“Research on the activities and influence of interest groups in state legislatures faces a data problem: we are missing a comprehensive, systematic dataset of interest groups’ policy preferences on state legislation. We address this gap by introducing the Dataset on Policy Choice and Organizational Representation in the United States (CHORUS). This dataset compiles over 13… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
States are already collecting more abortion data. And HIPAA won’t always keep it private.
Nebraska Examiner: “Years before the Dobbs decision, providers like Dr. Kylie Cooper were already uncomfortable with some of the reporting requirements for abortion procedures in states where they practiced. Cooper was a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for several years in Idaho before she reluctantly left the state in 2023 because of the near-total abortion ban that… Continue Reading
IRS opening free online tax filing program to all states
“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Direct File will be a permanent, free tax filing option and invited all 50 states and the District of Columbia to join in Filing Season 2025. This announcement follows a successful Pilot Program that saw 140,000 taxpayers claim more than $90… Continue Reading
UK first country to outlaw easily guessable default passwords
TechSpot: “Why it matters: No matter how many hacks we see that are perpetrated via unchanged, weak default passwords on devices, manufacturers continue to use the likes of “password” and “admin” for login credentials. That’s no longer going to be the case in the UK, which has become the first country in the world to… Continue Reading
Wyden, Markey Reveal Automakers Provide Detailed Location Information to Law Enforcement Without a Warrant
Washington, D.C. – “Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., requested the Federal Trade Commission investigate major automakers for breaking a pledge to protect their customers’ location data, in a letter to Chair Lina Khan sent today. The automakers had deceptively pledged that they would insist on warrants or other court orders before… Continue Reading
Whistleblower Laws That Protect Lawbreakers
American Prospect: “The late whistleblower John Barnett described Boeing as a psychological torture chamber for anyone who cared about safety. A 2000 law makes fighting back nearly impossible.” Continue Reading
Americans’ Views of Technology Companies
“Most think social media companies have too much influence in politics and censor political viewpoints they object to – both sentiments are growing among Democrats. Most Americans are wary of social media’s role in politics and its overall impact on the country, and these concerns are ticking up among Democrats, according to a new Pew… Continue Reading
The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars
Vox – Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame. Cars, you might have noticed, have grown enormous. Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any… Continue Reading
Is TikTok getting banned?
TechCrunch – Not yet, but you should explore alternatives: “As a TikTok ban gets closer to becoming a reality in the United States, it might be time to start thinking about other platforms to adopt early in case you need to fill the void left by the popular app at some point in the future.… Continue Reading
UK online safety regulator research to guide our online safety work
“Today we’re publishing our online safety research agenda, which sets out the areas of research that will help to inform and underpin our long-term work as the UK’s online safety regulator. As an evidence-based regulator, we use research and data to guide our activity across our various workstreams. This is no different for our online… Continue Reading
Red states threaten librarians with prison as blue states work to protect them
Washington Post [read free]: “…library-friendly measures are being outpaced by bills in mostly red states that aim to restrict which books libraries can offer and threaten librarians with prison or thousands in fines for handing out “obscene” or “harmful” titles. At least 27 states are considering 100 such bills this year, three of which have… Continue Reading
Report – Legal treatment of embryos created through IVF
In Custodia Legis: “In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure that involves the “joining of a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm in a laboratory dish.” The MedicinePlus website explains that “[i]n vitro means outside the body. Fertilization means the sperm has attached to and entered the egg.” The procedure can… Continue Reading
