Things may be about to get awkward around the Quiroa home in Providence, Rhode Island. As the Associated Press reports , David Quiroa Sr. is running for a seat in the Ocean State Legislature. As is David Quiroa, Jr. Ah, like father, like son! Well, sort...
Warren, Michigan Mayor Jim Fouts likes to say he is available to the constituents of his Detroit suburb around the clock. Well, maybe not so much. As the AP reports , Fouts recently came under some heat for blowing off a constituent who tried to talk...
Think our current political climate is toxic? Well, it is. But the stain of incivility is hardly unique to us Yankees. Case in point comes from Japan, where lawmaker Yoichi Anami yelled “enough already!” at Kazuo Hasegawa, a 47-year-old non...
Add canvassing your constituents to the things an African American person might do that causes someone to freak out and call the police. As the Portland Oregonian reports , Oregon state Rep. Janelle Bynum was recently canvassing her district – knocking...
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that public-sector workers who aren’t union members don’t have to contribute to unions’ collective bargaining efforts. The 5-4 decision in Janus v. AFSCME will likely further erode union membership...
In January Kentucky became the first state to receive federal approval to impose a work requirement for Medicaid . But last month a federal judge blocked that plan, called Kentucky HEALTH. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services...
U.S. HOUSE AND SENATE PASS FARM BILLS The U.S. Senate passed an $867 billion farm bill last month, a week after the House passed its own version. The two chambers will now have until Sept. 30 to resolve the points of contention between the two bills...
Thirty-nine percent of the 80 state judgeships in Hawaii are currently held by women, according to an analysis of online judicial data by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser . That rate is three percent higher than it was in 2004 but still well short of the...
OH House Approves HB 263 The OHIO House gives final approval to HB 263 , which would allow dogs to accompany their owners on a restaurant patio if the eatery is okay with it. The measure is now with Gov. John Kasich (R) for consideration (SANDUSKY...
A grassroots campaign has kicked off in Florida to open the state’s primary elections to all voters and advance the two top finishers, regardless of their party affiliation, to the general election. Last week, a group called Florida Fair and Open...
Federal Court Rules In MI A federal court rules that children in MICHIGAN do not have a fundamental right to being taught to read and write. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy III came in a suit against Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and a number...
MI Governor Signs HB 5638 MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs HB 5638 , which streamlines the process for obtaining approval for large groundwater withdrawals. The new process gives the state Department of Environmental Quality 20 days to review submitted...
MA Governor Signs HB 4670 MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs HB 4670 , so-called “red flag” legislation that allows family or household members to petition the courts for a one-year renewable order suspending gun ownership rights...
MA HIGH COURT UPHOLDS PRE-ELECTION DAY VOTER REGISTRATION BLACKOUT MASSACHUSETTS’ Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, has upheld a state law barring voters who haven’t registered at least 20 days before Election Day...
Federal Judge Rejects Challenge In CA A federal judge rejects a challenge to CALIFORNIA’s so-called “sanctuary state” law that limits the ability of state and local law enforcement to help federal agents enforce immigration law. The...
NJ Governor Signs SB 478, SB 493, and SB 705 NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signs a trio of transgender rights bills: SB 478 , which allows Garden State residents to amend their birth certificate without proof of having undergone a sex-change operation;...
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) rejected 36 bills last week, adding to the record 500-plus vetoes he has accumulated during his eight years in office. As expected, the governor’s vetoes included legislation that would have funded voter-approved...
VA City Council Rejects Proposal The VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA City Council rejects a proposal to regulate short-term rentals. The Council is expected to reconsider possible regulations and introduce a new proposal (WAVYTV [VIRGINIA BEACH]). WY City...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) joined with all four legislative leaders last week to announce updates to a proposal ( SB 901 ) that would limit the liability of public utilities like Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for future wildfires. The measure would...
WALKER SIGNS AK RAPE KIT BILL Saying the Last Frontier has over 3,500 untested rape kits awaiting processing, ALASKA Gov. Bill Walker (I) signed a bill that requires local police to report to the state annually the number of untested sexual assault...
Today, a visitor to a Bon Appétit cafe will have no problem finding plenty of tasty things to nosh on. But finding a plastic straw for their soda or a plastic stirrer for their coffee will soon be impossible. San Francisco-based Bon Appétit...
At least 11 states have introduced bills this session related to polystyrene food or beverage containers, most of them prohibiting their use, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative information system. Five of those states have also introduced...
On June 21 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. that online retailers can be required to collect sales taxes in states where they don’t have a physical presence. The 5-4 decision reversed the court’s 1992 ruling in...
GAS TAX REPEAL INITIATIVE ON CA BALLOT An initiative to repeal the gas tax hike and new vehicle registration fees approved by CALIFORNIA’s Democrat-controlled Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown (D) last year to pay for road and highway repairs...
A trio of closely watched redistricting cases were dispatched by the Supreme Court last month on technical grounds rather than on the merits of their arguments. In one of the cases, Gill v. Whitford , from Wisconsin, the justices unanimously ruled...