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...
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed legislation last week ( HB 4145 ) that bars anyone convicted of domestic abuse or under a domestic violence restraining order from buying or possessing a gun. Oregon law already banned domestic abusers who have...
Arizona Rejects SB 1243 The ARIZONA Senate rejects SB 1243 , which would have allowed Grand Canyon State residents to carry guns into most public buildings (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT). Washington Approves SB 5008 The WASHINGTON Senate approves...
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) notified federal officials of his intention to expand Medicaid in the Tar Heel State, setting up a potential legal battle with the GOP-dominated General Assembly. Republicans contend that a 2013 state law specifically...
Texas state House candidate Kyle Biedermann isn’t wasting any time living down to the shady stereotype many folks have of elected officials. As the Texas Tribune reports , Biedermann recently took great pains to invite a host of Lone Star State...
PA Legislature Approves SB 3 The PENNSYLVANIA Senate and House each approve SB 3 , which would legalize medical marijuana use in the Keystone State. It moves to Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who has said he will sign it into law (FOX43.COM [PHILADELPHIA]). ...
As of the morning of May 29th, North Dakota sweet crude was fetching $58.33 a barrel, which was music to the ears of state officials. It meant that for the month of May the price of oil would average $4.50 above the $55.09 below which it had averaged...
ME Considers Impeachment For LePage Six MAINE House members said last month they are exploring disciplinary action against Gov. Paul LePage (R) -- including impeachment - for allegedly forcing Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves out of a new job as...
Business In NJ The NEW JERSEY Senate approves SB 992, which would bar employers from paying one gender less than the other for “substantially similar” work. The measure moves to the Assembly (NEWARK STAR-LEDGER). Business In RI RHODE...
AL SENATE VOTES TO LET CHURCH CREATE OWN POLICE FORCE The ALABAMA Senate passed a bill ( SB 193 ) that would allow the Briarwood Presbyterian Church, located in the suburbs of Birmingham, to establish its own police force. The measure on behalf of...
OK GOV TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO FIX BUDGET: OKLAHOMA Gov. Mary Fallin (R) said she will ask lawmakers to convene a special session on Sept. 25 to make adjustments to the budget after the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a proposed cigarette tax. The...
The MICHIGAN House approves a seven-bill package that, among several things, does away with a zero-tolerance policy used by many school districts that opponents claim unfairly leads to too many kids being expelled from Wolverine State schools. The package...
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...
California Signs AB 990 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 990 , which requires the California State University system to post estimates of the specific cost of off campus housing for students. Many universities estimate the cost of living off...
States Allowed to Require Employee Retirement Savings President Barack Obama announces the U.S. Department of Labor will develop new rules that allow states to require some employers to offer a retirement savings plan or automatically enroll workers...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) filed legislation last week that criminalizes so-called “revenge porn,” the posting of sexually explicit photos or videos of someone online without that person’s approval. “We here in...
Oklahoma Senate Declines SB 226 The OKLAHOMA Senate Judiciary Committee declines to hear SB 226 , so-called “Good Samaritan” legislation that would have allowed Sooner State law enforcement discretion to not arrest someone who calls for...
During the regular session, Texas lawmakers balanced the state’s 2018-19 budget in part through one time measures and funding shifts - including setting aside $2 billion less than required for Medicaid and deferring funding for transportation -...
The social media and political worlds are justifiably ablaze with indignation these days over so-called “fake news,” the should-be-obvious wackadoodle stories your grandparents or high strung aunt used to email to you but which they now share...
As Gov. Walker discovered, these days it is almost impossible to account for all the ways someone can make your life miserable. He will surely get some sympathy from Asa Hutchinson, his gubernatorial colleague from Arkansas. As the Huffington Post reports...
Kansas Vetoes HB 2044 The KANSAS House fails to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) veto of HB 2044 , which would have expanded Medicaid in the Sunflower State to include people with incomes at 133 percent of the poverty line (KANSAS CITY STAR...
You can say one thing about Missouri Rep. Mike Moon: dude knows how to get attention. Kind of like how misanthropes like Dennis Rodman or anyone named Kardashian know how to get attention. Case in point – this week – is a new video Moon put...
Business In Missouri The MISSOURI Supreme Court rules that the city of St. Louis may legally raise its minimum wage to $11 per hour by 2018. Business interests had sued to block the ordinance, saying it violated a 2015 state law that sets the minimum...
The OHIO House and Senate approve HB 493 , which would make 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 after it can be detected...
Duel Over Redistricting Special Session In NC NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced this month that he would call the Republican-led General Assembly into a special session to redraw the state’s political districts in light of a unanimous...