New Hampshire lawmakers brutally kill 4th-graders’ bill right in front of them

Fourth graders from Lincoln Akerman School in Hampton Falls received a warm welcome at the State House last Thursday. They and their teacher, James Cutting, were guests in the Gallery.

That reception quickly turned chilly as students got a glimpse of the cold, harsh realities of politics in the Granite State.

Red Tailed Hawk

In the spirit of learning by doing, students drafted a bill to learn the process of how a bill becomes law. They proposed House Bill 373, an act establishing the Red Tail Hawk as the New Hampshire State Raptor.

Rep. Warren Groen, a Republican from Rochester said:

“It grasps them with its talons then uses its razor sharp beak to basically tear it apart limb by limb, and I guess the shame about making this a state bird is it would serve as a much better mascot for Planned Parenthood.”

Read the whole story at:
NH lawmakers brutally kill 4th-graders’ bill in front of them

North Dakota enacts civics requirement

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple on Friday signed into law a bill requiring high school seniors to pass the US citizenship test in order to graduate. North Dakota becomes the second state to enact such legislation following Arizona which did so earlier this month.

The Bismarck Tribune reports…

Students that graduate in 2017 would need to get at least 60 questions on the 100-question test correct; for subsequent classes, the requirement would be 70 questions.

The bill passed the House by an 85-1 vote and the Senate by a 43-4 margin.

HB1087 came as part of a national movement called the Civics Education Initiative. The group’s goal is to have each state pass a similar bill by Sept. 17, 2017, the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.

New US Laws Taking effect in 2015

The Guardian has taken the time to round up some of the new state laws across the US that will take effect on January 1, 2015.

New US state laws taking effect on Thursday give livestock in California more living room, approve direct-to-consumer wine shipments in Massachusetts and levy the ultimate punishment on wannabe teenage drivers in Nevada by denying them licenses if they skip too much school.

Other laws will allow Louisiana teens as young as 16 to register to vote, crack down on meth dealers in Michigan, end tax breaks for Hollywood in North Carolina and raise the minimum wage in Ohio, New York, Rhode Island and elsewhere.

And, although it doesn’t take effect until early February, a new New York law takes out this year’s “Who knew?” prize by banning tiger selfies, which have been used by young men as profile photos on social media and dating sites.

via New York to ban tiger selfies – and
other new laws taking effect in 2015.

Some of the highlights from their extensive list:

• In Utah, cities and towns can no longer ban specific dog breeds within their limits. At least 10 cities now have restrictions that ban ownership of breeds such as pit bulls.
• In Louisiana, law enforcement agencies must provide a tally of the number of untested rape kits on their shelves. The state has a huge backlog of untested kits that, if tested and added to existing databases,  could go a long ways towards getting repeat rapists off the streets.
• State police in Michigan will be required add methamphetamines makers to a national database to help end current practices by meth makers of jumping from state to state to avoid capture.
• North Carolinians selling their homes will have to disclose if the mineral rights under the property have already been sold or leased to a gas or oil extractor.
• And my favorite:  in Louisiana, citizens aged 16 or 17 can register to vote when getting their a driver’s license. Of course, they still won’t be able to vote until after they turn 18.

Stay on Top of Government Activities with the Federal Register

One of the easiest ways to stay on top of what is happening with the United States government is through the Federal Register. The Federal Register, abbreviated FR or sometimes Fed. Reg., is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. The most recent list of itmes can always be found here.

The Office of the Federal Register (OFR) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) jointly administer the FederalRegister.gov website. The OFR/GPO partnership developed this unofficial, HTML (XML-based) edition of the daily Federal Register (“Federal Register 2.0″ or “FR2″). The online edition of the Federal Register is designed to make it easier for citizens and communities to understand the regulatory process and to participate in Government decision-making.

On the current website, Federal Register documents are organized and displayed in an easier to read format with navigational aids and links to related material, such as the Code of Federal Regulations and the United States Code. They also provide web tools to help people find material relevant to their interests.

Illinois Group Working to Overhaul Civics Education

One of the Illinois Task Force on Civic Education’s main recommendations is the creation of a  state requirement that students take a “stand-alone” civics class in high school that includes discussions of controversial issues, simulations of political/civic processes, and community service.

Adding this requirement would require approval by lawmakers. The task force hopes state lawmakers will take up the matter in the spring session.

Considered marginalized in an era of high-stakes testing in reading and math, civics is gaining attention as a state-appointed task force of lawmakers, educators and advocacy groups pushes reforms to bring the subject to prominence in the public school curriculum.

The goal is to help students become thoughtful, informed, involved and responsible citizens, through instruction that moves away from memorizing facts and focusing on government institutions.

Read about the Task Force’s work
and recommendations here.

The group’s final report will be submitted to the General Assembly by Dec. 31 and will include input from public hearings and comments submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education.

An earlier preliminary report from last May can be viewed here (PDF).