Social Issues
Covering topics such as homelessness, immigration, racial justice, transgender rights and women’s rights.
Since Jan. 31, 10 bills have been signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and several more are awaiting her signature. Though the speed was breakneck, the process wasn’t always pretty and most new laws had little public vetting.
An alliance of state lawmakers deserves credit for a collective effort to fight disenfranchisement of minority and Democratic voters. But they will need a lot more support to win the fight to protect the sacred right to vote.
To meet his goal of 500,000 new homes in the next decade, the New York City mayor has proposed new approaches to address the housing crisis, including creating incentives, single-room occupancies and more.
An initiative in Orange County, Calif., is taking an innovative approach to reducing social determinants of poor health. Screenings are vital, but social and environmental factors set the stage for the problems they detect.
Across the nation, hate crimes hit a record high in 2021, increasing more than 33 percent from the prior year. In North Carolina alone there are 28 hate and 17 active anti-government groups.
Black women in Michigan are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than in other states. A proposal would require the use of the PREM-OB scale and create a complaint system for obstetric racism.
Latinos are the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority and yet they are far less likely to ascend to corporate boards than other groups. Forty-seven of the nation’s Fortune 100 companies have no Latino directors.
The June ruling struck down New York’s law on who can carry a concealed weapon, expanding Second Amendment rights. Critics say the court focused too much on history and didn’t consider the ruling’s modern-day impacts.
The state has signaled its support for allocating an additional $70 million to Gov. Tina Kotek’s initial request of $130 million in emergency funds to help move residents off the streets and keep them housed.
Women across the state earned just 88 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2021, which, over a 40-year career, amounts to more than $350,000 in diminished earnings. The gap is larger for women of color.
Large banks are assuring their customers that the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank of New York aren’t likely to affect the average resident as Maine banks don’t have much reliance on venture capital or cryptocurrency clients.
Proposed legislation would abolish less than minimum wages for people with disabilities by August 2025. Minnesota has the third highest number of workers earning subminimum wages in the nation.
Census data predicts that by 2032, America will have more people ages 65 and older than it will have people who are 18 and younger. As the nation’s population ages, many predict that “age tech” will continue to boom.
The California county is examining millions of documents to remove discriminatory language to adhere to a 2021 state law. So far only 19 property deeds have been modified. They came primarily from the 1940s and ‘50s.
Advocates of the bill say that it would empower parents to take charge in their kids’ education and limit the exposure to objectionable content, while critics say it would allow discrimination against kids.
Blue states have played key roles in all the recent GOP primaries. Plus, rejecting ranked-choice voting, the Pennsylvania House has already had two speakers this year, the seats for St. Louis Board of Aldermen are particularly competitive and Mississippi considers restoring its initiative process.
