CA Cities Adopt Flavor Tobacco Ban Days after SAN FRANCISCO voters upheld a ban on all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarette liquids , the SAN MATEO County Board of Supervisors endorses a similar ban. Several other CALIFORNIA cities have adopted such bans...

MA Attorney General Approves Extension In a ruling with statewide implications, MASSACHUSETTS Attorney General Maura Healey (D) approves an extension of a temporary moratorium on legal cannabis shops and other marijuana businesses through June 2019 for the city of MANSFIELD . The ruling allows local...

MA House Approves HB 4664 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4664 , a bill that would ban the use of so-called conversion therapy, a controversial practice aimed at changing the sexual orientation and gender identity of minors. It moves to the Senate (STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE [BOSTON]. MI Governor...

MA Senate Approves SB 2546 The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves SB 2546 , which would allow the Bay State attorney general to file civil actions and issue stop work orders in wage theft cases. The measure, which also would create a trust fund to repay stolen wages when other recovery options have been...

MA Governor Signs HB 4670 MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs HB 4670 , so-called “red flag” legislation that allows family or household members to petition the courts for a one-year renewable order suspending gun ownership rights of someone they believe to be a danger. The measure...

MA Supreme Judicial Court Rules The MASSACHUSETTS Supreme Judicial Court unanimously rules that judges can require defendants with substance use disorders to remain drug-free as a condition of probation and send them to jail if they relapse (NEW YORK TIMES). The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate endorse...

MA Governor signs SB 2260 MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs SB 2260 , legislation that overturns a number of “antiquated and inappropriate” Bay State laws, including one that made abortion illegal. The measure also strikes down contraception restrictions included in some of those...

MA Endorses HB 4866 and Signs HB 2515 The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate endorse HB 4866 , which would establish a statewide standing prescription for the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. The measure, which also allows local governments to exchange unexpired naloxone, moves to Gov. Charlie Baker ...

OH Governor Signs SB 216 OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) signs SB 216 , which makes dozens of changes to the Buckeye State education system, including how teachers are evaluated, allowing third-graders to take tests on paper, softening the law on excessive absences and creating a Joint Education Oversight...

IL Governor Signs HB 5245 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs HB 5245 , legislation that requires hospitals to train enough medical providers in how to treat sexual assault patients that when a victim arrives, a trained provider is present within 90 minutes. Hospitals will have until Jan. 1, 2022...

MA Governor Vetoes Section of HB 4732 MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) vetoes a section of a $1.1 billion economic development package ( HB 4732 ) that would have barred “bad faith” allegations of patent infringement by so-called “patent trolls,” who contact companies to...

Education in MA: The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate endorse a revised version of SB 2631 , a bill previously amended by Gov. Charlie Baker (R) that would make student-led civics projects part of Bay State high school and eighth grade curriculum. The measure returns to Baker for consideration (STATE...

NJ Governor Signs AB 1414 NEW JERSEY Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver (D) signs AB 1414 , a bill that mandates the state Board of Education include financial literacy instruction in the curriculum for sixth- through eighth-grade students in public schools across the Garden State. Oliver signed the bill while...

MI Governor Issues Executive Order 2019-10 MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issues Executive Order 2019-10 , which bars state agencies and departments from asking job applicants about previous salary history until a conditional offer of employment is made. The directive also prohibits retrieval...

IA Supreme Court Upholds The IOWA Supreme Court upholds a lower court’s ruling that the Hawkeye State cannot deny Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery. The court ruled that doing so would violate the state’s 2007 Civil Rights Act, which added gender identity to the state’s...

MA Lawmakers Give Final Approval to HB 140 MASSACHUSETTS lawmakers give final approval to HB 140 , which would ban conversion therapy, which seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation, on minors. It moves to Gov. Charlie Baker (R), who has indicated he will sign it (MASSLIVE.COM). NM Governor...

TX House Approves HB 3703 The TEXAS House approves HB 3703 , which would add multiple sclerosis, autism, cancer and many other diseases and medical conditions to those eligible to be treated with cannabis oil. The bill, which would also allow for the state’s three legal medical cannabis dispensaries...

WA Governor Signs SB 5116 WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signs SB 5116 , a bill that establishes a mandate for Evergreen State utilities to eliminate coal as an energy source by the end of 2025, with the ultimate goal of providing carbon-free electricity by 2045. At least six other states - MINNESOTA...

MA House Endorses HB 3904 The MASSACHUSETTS House endorses HB 3904 , a bill that would establish a framework for licensing and regulating appraisal management companies in the Bay State. It is now in the Senate (STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE [BOSTON]. NJ Governor Signs AB 5321 NEW JERSEY Gov....

Federal Judge Blocks Three Arkansas Abortion Laws Saying they provide women with “no discernible medical benefit,” a federal judge temporarily blocks three ARKANSAS abortion laws from going into effect. The state is expected to appeal the ruling (ASSOCIATED PRESS). New York Governor...

Massachusetts House Approves HB 4183 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4183 , which would make the Bay State the first to completely ban the sale of all flavored vaping and tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The measure moves to the Senate (STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE [BOSTON]). ...

Massachusetts House and Senate Approve HB 4203 The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate overwhelmingly approve HB 4203 , which would ban Bay State drivers from talking on a handheld device while behind the wheel. It moves to Gov. Charlie Baker (R), who is expected to sign it into law (STATE HOUSE NEWS ...

MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate Unanimously Approve HB 4210 The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate unanimously approve HB 4210 , which would extend MassHealth coverage until age 26 for young adults formerly in Department of Children and Families custody, require insurers to maintain accurate online provider...

Massachusetts House and Senate Approve SB 2412 The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate approve SB 2412 , a bill that would reformulate how Bay State school districts receive state money by directing more to those serving students living in poverty or with language barriers. The measure, which would also...

MASSACHUSETTS Senate Approves SB 2410 The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves SB 2410 , a bill that would prohibit the distribution of single-use plastic bags and require customers to pay a fee of at least 10 cents for recyclable or reusable bags. The ban, which would not apply to plastic bags used to hold...