrations before signing up to vote in the state, or risk facing felony charges. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris said Wednesday that he...

Selling weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York is now illegal

Apr. 25, 2024 18:35 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — It’s now illegal to sell weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York, under a first-in-the-nation law that went into effect this week. Experts say loose federal regulation of dietary supplements has resulted in these products sometimes...

TikTok has promised to sue over the potential US ban. What's the legal outlook?

Apr. 25, 2024 11:39 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Legislation forcing TikTok's parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. received President Joe Biden's official signoff Wednesday. But the newly minted law could be in for an uphill battle in court. Critics of the sell-or-be-banned...