Saying that “Maine people value their privacy, online and off,” Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed one of the toughest data privacy measures in the nation last week. Under SB 275 , which Mills signed last Thursday, Pine Tree State Internet...
LA VOTERS TO WEIGH ABORTION RIGHTS IN 2020 LOUISIANA lawmakers gave final approval last week for a proposed constitutional amendment that would stipulate there is no right to an abortion in the state. The action, part of a wave of recent anti-abortion...
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking into whether 10,000 gallons of wastewater at a Cold War nuclear weapon production site in South Carolina can be reclassified from high-level waste to low-level waste and moved to low-level waste disposal sites...
IL LAWMAKERS PASS REVENUE GENERATING MEASURES In overtime after the scheduled adjournment of their regular session on May 31, ILLINOIS lawmakers passed legislation that among other things would allow a casino in Chicago, double the state’s motor...
A bipartisan group of Oregon lawmakers has proposed a general exemption for agricultural businesses from the multibillion-dollar business tax and education spending law signed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) last month. HB 3445 would exempt sales of “agricultural...
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...
If a hair stylist learns their craft and is licensed in Las Vegas and then moves across the state line to Arizona, does what they learned in Vegas stay in Vegas? Probably not. But their ability to work might. Or at least it used to. Presumably,...
Nursing homes in Illinois have been among the most understaffed in the nation, according to an investigation last year by Kaiser Health News and the Chicago Tribune . But that could change as a result of legislation passed by state lawmakers this month...
While most organizations and their leaders value efficiency, maximizing time and dollars is a categorical imperative for nonprofits. Not only do these organizations often operate with razor thin budgets and incredibly lean staffing, they also must spend...
When Massachusetts state Sen. Joan Lovely needed a mascot for the diaper donation drive she and a few fellow lawmakers were putting on last week, she knew the perfect fit. As State House News Service reports, Lovely brought in Drake, one of her four pet...
Let the lemonade flow! As the Texas Tribune reports , Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill last week that bars local governments from imposing harsh regulations on the kind of lemonade stands once imagined to be ubiquitous in this country. The law grew...
Get ready for a shocker – no state is more fun than California! According to a new Wallet Hub survey , based on 26 different metrics the Golden State tops the other 49 when it comes to having fun, be it indoors or out. Some of those include weather...
After a nasty intra-party battle, California Republican Brian Dahle is now able to claim victory in the race against fellow Reep Kevin Kiley to fill a vacant Senate seat. But the sweet taste of victory after one of the most venomous races in recent memory...
CA Palo Alto City Council Approves Ordinance The Palo Alto, CALIFORNIA City Council approves an ordinance that bans retail outlets from supplying customers with plastic straws, utensils, produce bags and other single-use items. The Council said it...
IL Governor Signs SB 25 ILLINOIS Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signs SB 25 , which codifies that women in the Prairie State have the “fundamental right” to have an abortion, and that a “fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent...
AL Governor Signs SB 236 ALABAMA Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signs SB 236 , which will create a commission to study the effects of medical marijuana and renew a current state law that allows cannabis oil to be used for treating seizure disorders in children...
CT Governor Signs HB 7156 CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signs HB 7156 , which authorizes the Constitution State to buy up to 2 megawatts of offshore wind power, equal to about 30 percent of the state’s energy load. The new law also requires...
ME Senate Gives Final Approval to SB 285 The MAINE Senate gives final approval to SB 285 , which would implement a system for the Pine Tree State to oversee student loan servicers, including requiring those servicers to be licensed by the state. It...
RI Senate Approves SB 509 The RHODE ISLAND Senate approves SB 509 , which would bar employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. It is now in the House (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL). NV Governor Signs AB 466 NEVADA Gov. Steve Sisolak...
BAKER URGES PATIENCE WITH MA WIND POWER In an address to the wind power industry, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said the Bay State has a responsibility to get it right and to position the offshore wind industry for long-term success. Baker said...
Calling it “a step forward,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he would sign off on an agreement reached between Democratic leaders in the Empire State Assembly and Senate meant to strengthen New York City’s rent laws and tenant protections...
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed legislation last week aimed at ending a long running battle with neighboring Kansas in which both states have spent hundreds of millions of public dollars to lure private companies back and forth across the border...
GOP STRATEGIST’S HARD DRIVES LINKED TO NC GERRYMANDERING CASE Court documents filed in NORTH CAROLINA by Common Cause allege that computer drives belonging to recently deceased GOP strategist Thomas Hofeller show North Carolina Republicans lied...
With a pair of 4-3 rulings, the Wisconsin Supreme Court reinstated most of the laws GOP lawmakers approved in a lame-duck session in December reducing Democrats’ powers, while the justices weigh a challenge to those laws. The reestablished laws...
Virginia held primary elections last week for all 140 of the state legislative seats that will be contested there in November. The state is one of just four holding legislative elections this year and the only one where Democrats have a chance of taking...