legislation Archives - New Hip Hop News

Pornhub Blocks Access In Texas Over Age Verification Law

March 15, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, has blocked access to the popular pornography site to Texan users. The move comes in protest of a state age-verification law that was upheld in federal court. Texas becomes the seventh state to lose access to the litany of pornographic services owned by Aylo. Other sites blocked include YouPorn, Brazzers, Digital Playground, and RealityKings. Aylo has chosen to disable the website rather than comply with a highly restrictive and intrusive age verification law.

Furthermore, Texan users trying to access the site will instead find an open letter from Aylo rebuking the law, which was upheld in federal court last week. “Not only does this impinge on the rights of adults to access protected speech, it fails strict scrutiny by employing the least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas’s stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors,” the letter reads in part. Furthermore, Alex Kekesi, VP of brand and community at Aylo, called the Texan law “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous”.

TikTok Ban Passes The House

However, Aylo is not the only tech company gearing up for legal battles with the American political system. A bipartisan bill that could see TikTok banned in the United States has passed the US House of Representatives by a vote of 325-65. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would demand that TikTok divest from its Chinese parent company. If the company refused, the app would become unavailable in the United States. The bill was proposed on the basis of protecting the data of American users from the Chinese. However, many opponents have labeled the bill as Sinophobic fearmongering.

While the bill faces an uphill battle in the senate, several American entities are already plotting their next steps. A US group led by former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has announced their intention to mount a bid to buy TikTok. Mnuchin revealed the plan while appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box. Mnuchin, who gained notoriety for his OneWestBank firm during the 2008 recession, was one of the few cabinet secretaries to see out Donald Trump‘s entire term in office.

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The post Pornhub Blocks Access In Texas Over Age Verification Law appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Atlanta City Council Move To Limit The Use Of Rap Lyrics In Trial: Report

July 12, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Young Thug remains behind bars as he awaits jury selection in the YSL trial. However, much of the conversation surrounds the use of rap lyrics as evidence in the RICO case. Over the past year, there have been a number of efforts across the United States to limit creative expression as a form of admission in court. Now, an Atlanta City Council passed a resolution that aims to restrict the use of rap lyrics in criminal trials, as All Hip Hop reports.

Most recently, District 12 Councilmember Antonio Lewis of Atlanta explained his concerns over the use of prosecutors using lyrics in trial. As a result, he introduced the legislation as an attempt to address the matter, which became far more prominent in mainstream conversations since Young Thug’s arrest in 2022. However, Lewis and the Atlanta City Council have worked effortlessly to amend a statute in the Georgia Code. The council is now trying to get the Georgia General Assembly to address the matter in Title 17, Chapter 7.

Atlanta Council Aims To Restrict Rap Lyrics In Court

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The use of rap lyrics, specifically, in trials has been a controversial practice that faced criticism for the racial bias it presents. “Our resolution is a significant step toward rectifying an issue that has disproportionately affected individuals within marginalized communities,” Lewis said. “We must protect the freedom of artistic expression while ensuring that evidence used in criminal trials is relevant, reliable, and does not perpetuate bias. By urging the Georgia General Assembly to address this matter, we are fostering a more equitable and just criminal justice system for all.”

This legislation echoes concerns that Kevin Liles shared with the public upon Young Thug’s arrest. Liles not only took the stand to testify on Thug’s behalf but also partnered with Julie Greenwald to launch a petition against using rap lyrics as evidence. “In courtrooms across America, Black creativity and artistry is being criminalized. With increasing and troubling frequency, prosecutors are attempting to use rap lyrics as confessions, just like they’re doing in this case,” Liles and Greenwald said in a joint statement. “It punishes already marginalized communities and silences their stories of family, struggle, survival, and triumph.”

The post Atlanta City Council Move To Limit The Use Of Rap Lyrics In Trial: Report appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Bernie Sanders Seeks To Raise Minimum Wage to $17

May 7, 2023 by newhiphopnews

The federal minimum wage in the United States has been set at $7.25 since 2009. While states are allowed to offer a high minimum wage than this, 20 states abide by the federal minimum. The highest minimum wage currently available in the United States can be found in Washington DC. Currently, the nation’s capital has a minimum wage of $16.50.

There have been many attempts to raise the minimum wage since it was set 14 years ago. However, the proposals have been overwhelmingly rejected by bipartisan efforts. Congress, whose members make a salary of $174,000 a year, argues that there are too many severe economic consequences in raising the minimum. While many of these arguments have been debunked by economists, the Congressional view persists. This is joined by a public sentiment that primarily stems from discriminatory views of labor. A common argument heard in the discussion of raising the minimum wage is “Why should a burger flipper at McDonald’s make $15 an hour?”

Bernie Leads New Charge To Raise The Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 04: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at a press conference on raising the federal minimum wage outside the U.S. Capitol Building May 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. During his remarks Sanders announced that he would be introducing a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The last effort to raise the minimum wage came in 2021 with the Bernie Sanders-led “Raise the Wage Act”. That bill was killed in both houses, including seeing 8 Democrat senators vote against the legislation. But Bernie is undeterred and is once again pushing to raise the minimum wage. “Nobody in this country can survive on $7.25. And maybe some of my colleagues in Congress might want to live for a month on seven-and-a-quarter and see what that’s like,” Sanders said.

Read More: Fight breaks out between Russian and Ukraine delegates at grain talks

Sanders’ new proposal would go beyond his former proposal, instead raising the minimum wage to $17. However, even this might not be enough to actually tackle the crisis Sanders is trying to find a solution to. According to economists and economic forecasting, if the minimum wage had risen with inflation over the last four years, it should currently be around $25 an hour. Despite this, it remains to be seen if Sanders has the votes to push through the legislation. Unlike in 2021, the House is now controlled by the Republican party, and the Senate is essentially Republican-controlled, thanks to the prolonged absence of Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein.

RAP Act Reintroduced In Congress, Aims To Ban Use Of Lyrics As Court Evidence

April 27, 2023 by newhiphopnews

The Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act was a bill introduced in the U.S. Congress in July of last year. Just when we thought it was going nowhere, two congressmen reintroduced the bill and brought it back to national attention. Moreover, the bill aims to protect artists whose lyrics are wrongfully used to determine their verdict in a court case. Democrats Hank Johnson and Jamaal Bowman also participated in a livestream hosted by the Recording Academy with various First Amendment advocates fighting for free speech. Furthermore, these included the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), SAG-AFTRA, the Black Music Collective, and others.

Of course, the most present example of lyrics as evidence is currently the RICO trial of Young Thug and YSL as a whole. Prosecutors used various lyrics to paint the crew as a criminal gang, which Gunna supported through statements when he took his Alford plea. Since 2020, over 500 criminal cases involved prosecutors using an artist’s lyrics against them as evidence. With this in mind, the RAP Act would add a presumption to the Federal Rules of Evidence that would limit the ability to present said artistic expression against them in court.

RAP Act Returns To Congress

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 27: U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman and U.S. Representative Hank Johnson speak during Grammys On The Hill: Advocacy Day on April 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

To elaborate, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, who co-founded BMAC and acts as its chair, gave low-profile examples of this bill’s necessity. One of these is the case of Derek Foster, who the court convicted in 1991 and who used a rap verse in his notebook against him, even though the notebook did not relate as evidence to his charges. Another case he mentioned was that of Jonair Tyreece Moore. Prosecutors gained permission to show 20 minutes of rap videos, which the court found irrelevant to his charges. Moreover, the prosecution intended to “show his knowledge of drug distribution and his motive for engaging in it.”

Of course, many believe that this is a lost cause already. However, if more prominent figures in hip-hop and beyond support it, a continuous fight for these rights until they see recognition could follow. Until then, courts may continue to subvert and warp artistic expression in lieu of hard evidence to land innocent artists in prison. Regardless of your take, come back to HNHH for the latest on the RAP Act and other news in the hip-hop world.

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Senators To Introduce New Legislation “Kids Online Safety Act”

February 16, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Two U.S. senators will introduce a bill today that would protect children online. The “Kids Online Safety Act” is co-sponsored by Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

The bill would require social media platforms to provide parents with tools to protect their children from harmful content online, including sexual exploitation, bullying and product recommendations.

“The “Kids Online Safety Act” would finally give kids and their parents the tools and safeguards they need to protect against toxic content—and hold Big Tech accountable for deeply dangerous algorithms.

Algorithms driven by eyeballs and dollars will no longer hold sway. I will fight for swift passage alongside Senator Blackburn, my partner in this effort,” Blumenthal said in a statement.

The introduction of this bill follows the Facebook whistleblower whom released internal company documents that showed the dangerous effects of algorithms used in marketing online.

According to The Hill, the legislation would require platforms to limit the ability of individuals to contact or find a minor, as well as prevent individuals from viewing a minor’s personal data collected by or shared on the platform. It would also require minors to have an option to opt-out of algorithmic recommendation systems and establish a duty of care for platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, including the promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.

Share your thoughts on The “Kids Online Safety Act” with us.

The post Senators To Introduce New Legislation “Kids Online Safety Act” appeared first on The Source.