The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) sets up a system through which the US government can blacklist a pirate website from the Domain Name System, ban credit card companies from processing US payments to the site, and forbid online ad networks from working with the site. This morning, COICA unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"A politician in a New York suburb called police on two 13-year-old boys for selling cupcakes and other baked goods without a permit, according to a report Monday. A permit to sell things in the park costs $150 to $350 for two hours and a $1 million insurance certificate is also required."

The MHA employs 45 people, a small number of whom do smoke. They were encouraged to quit and offered help while the new policy was discussed over the past several months. After January 1, the new rule will rely on the honor system for enforcement.
The hospital association policy “goes beyond the idea of corporate wellness to say ‘We are simply going to cleanse the workforce of anyone who has a particular unhealthy behavior." The same reasoning behind the new employment policy could exclude people who eat poorly, skip seat belts, or use tanning salons.

Whatever happened to allowing people to police themselves and their families?

Just in case you ever thought that Congress reads the bills it passes, this one made it out the Senate door with the short title "The XXXXXX Act of XXXX."