In March, as an uprising over teacher pay and classroom funding was spreading across the country, the Oklahoma Legislature passed and Gov. Mary Fallin (R) signed a package of tax hikes on cigarettes, energy production and motor fuel ( HB 1010 b ) to help...
MD Governor Signs HB 1456 MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signs HB 1456 , which establishes offshore drilling as an abnormally dangerous activity and holds the party responsible for a spill liable for damages for any injury, death, or loss to person...
OK VOTERS TO WEIGH LESS RESTRICTIVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEASURE: OKLAHOMA voters will consider a ballot measure on June 26 that would make the state the first to adopt a medical marijuana program that doesn’t specify ailments for which doctors...
Last month Seattle, Washington’s City Council unanimously approved a tax on the city’s largest employers to help address its homelessness problem. The Seattle area has the third-largest homeless population in the country, and the city spent...
IL Senate Approves HB 4870 The ILLINOIS Senate approves HB 4870 , legislation that would allow sick students who qualify for medical marijuana to consume it on school premises, as long as they don’t smoke it and school officials agree that it...
Denver City Council Votes to Ban Gay Conversion Therapy The DENVER City Council unanimously votes to ban so-called gay conversion therapy, which seeks to change a minor’s sexual orientation. Denver becomes the first city in COLORADO to enact...
Resisting opposition from the pharmaceutical industry, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed legislation last week requiring drug makers to give the state more notice and justification before raising drug price increases. “Californians...
It’s often said that showing up is half the battle. If you need proof, we present the case of Manhattan, Montana resident Glen Clements. As the Bozeman Chronicle reports , Clement is assured of becoming the town’s next mayor. How can they...
The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 1159, which would allow unauthorized immigrants to practice medicine. It is now with the Assembly (LOS ANGELES TIMES). • FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott (R) signs HB 755, which allows unauthorized immigrants to practice...
California Vetoes AB 569 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoes AB 569 , which would have barred employers from taking action against an employee for that person’s reproductive health decisions (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE). California...
Vermont Governor Signs SB 79 VERMONT Gov. Phil Scott (R) signs SB 79 , legislation that makes it illegal for any Vermont law enforcement agency to enter into a formal enforcement agreement with federal immigration authorities, unless that agency gets...
OH Governor signs HB 101 OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) signs HB 101 , which authorizes Buckeye State pharmacists to substitute cheaper but equivalent alternatives to the brand-name product EpiPen, which is used to counter severe allergic reactions to bee...
In May the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco approved an ordinance banning the use of facial recognition technology by all city departments. It’s the only major U.S. city to have taken such action against the emerging...
ME House Approves HB 594 The MAINE House approves HB 594 , which would require Medicaid private insurance companies to pay for abortion services. It moves to the Senate (PORTLAND PRESS HERALD, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). GA Governor Signs HB 481 GEORGIA...
PA House Approves HB 2154 The PENNSYLVANIA House approves HB 2154 , which, among several things, removes an existing requirement for oil and gas drillers who damage a water supply to restore it. The measure, which also allows up to 210 gallons of crude...
A Tennessee appeals court ruled last Wednesday that a key element of Gov. Bill Haslam’s (R) 2016 overhaul of the Volunteer State probation system is unconstitutional. The Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals said Haslam’s wide-ranging...
With America’s deadly opioid epidemic continuing to spread , state lawmakers are trying out a new strategy to combat it: taxing the manufacturers and distributors of the drugs, which include frequently prescribed painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin...
MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs a package of bills intended to help Wolverine State residents who use service animals. The package includes SB 298, which makes it a crime to refuse entry to a person using a service animal or to assault a service animal;...
Immigration in WA The WASHINGTON State Department of Licensing announces it will no longer release personal information to federal immigration authorities without a court order unless required by law. The change is one of several the agency will make...
No, we’re not done with Mr. Christie just yet. As off-putting as his bad beach behavior was to most decent people, it is only one of a long list of personal indulgences the governor has taken in his time in office, often with the tone of a specific...
Some progressive Democrats outside Washington, D.C. are jumping on the bandwagon for making the District the 51st state. Dan Pfeiffer, an aide to former president Barack Obama, has been advocating for statehood on the “Pod Save America” podcast...
Citing the possibility of a highly-conservative U.S. Supreme Court overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued an executive order last week that directs state officials to take steps to ensure that women maintain...
When Anita and Jim McHaney retired in 2006, they figured they’d spend their golden years growing and selling produce from their Texas farm. This included beets and other vegetables they pickled and sold alongside the kale and collard greens popular...
Prosecutors abruptly dropped felony invasion of privacy charges against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) last week, just days before his trial was set to begin. The dismissal came after a court ruled that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner had...
CA San Francisco Board of Supervisors Approves The Board of Supervisors approves a bill that would make SAN FRANCISCO the first major city in the nation to eliminate provisions that require developers to provide at least some parking spaces as part...