A California Assembly committee came together last week to grill state attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra. When it came time for Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican, to pose his questions, he noted that Becerra, a Democrat, was the only...
Last month, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) had overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order in April restoring voting and other rights to more than 200,000 former felons, who encompass nearly a quarter...
MA Approves HB 4278 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4278 , which would give veterans preference for placement into public housing. It moves to the Senate (STATE HOUSE NEWS [BOSTON]). AZ Gov Signs SB 1449 ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signs...
California Approves SB 443 The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves SB 443 , which would shield people arrested for but not convicted of crimes from having police seize less than $40,000 of their cash assets. The bill returns to the Senate (SACRAMENTO BEE...
Oregon Approves HB 3454 The OREGON Senate unanimously approves HB 3454 , a bill that would require public schools to provide lunch to all students regardless of their ability to pay. The bill, which would also bar those institutions from practicing...
Gov. Hogan Funds MD Drug Treatment Initiative MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R) office announced it had provided $540,000 to fund a pilot program intended to give nonviolent drug offenders a chance at drug treatment rather than jail. The funds...
Social Policy In TN The TENNESSEE House approves SB 1556 , which would allow private practice counselors and therapists to refuse to see clients whose cases go against their principles. The measure, which would require therapists to refer those patients...
Tennessee Approves SB 374 The TENNESSEE Senate approves SB 374, which would ban the sale of powdered or crystalline alcohol drinks, products only recently approved by the federal government. The measure is now in the House (NEWSCHANNEL9.COM [CHATTANOOGA...
Bloomberg Philanthropies Improves Policymaking Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable organization founded by former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, plans to spend $42 million on the What Works Cities Initiative, which will help 100 cities...
Try as we might to avoid it, time always marches on. And so it has for Pam Schofield, who State House News Service reports retired a few weeks ago after 32 years on the job as reference librarian for the Massachusetts State Library in Boston. During that...
From today’s walk the walk file comes this nugget. As the Washington Post reports, Brown recently told reporters he was taking numerous steps to conserve water during California’s historic drought, including drinking less water and not taking...
Health In VT The VERMONT House passes HB 93 , which would raise the legal smoking age in the Green Mountain State to 21. The measure, which would exempt members of the military and wounded veterans under 21, moves to the Senate (WCVB.COM [BOSTON])...
Hogan Signs Justice, Police Reforms MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed 144 bills last Thursday, including several police and criminal justice reforms. Among the bills was SB 945 , which will require anyone convicted of drunk driving in the Old Line...
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) vetoed a quartet of education bills last week, including one that would have required Old Dominion schools to notify parents of sexually explicit content in reading material assigned in classrooms. In a statement ...
Potpourri In TN The TENNESSEE General Assembly approves HB 615 , which would make the Bible the official state book. It moves to Gov. Bill Haslam (R) for consideration (TENNESSEAN [NASHVILLE]). Potpourri In WI WISCONSIN Gov. Scott Walker (R)...
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled this month that Wisconsin voters lacking the photo identification mandated by that state’s 2011 voter ID law can cast ballots after signing an affidavit attesting to their identity. “Although most...
Business In The U.S. A federal appeals court rules that the structure of the U.S. agency charged with guarding consumers’ finances is unconstitutional. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit determined...
California Signs SB 999 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 999 , a bill that requires public and private health plans to cover and dispense hormonal birth control for up to 12 months (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). California Signs AB 1668 Also...
Oregon Approves HB 2307 The OREGON House approves HB 2307, which would ban the use of so-called “gay conversion” therapy on minors. The bill moves now to the Senate (OREGONLIVE.COM). SB 296 Signed in Utah UTAH Gov. Gary Herbert (R...
Governors from the four states that have legalized recreational marijuana use asked the Trump administration last week to keep in place federal marijuana policies that have served as the foundation for legalization efforts in their states. In a letter...
California Air Resources Board Approval The CALIFORNIA Air Resources Board approves new rules that will require oil and gas companies above a certain size to implement vapor recovery systems that will allow for methane that would otherwise be lost...
Voters in seven states considered a total of 22 statewide ballot measures on Nov. 7. Texas voters weighed seven of those measures, the highest number of the seven states. All seven measures passed, which isn’t too unusual in the Lone Star State...
Hawaii is the nation's healthiest state, according to the United Health Foundation's annual health rankings for 2014. The Aloha State's low rates of obesity, preventable hospital visits and cancer deaths helped earn it the top spot. Mississippi...
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) said he is evaluating options for treatment for prostate cancer. Dayton revealed last month he had the disease after he collapsed while giving his annual State of the State address to lawmakers. Dayton said he is weighing...
The budget woes in Kansas that have come since the enactment of major tax cuts by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) and the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature have drawn a lot of attention recently. But, in general, the 22 states where Republicans hold both...