Public hearing today over modified Reynolds proposal regarding transgender identification rules : A public hearing will take place at 5 p.m. today (Monday) over House File 2389, which would focus on biological sex at birth for some government identification , and require gender transition documentation on others. The proposal was advanced to the full House last week by the House Education Committee Tuesday, reports Iowa Capital Dispatch. The panel split on party lines (15 Republicans for, eight Democrats against) in the vote to advance the proposal, after removing a provision that called for Iowa driver licenses to note whether someone had changed genders, reports Iowa Public Radio. Lawmakers removed that provision. The proposed law would still require birth certificates to note gender transitions. It would also categorize “male” and “female,” in settings that include rape crisis centers, domestic abuse shelters, prisons and restrooms, according to biological abilities to produce or fertilize ova. You can listen to the public hearing here. To become law, the bill faces debate and approval in the full House; then debate and approval by the full Senate; followed by the governor’s signature. Any amendments to the bill by either House will require the other House’s approval.
Illinois lawmaker proposes tax credit for those fleeing anti-trans and abortion-restricted states: Whether you’re a transgender person seeking transitionary care, a woman seeking abortion care, a teacher impacted by content restrictions, an Illinois legislator wants you to get a tax credit if you choose Illinois over your existing state, reports The Hill. Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy introduced the tax credit bill this week. The Hill reports that 23 states now have laws that ban gender transition care for minors, and 29 states have limited access to abortion since the 2022 Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ended Roe V. Wade abortion protections.
Business organizations sue to stop redlining initiative: As the federal Department of Justice continues to stack up settlement agreements over redlining, a coalition of business organizations has sued other U.S. government to stop their efforts to combat redlining, which is the historic practice of creating lending rules that minimize access of some identities to loan funds, writes Insurance Journal. The American Bankers Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Bankers Association are among the groups that filed the suit against the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to stop new rules the groups claim will make it harder, rather than easier, to loan to Blacks and Hispanics.
January was world’s warmest ever: Not only was 2023 the hottest year on record worldwide; January 2024 was also the world’s hottest January on record, reports Nature World News. The world’s average surface air temperature of 13.14 degrees Celsius was 0.70 Celsius degrees warmer than the world’s previous warmest January in 2020, writes Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
Cultivated meat to get a close look: How will cultivated meat, or meat created through cell cultivation rather than slaughter, affect the environment, and farming jobs? What will it require in terms of energy, and waste disposal? A British panel will study these questions and more, reports Vegconomist. Currently, Axios writes, an estimated 150 companies worldwide are producing cultivated meat, which is seen by energy experts and animal welfare advocates as a possible tool in mitigating climate change and animal suffering.
(cover photo features the Iowa State Capitol by Ashton B. Crew, and the Illinois State Capitol, courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
