CRS Report – Federal Individual Income Tax Terms: An Explanation, Updated February 4, 2021: “This report describes the terms most commonly used when discussing the federal individual income tax. Most of these tax terms are explained in the order that they occur in the process of determining one’s income tax on the Form 1040. Total… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
Voting Laws Roundup 2021
Brennan Center for Justice: “The 2021 legislative sessions have begun in all but six states, and state lawmakers have already introduced hundreds of bills aimed at election procedures and voter access — vastly exceeding the number of voting bills introduced by this time last year. In a backlash to historic voter turnout in the 2020… Continue Reading
Stimulus check details keep changing. Here are the top things to know today
CNET: “Talks around stimulus checks are heating up this month: The House of Representatives is preparing to work on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief proposal, and Democrats are looking to use a legislative tool called budget reconciliation to potentially speed up passage of the bill. However, a group of 10 Senate Republicans (PDF) is also ready… Continue Reading
Here’s a Way to Learn if Facial Recognition Systems Used Your Photos
The New York Times – “An online tool targets only a small slice of what’s out there, but may open some eyes to how widely artificial intelligence research fed on personal images. When tech companies created the facial recognition systems that are rapidly remaking government surveillance and chipping away at personal privacy, they may have… Continue Reading
Digital Age Samaritans
Kaufman, Zachary D., Digital Age Samaritans (December 1, 2020). Boston College Law Review, Vol. 62, No. 4, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3741017 “Modern technology enables people to view, document, and share evidence of crimes contemporaneously or soon after commission. Electronic transmission of this material — including through social media and mobile devices — raises legal,… Continue Reading
Social Media: Misinformation and Content Moderation Issues for Congress
CRS Report. Social Media: Misinformation and Content Moderation Issues for Congress, January 27, 2021: “Social media platforms disseminate information quickly to billions of global users. The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2019, 72% of U.S. adults used at least one social media site and that the majority of users visited the site at least… Continue Reading
Cable-bill transparency laws haven’t killed sneaky fees
Tech Hive: “Back in 2019, a notoriously gridlocked Congress managed to agree on at least one thing: Hidden cable TV fees had gotten out of control. They passed a law, called the Television Viewer Protection Act, that requires pay TV services to disclose all of their extra fees before you finish signing up. The law… Continue Reading
Law Enforcement Statutory Database
National Conference of State Legislatures: announcement – “Legislative interest in policing and police accountability is currently at an unprecedented high. Deaths and other confrontations involving law enforcement continue to drive national conversations about policy and promote review of current state and local laws. From May 25, 2020 through the end of 2020, 36 states and Washington… Continue Reading
Capitol Unrest, Legislative Response, and the Bill of Attainder Clause
CRS Legal Sidebar – Capitol Unrest, Legislative Response, and the Bill of Attainder Clause, January 22, 2021: “On January 6, 2021, a crowd gathered on the U.S. Capitol grounds, breached police barriers, entered and occupied portions of the Capitol building, and clashed with law enforcement.The incident resulted in at least five deaths, dozens of injuries,… Continue Reading
National Archives Launches Trump Presidential Library Website
On January 20, 2021 – “The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) …launched the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library website, which provides information on archived White House websites and social media accounts, as well as information on access to the records of the Trump Administration. Under the Presidential Records Act, the National Archives receives all… Continue Reading
Institute breaks record in 2020, making laws easy to access
Cornell Chronicle – “As Congress prepared to certify the results of the November presidential election on Jan. 6, the law governing the counting of electoral votes was a trending topic on Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute (LII), a pioneer in providing open access to U.S. legal information online. Those topics changed abruptly when a… Continue Reading
How to Hold Social Media Accountable for Undermining Democracy
Harvard Business Review: “The problem with social media isn’t just what users post — it’s what the platforms decide to do with that content. Far from being neutral, social media companies are constantly making decisions about which content to amplify, elevate, and suggest to other users. Given their business model, which promotes scale above all,… Continue Reading
