US PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS 50 BILLS INTO LAW ON CHRISTMAS EVE

ISTANBUL, Dec 25 (Bernama-AA) -- United States (US) President Biden on Thursday signed 50 bills into law, addressing issues ranging from the protection of vulnerable youth to ethics in public office and campus safety, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

One of the newly enacted laws, spearheaded by celebrity Paris Hilton, is the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act.

This legislation establishes a federal working group to oversee the health, safety, care, treatment and placement of minors in youth residential programs, including rehabilitation facilities.

Hilton, who has publicly testified about the abuse she endured in such facilities as a teenager, played a central role in advocating for this measure, which passed both the House and Senate last week.

Another measure prevents members of Congress convicted of crimes involving public corruption from receiving their retirement benefits.

Previously, lawmakers could continue collecting pensions until all appeals were exhausted.

This bipartisan reform follows the recent conviction of Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who was found guilty of using his political influence to benefit businessmen and foreign governments in exchange for bribes.

The third bill, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, aims to curb hazing in higher education.

It requires colleges and universities to include reports of hazing incidents in their annual security disclosures and mandates education on the dangers of hazing for students. These provisions are part of broader efforts to promote safety and accountability on college campuses.


Another law, S. 4610, officially made the bald eagle the official bird of the US, where there was no previous legislation that had associated the avian with the federal government.

-- BERNAMA-AA