CUOMO OUTLINES NY MEDICAL POT PLAN: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced plans to issue an executive order that will launch a pilot program to allow 20 Empire State hospitals to dispense medical marijuana. Conditions for which the drug can be prescribed...
CA Approves SB 807 The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 807 , which would grant civil immunity to any firefighter or first responder who damages an unmanned aircraft, or drone, in the course of doing their job. The measure heads to the Assembly (LEXISNEXIS...
The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) proposed new cybersecurity regulations last week that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) called the first of their kind in the nation. Cuomo said the rules would apply only to institutions overseen by NYDFS...
California Senate pro Tem Kevin de León has often talked about the role his Guatemala-born mother played in his becoming a powerful voice for the Golden State’s Latino population. Even so, his father played a part as well. Although de León...
After a year of deliberating, Amazon finally announced it has selected two locations for its second headquarters: Queens, New York and Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. “These two locations will allow us to attract world-class...
VA Governor Signs SB 966 VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signs SB 966 , which removes a utility rate freeze made law in 2015 and allows monopoly utilities to use their “over-earnings” — revenues that state regulators consider excess...
U.S. intelligence agencies hosted a briefing for state election officials this month on potential threats to election infrastructure ahead of this year’s elections. The briefing by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department...
Just two states - New Jersey and Virginia - will hold general elections on Nov. 7 in which state legislative seats will be contested. Louisiana and Mississippi also hold legislative elections in odd-numbered years but all legislators in those two states...
Minnesota state Rep. Dave Baker (R) sponsored a bill ( HB 1440 ) this session that would have imposed a “penny a pill” fee on every opioid painkiller pharmaceutical companies sold in the state to provide funding for opioid abuse prevention...
According to a 2015 report by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, cities and counties in at least 27 states have converted 550 miles of paved roads to dirt roads, either by actively tearing up the pavement and combining it with gravel and...
The OHIO House and Senate endorse HB 554 , which would allow utilities to continue ignoring the Buckeye State’s renewable energy targets for the next two years. The standards were initially created in 2008 and require utilities to make up 12.5 percent...
OR Pension Costs Going Up Public employers across OREGON will have to pay $885 million more than expected in the next biennium to support the state's public pension system. The 10-percent increase over the previous forecast and 44-percent jump...
NC Gov Signs SB 734 NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signs SB 734 , which will allow Tar Heel State residents to obtain the anti-overdose drug naloxone without a prescription. The law takes effect immediately (CHARLOTTE NEWS & OBSERVER). ...
OH Approves HB 523 The OHIO House and Senate approve HB 523 , which would make the Buckeye State the 25 th to legalize marijuana use for medicinal purposes. It is now with Gov. John Kasich (R) for consideration (CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER). Health In...
Most Montana lawmakers disapprove of the term limits law approved by voters in 1992, arguing it has drained the Legislature of institutional knowledge and shifted power to the governor, lobbyists and bureaucrats. Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, likewise...
The OREGON House approves HB 4036, which would eliminate the use of coal power in Oregon by 2030. The measure, which would also require the state’s largest energy providers to obtain 50 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2014, moves...
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) signed legislation last week making the Old Dominion the first state to legislatively adopt a regulatory framework for the fast growing daily sports fantasy industry. Under SN 646, operators like DraftKings and FanDuel are required...
Thanks to an oil and gas boom, North Dakota's job market grew more than any other state's last year, 4.8 percent, according to analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Stateline. Texas ranked second at 3.7 percent, followed by Utah at 3...
NY Budget Cap on Yachts As part of its recently passed state budget, NEW YORK capped sales taxes on yachts at 8.25 percent, or $18,975, in most counties, for the stated purpose of leveling the playing field with Florida and other states “so New...
OHIO , MICHIGAN and the Canadian province of ONTARIO announce an agreement to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Erie’s western basin. Phosphorus is a key cause of algal blooms known to cause fish die-offs and other serious problems in...
Speaking of small burgs, the little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania recently marked the 152nd anniversary of the momentous battle there in 1863 that turned the tide of the Civil War in favor of the Union. Shortly thereafter, as ABC News reports, a bust...
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoes SB 539, which would have barred public buildings and other infrastructure from being named after anyone associated with the Confederacy. Brown said local communities are capable of deciding for themselves who they...
Last Wednesday, 5 1/2 months into the current fiscal year without a state budget, Pennsylvania House Republicans gave Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and the chamber’s Democratic minority 24 hours to come up with enough votes to pass the $1 billion tax plan they’re...
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan may not be as well-known as Jerry Brown but he was apparently quite the item during a recent stint of jury duty. As the Washington Post reports, Hogan was originally called to come in on January 21, which just so happened to...
Rebuffed by lawmakers in his effort to expand Medicaid in the Last Frontier, Gov. Bill Walker (I) on Thursday announced he would do so without them. At a press conference last Thursday, Walker told reporters he had sent a letter to the state Legislative...