legislation

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California: No More Ultraprocessed Foods 'of Concern' at Schools

New law gives schools until 2035 to comply fully

(Newser) - California has become the first state to ban "ultraprocessed foods of concern" from public school meals, setting a 10-year timeline to erase these items from breakfast and lunch menus, NBC News reports. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law on Wednesday, calling the effort a unifying issue...

Families of Campers Who Died at Mystic Question Camp's Plans

Parents demand answers and safety changes as 2026 reopening moves ahead

(Newser) - The owners of Camp Mystic, a Texas summer camp where 27 girls and counselors died in a devastating July flood, plan to reopen next summer—a move that has split a once-close community and stunned many of the bereaved families, the New York Times reports. News of the reopening...

Texas Bathroom Bill Has Nation's Steepest Penalties

Institutions could be fined up to $125K for violations of transgender bathroom law

(Newser) - Texas will soon join 19 other states with laws restricting which public restrooms transgender people can use. Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a bill that bans transgender individuals from using bathrooms in state-owned buildings and schools—including universities—that match their gender identity. Institutions caught violating the law, set...

Illinois Is Latest to Balk at AI Therapy 'Horror Stories'

New law in Illinois targets unlicensed chatbot therapy, marketing of services

(Newser) - Illinois has enacted a new law barring the use of artificial intelligence in mental health therapy, making it the latest state to place restrictions on AI-powered chatbots in this space. The legislation , which took effect last week, prohibits licensed therapists from using AI to make treatment decisions or communicate...

Survived a Fire or Flood? There May Be Mortgage Help Arriving

Senate bill offers pause on mortgage payments for federally backed loans for natural-disaster victims

(Newser) - New Senate legislation aims to give natural disaster survivors a bit more breathing room when it comes to paying their mortgages. The Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act, introduced Thursday by Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Michael Bennet of Colorado, would allow homeowners with federally backed loans in...

Trump Slams Hawley Over Ban on Congressional Stock Trades

Measure would force lawmakers and spouses to ditch individual stocks

(Newser) - A proposal to bar members of Congress from buying or holding individual stocks cleared a Senate panel Wednesday, with Republican Sen. Josh Hawley crossing the aisle to join Democrats in an 8-7 committee vote. Hawley, who introduced the bill, said, "I practice what I preach," noting he...

It's 'Crypto Week' at the House of Representatives

Lawmakers weigh new rules for stablecoins, digital assets, and CBDCs

(Newser) - In a dramatic turn for digital currency, the US House is dedicating the coming week to "Crypto Week," with a series of bills that could reshape how Americans pay, save, and invest, Axios reports. Once sidelined by Wall Street, cryptocurrency now finds itself at the center of...

Newsom Signs Bills Rolling Back Key Environmental Law

Move aims to speed up housing development in California amid mounting shortages, homelessness

(Newser) - California has dismantled a pillar of its environmental legacy, speeding up development projects in a bold move to address its deepening housing crisis and homelessness. State leaders on Monday rolled back the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a law that for more than 50 years has been both a...

Some Say It's 'Compassion.' Others, a 'Slippery Slope'

NY's Senate OKs bill allowing terminally ill to seek medical aid in dying

(Newser) - New York's Senate has passed a bill allowing terminally ill patients to seek medical aid in dying, sending it to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her review. The measure, supported by the state Assembly earlier this year, would permit adults diagnosed with a terminal illness and expected to live...

Voting Rights Groups: Bill Passed by House Could Disenfranchise Millions

SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote

(Newser) - The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the SAVE Act, one of President Trump's top legislative priorities, which would require proof of US citizenship for voter registration. Republicans say the controversial measure is meant to combat noncitizen voting—which is already both illegal and rare, the AP reports....

Florida's Idea to Replace Migrant Labor: Child Labor

GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, state Legislature pushing bill to loosen child labor laws, allow overnight shifts

(Newser) - Long before President Trump returned to the White House, Florida began cracking down on companies hiring undocumented immigrants. Now, a new dilemma: Who will take on the lower-paying jobs in the state that those immigrants held? The state Legislature has an idea: loosening labor laws so kids can slip into...

Kansas Man Is on a Mission to Legalize Pet Raccoons

Stephen Kaspar says 'It's like any other exotic breed,' but critics of the bill fear rabies

(Newser) - About 20 states allow for the keeping of raccoons as pets, and if Stephen Kaspar is successful in his latest mission, Kansas will be next. The Lenexa resident is behind a push to pass a bill that would legalize raccoon ownership, with "clear evidence that proper regulation can ensure...

Australia's Social Media Ban a Step Closer to Becoming Law

Senate to take up debate after bill passes House 102-13

(Newser) - Australia's House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram liable for...

GOP Senator: 'Long Past Time' to End Education Department

Sen. Mike Rounds intros bill to shut down agency, 'rehome' programs into other departments

(Newser) - Earlier this week, President-elect Trump nominated WWE co-founder Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education—but if Mike Rounds has his way, there soon won't be any department for her to lead. The GOP senator from South Dakota introduced a bill on Thursday that would shut down the...

Louisiana Looks to Criminalize Possession of Abortion Drugs

Bill would make mifepristone and misoprostol 'controlled dangerous substances'

(Newser) - Louisiana could become the first state to label abortion pills as controlled dangerous substances. Lawmakers have added a last-minute amendment to a bill, SB 276, that would criminalize an abortion involving a pregnant woman given abortion pills without her consent. The bill unanimously passed the Senate last month. The amendment...

NJ's Ban on Self-Serve Gas Now the Last of Its Kind

Some want to see it fall, just like Oregon's

(Newser) - New Jersey is about to be the only state in the country where you're not allowed to pump your own gas. Last week, Oregon's Senate voted 16-9 to overturn a ban on self-serve gas that's been in place since 1951. As Quartz reports, half of the state'...

Critics Slam DeSantis' New 'Medical Freedom' Law

Florida bill allows doctors, insurers to refuse services based on religious, moral, ethical beliefs

(Newser) - On Thursday, Ron DeSantis signed what his office is touting as "the strongest legislation in the nation for medical freedom," with four separate bills that the Republican governor says offer "expanded protections [that] will help ensure that medical authoritarianism does not take root in Florida." One...

Dogs Here May Soon See Big Changes to Their Car Rides

New Florida bill would ban pups sticking their heads out windows of moving cars, sitting in driver's lap

(Newser) - When dogs go for car rides, many of them use the time to "drive and chill," sticking their heads out the window to catch the cool breeze as their human cruises along the thoroughfare. In Florida, however, that kind of carefree canine behavior may soon be coming to...

His Own Fox Bite Inspires Congressman to Pen New Bill

Rep. Ami Bera wants to make vaccine less expensive for uninsured Americans

(Newser) - According to government estimates, as many as 60,000 Americans need a rabies vaccine each year. Democratic California Rep. Ami Bera was one of them. Bera was one of numerous people who suffered a fox bite on Capitol Hill in April. A fox was captured and euthanized after testing positive...

Rules Boss Cuts Bill's Penalties for Drugmakers

Senate parliamentarian keeps much of Democrats' economic package intact

(Newser) - The Senate parliamentarian on Saturday dealt a blow to Democrats' plan for curbing drug prices but left the rest of their sprawling economic bill largely intact. Party leaders prepared for first votes on a package containing many of President Biden's top domestic goals, the AP reports. Elizabeth MacDonough, the...

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