The National Governors Association sent U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner (R- OHIO ) a letter last week urging him to support new legislation allowing states to collect sales tax on Internet purchases, the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act. The U.S. Senate passed the Act in 2013, but...

MA Gov Halts Expansion of Convention Center Expressing concern about the debt it would incur and the impact it could have on the state budget, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has halted a planned $1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Baker put the project on old...

Snyder Kills Straight Ticket Voting Saying “it’s time to choose people over politics,” MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed legislation last week (SB 13) that eliminates straight-ticket voting in the Wolverine State. In a signing letter, he also urged lawmakers to sign HB 4724, a...

SNYDER SIGNS ‘BAN THE BOX’ ORDER MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed Executive Order 2018-4 , which directs some state agencies to no longer ask job applicants about any criminal history in the initial application process. The so-called “ban the box” measure applies to the...

Baker Opposes MA Nurse Staffing Mandates MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said a recent report by the state Health Policy Commission has convinced him to vote no on Question 1 , a ballot measure that would require strict nurse-to-patient ratios in Bay State hospitals. Baker cited cost estimates...

For the seventh quarter in a row, polling by Morning Consult shows that the ten most popular governors in America are all Republicans. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker topped the list with a 70 percent approval rating, followed closely by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, at 67 percent. That pair has topped...

WHITMER VOWS VETO OF MI INSURANCE OVERHAUL Saying the legislation “creates more problems than it solves,” MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she would veto a bill (SB 1) approved in the Senate that would fundamentally change auto insurance in the Wolverine State. (See Hot Issues in...

VA GOV VOWS END TO LAWSUITS AGAINST PATIENTS VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said he would work with University of Virginia James Ryan to end the widespread practice of aggressively pursuing former patients for unpaid medical bills. A recent investigation by Kaiser Health News revealed that that UVA...

WA GOV ORDERS VAPING BAN Citing a rising number of illnesses and deaths linked to e-tobacco use, WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said he will ask the state board of health to adopt emergency rules enacting a statewide ban on flavored vaping products. At least four other states – MICHIGAN, NEW...