According to the Editors of The Crime Report, the movement to ban shackling pregnant prisoners is gaining momentum. On August 26, 2009, Governor David Paterson of New York signed a bill (now NY Chapter 411 2009) banning the practice for all but the most unruly inmates. What is happening in…
In its 2009 session, the Wyoming Legislature passed the Transparency in Government Act making information as to how state funds are spent readily accessible to the public. The Act requires the creation of a public finance website by January 1, 2010. The website will provide free access to financial reports,…
Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a Republican since 1966, said on Tuesday April 28 that he will switch to the Decmocratic Party and will run as a Democrat in 2010, thus presenting Democrats with a possible 60th vote and the power to break Senate filibusters. Here is a link to…
On March 30, 2009 we posted information on this blawg about the historic agreement reached by New York lawmakers regarding reform of the Rockefeller drug law. Since that time there has been significant activity related to his effort including the signing of Chapter 56 of 2009 by the Governor on…
Information for this list was obtained from the New York State Legislative Retrieval System (LRS): 2009 CHAPTER LIST AS OF April 10, 2009 – Listed by Chapter Law Number, Highest number listed at top. NOTE: Provisions regarding Rockefeller drug reform are included as Part AAA of Chapter 56A. CHAPTER No.…
The U.S. Justice Department moved on Wednesday April 1 to drop all charges in the case against former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. In a federal court on Wednesday Justice Department lawyers explained that in addition to earlier disclosures they discovered further evidence of misconduct that raised questions about the…
New York Governor David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith announced an agreement of Friday March 27 that would effectively end the harshest provisions of the New York Rockefeller Laws The Agreement ends mandatory jail for first-time and non-felony offenders. It also gives judges total…
I was going to post something about the comparative funding levels between the House and Senate versions of the stimulus legislation, but have just learned that ProPublica has already done so on their blog. Congratulations to ProPublica for a really good posting. Here is the link. http://www.propublica.org/special/the-stimulus-bills-house-vs.-senate
This posting links to a summary of the highlights of proposed stimulus legislation. including the Nelson-Collins Amendment and other floor amendments as of February 6, 2009. It is not a complete listing of all programs and spending included in the proposed legislation, but it provides a good overview for those…
FROM: News from the [New York] State Archives, Region 1, No. 1-2/2009. Preserving the American Historical Record Act (PAHR): The Act will authorize grants to support the essential evidence of American government and society held by state and local governments, historical societies, and libraries. Status: On May 15, 2008, the…