Red Wing Daily: May 17, 2024
"the more you know..."
State
Plaintiffs filed a motion saying their 1st Amendment rights are violated by Act 372, Arkansas’ 2023 “anti-library porn” bill. They want the bill permanently blocked and federal Judge Timothy Brooks has already wiped out most portions of the bill.
Arkansas deaths from overdose are dropping say National Center for Health Statistics
Does Arkansas’ school choice plan allow the state to take that funding away from parents who owe unpaid taxes? Oklahoma lawmakers approved a fix to their school choice laws to stop the practice of “tell[ing] a child they can’t go to public school because their parent’s behind on taxes.”
Arkansas’ Supreme Court unanimously upheld four 2021 election laws, reversing a 2022 ruling by a Pulaski County judge.
The measures upheld include a change to the state’s voter ID law that removes the option for someone to sign an affidavit affirming their identity if they don’t present a photo identification at the polls.
The other measures prevent anyone other than voters from being within 100 feet of a polling place, require an absentee voter’s signature on a ballot to match the signature on their voter registration application, and move up the deadline for voters to return absentee ballots in person.
Unsurprisingly, in 2022 liberal State Judge Wendell Griffen had originally ruled that the 2021 election-related laws — the basis of a League of Women Voters’ lawsuit — were unconstitutional.
Taxed too much? The Department of Finance & Administration has revised its FY2024 revenue surplus estimate. Ready? Earlier estimates came in at $240 million. Revised estimate? A eye-watering $708 million! Lawmakers, reluctant to cut taxes any more, say the state must lay back “reserves” …
National
The Republican-majority House keeps passing legislation that is dead on arrival in the Democrat-led Senate. Latest is the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act and, just last night, the House passed another bill to ensure military aid to Israel in light of Biden’s blackmail threats to withhold weapons (and now intel, as well!).
CFPB is not unconstitutional: For years, conservatives have maintained that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutionally funded because its operating funds come from the Federal Reserve rather than Congressional appropriations, but the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the CFPB is, in fact, a constitutionally funded agency.
Biden’s Justice Department has released its highly anticipated rules change to remove marijuana as a Schedule I drug and reclassify it as Schedule III (akin to codeine-based cough syrup). The DEA hasn’t yet weighed in. The Administration says the plan doesn’t include recreational marijuana….
Hey, Arkansas? Many states are moving to protect their citizens from WHO-mandated health decisions, citing “national sovereignty, medical and bodily sovereignty and personal liberties.”
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