The Utah legislature has been in session for almost two weeks and one group said there have been more than 10 pieces of legislation introduced they called "anti-democracy" bills. TJ Ellerbeck, executive director of the Rural Utah Project, said the bills would put "major limits on the way Utahns can vote, when Utahns can vote and which Utahns can vote." "The worst of those is one bill that would eliminate voting by mail in Utah, and Utah has been an all vote-by-mail state for the last eight years," Ellerbeck explained. "Some parts of the state have been all vote-by-mail for 10 years and over 90% of Utahns vote by mail." Ellerbeck referred to House Bill 92, sponsored by Rep. " .
New Hampshire s program to subsidize private education with public tax dollars is rapidly expanding, but opponents believe a lack of data on student outcomes should put the brakes on funding. Education Freedom Accounts will cost the state an estimated $24 million this school year to subsidize the private education of more than 4,000 students, most of whom have never attended public school. Mary Wilke, board member of the NH School Funding Fairness Project, said no one knows just how the money is spent. .
Florida voters will soon have the opportunity to express their views on abortion rights at the ballot box. After Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a law last year restricting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, the committee Floridians Protecting Freedom launched a petition drive for what it calls a constitutional "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion." Sarah Parker, president of Women s Voices of Southwest Florida, part of a coalition supporting the petition, said they were excited to receive notice Friday from the Florida Department of State confirming they have successfully secured the necessary number of valid signatures. .
A regulatory hearing dealing with energy policy does not seem like a setting for most Minnesotans but a new coalition is recruiting voices who want affordable clean heating sources in homes and businesses to speak up on such decisions. Clean Heat Minnesota is backed by dozens of organizations representing a range of causes, including environmental, consumer advocacy, and racial justice. Brynn Kirsling, senior manager of advocacy campaigns for Fresh Energy, a key contributor to the coalition, said climate change and the link to fossil fuels is often thought of in global terms. .
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