Free Republic

Utah took its first step Friday toward bringing back the gold standard when the state House passed a bill that would recognize gold and silver coins issued by the federal government as legal currency. The House voted 47-26 in favor of the legislation that would also exempt the sale of gold from the state capital gains tax and calls for a committee to study alternative currencies for the state. The legislation now heads to the state Senate, where a vote is expected next week. Under the bill, the coins would not replace the current paper currency but would be used...

Join David K. Williams (Chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, Co-founder Gadsden Society of Colorado) as he moderates a discussion with Senator Shawn Mitchell, Representative Donald Beezley, Representative Chris Holbert, Senator Ted Harvey and Nancy Rumfelt of Liberty Watch Colorado, on Saturday March 12th. The conversation will be a review of what has taken place to this point in the legislative session. Perceived success and failures, what might be expected in the remainder of the session and what role you might be able to play. Budgetary concerns are likely to rule the day, but no doubt each panel member...

Section 17.19 (1)  Members of legislature. In the office of state senator or representative to the assembly, by election, as provided in s. 8.50, for the residue of the unexpired term. In addition, an anticipated vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the assembly may be filled as provided in s. 8.50 (4) (e). 17.06  Removal of state officers; impeachment; address. 17.06(1)(1) Any civil officer of this state may be removed from office by impeachment for corrupt conduct in office, or for crimes and misdemeanors as provided in article VII, section 1, of the constitution; and any supreme...

Live streaming video from the floor of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Mostly reps just recognizing constituents who are "in the capitol"...

Today, February 17, the Tennessee Legislature introduced NRA-drafted House Bill 1668 and companion bill Senate Bill 1768, the Tennessee Gun Owners Improvement Act. Sponsored by state Representative Judd Matheny (R-47) and state Senator Bill Ketron (R-13), HB 1668/SB 1768 would improve upon the current Tennessee Permit Law by cleaning up redundancies that are found in Federal Law and remove unnecessary restrictions placed on law-abiding citizens.

2.10.11 legislature open hearing, my thoughts and written testimony Given the discussion, I figured I'd give a little detail on what went down at the legislative office building yesterday. Below is my written testimony, but as I said in other posts, I deviated from that in order to address some insane ramblings from our pal Senator Looney and a detective in New Haven (same detective on the channel 8 piece). First, let me give a quick recap HB 5800 AN ACT REQUIRING REGISTRATION OF ALL FIREARMS Would be interesting to see where this goes. Committee members seemed to have some...

Soon Illinoisians may be able to carry a concealed gun. State Representative Pat Verschoore said passing a bill to allow concealed carry permits in Illinois may be a long shot. But he said it's your second amendment right to carry a gun. Verschoore said once Wisconsin's governor signs a similar bill, Illinois will become the last state without some form of a concealed carry law. "My emails, phone calls, personal contacts, have been running I would say three to one in favor of the concealed carry," said State Representative Pat Verschoore, (IL) D-Milan. Verschoore said state legislators have failed to...

Something is about to happen in Georgia that violates the Golden Rule, the greatest commandments and everything Judeo-Christian scripture teaches about the treatment of others. A special legislative committee in the Georgia General Assembly is discussing an Arizona-style immigration law that targets undocumented persons and is due to come before the House and Senate in February or March. The proposed legislation is gaining strength and likely will pass with little opposition unless the religious community speaks on behalf of our neighbors in great number and with great clarity. The reasons behind the proposed legislation are economic in nature. The committee...

AUSTIN — Outraged groups — from doctors and health executives to teachers, the elderly, advocates for abused children and even some Republicans — ripped the proposed House budget Wednesday, saying it would send the state backward. Critics heaped scorn on the House GOP leaders’ all-cuts approach to the state’s giant budget hole, particularly for reductions in education that would eliminate pre-kindergarten programs, shutter four community colleges and close university opportunities for tens of thousands needing financial aid. Any advancement in curtailing high school dropout rates, improving college graduation statistics and preparing Texans for future jobs would be, at best, placed...

CONCORD, N.H. — As a state representative, Al Baldasaro says he has been physically threatened multiple times. But he has always felt a measure of safety because New Hampshire’s laws permit him to carry a concealed weapon. “This is why we are the safest state in the country,’’ said the former Marine, whose grandfather was mayor of Cambridge. Now, the Republican says he feels even safer after legislators voted last week to overturn a ban on weapons in the State House and permit concealed weapons on the House floor and in the visitors’ gallery. The moves were bold symbolic statements...

One of the nation’s largest tax reform groups opposes a new proposal to overhaul Georgia’s tax code. Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) says the plan unveiled last week by the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians would lead to a net tax increase of more than $1 billion for state taxpayers. The plan would trim income tax rates and exempt energy used in manufacturing, mining and agriculture from sales taxes. But it would expand the 4 percent state sales tax to include groceries as well as the personal sale of vehicles. The plan would also increase tobacco...

Arizona residents are locking arms to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from disrupting the funerals for victims of Saturday's shooting in Tucson, with bikers and others organizing a massive counter-protest and state lawmakers fast-tracking a bill to hamstring the group. The Kansas-based Westboro church is notorious for showing up at the funerals of dead soldiers and other high-profile gatherings wielding anti-gay signs. But when the church announced it would picket the funeral Thursday for the 9-year-old girl fatally shot over the weekend at a Tucson grocery store by a gunman who allegedly killed five others and injured 14 others attending...

The decline of the California Legislature from an institution once considered to be a model for other states to something held in disdain by nearly 90 percent of voters is a case study in unintended consequences. Misguided and misnamed "reforms" – professionalization, term limits, campaign contribution limits and lobbying restrictions, etc. – conspired with an ever-changing social and economic reality and self-serving political hijinks, such as gerrymandered districts, to weaken the Capitol's ability to function. The Legislature's comic opera efforts to fix a chronically unbalanced state budget testify to its impotence. Each fiscal failure – they are now happening every...

Senator Michael J. Doherty (R- Hunterdon, Warren) and Senator James Beach (D- Camden) announced they will present resolutions to the Senate and Assembly calling on the U.S. Congress to end TSA screening procedures requiring full body scans and pat downs at U.S. airports Their action comes in response to widespread concerns over privacy and radiation, as well as reports of inappropriate conduct by TSA agents during the screening process. “The pursuit of security should not force Americans to surrender their civil liberties or basic human dignity at a TSA checkpoint,” said Doherty. “Subjecting law-abiding American citizens to naked body scans...

Gay-rights activists in Minnesota thought 2012 would be the year they could finally make a serious push for gay marriage in the state, but a surprise Republican takeover of the Legislature has them back on the defensive instead. Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council, said Thursday that his group will push for a statewide vote in 2012 to ban gay marriage and civil unions in Minnesota's Constitution. Previous efforts to do so in 2004, 2005 and 2006 met a firewall in the strongly Democratic state Senate, but that liberal majority crumbled in Tuesday night's election. And despite a...

Last Tuesday’s elections gave conservatives a virtual lock on power in Florida government. It remains unclear, however, how far Gov.-elect Rick Scott and the Legislature will move the state to the right. Tallahassee Bureau correspondent Gary Fineout assesses the chances some of the biggest and most debated issues will be approved by the time the Legislature closes next spring’s session:Tax cuts: Scott wants to cut property taxes 19 percent and phase out the corporate income tax. . . . Expect fierce opposition from law enforcement over cutting half the state prison budget and from state workers, who will see jobs...

Mormons, as well as the state of Utah, have been identified as conservative/Republican for so long that it may surprise many to know that 100 years ago more than a few Mormons in Utah were card-carrying socialists, rallying against the evils of capitalism. No, socialists were never the majority in Utah, nor were most socialists in Utah LDS, but in the years between 1900 and 1920, the Socialist Party in Utah enjoyed some triumphs. In the early 20th century, about 40 percent of the members of the Utah Socialist Party were LDS. There were many thousands of socialists in Utah,...

"Looking at state leg races, it may take years to comprehend full devastation. Entire generations of Dems vanished overnight"

Still trying to chase down results in key legislative races around the country, but at the moment it looks like this: • Going into the 2010 elections, Democrats held 60 partisan legislative chambers and Republicans held 36, with a couple of ties. • It looks like the GOP has picked up an astounding 20 chambers, including both houses in Alabama, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin and additional chambers in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. • In total legislative seats, it is possible that after all the results are posted, Republicans will have won...

MONTGOMERY -- Republicans on Tuesday appeared to take control of the Alabama Legislature, with top Republicans claiming to have close to 60 seats in the 105-member House of Representatives and perhaps 22 seats in the 35-member Senate.