What happens when a federal agency targets a successful business, demands millions in fines, and then refuses to explain why? That’s the question at the heart of a new lawsuit filed by the Goldwater Institute, which is suing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for stonewalling public records related to its years-long enforcement campaign against Meathead Movers, a family-owned California moving company.
Since 2017, the EEOC has pursued an “age discrimination” case against the company—one of the rare agency-initiated lawsuits filed without any known complainant. The EEOC has demanded $15 million in penalties, alleging unlawful hiring practices at a business whose work literally requires physical strength and stamina. Yet despite the extraordinary nature of the case, the agency has refused to produce basic information under the federal Freedom of Information Act, citing vague “privacy” concerns.
This case also raises serious questions about the weaponization of government. If the government can randomly pick a company to investigate and prosecute, publicize that prosecution, but then refuse to hand over any information to the public as required by federal law, then any company can be next.
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In a win for economic opportunity and workforce mobility, North Carolina has enacted a new law that makes it easier for licensed professionals to get to work. Signed by Governor Josh Stein, the Neighbor State License Recognition Act (HB 763) requires state boards to recognize certain occupational licenses from neighboring states—a key step toward universal recognition, a reform long championed by the Goldwater Institute.
Roughly one in four jobs in America requires an occupational license, and for too long, workers moving across state lines have been forced to repeat costly exams and redundant paperwork just to keep doing the job they’ve already mastered.
The reform comes at a critical moment. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, cities across North Carolina are still rebuilding, and the demand for skilled workers has only grown. By clearing bureaucratic barriers and honoring out-of-state experience, the new law ensures that talent can flow where it’s needed most.
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The New Hampshire legislature is standing up for the vulnerable. In a strong bipartisan vote, New Hampshire lawmakers have sent a major expansion of the Right to Try to Governor Kelly Ayotte’s desk—offering new hope to patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases. Backed by the Goldwater Institute, HB 701 would allow patients to access cutting-edge, individualized treatments developed from their own genetic information.
Modeled on Goldwater’s Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act, the bill empowers patients to work with their physicians to pursue bespoke investigational therapies based on their own DNA. Nearly 80% of rare diseases are estimated to be genetic in nature, yet fewer than 5% of rare diseases currently have an FDA-approved treatment, largely due to cost constraints and an antiquated regulatory regime. Fortunately, new technologies and recent advances in modern medicine have made it possible for researchers to tailor treatments to an individual patient using his or her own genetics, creating new treatment options for patients with genetic conditions.
Once signed by Governor Ayotte, New Hampshire will join a growing list of states that support the individualized Right to Try model, following Arizona’s historic first-in-the-nation law in 2022.
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