Video: New Federal Hate Crimes Law
In this video we discuss the recent passage of a federal hate crimes law and the problems this may create down the road.
Act One a Year Later
One year ago today, Arkansas voters passed Act One, the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act. Thanks to this good law, no adoptive or foster children are being placed in homes where there is a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend—gay or straight. Over 2,700 volunteers gathered over 95,000 signatures to place Act One on the ballot. The measure passed by 57% of the vote with 568,248 people voting for it. Arkansas Families First, a coalition of groups that received a majority of its funding from the ACLU, opposed Act One. They spent over $300,000 trying to defeat it, but failed to do so. Polling conducted by the University of Arkansas predicted the defeat of Act One, so opponents of the measure seemed stunned when it passed. Governor Beebe, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, Speaker of the House Robbie Wills, and Lt. Governor Bill Halter all publicly opposed Act One.
Deal Reached on House Health Care Bill
House leaders, the White House, and Blue Dog Democrats reached a deal on the health care bill yesterday. Over the next day or two, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will markup the bill and most likely pass it out by end of day tomorrow. The good news: Even when it reaches the House floor, there will be no vote until the fall. That bides all of us time to build an even stronger opposition, because the bill is still not any good–despite input from the so-called “fiscally conservative” Blue Dogs.