Opinion
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‘BUILD WALL’ Civil Asset Forfeiture Bill Under Consideration
Opinion -budget-tax-news -The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill to change how the federal government spends the proceeds from local and state law-enforcement agencies’ use of civil asset forfeiture. -
Distributed-Energy Sources Raise Costs, Vulnerability to Outages, Study Finds
Opinion -environment-climate-news -A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has concluded distributed renewable-energy resources, such as rooftop solar systems, raise costs and make electric systems more vulnerable to emergencies and terrorist-related outages. -
House Acts to Block Slush Fund Payments
Opinion -environment-climate-news -The 2017 Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act would block the U.S. Department of Justice from requiring defendants being prosecuted by the Federal government who accept a settlement agreement to make donations to third-party organizations. -
Report: Google Failing to Remove Violent Rape Videos
Opinion -News -Research reveals the world's largest search engine is refusing to remove videos claiming to show drugged women being raped. -
Wisconsin Legislature Considers Bill to Cut ‘Policing for Profit’
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Wisconsin state Sen. David Craig (R-Town of Vernon) is sponsoring a bill that would restrict local and state government agencies’ ability to take citizens’ property without criminal convictions under a process called civil-asset forfeiture. -
Indiana Lawmaker Proposes Curtailing Government ‘Policing for Profit’
Opinion -budget-tax-news -The Indiana General Assembly is considering reforming its laws permitting governments to take ownership of people’s cash and property without first proving they were used in the commission of a crime. -
Failing Dallas, Texas Pension Fund Prompts Mayor’s Call for Criminal Investigation
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Dallas, Texas Mayor Mike Rawlings (D) is requesting a criminal investigation of the city’s government pension fund program after the government employees’ union rejected reforms proposed to rescue the fund from insolvency. -
Ohio Lawmakers Approve Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Ohio lawmakers approved a bill restricting local and state government police agencies’ ability to take ownership of and profit from citizens’ property taken without a criminal conviction. -
California Woman Prosecuted for Baking Without Government Permission
Opinion -budget-tax-news -A Stockton, California woman is being prosecuted by the county government because she sold a traditional food dish without government permission. -
Couple Challenges Arizona’s Civil-Asset Forfeiture Laws
Opinion -budget-tax-news -A Washington State couple is suing a county government in Arizona for initially refusing to return their property because of alleged paperwork errors. -
Eco-Terrorists Attack Hawaiian Hydro-Power Project, FBI, Police Investigate
Opinion -environment-climate-news -Police on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai have asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for help in capturing eco-terrorists who attacked a concrete water diversion pipeline and dam providing power to two hydro-power generators. -
Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Approved in California
Opinion -budget-tax-news -California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill into law restricting local and state government police agencies’ ability to participate in a federal program distributing assets and property seized from citizens without criminal charges or search warrants. -
PRESS RELEASE: Heartland Institute Expert Comments on Pennsylvania Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill
Opinion -Press Release -‘Government law enforcement should not be financially motivated, but motivated by a desire to protect and serve taxpayers.’ - Jesse Hathaway -
Doctors Increasingly Prescribe Medical Marijuana for Pain Relief
Opinion -health-care-news -In states where medical marijuana is legal, doctors are prescribing fewer FDA-approved drugs for ailments treatable by marijuana. -
Illinois Gov. Rauner Signs Bill Restricting Government Surveillance
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signed a bill into law in July, restricting how local and state police may use electronic surveillance technologies. -
Federal Court to Hear Arguments in Password-Sharing Case
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit are hearing arguments over a criminal case about the legality of sharing passwords for computers services such as Netflix. -
Citing Violence Trends, Trump to Campaign as ‘Law and Order Candidate’
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Accepting the Republican Party’s nomination in July, New York City businessman Donald Trump declared himself a standard-bearer for voters who believe there is increasing unrest and violence in the country. -
Maryland Legislature Approves Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Opinion -The Maryland Senate unanimously approved a bill that would reduce the amount of money spent on housing prisoners, by focusing correctional spending on serious and violent criminals and opting for rehabilitation over retribution. -
Civil Rights Reform Causing Crime Wave, Chicago Cops Say
Opinion -Law enforcement officers in Chicago are claiming a recent spike in gun violence in the city is rooted in a recent legal agreement requiring police street investigations to comply with a stricter understanding of constitutional and civil rights -
Climate Scientist Arrested for Fraud
Opinion -Climate scientist Daniel Alongi has been indicted by the Australian government on charges of defrauding taxpayers out of $556,000 in false expenses since 2008. -
Wave of Violence in St. Paul Schools Sparks Talk of Teacher Strike
Opinion -Government school teachers in St. -
Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Proposed in Florida
Opinion -Lawmakers in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate have introduced bills that would require local and state law enforcement agencies to obtain a criminal conviction before the government can confiscate an individual’s cash or property. -
Tennessee Lawmakers Hold Hearings on Asset Forfeiture Reform
Opinion -Tennessee lawmakers are holding legislative hearings about civil asset forfeiture reform, learning more about how the law enforcement practice may infringe on citizens’ due process and private property rights. -
Milwaukee Drug House Spotter Seeks Deal On Charges She Kept A Drug House
Opinion -The city official who taught landlords how to spot drug houses only to be charged with keeping a drug house appears to be looking for a deal in court. Regina Simms, 45, of 9541 West Rio St.