The Republican Presidential primaries have taken a turn to social issues this month, with new controversy over religious institutions providing birth control on their insurance plans. Earlier, President Obama issued a new mandate that would require insurance providers to cover the costs of birth control if Catholic or other religious employers do not wish to include it on their plan. Naturally, this drew critical responses from all of the Republican candidates. However, the most outspoken was Rick Santorum, claiming that President Obama is waging a war on religious freedoms and trying to promote a “secular agenda.” Many agree with Mr. Santorum saying that the President’s mandate is unfair and requires religious institutions to practice methods that go against their religion.
Bipartisan support approved legislation that would ultimately increase the penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol in New Jersey last week. Monmouth County Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande from District 11 and John F. Amodeo, a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from District 2, each co-sponsored the bill, A-3057, which would increase the penalties of serial DUI offenders. The bill was introduced last summer due to a Vineland man getting charged for the offense six times in the span of three months.
In his State of the Union address in January, President Barack Obama declared that it was time for Congress to pass immigration reform legislation yet Democrats and Republicans cannot seem to agree on the correct way to go about changing immigration policy. And this has caused legislation to stall including legislation that will affect college students.