$1B Budget Shortfall in NJ NEW JERSEY Treasurer Ford Scudder announced last week that the state is facing a budget deficit of close to $1 billion for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 combined. But he said the state would be able to manage the shortfall with...
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...
NC Approves SB 734 The NORTH CAROLINA Senate approves SB 734 , which allows the state’s Health Director to issue a statewide standing order making the anti-overdose drug Naloxone and other “opiod antagonists” available in drug stores...
As an incumbent, OREGON Gov. Kate Brown wasn’t expecting to have too tough of a primary opponent. But she probably never expected to face something like this. As Willamette Week reports , Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Dave Stauffer proposed a...
Former PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Ed Rendell – eternally blessed with a bad temper and a blunt nature - has never been shy about dining on his own foot. The former gov was at his best again last week while trying to explain how presumptive GOP presidential...
OK Approves SB 1552 The OKLAHOMA Senate approves SB 1552 , legislation that would outlaw all abortions and subject providers to a loss of license and jail time. It moves to Gov. Mary Fallin (R) for consideration (OKLAHOMAN [OKLAHOMA CITY]). KS Gov...
MD Gov Signs SB 663 MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signs SB 663 , which among several things bars Old Line State pet stores from selling dogs or cats obtained from so-called “puppy mills” and requires they provide buyers with a written record...
Topics that you hear along the campaign trail fluctuate frequently. With Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee and a hotly-contested race between Democrats Bernie Sanders and front-runner Hillary Clinton, Libya has entered the hot topics...
No industry is impervious to bribery and corruption risk, but companies linked to energy industries, in particular, face elevated risks in order to reap the equally high rewards. The PWC Global Crime Survey found that energy, utilities and mining saw...
In recent years, the traditional media landscape has been rapidly transforming with the rise of digital media. Could 2016 be the year media companies begin deploying new business models and improved content distribution strategies to help them get to...
Do Americans love their mamas? According to media monitoring and new analysis , you bet your sweet bippy they do. Between April 24 and May 10, Mom was more popular than any of the U.S. presidential candidates and general election coverage – combined...
Thirty-three states have considered legislation related to daily fantasy sports this year, according to LegalSportsReport.com and LexisNexis State Net legislative data. DFS bills have been passed in four states, including Virginia, which enacted two....
Bill signing sessions involving hundreds of measures are moderately boring affairs, with a handful of note to the general public and most only exciting to the advocates and interests they impact the most. But then there is always the occasional odd nugget...
CO Endorses SB 40 The COLORADO Senate endorses SB 40 , a bill that allows non-residents to invest in pot shops starting in 2017 provided at least one controlling owner or investor resides in-state. Current law restricts investors and owners to people...
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said the state will cover Flint residents’ water bills throughout this month to encourage them to flush out water pipes in an effort to return water quality to normal faster. “The state will cover 100 percent...
In his State of the State address in January, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) warned local governments not to try to raise the minimum wage above the state rate, as cities across the nation have increasingly been doing , or they would risk losing state revenue...
Outgoing Arizona House Speaker David Gowan (R) did his best to give developers in his state a gift last week by securing the passage of a pet bill of his allowing them to create “community facilities districts” without city approval. The bill...
That one wasn’t Hogan’s only unusual effort of the day. As the Capital Gazette reports , he also inked his name to a bill that creates a pilot program allowing authorities to bring dogs into courtrooms to help with child witnesses. The bill...
Trying to determine the nationwide outlook for the daily fantasy sports industry is about as easy as picking which hitters in tomorrow’s baseball games will hit home runs. In April, Tennessee became the third state to legalize daily fantasy...
Crime In FL A FLORIDA judge rules the Sunshine State’s death penalty law is unconstitutional because it does not require jurors to reach a unanimous decision on an execution sentence. The state’s current system requires 10 of 12 jurors...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is the most popular governor in the nation, at least according to one new survey released last week. The study of 66,000 people from across the country by Morning Consult, which bills itself as “a media and technology...
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has been suspended and could be removed from his position after being charged with ethics violations for ordering probate judges in the state to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses earlier this year, after the U.S....
Of the 31 states that approve budgets on an annual basis (the rest do so biannually), 15 have already enacted a budget for the 2017 fiscal year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Illinois is not one of those states. In...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hasn’t had the best last few years. Once considered a favorite for the GOP presidential nomination, Bridgegate, poor home approval ratings and an epic beatdown by and subsequent capitulation to presumptive nominee...
PA Approves HB 805 The PENNSYLVANIA Senate approves HB 805 , which would require Keystone State school districts to use an evaluation system instead of seniority when determining which teachers to lay off. It moves to Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who has said...