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Many Members of Congress see continued tension between "free speech" decisions of the Supreme Court, which protect flag desecration as expressive conduct under the First Amendment, and the symbolic importance of the United States flag. Consequently, every Congress that has convened since those decisions were issued has considered proposals that would permit punishment of those who engage in flag desecration. The 106th Congress narrowly failed to send a constitutional amendment to allow punishment of flag desecration to the States. In the 107th Congress, one such proposal was passed by the House. In the 108th Congress, the House Judiciary Committee has favorably reported a proposed constitutional amendment to allow punishment of flag desecration on a vote of 18-13.

The economic stimulus plan is one President Obama's main weapons to jump-start the economy and prevent a much deeper and longer recession; the current downturn started in December 2007 making it already one of the longest since the Great Depression, and it has caused the largest number of job losses in the history of the US in a single year (in absolute, but not - yet - relative numbers). Through a combination of tax cuts, direct investments in a variety of sectors including infrastructure, energy, science and education and help to the unemployed and to the states, Congress and the President are looking to alleviate if not stop the decline in economic activity. As of August 2009, the economy has lost 6.9 million jobs, which have been shed across all sectors of the economy except for government and healthcare.

Common Sense for Drug Policy is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to reforming drug policy and expanding harm reduction. CSDP disseminates factual information and comments on existing laws, policies and practices. CSDP provides advice and assistance to individuals and organizations and facilitates coalition building. CSDP supports syringe exchanges, the expansion of Methadone and Buprenorphine availability and other public health measures to reduce harm to users and restrict the spread of HIV / AIDS and Hepatitis C. CSDP advocates the regulation and control of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol and subject to local option. CSDP favors decriminalizing the use of hard drugs and providing them only through prescription. CSDP also advocates clear federal guidelines for the practice of pain management so that physicians need not fear unwarranted law enforcement scrutiny of medical practices.

Although the Social Security system is now running surpluses of income over outgo, its board of trustees projects that its trust funds would be depleted in 2041 and only 73% of its benefits would be payable then with incoming receipts. The trustees project that on average the system's cost would be 14% higher than its income over the next 75 years; by 2080 it would be 50% higher. The primary reason is demographic: the post-World War II baby boomers will begin retiring in less than a decade and life expectancy is rising. By 2025 the number of people age 65 and older is predicted to grow by 74%. In contrast, the number of workers supporting the system would grow by 14%

A growing body of evidence indicates that humans now have a significant impact on climate. Nevertheless, it is difficult to identify humans as the only cause of a particular weather event or local climate change. This information comes from the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. This research is based upon the most recent available data in 2010. Facts from earlier years are cited based upon availability and relevance, not to slant results by singling out specific years that are different from others. Likewise, data associated with the effects of gun control laws in various geographical areas represent random, demographically diverse places in which such data is available.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) , which prescribes standards for the basic minimum wage and overtime pay, affects most private and public employment. It requires employers to pay covered employees who are not otherwise exempt at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay of one-and-one-half-times the regular rate of pay. For nonagricultural operations, it restricts the hours that children under age 16 can work and forbids the employment of children under age 18 in certain jobs deemed too dangerous. For agricultural operations, it prohibits the employment of children under age 16 during school hours and in certain jobs deemed too dangerous. The Act is administered by the Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division within the U.S. Department of Labor.

Language discrimination occurs when a person is treated differently because of that person's native language or other characteristics of that person's speech. In an employment situation, for example, an employee may be being subjected to language discrimination if the workplace has a "speak-English-only" policy but the employee's primary language is something other than English. The employee may also be the victim of language discrimination if he or she is treated less favorably than other employees because he or she speaks English with an accent, or if the employee is told he or she does not qualify for a position because of a lack of English proficiency. Outside the employment context, language discrimination may also occur if a person is denied access to businesses or government services because he or she does not speak English.

The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. By working towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, Amnesty International aims to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error. Amnesty International campaigns to abolish the death penalty in the USA by focusing on individual cases of injustice, supporting work for death penalty repeal efforts in the states, and educating campuses and communities about the fatally flawed nature of our capital punishment system.

Welcome to the home page for the MIT Student Association for Freedom of Expression (SAFE). We work to organize support for freedom of speech and other forms of freedom of expression.

Constitutional rights Foundation has put together a series of links and interesting information regarding the age old debate on Immigration, Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) seeks to instill in our nation's youth a deeper understanding of citizenship through values expressed in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights and to educate young people to become active and responsible participants in our society. CRF is dedicated to assuring our country's future by investing in our youth today. CRF is a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society.

Representatives of state legislatures and public welfare administrators have urged the 107th Congress to extend the program of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for 3 years, through FY2005. The National Governors Association (NGA) also has recommended an extension longer than one year. TANF now is operating under temporary spending authority that expires December 31, 2002 (P. L. 107-229, H. J. Res. 111). Along with NGA, the American Public Human Services Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) say action is needed before the end of this Congress to ensure program continuity.

The principal purpose of ONDCP is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the Nation's drug control program. The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences. To achieve these goals, the Director of ONDCP is charged with producing the National Drug Control Strategy. The Strategy directs the Nation's anti-drug efforts and establishes a program, a budget, and guidelines for cooperation among Federal, State, and local entities.

"Symbolic expression" is a phrase often used to describe expression that is mixed with elements of conduct. The Supreme Court has made clear in a series of cases that symbolic expression (or expressive conduct) may be protected by the First Amendment. Several of these cases have been highly controversial--perhaps none more so than Texas vs Johnson (1990) reversing the conviction of a man who expressed his strong displeasure with U. S. policy by burning an American flag.

This research is based upon the most recent available data in 2010. Facts from earlier years are cited based upon availability and relevance, not to slant results by singling out specific years that are different from others. Likewise, data associated with the effects of gun control laws in various geographical areas represent random, demographically diverse places in which such data is available. Many aspects of the gun control issue are best measured and sometimes can only be measured through surveys,[1] but the accuracy of such surveys depends upon respondents providing truthful answers to questions that are sometimes controversial and potentially incriminating.[2] Thus, Just Facts uses such data critically, citing the best-designed surveys we find, detailing their inner workings in our footnotes, and using the most cautious plausible interpretations of the results.

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) is the nation's oldest organization dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty. We are comprised of an extensive network representing more than 100 state and national Affiliate organizations and thousands of advocates and volunteers. Our members include families of murder victims, persons from all points on the political and religious spectrums, past and present law enforcement officials and prominent civil and racial justice organizations working to end the death penalty forever.

This site presents facts about the death penalty and the pros and cons of the issue. The Cornell Death Penalty Project is an undertaking of the Cornell Law School. The project sponsors several clinics that provide students with the opportunity to assist in the representation of capital defendants, both at trial and at various stages in the appeals process. The project also sponsors periodic symposia related to capital punishment and, in addition, conducts empirical research relating to the administration of capital punishment in the United States.

This site is being developed as a resource for those searching the internet for pro-death penalty information and resources. Capital punishment is a topic that brings up deep emotional reactions for those on both sides of the issue and conflict for those who are undecided how they feel. If you search the internet via search engines for "death penalty", you are likely to find thousands, if not tens of thousands of "hits" to web sites related to the topic. With very few exceptions, these sites are anti-death penalty. Is this because the majority of people are against the death penalty? Not according to recent surveys. It is simply because people who are adamantly opposed to the death penalty tend to take an activist stance and become involved in working to stop the death penalty. For the most part, people who support the death penalty do so quietly, in their own minds and feel no need to do so in any public fashion. It is the law and they expect it to be carried out.

At least 49 states and the Virgin Islands have created or proposed ways to track, provide oversight, and distribute information relating to federal stimulus funds. Governors have created new entities, state agencies are documenting projects, and legislatures are forming commissions or committees to oversee the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The following provides a brief summary of actions that states are proposing or taking to provide oversight and transparency of ARRA. Also included are state websites that will provide information on implementation and spending of funds from ARRA

The Committee on Homeland Security was established in 2002 to provide Congressional oversight for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and better protect the American people against a possible terrorist attack. In 2005, the House of Representatives granted the Committee on Homeland Security permanent status; that same year, U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (NY), was named Chairman of the Committee. Under Chairman King's leadership, Committee Republicans passed several landmark pieces of bipartisan homeland security legislation, including the SAFE Port Act, Chemical Plant Security legislation, and FEMA reform. King served as Ranking Member during the 110th and 111th Congresses before returning as Chairman for the 112th Congress.

Mission Statement: To protect and define the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of the incarcerated. We support genuine efforts at rehabilitation of criminal offenders, which, in turn, fully restores them to our communities, promotes family stability, authentic long-term public safety, and reduces the numbers of crime victims in our society. We engage in efforts to hold government agencies and their agents accountable for the tax dollars used to support prisons, jails, and other criminal justice activities. We perform this work via public education, legislative advocacy, litigation, and referral to existing social services. We serve as a clearinghouse for relevant information affecting the incarcerated and their supporters.