New York’s Democrat-controlled state legislature reached an agreement to roll-out a package of tenant protections and rent regulations. The legislation aims to stabilize rent and make housing more affordable and equally accessible for New Yorkers. The agreement would decrease the number of apartments that are removed from rent stabilization programs each year and eliminates the “vacancy [...]
The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously invalidated a constitutional amendment known as “Marsy’s law” that granted specific constitutional rights to victims of crimes. The court considered whether voters had been given sufficient information about the amendment when they voted to approve it by 63 percent in 2018. Rather than the full text of the [...]
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is set to veto a bill that expands taxpayer support for private and religious schools by $100 million. The bill would double the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), allowing corporations to divert state taxes to support private and religious schools. The bill also allows the tax credit to grow automatically by [...]
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal voted on Thursday to criminalize homophobia and transphobia. In an 8-3 decision, the court approved a three-point thesis holding that LGBTQ discrimination should be understood to fall within the nation’s prohibition against racism until the National Congress can issue a law specifically addressing this matter. Brazil’s legislature outlawed racism in 1989 [...]
British Prime Minister Teresa May issued a statement Wednesday committing to passing legislation aimed at reducing the UK’s climate change emissions to net zero by 2050. The UK government has been under increasing pressure to address its role in global climate change in recent weeks, as a series of highly public protests and sit-ins disrupted [...]
Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 870 into law on Wednesday, making Oregon the fifteenth state to join the National Popular Vote compact. The compact is an agreement that will ensure the state’s Electoral College votes are awarded to the presidential candidate who earns the national popular vote, even if that candidate does not [...]
The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on Thursday issued an investigative report detailing repeated violations of the Hatch Act by counselor to the president, Kellyanne Conway. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from using their official status to interfere with election results. The OSC noted multiple violations of this Act in recent media appearances [...]
Parents sued Amazon on Tuesday on behalf of their children claiming that Amazon’s Alexa devices are recording the children’s voice without children’s or parents’ consent. One of the claims was filed in California state court, and the other was filed on the same day in Washington federal court, both seeking class action status. The complaints [...]
The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted its first-ever resolution on persons reported missing during armed conflicts, recalling “its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security” and “the need to promote respect for the rules and principles of international humanitarian law”. The resolution urges countries that are not yet parties to the [...]
The UK Supreme Court ordered the Birmingham Council on Wednesday to reconsider its decision to declare a single mother of four who could not afford rent, “intentionally homeless.” The court unanimously affirmed Terryann Samuels’ petition to appeal the decision. The Council declared her intentionally homeless because they argued that she should have used her social [...]
