Democrats in Iowa would be able to participate in their party’s presidential caucuses without actually having to be present, under a proposal made last week by the party’s caucus review committee. The proposal called for allowing voters who...
Republican Greg Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist by a vote of 50 percent to 44 percent in a special election last month in Montana to claim the state’s sole congressional seat, formerly held by Ryan Zinke, whom President Donald Trump selected...
Gov. Scott Vetoes VT Weed Bill VERMONT Gov. Phil Scott (R) vetoed a measure ( SB 22 ) that would have made the Green Mountain State the first to legalize recreational marijuana through legislative action. Scott said he still supported the bill in concept...
Within hours of President Donald Trump’s announcement last Thursday that he would pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced...
Nevada Approves SB 538 The NEVADA Senate approves SB 538 , which would require Internet providers to disclose what types of personal information they collect from users. The bill, which would also require providers to publish information on any third...
Nevada Signs SB 201 NEVADA Gov. Brian Sandoval(R) signs SB 201 , which makes it illegal for a physician or other health professional to perform so-called gay conversion therapy, which seeks to change the sexual orientation of patients, on individuals...
Illinois Approves SB 31 The ILLINOIS House approves SB 31 , a bill that would prohibit Prairie State law enforcement agencies from being able to stop, arrest or search people because of their citizenship status and ban officials from detaining someone...
California Approves SB 562 The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 562 , which would implement a single-payer health care system in the Golden State. It moves to the Assembly (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). California Approves AB 402 The CALIFORNIA Senate...
California Rejects AB 378 The CALIFORNIA Assembly rejects AB 378 , a bill that would have extended the state’s cap-and-trade program – which limits the amount of greenhouse gas emissions businesses are allowed to emit and charges those...
California Approves AB 406 The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 406 , which would ban for-profit companies from owning or managing charter schools in the Golden State. It moves to the Senate (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). Nevada Signs AB 64 NEVADA Gov...
Crime In California The U.S. Supreme Court rules that police cannot be held liable for injuries they caused as part of a search unless the search itself is “unreasonable.” The decision overturns a lower court’s ruling in a CALIFORNIA...
California Approves AB 168 The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 168 , so-called “gender equity” legislation that would bar Golden State employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. It moves to the Senate (SACRAMENTO BEE...
Charlie Baker isn’t the only one to take a stab at angrying up the locals. As the New York Post reports , New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio may be the first Gotham mayor in history to not be a Yankees fan. To make things worse, de Blasio not only...
For a lot of folks a Harvard degree might seem the epitome of achievement. That would seem especially true if said degree helps you go on to become governor. But not so for Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who reiterated last month his feeling that attending...
Hey, Texas is on a roll! Yep, not to be outdone by some teachers harassing schoolkids, Gov. Greg Abbott took the opportunity last week to show his own backside to the world by making a joke about shooting reporters. As reported by The Hill , Abbott was...
That news apparently hasn’t got to Channelview, Texas yet. As the Washington Post reports , a group of junior high school teachers recently handed out several mock awards to students, including one to a 13-year-old girl of Salvadoran descent that...
In today’s toxic, hyperpartisan political environment one might easily conclude there is no line too outrageous to cross. And then again...maybe there is. As the Washington Post reports Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and a number of Magnolia State...
Last year Louisiana became the first state to pass a law extending hate crime protections, like those granted to people of color and members of the LGBTQ community, to law enforcement officers. And four other states have enacted such “Blue Lives...
Since 2014, 30 states have enacted laws addressing police violence, including those limiting the use of force, and requiring de-escalation and anti-bias training for officers, according to Campaign Zero, a policing reform effort initiated by activists...
IL Budget Deficit Over $6.2b ILLINOIS’ budget deficit will exceed $6.2 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30, according to the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The nonpartisan commission, which conducts...
For the last several years, New Jersey casino revenue has been declining by an average of 7.6 percent a year. But through April of this year, total casino gambling revenue was up 1.7 percent over the same period last year. The reason for the change of...
In 2012, after signing into law one of the largest tax cuts in his state’s history in an effort to jump start the state’s economy, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) said in a television interview: “We’ll see how it works. We’ll...
Russian Election Cyberattacks Broader Than Indicated U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of VIRGINIA , the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Russian cyberattacks on U.S. election systems were broader and impacted more states than indicated...
For the second time in as money months the U.S. Supreme Court faulted political boundaries drawn in 2011 by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly. On May 22, the justices ruled that the state’s lawmakers packed black voters...
When it comes to the issue of election reform, the Texas Legislature, dominated by Republicans, leans far more in the direction of tightening voter identification and other requirements to prevent fraud than toward expanding voter access. But this month...