http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/legislature/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 11:19:28 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286380/posts National Rifle Association Arizona - -(AmmoLand.com)- The Arizona Senate passed three important self-defense bills in a session that lasted into the early morning hours Wednesday. First, SB 1113 enables law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry firearms for self-defense in restaurants. This NRA-backed bill passed by an overwhelming, bi-partisan majority of 19-8 and will now be sent to Governor Jan Brewer’s (R) desk for her consideration. “If this important, common-sense legislation is signed, Arizonans will have the ability to defend themselves and their families from criminal attack in restaurants,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “Headlines remind us that restaurants... ammoland.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286380/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 11:19:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279868/posts Unparalleled in the history of American political corruption is the backwards collection of scoundrels, scallywags, hooligans, rascals and charlatans collectively known as the Louisiana State Legislature. So seeing a rapper blasting profane lyrics in their chamber is—Very funny! How exactly this happened is still sort of unclear, but the gist of it is that the state decided to honor "Hurricane Chris," a Shreveport, Louisiana native, for all of his recent success by giving him the floor of the state House of Representatives for a few minutes, rather than say, naming a meaningless street after him or giving him the key... gawker.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279868/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:20:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279706/posts Gerry Stoltzfoos is a man of faith - but not the type who preaches constantly with in-your-face theology. Even the Gettysburg church where he serves as lead pastor is designed more as a gathering hall than as a shrine full of religious imagery. But when it comes to prayer, Stoltzfoos is steadfast in his approach of speaking directly to and addressing by name the Christian God he worships. "I think prayer is talking to God, so when I pray, I try to talk to him," said the pastor of Freedom Valley Worship Center. However, that principle clashed recently with a... The Evening Sun (Hanover, PA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279706/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:23:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275192/posts California lawmakers passed a budget in February, but as the nation's economic downturn continued, so did the state's balance sheet. Over the past several months, state analysts predicted that in the 2009-10 fiscal year - which begins July 1 - the state would receive between $21.3 billion and $24.3 billion less than what it needed to cover spending in the February budget. That sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature back to drawing board to find ways to spend less or bring in more money. On Wednesday, about a month after Schwarzenegger announced his budget proposal, the Democratic-controlled legislature released... Daily Bulletin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275192/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:31:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269603/posts The Oregon Senate has failed to pass legislation that would increase taxes in the state to raise 733 billion in revenue. The bill failed due to one vote. That of Democrat Senator Mark Hass. The legislation required a 2/3rds majority and was the Democrats cornerstone for balancing the State Budget. Looks as if they will be forced to take a more conservative path, that of living within the State's means to balance the budget. Lets send him flowers shall we? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269603/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:46:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2264059/posts Breaking news 4:24 PM N.H. legislators OK gay marriage The governor is expected to sign the bill, which would make New Hampshire the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2264059/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jun 2009 20:37:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260466/posts AFSCME is passing out info in State office buildings to call state legislators and SEIU, AFSCME, and Obama's the rest of OBama's Acorn crew are running commercials for higher taxes Illinois General Assembly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260466/posts#comment Fri, 29 May 2009 13:06:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2254970/posts Click here to watch the videoTalk on Nevada host Andy Matthews interviews Geoffrey Lawrence, NPRI's fiscal policy analyst, on Nevada's budget situation. Geoffrey is the author of Nevada's Freedom Budget: 2009-2011, which would fund priorities, eliminate waste and save Nevada over $1.7 billion compared to the legislature's budget. Andy and Geoffrey also talk about legislature's proposed job-killing, record-setting, billion dollar tax increase, Write on Nevada http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2254970/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 20:53:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254906/posts New Hampshire lawmakers unexpectedly rejected a bill on Wednesday that would have made the state the sixth in the United States to authorize gay marriage. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted down the bill in a 188-186 vote, hours after its Senate approved the legislation 14-10 along party lines. An earlier version of the bill passed the state's House of Representatives on March 26. Both chambers had been asked to approve language that would give religious institutions opposed to gay marriage legal protections, including the right to decline to marry same-sex couples. That wording was added by Governor John Lynch,... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254906/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 19:39:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251381/posts Recently the Hawaii State Legislature recognized September 24th as "Islam Day" through the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 100 and House Resolution 79. It has been argued that it was necessary to recognize Islam in order to promote religious tolerance, but if that is true, why did the Legislature fail to even give a hearing to House Bill 1282 and Senate Bill 136 which would have established "Religious Freedom Day" in Hawaii for the celebration of not one, but all faiths and religions in Hawaii? The decision to pick a day to honor a single religion versus a day that... Hawaii Reporter http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251381/posts#comment Fri, 15 May 2009 06:16:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249481/posts Headline from Inside Nevada Politics: Core group meeting melts down again.Legislative leadership's core group meeting disbanded again without an agreement on how much to fund higher education, the last remaining budget lawmakers must settle in their alternative to Gov. Jim Gibbons' $6.2 billion budget. Several lawmakers left the meeting visibly upset as a deadline for finishing the budget in time to override Gibbons' veto looms.Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford seems to be the cause of the frustration. Democrats in the state Assembly and Republicans in both houses agree on a plan to cut higher education by 13 percent, but Senate... Write on Nevada http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249481/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 20:06:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247102/posts HB 2186 A has been passed, 32 yea, to 28 Nay. Say goodbye to the possibility of economic prosperity in the State of Oregon. Among HB 2186 provisions are sections that will impact Oregonians for decades to come, regardless of the fact that it sunsets in 2020. Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247102/posts#comment Fri, 8 May 2009 18:56:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246217/posts As those following the insanity in the Oregon Legislature know, House Bill 2186 A Engrossed is scheduled for a floor debate and vote today. According to the House Clerks Office, and a glance at the floor schedule reveal, it is unlikely that the bill will be heard today. There are a total of 27 House Bills that were carried over from May 6th to today, and those bills will be considered first. The Clerk's office reports that the House Bill Schedule will be cleared tomorrow, meaning that they will hear and vote upon every bill to clear this legislative schedule... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246217/posts#comment Thu, 7 May 2009 17:12:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2245463/posts Thursday is the day. May 6 2009 is going to be very interesting. House Bill 2186 will be brought to the floor of the House for a vote, if it passes, it will move on to the senate, where Senate Bill 80 can be attached. If 2186 makes it as far as the senate, the attachment of SB 80 is very likely. There is still time to contact your local House of Representatives member. Oregon's economy and future hang in the balance. Those elected officials, as is the case in so many area's of the state are completely out of... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2245463/posts#comment Wed, 6 May 2009 17:42:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2245448/posts A Catholic state legislator in Texas has introduced shocking new legislation that would effectively reduce infanticide to a fineable offense for the first 12 months of a baby's life. The bill states that if a mother kills her own child within the child's first 12 months of life due to past partum depression, the murder would be downgraded and punishable by relatively short jail stay and/or a fine. The bill, according to the House Committee Report, would amend the Penal Code relating to the punishment stage of a trial in which a defendant is guilty of causing the death of... CMR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2245448/posts#comment Wed, 6 May 2009 17:21:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242137/posts For a scant few moments this week, I felt that our state legislature had finally gotten the message. Leadership begins at the top and “painful” cost-cutting measures should start there. The reason for my jubilance came in the form of Senate Bill 44 which would’ve begun the elimination of those frivolous do-nothing boards and commissions which merely serve as “weigh-stations” with six figure salaries for termed out over-the-hill lawmakers. A companion bill was introduced in the Assembly. Post Scripts http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242137/posts#comment Fri, 1 May 2009 16:54:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241342/posts Given some of the other stuff Ralston's written, I don't think it's intentional. But has there ever been a better reason to keep more money in the hands of the citizens and not in those of the politicians? I want to believe that despite the collection of irredeemable nincompoops, borderline criminals and self-interested cowards, some legislators actually want to be thoughtful and responsible in dealing with the state’s budget problems. I want to be believe that some of the term-limited folks don’t see the end as simply a new beginning to search for other elective jobs. I want to believe... WriteonNevada.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241342/posts#comment Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:33:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237705/posts RALEIGH North Carolina's meat industries are battling a bill the Humane Society of the United States and its vegan president say is meant to protect puppies, warning instead that it is the first step toward ending meat eating as we know it. The Humane Society has made North Carolina a top priority in the fight for tougher animal welfare laws, for the first time deploying a lobbyist to work a full session of the state legislature. Agribusiness groups predict a repeat of the tighter farm animal laws that California approved last year in a Humane Society-backed voter referendum. That measure... The Charlotte Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237705/posts#comment Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:32:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233413/posts A vote is looming this week in Congress on a bill that one conservative activist warns would not only silence Christian opposition to homosexuality, but also would legitimize deviant forms of "sexual orientation." A markup vote is expected Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee on the Local Law Enforcement and Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. House Democrats only have to give 24-hours notice before the vote. The measure (H.R. 1913) sponsored by Representatives John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) would add homosexuals and transgender people to the list of classes federally protected from so-called "hate crimes." OneNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233413/posts#comment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:08:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221752/posts Proposed legislation would increase statute of limitations for bigamy, change rules for child abuse investigations. A year after a massive child welfare raid at a West Texas ranch run by a polygamist sect, some legislators want to rewrite the laws that guided the state's actions during an investigation into whether young girls there were being forced to marry older men. Austin American Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221752/posts#comment Fri, 3 Apr 2009 19:45:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220259/posts About an hour into a public hearing at the Iowa Capitol over a proposal to eliminate federal deductibility, House Speaker Pat Murphy ordered state troopers to clear the four House galleries after hundreds of opponents refused to stop applauding, booing and hissing. "We require decorum in this chamber. We don't expect to have applauding and loud screaming and yelling," Murphy said. "We do and I do reserve the right to clear the chamber under any circumstances. The chair of this public hearing has requested the chamber cleared, and that is final. Please have the state troopers escort people from the... IowaPolitics.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220259/posts#comment Wed, 1 Apr 2009 23:24:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2204778/posts OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Same-sex domestic partners would have all of the rights and benefits that Washington offers married couples under a measure passed by the state Senate. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2204778/posts#comment Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:32:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2202595/posts Bill #1098 has been introduced in the Connecticut legislature by Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. Andrew McDonald that orders the Catholic Church to reorganize. Its express purpose is “To revise the corporate governance provisions applicable to the Roman Catholic Church and provide for the investigation of the misappropriation of funds by religious corporations.” It specifies that each parish is to elect a board of directors to run all parish functions, thus stripping the Pastor of his authority.Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:“The Catholic League has been deluged with phone calls, e-mails and faxes from Catholics, as well as... Catholic League http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2202595/posts#comment Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:55:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2189929/posts Lawmakers started doing their homework Thursday on how to circumvent any decisions the governor makes on the national economic package. Gov. Bobby Jindal said earlier this week that he still is deciding whether he will or will not accept money for Louisiana from the legislation pushed by President Barack Obama. Jindal and some other Republican governors have hinted they may reject some of the money set aside for their states in the federal spending package that was promoted and passed last week almost entirely by Democrats. Jindal said he is concerned about some of the strings that might be attached... 2theadvocate.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2189929/posts#comment Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:07:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2188156/posts California senators began an around-the-clock lockdown Tuesday as a plan for easing massive money woes of the nation's most populous state remained stalled by a single vote. Senators spent more than two hours debating a plan to close the state's $40 billion shortfall, then they temporarily postponed a vote to buy time for continued negotiations. Stakes rose as the state began sending layoff notices to 20,000 state workers and braced for a shutdown of 374 construction projects valued at $5.58 billion if no budget is passed by today. [snip] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2188156/posts#comment Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:28:55 GMT