Back in September Alexander K. Zakharov, the Russian consul general in Houston, wrote letters to officials in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, requesting permission to monitor polling locations in those states on Nov. 8 “for a short period of time...
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...
Pennsylvania Approves SB 383 The PENNSYLVANIA Senate approves SB 383 , which would allow Keystone State school boards to authorize teachers and other non-police school employees to carry firearms on school property. It moves to the House (TRIBLIVE...
At least 28 states have considered legislation this session addressing reciprocity with other states in occupational licensing, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking system . Such measures have been enacted in half of those states...
NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Suspends Enforcement The NEW JERSEY Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control says it will suspend enforcement of new rules imposed in September on craft breweries while it consults with brewers, bars and restaurants...
At the same time that voters throughout the state of California were approving Proposition 64 last month providing for the legalization and taxation of marijuana for recreational use, voters in 37 individual cities and counties in the state were also...
IL Signs HB 1335 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs HB 1335, so-called “right-to-try” legislation that allows terminally ill patients to try drugs that have not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Prairie State...
Kansas Retirement System Woes Moody’s Investors Service has given $1 billion in pension obligation bonds proposed by KANSAS an Aa3 rating, a notch below the state’s current overall rating. The Wall Street rating company said the bonds would...
Last month the National Conference of State Legislatures unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the organization to lobby Congress to provide funding for catastrophic fires the same way it does for hurricanes or floods: through emergency spending...
All of Texas has been giddy this baseball post season, what with both the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros unexpectedly making the American League playoffs. And when both teams got to within one win of facing each other in the AL Championship Series...
The 2017 budget proposed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is reportedly poised to sail through the state’s Democrat-controlled General Assembly. But another Hogan proposal to suspend automatic spending increases when revenue is lower than projected...
Oregon is the easiest state in which to vote, according to research by political scientists at Northern Illinois University, Jacksonville University in Florida and Wuhan University in China. Using data on 33 types of election laws, including voter-registration...
MORE GOVS NOW PONDERING MEDICAID EXPANSION : With the failure of the Congressional proposal to overturn the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, a growing number of governors are expressing openness to expanding their states’ Medicaid programs...
It’s been almost 30 years since Utah sent a statue of one of its favorite sons – globally renowned inventor of the television Philo Farnsworth - to stand in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. But Philo’s time may be winding...
Speaking of puppies, Massachusetts lawmakers took time to share personal stories of their pets during animal advocacy day on Beacon Hill last week. As the State House News Service reports, this included Sen. Mark Montigny’s tale of smuggling a kitten...
Since we are now clearly in the realm of the absurd when it comes to presidential politics, we might as well go all the way. That’s right, one Dwayne Johnson – better known to millions of WWF wrestling fans as “The Rock” –...
With the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) hanging in the balance, trade experts and U.S. governors are warning that industrial and farm states would suffer economic damage if President Donald Trump carries out his threat to scrap...
On Nov. 6 voters in states from coast to coast will have an opportunity to restrict future efforts by their lawmakers to raise taxes. Measures on the ballot in Washington ( Initiative 1634 ) and Oregon ( Measure 37 ) would prohibit local governments...
CA Rejects SB 1457 The CALIFORNIA Senate rejects SB 1457 , which would have allowed Golden State students to take unlimited time off from school and still obtain two elective credits for private religious or moral training (SACRAMENTO BEE). VA Gov...
Kansas’ Republican-controlled Senate followed the lead of the state’s Republican-led House last month and approved a major income tax increase, completing a reversal of course from the big tax cuts the GOP-controlled Legislature passed in...
In an interview with The New York Times last month, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said the U.S. commonwealth wasn’t able to pay its roughly $72 billion in debt. “The debt is not payable,” he said. “There...
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed a package of bills last week aimed at allowing financially troubled school districts to receive help faster during a fiscal emergency. The package, House Bills 4325-4332, collectively requires more financial reporting...
The vast majority of data breaches can be avoidable with even a medium level of security. Experts at a recent cyber risk conference offered guidance on preparation, response teams, rules of engagement and the importance of tracking what you do when a...
RI Taxing Big Trucks A plan in the works in RHODE ISLAND , dubbed “RhodeWorks,” aims to raise $1.1 billion for bridge repairs and road maintenance through the imposition of new highway tolls on big commercial trucks (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL...
CA Senate Approves SB 151 The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 151, a bill that would raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21. It moves to the Assembly (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 140, a bill that would regulate electronic...