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Questions tagged [us-state-laws]

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Questions related to any laws enacted by any of the 50 states in the United States. Use the [united-states] tag alongside this.

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2
votes
1answer
94 views

Why do states in the US often appoint secretaries by election?

When I first learned various states hold elections for state cabinet positions I was puzzled, because there are no such elections for federal secretaries. Why do states do it like this, instead of ...
11
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1answer
229 views

Why do some states forbid per-kWh by anyone but the utility monopoly?

I was reading this article on EV-charger pricing schemes. There are some vague references to states requiring per-minute pricing, but 0 explanations of that thing. A little research has suggested ...
-4
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1answer
119 views

Maximum fetal age for legal abortion in the USA?

Of all the places that permit abortion in the USA, which ones have the maximum fetal age for legal abortion? Say State A allows abortion when the age of the fetus is less than 20 weeks, and State B ...
5
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2answers
57 views

How does one efficiently go about researching the history of a specific issue across state legislatures?

I am attempting to research a certain political issue across state legislatures. Specifically, I'm attempting to compile information regarding which states have debated a specific issue in their ...
3
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0answers
47 views

Which states have weakened police unions’ collective bargaining power over disciplinary issues?

Matt Yglesias, liberal political columnist for Vox, just tweeted this: Months into the era of everyone reading White Fragility and posting Black Lives Matter memes and declaring racism a public ...
1
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1answer
58 views

Voting for 2020 presidential election during out of state move [closed]

I imagine that I will be moving states before the 2020 Election Day, and I don’t want to do a mail in ballot, just because I think there’s going to be a lot of BS around that this year. If I’m a tax ...
1
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0answers
157 views

Why don't majors/governors order their state police to arrest unmarked federal agents? [closed]

I wonder why the local US governors/majors, which reject federal agents on their streets, don't just order their local police force to arrest all people, which exercise violence and don't wear any ...
12
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1answer
357 views

Covid-19 public data accuracy, disclosure, and transparency

With the unprecedented move of the Trump administration to have state Covid-19 data sent to HHS instead of the CDC it warrants to know if any rules\regulations will work differently with this change ...
15
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4answers
3k views

How can grand jury secrecy rules block release of Trump financial records?

This NY Times article discussing the Supreme Court ruling that Trump cannot block release of financial records clarifies that this "probably means the records will be shielded from public ...
3
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1answer
196 views

In Kentucky, who is responsible for closing a polling location?

For in person voting tomorrow, Kentucky (USA) will have roughly 200 out of the normal ~3,700 polling locations open. Was a single person responsible for this decision, such as the Kentucky secretary ...
31
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8answers
5k views

Is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact constitutional?

I read recently that Colorado will have a version of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact on their ballot in November. Considering that this bill functionally eliminates the Electoral College, ...
4
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1answer
129 views

Who draws county lines?

Within a state, which government institution is responsible for drawing and determining the boundaries of county lines?
3
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2answers
88 views

What is the difference between voting for presidential nominee vs. voting for delegates in Maryland?

On my ballot in Maryland for the presidential primary, there are separate questions to vote for the presidential nominee directly, and to vote for specific delegates to the convention. The delegates ...
3
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1answer
176 views

How can a Governor enforce “Shelter in Place Orders” if cities or States' Attorneys refuse to enforce them?

I've seen reports of state's attorneys and cities refusing to enforce state Stay at Home orders. If a governor was so inclined, are there actions they could take against the state's attorneys and ...
5
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1answer
206 views

Why are some Covid-19 tests excluded in some US states?

For example, the LabCorp COVID-19 RT-PCR has been EUA-approved by the FDA, but it lists as exclusion criteria the following: Exclusion: • Live in MD, NJ, NY or RI meaning that people who live in ...
4
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1answer
233 views

In Massachusetts, if a US Senator resigns midterm, how is their replacement selected?

Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, is generally considered a top contender to be Joe Biden's running mate. If she was elected Vice President, she would have to resign her ...
54
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8answers
12k views

In most U.S. states, female genital mutilation is illegal. So why is male circumcision legal?

Hello new users from around the Stack Exchange Network We are aware that this question is about a very emotionally laden topic. So we would like to make sure you are aware of the purpose of ...
1
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1answer
188 views

Does the US government have any plan to punish Equifax for failure to stop Chinese breach?

I read about how Equifax was hacked by Chinese hackers and stole the data of over 146 million Americans, a hack that was partially only possible because Equifax made simple security mistakes like ...
28
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2answers
5k views

What would happen if every state had a law requiring it hold the nations first primary?

Quoting https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/11/politics/iowa-new-hampshire-primary-monopoly/index.html: The vote-counting meltdown in Iowa's antiquated and haphazard caucus system -- a process used partly ...
3
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0answers
136 views

How do Oregon's mayoral elections work?

I'm writing an RPG campaign that takes place in a city of Oregon. However, taking a look in lists of mayors of some cities, I found that some mayors have mandates of only one year, despite others ...
1
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0answers
70 views

Can US States regulate their citizens’ actions in other states? [duplicate]

I believe that the US government holds that it can regulate its citizens’ actions beyond its borders. Is it possible for a US state to do similarly? For example, say that SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade ...
3
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1answer
87 views

Does the electoral college (or a similar system) apply to US governor elections?

I'm following the live results of the Kentucky and Mississippi elections for governor etc, and I notice that while the Republican nominee has won the majority of the precincts, what they're reporting ...
2
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1answer
134 views

Can special prosecutor Dan Webb charge Jussie Smollet? [closed]

In a case that made political headlines, actor Jussie Smollett was charged with making false statements to Chicago police about a supposed hate crime he had experienced. But then the Illinois State ...
5
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3answers
366 views

In terms of US politics, has protecting taxicab operations from competition been a left-wing policy?

Because of the limited space available, the title could be raising an unanswerable question. Given changes over time and the variety of viewpoints within the left wing, the answer could depend on ...
10
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1answer
257 views

Which US states prohibit vote trading by elected officials?

Apparently vote trading is illegal in California when done by elected officials: Recent amendments to the Penal Code extended the prohibition to local officials: Any member of the legislative body ...
4
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2answers
120 views

Which US state constitutions don't have a legislative privilege (“speech or debate”) clause?

I read that The United States Constitution and forty-three state constitutions include a Speech or Debate Clause granting legislators a legal privilege for their legislative work. Which US ...
2
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2answers
438 views

Can a state judge throw the U.S. President in jail for contempt of court?

In USA there is this concept or "rule of law" that includes the principle that no one is above the law. About this the book "A Companion to the US Constitution and Its Amendments" (by John R. Vile) ...
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3answers
251 views

Why states don't charge head taxes to reduce poverty? [closed]

Under current system, in most democracy, all people have a right to move anywhere. People in California have a right to move to Texas and via versa. We know that poor people are more likely to ...
1
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2answers
189 views

When I register for voting in Massachusets with a telephone number on the “Do Not Call” registry, do I have to check the “unlisted phone number” box?

Background In March 2003, the Do Not Call registry was signed into law by president George W. Bush. This law allowed the FTC to create a voluntary registry of phone numbers whereby some entities ...
5
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1answer
5k views

How many US states still prohibit transportation of alcohol across state lines without a license, even for personal use?

Apparently Ohio still prohibits transportation of alcohol (even for personal use) across its state lines, without a license ("H permit"), while Pennsylvania legalized it in 2015/2016 and ...
8
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3answers
475 views

Is the President of the United States bound by state laws?

The state of New York is currently in the process of passing a law allowing Congress to access the state tax returns of elected officials and top appointed officials. This is seen as a potential "end-...
4
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1answer
244 views

Oregon household medical visits to familes with newborn children. Voluntary or mandatory?

Oregon's SB 526 has gained much controversy. The bill, if passed, is supposed to implement home visits by nurses/other-medical-professionals to families with newborn children. According to Patrick ...
29
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4answers
12k views

Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs illegal in the USA?

In the USA, Kinder Surprise Eggs are banned by the government. What is the reason?
10
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3answers
2k views

Why are drinking laws so strict in the USA?

In the USA, alcohol laws are very strict and specific, while in most other parts of the world they are very lax. What's the reason?
4
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2answers
385 views

Can a city in Colorado decide to legalize more drugs?

Colorado and many other states legalize weed. I wonder, just like some states in the United States can legalize weed, can some cities in those states decide to legalize other drugs too?
4
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2answers
387 views

Can the US states veto Congress legislation?

As said in the title: Can the US states veto laws approved by the Congress? For instance, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 while it gave 90% of the funding from a Highway Trust Fund, however, ...
-1
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1answer
156 views

Can the Virginia State Government have a public referendum on 3rd trimester abortion: simply yea or nay?

Can the Va voters vote "yea"or "nay" to 3rd trimester abortion? Whether this would be binding or non-binding. Thanks
13
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4answers
3k views

Can state governments be overthrown without national government involvement?

It is my understanding that the state and national government of the United States are separate entities (that's what federalism is, combining smaller states into a larger one). Could unhappy ...
14
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1answer
803 views

Have congressional Republicans taken a position on whether they will give “consent” to the United States Climate Alliance as an interstate compact?

The United States Climate Alliance is an effort by state governments to support the Paris Climate Accord and help reduce emissions in the United States. There is however a constitutional problem with ...
6
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2answers
286 views

How do felony disenfranchisement laws differ state by state?

Why is it that for felony disenfranchisement only certain rights seem to be lost and they differ state by state. Such as voting, jury duty, weapons. But some rights are never affected such as ...
4
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2answers
310 views

If a law is found to be unconstitutional; can an amendment to the state constitution matter?

In the general sense, let's say a state law is passed, and the courts decide that the law is unconstitutional because the United States constitution prohibits such laws. Can a state amend its own ...
2
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2answers
211 views

Can a person be elected to a Minnesota state office if there are fewer votes for them than blank votes?

On my ballot for Minnesota are a lot of state-level positions (judges, a representative, county sheriff) where the incumbent is running unopposed. If there are fewer votes for them than blank votes, ...
4
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0answers
2k views

Why doesn't the USA split into “Divided States of America” to achieve political autonomy? [closed]

While the disagreements between political parties have naturally always been present in the USA, their differences were historically nuanced, and Representatives of both parties regularly found common ...
11
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3answers
2k views

Why did Mississipi ratify the 13th Amendment so late?

I read recently - to my surprise - that Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment to abolish involuntary servitude and slavery in 2013. In fact, there was a move to ratify it in 1995, but the paperwork ...
38
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8answers
17k views

Why is bestiality illegal in the United States?

This is a question I have wondered more than once while browsing statute. Many states have laws against bestiality. For the life of me, I have never heard of this practice actually occurring and I ...
8
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2answers
1k views

How would the United States of America grant Puerto Rico statehood?

Given the existence of the statehood movement in Puerto Rico, what would need to happen for Puerto Rico to be the 51st State of the U.S.A.? After their last hurricane, how would the help from the US ...
4
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3answers
542 views

Why does each US state handle car registrations and driver licensing separately rather than delegating it to the federal government?

Despite the high level of economic integration between US states, for some reason all of them insist on having their own rules for driver licensing and car registration. When moving to a different ...
3
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1answer
161 views

To what extent does the Governor of a US State have official interactions with Senate and House members from that state?

Naturally, the various politicians from a State have some interaction with one another for the sake of furthering their State's interests. They probably coordinate even more commonly if they are from ...
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1answer
277 views

Which states do not recognize or have not designated a special day of observance for Juneteenth Independence Day?

Which states do not recognize or have not designated a special day of observance for Juneteenth Independence Day?
3
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2answers
288 views

What prevents states and counties in the US from combining drivers license and registration data?

When stopped for a traffic infraction in the United States most (all?) officers ask for license and registration. They are legally allowed to demand this information on request as a condition of ...

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