Women Lawmakers In The States COLORADO has the highest percentage of female state lawmakers in the nation, at 42 percent, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. LOUISIANA has the lowest percentage, at 11.8 percent (HONOLULU...
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Editor: Rich Ehisen Associate Editor: Korey Clark Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon Contributing Editor: Mary Peck , David Giusti Correspondents: Cathy Santsche, Felicia Carrillo Graphic Design: Vanessa Perez Design
After decades of unabashed and yet unrequited love, Chris Christie is finally moving on. Yes, as NJ.com reports, Christie has finally conceded that his longtime fanboy crush on Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen is never going to be reciprocated, and so...
MI Right To Work The MICHIGAN Supreme Court rules that the Wolverine State’s so-called “right-to-work” law applies to both the public and private sectors. The court also upholds a 2011 law that requires state employees in a defined...
With lawmakers in both parties reluctant to endorse his proposed carbon cap-and-trade plan during the recently-ended legislative session, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) last week ordered the state Department of Ecology to instead develop a statewide cap...
The fight for more control over federal lands within state borders has been waxing and waning in the American West since at least the 1890s. The latest flare-up of the Sagebrush Rebellion is centered in Colorado, where Republican gubernatorial nominee...
On the surface, a campaign aimed at keeping testosterone-fueled young males from getting drunk and driving sounds like a really good idea. But then there is the campaign that Tennessee recently ran. As the Nashville Tennessean reports, the federally-funded...
After battling over rival transportation funding bills for a week, with U.S. House Republicans favoring a five-month extension they passed last month and Senate Republicans preferring a longer-term plan, the House passed a three-month extension last Wednesday...
Twenty-nine states have laws setting minimum wage rates above the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. Washington’s rate, at $9.47, is the highest. Fourteen states have minimum wages that are the same as the federal rate. Only Georgia and Wyoming...
NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) announces that the Garden State will furnish 1,000 State Police officers with body cameras. The governor also unveiled new guidelines that require county prosecutors’ offices to disclose the findings of a use-of...
Frustrated by a lack of success on the federal level, advocates for raising the minimum wage have in recent years instead focused their energies on states and specific cities around the nation. Those efforts have proven far more fruitful: while the federal...
The Florida League of Cities, which represents more than 400 municipal governments in that state, has filed a legal brief with the Florida Supreme Court urging it to reject a citizens’ initiative bound for the state’s November 2016 ballot...
When he was running for office, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe promised his kids that if he won they could get some chickens. And as any parent knows, kids never forget a promise. So as the Washington Post reports, there is now a quartet of hens at the...
The U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide was a big win for same-sex couples longing for marriage equality. But it may be a big win for the national economy and state and local governments too. The rush of...
MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder signs SB 69, which extends until 2023 a program that allows community colleges to partner with employers to establish and fund jobs training programs in the Wolverine State (MICHIGAN GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
Like it or not, money-obsessed bloviator Donald Trump has dominated the news cycle of late with a string of racist and otherwise idiotic commentary meant as much to get media attention as to attract voters. Mission accomplished on that front, much to...
Taxes generally don’t have many fans. But a sales levy in Utah seems to be catching on. Known by a host of acronyms, including RAP (Recreational, Arts and Parks), ZAP (Zoo, Arts and Parks), and PARAT (Parks, Art, Recreation, Aquatics and Trails...
The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves SB 1973, which would require the Bay State to develop a comprehensive climate change adaptation plan. It moves to the House (SUN CHRONICLE [ATTEBORO]). * The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces it will give...
IL Cook County Approves Sales Tax Increase The governing board of Cook County, ILLINOIS narrowly approved a one-cent sales tax increase that will push Chicago’s rate over that of four Alabama cities and Seattle on Jan. 1, making it the highest...
OR Signs SB 460 OREGON Gov. Kate Brown (D) signs SB 460, which allows Beaver State medical marijuana dispensaries to begin also selling recreational weed on October 1, three months earlier than expected. Under the law, adults 21 and older may purchase...
ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs SB 1847, a bill that raises the income limit for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to 165 percent of the poverty level. The previous cap was 130 percent. The law takes effect on January 1...
The OKLAHOMA Supreme Court rejects an appeal by state officials to reconsider its June 30 ruling that calls for the removal of a monument to the Ten Commandments from Capitol grounds. The court said the presence of the monument violates a section of the...
When the final match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada™ concluded earlier this month, the fans of the U.S. women’s soccer team celebrated, and for a moment, FIFA was in the spotlight for good reason. The Women’s World Cup generated...
Faced with increasing globalization and supply chain complexity, pharmaceutical companies have the daunting task of managing risks—ranging from counterfeiting to piracy—that could potentially threaten patient safety. What’s more, the...