In the 2016 presidential election, over two-thirds of Florida voters cast their ballots early or by mail rather than at their local polling place on Election Day. That fact has election officials in the state thinking about switching from traditional...
OK VOTERS TO WEIGH LESS RESTRICTIVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEASURE: OKLAHOMA voters will consider a ballot measure on June 26 that would make the state the first to adopt a medical marijuana program that doesn’t specify ailments for which doctors...
Over the past 45 years, taxable sales as a proportion of consumer services have declined more in Utah than in nearly any other state, according to a new report from the Utah Foundation. The state actually had the same amount of per-capita sales tax revenue...
For the first time since taking office three years ago, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) approved a full state budget. Joined at a signing ceremony by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, the governor said the $38.5 billion spending plan was the result...
LA BOOST TAX BREAK FOR WORKING POOR: LOUISIANA lawmakers approved legislation expanding a tax break for the state’s working poor, after members of the state’s Legislative Black Caucus withheld support for a renewal of the state tax until...
Calling mass school shootings “a new and frightening phenomenon,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) proposed last week to allow teachers, principals and other school officials to petition a judge to remove guns from the homes of troubled students...
A Superior Court judge has ordered Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) to take the necessary steps to implement voter-approved expansion of Medicaid in the Pine Tree State. Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy gave LePage until June 11 to file an expansion plan...
CARNEY MAKES FIRST DE SPORTS BET : DELAWARE Gov. Jon Carney (D) kicked off his state’s entry into legal sports wagering by making its first legal sports bet since the Supreme Court legalized the practice last month. Carney placed a $10 wager...
CA Department of Insurance Approves The CALIFORNIA Department of Insurance approves the state’s first-ever insurance coverage for legal cannabis businesses. The new policies will cover both property and liability coverage (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT...
MI Senate Approves Seven-Bill Package The MICHIGAN Senate approves a seven-bill package that would, among several things, require all school districts to develop an emergency operations plan and consult with law enforcement before the construction...
PA House Approves HB 2154 The PENNSYLVANIA House approves HB 2154 , which, among several things, removes an existing requirement for oil and gas drillers who damage a water supply to restore it. The measure, which also allows up to 210 gallons of crude...
MA Senate Approves HB 4539 The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves HB 4539 , so-called “red flag” legislation that would allow the temporary removal of firearms from people considered a danger to themselves or others. The measure returns to the...
IA Judge Grants Temporary Injunction An IOWA judge grants a temporary injunction on a new Hawkeye State law barring abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. Polk County District Court Judge Michael Huppert halted implementation of the law...
TN City Council Approves Ordinance The Knoxville, TENNESSEE City Council approves an ordinance to allow goat grazing on private property. The new law allows private property holders to obtain a permit to use goats to rid land of invasive plants, which...
Micro-donations are now one of the main pillars of modern fundraising, and were considered to be a major disruption to the nonprofit landscape when they started to become prominent. US presidential elections have seen micro-donations account for increasing...
Millennials ... are you ready for them? Pew Research projects that by next year, Millennials will overtake Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the United States. What’s more, half of today’s homeowners are under the age of 36, based...
The Supreme Court’s May 14 decision to strike down a federal prohibition on sports gambling may well turn out to be the financial boon many observers believe it can be. But getting there is going to be easier in some states than in others, and state...
Nineteen states have considered legislation related to sports betting in 2018, according to information compiled from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Legal Sports Report and LexisNexis State Net . One state, West Virginia, has passed...
As recently noted in this space, the tiny Alabama town of Walker has had it rough of late. Due to a lack of regulations city leaders didn’t know they needed, Parrish became a parking spot for a train carrying 200 containers of human waste sludge...
For decades, the Land Park Golf Course in Sacramento has been a place where many a politico has been able to escape to on a warm afternoon for a quick nine holes. Count current Sacramento Mayor and former California Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg among...
There’s an oh-so-very chic urban salvage yard in Oakland that the wife and I are fond of browsing through on occasion. One recent trip turned up something I had never seen before: a cabinet with hundreds of slots labeled with the name of every imaginable...
With the saga of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) coming to an abrupt end last week, all eyes turned to take a new look at his replacement, fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Michael L. Parson. Parson’s ascension came with shocking swiftness. Greitens...
Weeks after a mass shooting at a Santa Fe, Texas public school that left 10 people dead, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) unveiled a school safety proposal that called for, among several things, firearms training for teachers. Abbott’s proposal...
BAKER TO SEEK HARSHER PENALTIES FOR MA SEX OFFENDERS : With the release of a notorious convicted sex offender dominating headlines across the Bay State, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said he plans to introduce legislation to increase penalties...
Kentucky House Majority Leader Jonathan Shell (R) was ousted from his seat by a high school math teacher and first-time political candidate in a Republican primary election in that state on May 22. Republican voters have not been kind to incumbents in...