The older a state is, the more likely it is to have fiscal problems. That’s one of the findings of an analysis of state fiscal health by William Bergman, director of research for Truth in Accounting, a nonprofit that advocates for transparency in...
The legal war California has been waging with the federal government since President Trump took office is costing the state’s taxpayers millions of dollars. The Golden State has filed more than 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration...
WV SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SPARED IMPEACHMENT After over an hour of deliberation, the WEST VIRGINIA Senate voted 32-1 not to impeach state Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker over her part in a court spending scandal. Three of the state’s other justices...
Hours after Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox (R) announced his intention to hold a special legislative session to consider a GOP plan with some Democratic support to address a federal court ruling that 11 House districts drawn by the Republican majority...
While the confirmation fight over U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was raging on in the U.S. Senate last week, the eight current justices began their new term. And there are several cases on the docket of consequence to state and local governments...
At least 21 states have introduced bills or resolutions dealing with digital currencies in 2018, about double the number of states that did so last year, according to analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures and LexisNexis State Net....
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to buy goods and services, pay bills, gamble online, transfer money internationally and as an investment vehicle, among other things. And that activity is drawing more attention...
As the aftermath of corporate corruption and ethics scandals continue to play out in news headlines and courtrooms, spurring a continued search for expert advice and best practices on mitigating compliance risk . So, when a former compliance expert at...
TX City Council Unanimously Approves The SAN ANTONIO City Council unanimously approves a six-month pilot program regulating electric scooters. Riders will be required to use sidewalks or roads, but will be barred from roadways where the speed limit...
WA Supreme Court Rules The WASHINGTON state Supreme Court rules the use of capital punishment to be unconstitutional. The ruling, which makes the Evergreen State the 20th where courts or legislatures have abolished or overturned capital punishment...
The ultra-far right has had a pretty festive last 18 months, what with feeling like they have a true friend now in the White House. But as the Washington Post reports , the hopes and dreams of a plethora of young white supremacists were dashed last week...
NJ Department of Education Issues New Guidelines The NEW JERSEY Department of Education issues new guidance requiring Garden State schools to accept a student’s stated gender identity and to honor that student’s request to not notify their...
Anyone who has spent any time walking in San Francisco can tell you the City by the Bay has a lot of homeless people living on the streets. A lot . And one of the myriad problems with that is that folks inevitably end up relieving themselves on those...
If you’re looking at the California voter guide for this November’s election, you might notice a glaring omission. Yes, as the Los Angeles Times reports , while the guide contains the usual candidate statement from GOP gubernatorial candidate...
Baker Opposes MA Nurse Staffing Mandates MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said a recent report by the state Health Policy Commission has convinced him to vote no on Question 1 , a ballot measure that would require strict nurse-to-patient ratios...
Oh yes, yes she did. University of Florida student Pieter Hanson was in the middle of a test recently when his phone started going off nonstop. Fearful something terrible had happened, he quickly handed in his test and headed for the hallway. But nothing...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) vowed to reintroduce legislation to codify abortion rights into the Empire State constitution within 30 days of the start of the next legislative session. Cuomo has pushed similar legislation since 2014. The latest version...
For the seventh quarter in a row, polling by Morning Consult shows that the ten most popular governors in America are all Republicans. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker topped the list with a 70 percent approval rating, followed closely by Maryland Gov...
ND VOTER ID LAW ALLOWED TO STAND The U.S. Supreme Court declined to vacate a ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing NORTH DAKOTA to enforce a requirement that voters provide a street address before casting a ballot on Election Day...
When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that public-sector unions could no longer collect fees from non-members even if they benefited from the unions’ efforts, some predicted there would be a mass exodus of dues-paying members. But more than...
A group of 30 researchers, activists and scientists signed a letter this month urging the federal government to issue an official warning to states that use voting machines with integrated wireless technology that the machines are vulnerable to hacking...
In November voters in Arkansas and North Carolina, two states where voter ID laws have been struck down by the courts, will decide whether such requirements will be enshrined into their respective constitutions. And voters in Montana will decide whether...
COST OF FIGHTING WILDFIRES SETS ANOTHER RECORD IN OR Fighting wildfires has cost OREGON a record $514.6 million in 2018. The state’s previous record of $447 million was set just last year. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) VA CLIMATE CHANGE PLAN STILL...
At an informal gathering in St. Louis this month organized by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the online industry group NetChoice called for congressional action in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair...
Oct. 1 was the 25th anniversary of the last time Congress increased the federal gas tax, the primary source of federal funding for highway and transit projects across the country. The tax has stood at 18.4 cents per gallon for unleaded fuel and 23.4 cents...