The Daily Populous

Bill to ban the sale of loot boxes to children presses forward with bipartisan support

Today, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) will be formally introducing his bill to ban the sale of loot boxes to children, and two of his Democratic colleagues have signed on in support of the legislation.

Hawley’s Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act would, if approved, prohibit video game companies from selling loot boxes to children under the age of 18 and make it unlawful for minor-oriented games to include pay-to-win mechanics.

If a games company was found to be unlawfully including these features in games targeted to minors it would be financially penalized.

“Today’s digital entertainment ecosystem is an online gauntlet for children,” Markey said of the loot box bill.

Pressure to regulate loot boxes and pay-to-win mechanics has continued to build over the course of the past few years.

Loot boxes and microtransactions have become prominent features in both mobile games and those created by triple-A studios like Blizzard and Electronic Arts.

Of note, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), who first raised concerns over loot boxes last fall in a hearing with the Federal Trade Commission, is not currently a cosponsor to the bill. »

Bernie Sanders Says All Teacher Salaries Should Start at $60,000

Authored by newsweek.com

Bernie Sanders declared Wednesday afternoon that the starting salary for teachers in the country should be at least $60,000.

“The historic teacher strikes of the past few years have showed us that teachers are paid totally inadequate wages,” Sanders tweeted.

The most affordable states list, for the most part, correlates with the list of states with lower average salaries of public school teachers. »

Colorado becomes first state in nation to cap price of insulin

Authored by denverpost.com

“Today, we will declare that the days of insulin price gouging are over in Colorado,” Polis said in his office as he signed the bill, according to CBS Denver.

The cost of insulin can creep up toward $1,000 for those whose health care coverage requires significant cost-sharing.

The law doesn’t limit what insulin manufacturers can charge insurance companies, and it’s expected those insurers will pay the difference. »

Trump considering loophole for Saudi arms sale

Authored by apnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is considering an emergency declaration that would allow it to make an arms shipment to Saudi Arabia without the approval of Congress, two U.S. officials and lawmakers opposed to the move said Thursday.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The State Department declined to comment, citing a policy against discussing potential arms sales until Congress is notified. »

Colorado becomes first state in nation to cap price of insulin

Authored by vaildaily.com

Under a bill signed by Colorado's governor this week, diabetics will pay no more than $100 a month for insulin.

“Today, we will declare that the days of insulin price gouging are over in Colorado,” Polis said in his office as he signed the bill, according to CBS Denver.

The law doesn’t limit what insulin manufacturers can charge insurance companies, and it’s expected those insurers will pay the difference. »