07/17/07
Arizona classrooms to hoist U.S. flags: new law
Arizona legislators have made it law that every classroom from seventh grade through university level must hoist a flag and also display copies of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Originally, it was compulsory that the flag be two by three feet, but there has been some compromise on that compulsion—schools can now have flags which are visible, recognizable, and are not made of paper. A number of schools received donations to adhere to the new law before its deadline. Hickman Family Farms donated $12,000 to more than 500 Peoria Unified classrooms to dress them with the required material. 300 flags were donated by the Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors to the Scottsdale Unified School District. Some schools had to spend huge amounts to purchase the essentials. Mesa Public Schools met with expenditures to the tune of about $5,300 for getting flags and other documents on classroom walls, while Tempe Union High School District had to cough out almost $1,800 just for flags.
Universities join companies and organizations to seek changes in proposed patent reform bill
As the most significant alterations to the U.S. patent system in 50 years inch towards being finalized, universities are joining companies and organizations to oppose some features of the proposed bill. Presidents of the Big Ten universities have joined organizations such as the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to seek changes in the legislation. They contend that the proposed amendments would weaken the authority of patents and prove a hindrance to innovation. The new laws would allow third parties to heckle patent holders by easily challenging the validity of an existing patent. This would diminish the value of a granted patent. WARF has a tradition of being closely involved in the U.S. patent policy. Others who raised their voices on the bill include the Small Business Technology Council, the NanoBusiness Alliance, and the National Venture Capital Association. The patent reform bill is sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch and Rep. Howard Berman. They say the bill would eliminate the existing problems in the U.S. patent system and maintain the nation's leadership in global innovation. Major supporters include a number of Silicon Valley companies, as well as Dell and Microsoft. The most favorable feature of the bill to these tech giants is that it restructures the way in which damages are awarded in patent cases. Supporters of the bill hope to see it signed into law before the August recess.
Texas student sex law gets coach into trouble
Byron Eugene Coyle, a 26-year-old former Carroll Senior High School swim coach, was charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year old student. Coyle was saved from being prosecuted, on grounds that he did not know that engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student in Texas is illegal. In Texas, the age of consent is 17. However, according to a 2003 Texas law, it is illegal for an employee of any primary or secondary school to engage in a sexual relationship with a student at the same school, regardless of the age of the student and regardless of whether the sex was consensual. The offense is a second-degree felony, carrying up to 20 years imprisonment and $10,000 in fine. Coyle has decided to move out of the area and head eastward. This law recently received more muscle when the Texas legislature amended that section, making it a felony for a school staff to send a suggestive email or cell phone message to a student, irrespective of age. That law comes into effect Sept. 1.
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