PA Governor Issues Executive Order 2019-01 PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) issues Executive Order 2019-01 , which establishes a Keystone State goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050. The order also creates a state...
HIGH TURNOVER AMONG TX GOVT WORKERS IN 2018 Well over 28,000 TEXAS state employees, 19.3 percent of the total state government workforce, left their jobs last year, the highest turnover in five years, according to a report from the state auditor’s...
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...
In November, Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, then the state’s attorney general, carried all but four of the state’s 114 counties in claiming the U.S. Senate seat held by Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri). The GOP also maintained its supermajorities...
The U.S. Supreme Court declined a request from Virginia Republicans for a stay on the redrawing of 11 House districts that a panel of federal judges ruled last June had been racially gerrymandered. The decision wasn’t a total loss for the...
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...
As a result of the November elections, Democrats now control both the governor’s office and legislature in 14 states, up from eight in 2018. Democratic leaders in those states, located mainly in the West and Northeast, say they’ll focus on...
CA SCRAPS ‘TEXT TAX’ The CALIFORNIA Public Utilities Commission has canceled its plan to begin charging a fee for text messaging on mobile phones. That decision came after the Federal Communications Commission ruled last month that text...
Last week, California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom (D), proposed a $209 billion general fund budget for next fiscal year, a 4-percent increase from the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30. Continuing the fiscally cautious...
In 2016 California voters approved Proposition 64, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, on the promise that the measure would, among other things, generate billions of dollars in tax revenues for the state and curb sales on the black market....
The partial shutdown of the federal government which began on Dec. 22 is already affecting state and local governments. And that impact could soon grow significantly. According to Governing , mandatory programs that receive federal funding, like...
At least three states - New Hampshire, North Dakota and South Carolina - have introduced legislation dealing specifically with electric bicycles so far this year, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking system . Last session, e...
Many lawmakers left their state capitol buildings around the country after adjourning last year having never seen an e-scooter. A good number may never even have heard of such a thing. But that’s changed for many lawmakers returning for sessions...
From AI to blockchain, companies are rapidly adopting new technologies which use data to drive business insights and manage risks more effectively . Our third volume of The Trust Issue explores how technology can also improve a company’s transparency...
Despite recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions, there are signs of more positive engagement with governance and compliance in Latin America. Emerging markets offer attractive opportunities for investors, but businesses aiming...
2018 is in the history books. For PR professionals it was a challenging year of trying maintain relationships and connections in a time of historic corporate and media distrust. And not all of it without good reason. (We’re looking at you Facebook...
Stealing road signs that bear numbers like “420” and “69” is definitely a thing. So much so that Washington state transportation folks have been forced to come up with clever ways to defeat said sign thieves. As the Seattle Times...
Key West City Approves Ordinance The KEY WEST City Commission unanimously approves an ordinance that would ban the sale of sunscreens containing ingredients that could be harmful to coral reefs. The ordinance must pass another vote on Feb 5 to become...
CA and PA Bar Trump Administration Federal judges in CALIFORNIA and PENNSYLVANIA bar the Trump administration from implementing new rules that would let almost any employer deny female employees coverage for birth control by citing religious or moral...
Which is exactly what new Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont did during his inaugural party. As reported in The Hill , Lamont seriously cut loose on the dance floor. And we do mean “loose.” Lamont legislative affairs director Chris Soto lauded his...
California Assemblymember Phil Ting introduced a measure last week that would bar Golden State retailers from issuing a printed paper receipt to customers unless they ask for one. His argument is that those receipts can’t be recycled and are contaminated...
Federal Judge Blocks U.S Department of Commerce A federal judge blocks the U.S. Department of Commerce from adding a question on American citizenship to the 2020 census. Judge Jesse M. Furman of the United States District Court in Manhattan said that...
For years, being put on hold when calling a state agency office in Alaska meant a healthy dose of Muzak, better known to most of us as elevator music. But thanks to the efforts of one intrepid Last Frontier lawmaker, callers will now be spared a fate...
WA Insurance Commissioner Bans Sale of NRA WASHINGTON Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler bans the sale of NRA-backed insurance policies that offer liability coverage to people who fire a gun. The policy provides money up front to cover costs and...
DESANTIS WANTS MAJOR CHANGE TO FL MEDICAL WEED LAW Saying he wants to see people “be able to have their suffering relieved,” FLORIDA Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) urged Sunshine State lawmakers to allow medical marijuana patients to smoke their...