Pennsylvania is taking a significant step this year by providing funding to counties for indigent legal defense for residents. The passage of House Bill 1300 will provide $7.5 million for indigent defense services provided to people who cannot afford legal representation. Sarah Jacobson, executive director of the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania, said the bill creates an indigent defense advisory committee and a grant program. .
Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a resolution to convene a Convention of States, a process voting rights groups said could put civil liberties at risk. Congress is required to hold a convention under Article V of the Constitution if two-thirds of state legislatures call for one. Geoff Foster, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, said there are no rules in the Constitution for how to govern a convention and no guarantee, even the First Amendment, would be safe. .
The FBI is warning Hoosiers about an urgent, growing danger called "sextortion." Warning lights are flashing, alarm bells are blaring, and this is not a drill. Online predators are targeting children, especially, boys between 14 and 17 years old with a scam known as sextortion. Here is how it works: Criminals use fake social media profiles and trick kids into exchanging sexually explicit videos or pictures. .
While Missouri s legislative session has just begun, child-care tax credits are at top of mind with a bipartisan House bill. HB 1488 takes a three-pronged approach to supplementing the child-care industry. Casey Hanson, deputy director with Kids Win Missouri, said it will help make strides in Missouri s child-care deserts and help with better outcomes for all Missouri children. .