Right to Repair, Energy Storage Systems, Citizenship in the Census and More

Posted on March 28, 2018

Consumers’ Right to Energy Storage Systems Act: Thanks to Tesla and other high-tech companies, home battery systems are coming and many electric utilities are trying to stop them. Based on a groundbreaking new Colorado law, the Consumers’ Right to Energy Storage Systems Act directs the state public utilities commission to allow consumers of electricity to have the right to install, interconnect and use energy storage systems on their property.

We don’t need to overturn the Second Amendment to enact strong gun laws: Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens recently wrote an op-ed calling for a constitutional amendment to repeal the Second Amendment. While he’s right that Justice Scalia’s 2008 ruling was absurd, it does not hinder the kinds of laws under discussion today, most specifically a ban on assault weapons. To read why, see the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

The Right to Repair—a new movement emerges: Wednesday, April 4 at 3pm Eastern, 2pm Central, 1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific. It’s getting harder and harder to repair the stuff we own, and that’s by design. It adds costs to consumers and contributes to needless waste, especially e-waste which is toxic and expensive to process. That’s why a group of consumers, repair enthusiasts and businesses are getting behind “Right to Repair” or “Fair Repair” reforms, to give people and independent businesses access to what they need to fix their stuff – replacement parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostic software. Legislation has been introduced in 19 states. Learn more about this effort and what we can do to protect our right to repair. Register here to join the discussion.

Why the Census Asking About Citizenship Is Such a Problem: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced that the 2020 census would ask about citizenship status, which will obviously (and is obviously intended to) depress participation. This article explains why it’s such a problem for states and localities.

U.S. News’ Healthiest Communities Rankings: U.S. News scored nearly 3,000 counties on approximately 80 indicators that drive health outcomes. See how your community scores in these rankings.

Repro Rights Report for March: This is our progress report for abortion rights legislation in the states and localities since the beginning of 2018.

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