CRS Report – Women in National Governments Around the Globe: Fact Sheet, Updated February 8, 2021: ‘Women and girls make up half of the world’s population; however, in most countries, women are under represented in the political process at the national level. As this report shows, women currently hold 25.4% of legislative seats around the… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
Unrest at the Capitol: Potential Violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
CRS Legal Sidebar – Unrest at the Capitol: Potential Violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, February 5, 2021: “After the unrest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, sources reported that current and former military service members were among the participants in the unrest. These reports prompted several Members of Congress to… Continue Reading
Federal Statutes Protecting Domesticated and Captive Animals
CRS Report – Federal Statutes Protecting Domesticated and Captive Animals, February 5, 2021 – “A number of federal laws aim to protect the health, safety, and well-being of animals under human control. These laws extend to pets, domesticated livestock, service animals, test subjects, and wild animals kept for exhibition, scientific, or educational purposes, among others.… Continue Reading
The Federal Reserve’s Response to COVID-19: Policy Issues
CRS report – The Federal Reserve’s Response to COVID-19: Policy Issues, Updated February 8, 2021: “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused widespread disruptions to the economy. The Federal Reserve (Fed) took multiple policy actions in response to the crisis, and Congress took the unprecedented step of providing up to $500 billion to the… Continue Reading
Know Your COVID Mortgage Forbearance Rights
Lifehacker: “A new CFPB report says that some mortgage lenders have failed to follow the law on mortgage forbearance during COVID. Lenders have misled borrowers about their rights, imposed unauthorized penalties, and wrongfully evicted tenants. Here’s what you need to know, and how to report an unscrupulous lender. Know your rights as a borrower –… Continue Reading
Federal Individual Income Tax Terms: An Explanation
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
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
