Newly-minted North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper campaigned in part on repealing the state’s controversial “bathroom bill” that bars transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. But while a strong majority...
Speaking of Chris Christie, the approval rating of the man formerly known as a viable presidential candidate has dropped into the teens. According to a new Quinnipiac poll, just 19 percent of New Jersey residents approve of his job performance, making...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a slew of bills last week. As is usually the case with such mass signings, the bills address a wide range of serious issues like the use of solitary confinement in prisons and economic development. Perhaps less notable...
The role of the media in exposing corruption was celebrated at the 17th International Anti-Corruption Conference in Panama earlier this month. The conference, which takes place every two years, aims to bring together “the entire spectrum of stakeholders”...
With 2016 drawing to a close, we review the main developments in financial crime over the last year. Beneficial ownership making headlines Beneficial ownership was arguably the most talked-about issue in financial crime in 2016. This was partly...
When you're working on PR pitches to the media between major events or product launches, you may wish you had a magic spell up your sleeve. Your job is essentially to conjure something valuable - favorable coverage - out of thin air. It's time...
As Millennials grow to become the largest living generation, the donor focus of nonprofit organizations will begin to shift away from the reigning population champs, the Baby Boomers. Nonprofits must begin to perceive the significance of the needs and...
States and local governments will face many challenges and opportunities as they navigate the turbulent waters of the coming Donald Trump administration. Despite uncertainty about the precise policies of President-elect Trump and the Republican...
Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid in accordance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) but left to states discretion by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius in...
VMT Tax Still Possibility in MA Despite MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) veto in August of a provision in a road funding bill passed by state lawmakers providing for a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax pilot program, the state hasn’t...
After months of not talking about taxes, other than to brag in speeches about lowering them on residents’ incomes during his six years in office, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said last week he was open to the idea of extending the state’s...
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to a Colorado law aimed at enabling the state to collect more of the sales taxes that go unpaid each year by Colorado residents on their out-of-state purchases, costing the state more than...
Lobbyist Spending Down in MA Lobbyist spending last year in MISSOURI - which totaled about $690,000 - was down by more than $200,000 from any other year on record, and spending has continued to fall this year, according to analysis of Missouri Ethics...
Oklahoma Sen. J.J. Dossett (D) has filed a bill ( SB 9 ) that would do away with straight-party voting in the state. “I think it is unnecessary to have the straight-party option,” he said. “I think it is something that might have...
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson this month saying the state had discovered an unsuccessful effort to breach computer systems housing its voter registration database by an...
Last week a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a voter ID law passed by Virginia’s Republican-controlled General Assembly in 2013, rejecting a challenge from Democrats that the law suppressed minority voting...
Board Denies Funds for OR Women’s Prison The OREGON Emergency Board rejected a plea by state correction officials for $3.8 million to help re-open the Oregon State Penitentiary Minimum in Salem to augment the state’s only current women’s...
North Carolina Gov.-elect Roy Cooper (D) threatened to sue the GOP-dominated Tar Heel State Legislature last week over the Republicans’ move to limit gubernatorial powers before he takes office. Cooper was reacting to legislation proposed in a surprise...
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has unveiled a series of agenda items he plans to pursue in the new legislative session, including the repeal of a law adopted earlier this year that requires state officials to rate and rank proposed transportation projects...
Saying “we’ve got the firepower,” California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) told a gathering of scientists on Wednesday that his state is ready to fight back against anticipated efforts by the incoming Trump administration to impede or halt their...
Business In CA The CALIFORNIA Supreme Court rules that online travel companies are exempt from paying hotel occupancy taxes. The ruling rejects claims by the city of San Diego that companies like Expedia and Priceline are liable for paying the hotel...
Crime In IL Hoping to reduce recidivism, ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs SB 3368 , which requires the secretary of state's office to issue a standard Illinois ID card to ex-inmates at the time of release. The inmates must present a birth certificate...
Social Policy In OH OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) vetoes HB 493 , which would have made it a fifth-degree felony, punishable by up to one year in prison, for a physician to perform an abortion without checking for a fetal heartbeat or performing the procedure...
The MISSOURI Supreme Court rules that a Show Me state law barring undocumented immigrants from being granted bail is unconstitutional. The court noted that the state constitution guarantees that “all persons” not charged with capital offenses...
The WEST VIRGINIA Board of Pharmacy announces it will ask all Mountain State prescription drug wholesalers to report on pharmacies that order a “suspicious” number of pain pills or other controlled substances. Those reports will then be forwarded...