Blogs

Arkansas Reviews Child Welfare In the wake of a state lawmaker’s admission he “re-homed” his two adopted daughters with a man who later sexually assaulted them, ARKANSAS Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) last week ordered a review of the state’s...

Few companies can operate without reliance on third-party business partners. Whether it’s sales agents or distributors providing invaluable local insight, contacts and skills to help drive access into new markets or a network of suppliers delivering...

(04/03/2015 - 04/24/2015) 04/07/2015 Florida Special Election House Districts 17 and 24 Senate District 6 Wisconsin Special Election Senate District 20 04/21/2015 Florida Special Election House District 64

Editor: Rich Ehisen Associate Editor: Korey Clark Contributing Editor: Mary Peck, David Giusti Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Lauren Davis (MA), Steve Karas (CA) and Ben Livingood (PA), Cathy Santsche (CA), Dena Blodgett...

In The Hopper Number of 2015 Prefiles last week: 1,085 Number of Intros last week: 6,152 Number of Enacted/Adopted last week: 4,181 Number of 2015 Prefiles to date: 19,053 Number of 2015 Intros to date: 100,141 Number...

The week in session States in Regular Session: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, MA, MD, ME, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA States...

About once a year Davis, California resident Dave Adams drives to his doctor’s office at Kaiser Permanente and settles in for a long IV drip of a clear liquid he likes to call his “mouse juice.” Better known by its pharmaceutical name...

Twenty-two states have filed or introduced bills or resolutions this session related to “biologics” or “biosimilars,” medical drugs generally derived from living cells. Three of the bills have been signed into law -- Utah’s...

There’s a good chance term-limited Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) will make a run for the White House in 2016. And last year he signed a law to move the date of the state’s presidential primaries up two weeks to draw more national attention...

Washington state Rep. Gerry Pollet (D) introduced a bill -- HB 1645 -- in January that would have imposed a 95 percent sales tax on e-cigarettes and other vapor products, the same rate as that levied on traditional tobacco products sold in the state and...

The Oregon Legislature has passed a bill -- SB 611 -- that would exempt Apple, Comcast and other data-center operators from the state’s unusual method of assessing property taxes, known as “central assessment.” Dating from the 19th century...

As part of its effort to update the state’s motor vehicle code, a legislative commission in Rhode Island met with Cathy Zhou, general manager for Uber in that state, as well as Massachusetts, and asked her why the ride-sharing company collects state...

A decade ago, Texas Sen. Troy Fraser (R), championed legislation to promote the production of wind power in the state. Now he’s pushing to end the Renewable Energy Credit program that requires power companies to buy credits from wind and solar energy...

Taxpayer Refunds for CO According to economic forecasts released last month, COLORADO will exceed its constitutional limit on tax collections under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights by $70-$220 million this fiscal year, triggering taxpayer refunds...

A proposed California initiative is testing the limits of the state’s liberal-mindedness. The “Sodomite Suppression Act,” submitted by Huntington Beach attorney Matthew McLaughlin, would, among other things, legalize the killing of gays...

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a major challenge to Wisconsin’s voter ID law. The law, which is one of the strictest in the country, was passed in 2011. But it was struck down by a federal judge on the grounds that it would “deter...

At least two bills before the MAINE Legislature -- HB 496 and SB 274 -- would allow independents to vote in the state’s primary elections. Independents have long outnumbered Democrats and Republicans in the state, but it is one of only 11 states...

BROWN ORDERS FIRST-EVER CA WATER RESTRICTIONS : Faced with a fourth straight year of record drought he said called for “unprecedented action,” California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) ordered officials in over 3,000 urban water districts to cut water...

Did you enjoy playing hide-and-seek as a kid? Usually, when you were ‘it,’ the fun wasn’t in the time you spent seeking, but in the moment you found the person you were looking for. Now, your daily quest isn’t for your hidden playmates...

Vermont Gov. Pete Shumlin (D) unveiled a plan last week to end child and family homelessness in the Green Mountain State by 2020. Shumlin said that around 1,500 people end up in Vermont homeless shelters each night, with about half of that number being...

OK Issues EO 2015-17 OKLAHOMA Gov. Mary Fallin (R) issues Executive Order 2015-17, which creates a new executive panel designed to develop a plan for improving the range and quality of services for people with developmental disabilities (LEXISNEXIS...

ND Approves HB 1186 The NORTH DAKOTA Senate unanimously approves HB 1186, which bars the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. The measure, which also makes it a crime for minors to buy, possess or use e-cigarettes or any alternate nicotine products, moves...

ID Endorses SB 1154 The IDAHO House and Senate endorse SB 1154, which would allow human trafficking victims to petition courts to vacate and expunge criminal records involving prostitution charges and other minor offenses that occurred during the period...

NH House Approves Bill for Merging School Districts The NEW HAMPSHIRE House approves a bill that would, among several things, require the state’s nearly 300 school districts to study merging with their nearby counterparts to become larger districts...

The COLORADO House approves HB 1259, which would overturn the Centennial State’s ban on backyard rain barrels. The bill, which would allow residents to collect up to 110 gallons of rainwater, moves to the Senate (DENVERCBSLOCAL.COM).