Virginia bans cosmetic testing on animals
Senator Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Kaye Kory introduced the bill. Its passage makes Virginia the fourth state in the U.S. to make a law prohibiting cosmetic animal testing.
States & provinces
Virginia restores voting rights for the previously incarcerated
Under the new policy, Virginia joins Maine, Vermont, and Washington, D.C who all maintain voting rights for felons and even protect the right to vote for individuals during their prison time.
New Jersey passes groundbreaking LGBTQ “Senior Bill of Rights”
Anti-LGBTQ discrimination will be banned in senior care facilities, in what could be the next frontier in LGBTQ rights.
Connecticut becomes 8th U.S. state to pass CROWN Act, making natural hairstyle discrimination illegal
The bill protects those wearing natural or protective hairstyles from discrimination at their workplace or school and makes said discrimination illegal.
Maryland’s Montgomery County makes largest electric school bus order in U.S. history
Montgomery County Public Schools has decided to fully electrify its fleet, starting with an order for 326 electric school buses to be delivered in the next 4 years.
Uttarakhand becomes first Indian state to give wives co-ownership of ancestral land
The landmark ruling, called the the Uttarakhand Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, is set to affect some 350,000 women who manage properties alongside, or in the absence of their husbands.
Texas to add 35 GW of wind and solar in next 3 years
“The near-term additions — which are largely underpinned by financial security deposits for interconnection, federal tax incentives and power purchase agreements — would more than double ERCOT’s solar and wind footprint to 64 GW in just three years,” S&P Global writes.
New York State mandates fertility treatment coverage for same-sex couples
Many LGBTQ+ couples still have to pay six to 12 months of out-of-pocket expenses for testing to qualify for fertility services. Under the new law, insurers are required to cover these services immediately.
Illinois becomes first U.S. state to end cash bail system
In a huge win for racial justice, the state of Illinois is on the verge of becoming the first state to end wealth-based pre-trial detention.
Washington is the first U.S. state to hold a climate assembly
Eighty members of the public have been selected through a lottery to join the country’s first climate assembly in Washington. The assembly is constituted to deliberate on environmental issues.