Corruption is a significant problem—no matter what sector it originates in. But a recent report from corruption watchdog Transparency International takes aim at one industry in particular: Defense. The report notes, “While it may be true that...
California state Sen. Joel Anderson has always been a little ornery. But as the Sacramento Bee reports , that crankiness – and a little too much booze - got the better of him last summer when he responded to a disagreement at an after-hours party...
Politics has always driven intense emotions. Some would say now more so than ever, while others might counter that it has always been this way and we just know more of what is said and done than we used to. For example, like when Illinois state Rep. Stephanie...
For decades, every California governor followed up their January budget release with an appearance at a Sacramento Press Club luncheon. It was always the most heavily attended event of the year, and thus also the best moneymaker for the SPC’s journalism...
The LOS ANGELES City Council approves a measure to legalize and regulate sidewalk vendors. Under the newly-adopted rules, vendors must pick up trash; ensure that people can pass on the sidewalks; and do business at a minimum distance from fire hydrants...
MS Law Bans Abortion Saying it “unequivocally” infringes on the due-process rights of women, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves strikes down a MISSISSIPPI law that bans abortions after the 15 th week of pregnancy. The state is expected...
IL Governor Vetoes SB 2332 The ILLINOIS House fails to override a veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) of SB 2332 , a bill that would have raised the legal smoking age to 21 (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES).
MI Senate Approves SB 796 The MICHIGAN Senate approves SB 796 , a bill that would ban paid “release time” contract provisions that allow public school employees to conduct union business during their work day. The measure moves now to the...
MI Senate Approves SB 1171 The MICHIGAN Senate approves SB 1171 , legislation that would delay the state’s planned minimum wage increase to $12 until 2030. The measure, which would also limit tipped workers’ minimum wage to $4 per hour...
BAKER URGES NEW STEPS FOR REPORTING MA HATE CRIMES Taking a cue from the recommendations of a state task force, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said the Bay State will create a new website to track hate crimes and urged police chiefs to designate...
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) lauded the approval of a closely-watched weed legalization measure last week, but declined to say if he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk. Murphy has long supported legalizing cannabis in the Garden State...
Citing a court ruling that declared the state’s 6 th Congressional District to be illegally gerrymandered, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) created a nine-member commission tasked with taking politics out of drawing the district’s lines. ...
DEMS CLAIM 3/4 MAJORITY IN CA ASSEMBLY Democrats won 60 seats in the CALIFORNIA Assembly in the 2018 election, giving them a historic three-quarters majority in the 80-seat chamber. The Assembly Democratic caucus will be the largest since the state...
Despite drawing intense scrutiny over the last few weeks, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) will hold onto the seat she was appointed to earlier this year, following the resignation of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) over health concerns...
Last week the Michigan Senate voted largely along party lines to make significant changes to citizen-initiated measures raising the state’s minimum wage from $9.25 to $12 per hour ( SB 1171 ) and requiring paid sick leave ( SB 1175 ). The...
AK FACING BIG CLIMATE-CHANGE COSTS ALASKA is facing some of the country’s most extreme climate changes, including coastal erosion and road damage, according to the federal climate report released last month. The report estimated that the climate...
About $260 million was wagered in New Jersey on sporting events in October, bringing the total for the four and a half months sports betting has been legal in the state to $597 million. A spokesman for FanDuel, which handles the sports book at the...
A population explosion in Ada County, Idaho is putting a strain on city services, from roads to parks to fire and police stations. So some cities in the tax-averse region are looking to do what the county’s largest city, Boise, has done before:...
Total spending across all 50 states last fiscal year exceeded $2 trillion, a new high, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers . The record spending was driven largely by a bump in income tax revenues, resulting from last year’s...
At least 35 states have considered bills or resolutions dealing with cybersecurity in 2018, according to analysis of LexisNexis State Net legislative data by the National Conference of State Legislatures . Twenty-two states have enacted such measures...
SNCJ devotes the last three issues of each year to a preview of the coming state legislative sessions. Here in part one of that three-part series we’ll take a look at a few of the issues that are likely to draw the attention of state lawmakers next...
Forget about the turtles. Today is International Ninja Day, but what we’re on about has more to do with regulatory risk than teenagers or (as far as we know) mutants. Why does International Ninja Day make us think ‘compliance program’...
Now more than ever, understanding the competition is a requirement for business success. From equipping teams with intelligence that allows them to better connect with customers, to identifying the next steps your industry will take before they take them...
2018 marks the anniversary of a multitude of different political as well as social turning points in human history. While the festivities commemorating the end of World War I were widely broadcasted and spoken about, two anniversaries often fall short...
And for California Assembly member Phil Ting, that dream is a whole state of cars that run on something other than gasoline. Yep, Ting so wants to see the nation’s number one vehicle market move entirely to cars that don’t run on fossil fuels...