Utah Approves HB 40 The UTAH House approves HB 40 , which eliminates a loophole in Beehive State law that allows a payday lender to offer loans that last longer than the 10 week maximum allowed by law. It moves to the Senate (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE). ...
If you are a fan of some level of somber dignity amidst the crazy sausage grinder of public policy making, you may have to avoid the South Carolina statehouse in Columbia for a while. As the Charlotte Observer reports , the city recently won a $195,000...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) reached an agreement this week with Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D) to make changes to California’s “Sanctuary State” bill ( SB 54 ), adding specified circumstances when law enforcement should share information...
President Donald Trump made his share of both friends and enemies last year by reducing the size of two Utah national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. As the New York Times reports , he so enthralled GOP state Rep. Michael E. Noel...
Voter Video Recording Restriction Passed in ME The MAINE Legislature has passed a bill (SB 625) that if signed by Gov. Paul LePage (R) would prohibit the use of video cameras within 15 feet of voters at polling places. Voters raised concerns last November...
VT Soft Drink Tax In Effect A new 6 percent tax on soft drinks took effect in VERMONT on July 1. The tax was part of a $30-million package approved by the state Legislature in May to help close a $113 million budget gap (BURLINGTON FREE PRESS). ...
Speaking of elections plagued by a bloviating blowhard – no, not that one – we hear that former major league pitcher Curt Schilling is planning to challenge U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in 2018. For non-sports fans, Schilling...
Crime in Michigan The MICHIGAN House approves SB 291 , which would provide financial compensation and reentry services for people who were wrongly convicted and incarcerated in the Wolverine State. It moves to Gov. Rick Snyder (R) for consideration...
Last month Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) appointed former Fairfax Circuit Court judge Jane Marum Roush to the state Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice LeRoy F. Millette Jr. Although judicial appointments in the state are usually made by the...
WA Puts Brakes on Transportation Package Talks over a $15 billion transportation package in WASHINGTON have been suspended because talks over the state’s operating budget haven’t been going well, two thirds of the way through a second special...
The Delaware River Basin Commission, which manages water resources in that mid-Atlantic watershed, adopted a resolution this week to issue draft rules that would permanently ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil and gas in the basin. The rules...
According to a report last year from bond-rating company Standard & Poor’s, states have $529.8 billion in unfunded liabilities for health care and other benefits separate from pensions. But that figure could go up significantly soon. Under...
South Dakota Rejects HB 1099 The SOUTH DAKOTA House State Affairs Committee rejects HB 1099 , legislation that would have eliminated the possibility of the death penalty for severely mentally ill offenders (ARGUS LEADER [SIOUX FALLS]). Kentucky...
NH Vetoes HB 449 NEW HAMPSHIRE Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) vetoes HB 449, which would have altered a Granite State law requiring the payment of child support payments until a student has graduated from high school, even if that student is over 18. Under...
Presidential Plan to Curb Emissions President Barack Obama unveils a plan that calls for states to curb emissions 32 percent below their 2005 level within the next 15 years. Under the new regulations, states will have to present at least an initial...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed legislation last week making the Golden State the fifth to allow doctors to legally prescribe terminally ill patients drugs to help them end their own life. The signing of ABx2 15 ended – at least temporarily...
Visiting the state Capitol in Lincoln used to be a regular thing for Nebraska fourth-graders. But in these days of tight budgets those trips have become few and far between, particularly for schools located in the Cornhusker State’s far reaches...
In most places bug spray is as much a part of summer as barbecues and swimming pools. Alas, not so in upstate New York, where kids attending woodland summer camps need a doctor’s note to be able to spray themselves with something to keep the skeeters...
NY Seeks Tax Credits for Education NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is seeking $150 million to provide tax credits for individuals and businesses that support public education, families with incomes of less than $60,000 per year that have children in...
Obamacare is clinging to existence. After the bungled rollout of the federal health care website and President Obama's contrite admission that he misled millions of Americans into believing they could keep their insurance policies, opponents of Obamacare...
Speaking of the Palmetto State, state Sen. Harvey Peeler was notably absent from the recent unveiling of a portrait of colleague Hugh Leatherman. Peeler had authored the resolution that produced the portrait, so one might think he would be there. But...
For 45 states and over 10,000 local jurisdictions, sales taxes provide a key source of revenue. But those taxes apply mainly to goods in most states. As the nation has shifted to a service-based economy, however, states have sought to expand their sales...
Business in Washington DC The WASHINGTON D.C. Council approves a proposal that would grant workers eight weeks of time off to care for a newborn or adopted child. The measure, which would also grant employees six weeks of paid leave to help ailing...
Social Policy In GA GEORGIA Gov. Nathan Deal (R) vetoes HB 757, which would have allowed faith-based organizations to deny services to those who violate their “sincerely held religious belief” and preserve their right to fire employees...
KY House Approves Constitutional Tax Hike On a 60-31 vote, the KENTUCKY House approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution this month (HB 2) that would authorize local governments to increase their sales tax by up to 1 percent to provide...