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With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, America has seen an overall decrease in cars taking to the roads due to stay-at-home orders and nationwide state shutdowns. With this decrease in cars on the road, the United States is seeing a surprising trend, more car crash-related deaths.

Statistics from 22 states and the District of Columbia showed a 17 percent drop in vehicle miles traveled in the first six months of 2020. Because this data indicated lower vehicle miles traveled, transportation specialists expected a dramatic decrease in traffic deaths, unfortunately, this was not the case. In the first six months of 2020 car crash-related deaths only dropped to an alarming six percent. Additionally, states with available data regarding traffic deaths reported a total of 6,357 traffic deaths in the first half of 2020, 791 more deaths than that same time in 2019, and only 401 less car-related deaths than 2019’s total.

Workers’ compensation is a topic that many employees do not properly understand. However, it is a topic that is essential for employees to comprehend in order to protect themselves while on the job.

Oftentimes when employees are injured on the job, they are not aware of the options they have. Workers’ compensation laws can be complicated and vary from state to state, making it harder for employees to understand what options are available to them. Below are some of the basics of workers’ compensation to help equip you with the necessary information that employees should know before suffering a workplace injury.

Gun laws are a hot-button topic that is not going away any time soon. With the prevalence of mass shootings and armed, pro-gun rallies, the debate over gun ownership is only heating up. However, there is reason to believe a solution that pleases both sides of the debate is reachable.

While gun ownership is in the constitution, governments have a duty to keep their residents safe. The consequences of gun ownership are often overlooked by proponents and not stressed enough in the eyes of gun ownership opponents.

Virginia has now taken its place as the 17th state in the United States to legalize possession and home growth of marijuana.

Effective July 1, 2021, the new legislation will provide Virginians with limited opportunity to possess and grow marijuana. Initially planned for implementation in 2024 along with recreational sales, the Virginia General Assembly finalized the decision to approve these new laws three years earlier than anticipated.

On February 27, 2021, the General Assembly passed a multitude of criminal justice reform measures, including the abolition of capital punishment, legalization of marijuana by 2024, and several others.

However, not included in the passed reform measures was a bill to scrap mandatory minimum sentences; a measure that Virginia legislators have been weighing for quite some time. This bill was a key goal of reformers, leaving many disappointed with the outcome.