Blogs

These continue to be dark days for New Jersey’s one-time political superstar Gov. Chris Christie. First there was Bridgegate. Then there was his long-anticipated but hardly notable presidential campaign, which went over like a pin in a balloon factory...

On virtually straight party-line votes West Virginia’s Republican-led House and Senate passed a 2016-17 state budget during a special session this month that closes a $270 million hole primarily with $183 million in Rainy Day funds and $62 million...

Premium increases for the most popular category of health insurance plans under Obamacare will vary widely in 2017, based on analysis of proposed rate filings for eight states where complete data is available by Avalere Health. The average proposed rate...

LA Gov Signs SB 357 & SB 180 LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signs SB 357 , which requires local municipalities to post clear signs that indicate an intersection red light camera within 500 feet of each camera. It will take effect Aug. 1 (TIMES...

In another Ohio election law case, a federal judge has thrown out provisions voiding absentee and provisional ballots with technical flaws. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless and the Ohio Democratic...

The Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, has provided health insurance for millions of Americans who previously lacked coverage and flocked to hospital emergency rooms in times of medical crisis. But six years after its enactment on a party-line...

Republicans in California are used to being disrespected. Like Dems in Utah or Texas, Reeps here are kind of an afterthought. But that doesn’t make it any less painful to also get treated like refugees at your own party hoedown. As the Cleveland...

Randy Dorn is the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Washington. His constitutional duty is to supervise “all matters pertaining to public schools.” So it may seem a little strange that he has called for the state Supreme...

Education In RI The RHODE ISLAND Senate approves legislation which makes clear that schools are required to report suspected child abuse to child welfare authorities. It is now in the House (ASSOCIATED PRESS). NY Approves AB 4311 The NEW YORK...

NY Gov. Cuomo Cuts Off Groups Boycotting Israel Saying “If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you,” NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) directed state agencies under his control to divest themselves of companies and organizations...

Love conquers all, or say I’ve been told. But in this age of hyper-partisanship, does it really? As Cal Matters reports , the answer is a resounding “sometimes.” Some perusing of California voter registration records reveals that 29...

The New Jersey Supreme Court sided with the state last week in ruling that retired public workers have no contractual right to cost-of-living increases. “The ramifications of a contract of that sort are harsh” because it “surrenders...

MA Approves HB 4377 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4377 , a bill that would require Bay State utilities to solicit and enter into long-term contracts for large-scale hydroelectric and offshore wind power. Under the bill, utilities would need to...

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) announced last week that he will seek tighter restrictions on so-called independent expenditure committees. Specifically, the governor wants criteria to be set for determining whether a candidate is improperly coordinating...

OK Revenues Hit 6-Year Low OKLAHOMA Treasurer Ken Miller reported last week that state revenues fell to a six-year low in May, with collections in every major revenue category, including income taxes, sales taxes, motor vehicles taxes and taxes on...

CA Voters Approve Lawmaker Discipline Proposition By a margin of 75.2 percent to 24.8 percent, California voters approved the sole statewide initiative on the state’s June 7 ballot, Proposition 50, allowing the Legislature to suspend members...

RI Approves HB 7866 The RHODE ISLAND Senate approves HB 7866 , which would allow Ocean State health-care providers with their patients’ permission to access up-to-date information from a centralized electronic health exchange to improve coordination...

OK Gov Signs HB 2797 OKLAHOMA Gov. Mary Fallin (R) signs HB 2797 , which requires Sooner State education officials “to establish, operate and maintain a public information program to educate the public about the humanity of a child in utero”...

Concealed In CA The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that CALIFORNIA counties may restrict permits for carrying concealed firearms in public. The ruling overturns a 2014 decision that tossed out a Golden State requiring people to show cause...

As you may have noticed from past blog posts , we—like many others—have been closely following this year’s presidential campaign in the news, on blogs and across social media. We’ve analyzed media coverage of candidates, identified...

Since Congress passed the Tariff Act of 1930, U.S. Customs and Border Protection had used its authority to impound and block shipments of goods generated by forced labor only 39 times. That could change soon. This year, President Obama signed a bill that...

Today more than 168 million children aged 5-17 in work—most in horrible conditions— around the world. This Sunday, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will be raising awareness of child labor hidden in supply chains during World Day...

The leak of 11.5 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca has focused unprecedented attention on the use of tax havens and trails of secret companies to conceal the beneficiaries of undeclared and illegally obtained money. It emphasizes...

Just last month, The Huffington Post featured an article written by Mike Walsh , Chief Executive Officer of LexisNexis Legal & Professional. The topic? The rule of law — a critical factor supporting economic and societal health. He wrote, “War...

Our ever-evolving world has little room for constants. Don’t believe me? Just ask those bell-bottomed jeans buried in your closet. Are you shaking your head “no” while planking on a park bench? I bet your Gameboy begs to differ. Nowadays...