Columbia, SC Bans ‘Use’ Of Bump Stocks

Columbia, S.C., has banned the use of bump stocks in the city, but not their sale. NPR’s Rachel Martin talks to Columbia’s mayor, Steve Benjamin, about the motivation behind the ordinance. All right. Let’s shift our attention to Columbia, S.C., which has now become one of the first U.S. cities to ban the use of so-called bump stocks. That’s the…

Read More

Columbia, South Carolina, Bans Bump Stocks, Since Congress Won’t

Columbia, South Carolina, has become the first city to pass legislation prohibiting use of bump stocks-gun accessories like those used by Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock to increase firing rates to quasi-automatic speed. After this fall’s mass shootings, regulation of the deadly add-ons has fallen to local governments in the wake of congressional stagnation on the issue. “It’s time for…

Read More

Forget Trump, it’s all about local climate action

Forget Trump, it’s all about local climate action

It’s official – Trump is canceling the Clean Power Plan. But US cities, states and businesses are picking up the slack on climate protection. However, it’s not clear if this will be enough. United States President Donald Trump is negating the Clean Power Plan, widely recognized as former President Barack Obama’s linchpin legislation for reducing national greenhouse gas emissions. The…

Read More

Mayors use zip code data to fight repeal of state and local tax deduction

Washington – The U.S. Conference of Mayors has begun using zip code data to show that elimination the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes would be harmful to middle-class families. The new data is being used to persuade congressional Republicans that elimination of the so-called SALT deduction would raise taxes for families in some locallities with average adjusted…

Read More

Columbia, SC Mayor Benjamin to deliver Sussman Lecture Oct. 30

Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Stephen Benjamin will discuss the evolving role of American mayors in today’s political environment, race relations, immigration and other top issues facing American cities at The Harkin Institute’s Sussman Lecture on Oct. 30 at Drake University. Benjamin and the city of Columbia have confronted many of the social issues faced by local governments across the country,…

Read More

U.S. Conference of Mayors Supports the Mayor of San Juan in Addressing Puerto Rico’s Humanitarian Crisis

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) released the following statement in support of the Mayor of San Juan in addressing Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis: “Attacking our leaders on the ground during one of America’s greatest humanitarian crises is not leadership, and it’s not going to help the 3.4 million Americans in Puerto Rico get the relief they need. The White…

Read More