Business In CA CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown(D) signs SB 3 , which will raise the Golden State minimum wage to $15 by 2022, with so-called “off ramps” for years in which the economy is struggling (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). Business in NY...
Expressing concern that current state and federal programs don’t consider public health enough in regulating industrial air emissions, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced a major overhaul last week of the state’s air pollution regulations...
George Mason University was understandably excited to receive $30 million recently from a few folks – including the Koch brothers – to rename the school’s law school after recently-deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. University...
The United States often disparages countries that allow the wealthy to conceal their assets from tax authorities. But America is emerging as a tax haven rivaling notorious refuges like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, say some tax reformers. ...
Crime In IA The IOWA Senate unanimously approves HB 2399 , which would make numerous changes to the Hawkeye State’s domestic violence laws, including mandatory minimum sentences for stalking, harassment and multiple convictions of domestic abuse...
The partisan battle over the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court has drawn a lot of attention. But there are similar clashes taking place in states all across the country. Millions of dollars are being spent on state supreme court races this year...
It is sometimes hard to fathom why perpetually unpopular Florida Gov. Rick Scott even ventures out of the governor’s mansion anymore. After making news last month for getting kicked off of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for refusing to...
U.S District Judge Carl Barbier granted final approval last week for a settlement of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill that was announced in July. The settlement will require BP to pay an estimated $20.8 billion - including billions of dollars in environmental...
In some ways, the non-profit sector faces similar challenges every year: How do we find the internal staffing, the right research tools and adequate financial resources to launch the initiatives we have in mind so we can more aggressively pursue our mission...
Facebook Facilitates Voter Registration in WA A Facebook post reminding WASHINGTON state residents to register to vote and including a link by way of the U.S. government’s voter registration portal to the state’s online voter registration...
MN Lawmaker Targets Corporate Tax Havens MINNESOTA Sen. John Marty (DFL) has introduced a bill ( SF 3318 ) to make corporations headquartered in one of 46 tax havens around the world - including the Cayman Islands, Liberia, Luxembourg, Panama and the...
Education in MA The MASSACHUSETTS Senate endorses SB 2203 , legislation that would gradually lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the Bay State but tie that to increased funding for all public schools. The measure now moves to the House...
Bentley Impeachment Effort Moves Forward As expected, Rep. Ed Henry (R) filed articles of impeachment against ALABAMA Gov. Robert Bentley (R) last week. Those articles accuse the governor of, among several things, “willful neglect of duty,”...
Energy In NJ The NEW JERSEY Senate approves SB 1707 , which would require Garden State utility companies to source at least 80 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2050. It moves to the House (CLEANTECHNICA.COM). ...
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])...
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...
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)...
Whether we like it or not, the adage that “these days, we sell our candidates like we sell our soft drinks” is largely true. Any political strategist—especially those in the rarefied air of a presidential election— knows the importance...
It has been described as the biggest leak in history. More than 11.5 million files from the database of the world’s fourth largest offshore law firm—Mossack Fonesca—were obtained by Süddeutsche Zeitung and the International Consortium...
March Madness® . You thought of basketball, didn’t you? Well, while all of your friends were watching which college basketball team would inch closer to the NCAA championship title, the media was mad about a much different race – the...
According to the Congressional Research Service , the Department of Defense spent $285 billion on federal contracts in 2014—more than all other U.S. government agencies combined. With so much money at stake, bribery and corruption risks soar, and...
Sixty-nine percent of graduating college seniors nationwide in 2014 had some amount of student loan debt, averaging about $28,950, according to the Institute for College Access & Success. But some states had more 4-year college graduates in more debt...
Young people are told ad nauseum these days they won’t get a good job without a college degree. But the skyrocketing cost of getting that diploma has begotten the nation’s $1.2 trillion gorilla: a crushing student loan debt burden so large...
Every state works hard to get tourists to come their way. A common tool these days is a cool video that shows folks just how awesome their state is. So it was with much glee that Rhode Island officials released such a video online last week. Alas, as...
The Obama administration has taken several steps over the last month to help increasingly desperate governors battle rising rates of opioid addiction in their states. Those efforts include proposing new regulations for drugs intended to fight addiction...