Arizona Supreme Court Rules in Phoenix Ordinance The ARIZONA Supreme Court rules that a PHOENIX ordinance that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination cannot be used to force artists to create custom wedding invitations...
New Hampshire House Sustains Veto of HB 109 The NEW HAMPSHIRE House sustains the veto by Gov. Chris Sununu (R) of HB 109 , a bill that would have required a criminal background check for commercial firearms sales (NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO). ...
Utah Legislature Unanimously Endorses SB 1002 The UTAH Legislature unanimously endorses SB 1002 , which would scrap a proposed state-centralized system for delivering cannabis to patients in favor of leaving distribution in the hands of private businesses...
Trump Administration Announces Plans to Revoke Longstanding Federal Rule The Trump administration announces plans to revoke a longstanding federal rule that allows CALIFORNIA to establish stricter emissions standards than required by federal law. State...
New Hampshire House Fails to Override Governor's Veto of HB 365 The NEW HAMPSHIRE House fails to override Gov. Chris Sununu’s (R) veto of HB 365 , which would have raised from 1 megawatt to 5 the limit on how much solar and hydropower towns...
California Governor Signs AB 5 Calling it “landmark legislation for our workers and our economy,” CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs AB 5 , which codifies the process for determining if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor...
NH LAWMAKERS SUSTAIN VAST MAJORITY OF VETOES The NEW HAMPSHIRE Legislature upheld all but one of the 55 vetoes issued by Gov. Chris Sununu (R), including measures on gun control, renewable energy and paid family leave. The one successful veto override...
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) unveiled “an absolute game changer” plan to make all colleges and universities tuition-free for all in-state students, regardless of family income. The proposal, which will require legislative approval...
Amid a growing number of vaping-related deaths and serious illnesses, Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California, both Democrats, launched efforts last week to ban the products. The actions come days after the Trump administration...
PUSH FOR ‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ IN FL FLORIDA billionaire Mike Fernandez, who left the Republican Party because of his opposition to President Trump, is spending millions of dollars to place a measure before voters in 2020 that would shift the...
For decades, California has been able to adopt auto emission regulations that are tougher than those approved by the federal government, thanks to a federal waiver allowing the state to set its own auto emission standards and other states to follow those...
TN PROPOSES SWITCH TO MEDICAID BLOCK GRANT FUNDING TENNESSEE unveiled a plan last week that would fund its Medicaid program through a federal block grant, limiting how much is spent on the program instead of paying for whomever enrolls, which is the...
Brown County, Wisconsin is one of at least 23 counties in the state that charge jail inmates room and board for the time that they’re incarcerated. But Wisconsin isn’t alone. At least 40 states charge such “pay-to-stay” fees, although...
A special committee in Kansas is looking into ways to control the rising cost of healthcare in the state. This month the members of the House and Senate Special Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance got a crash course on healthcare cost control...
Wyoming has the largest estimated fiscal year 2019 rainy-day fund balance as a percentage of total state expenditures, at 109 percent, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers’ Spring 2019 Fiscal Survey of States . California...
Many states have learned lessons from the Great Recession of 2007-09 and are better prepared for the next economic downturn, according to findings by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and other analysts. “Rainy day...
How confident are you that a supplier you vetted two years ago hasn’t seen a change in financial stability that might lead to supply chain disruption? Or that a reseller isn’t putting you in danger of an FCPA violation? Or that a disgruntled...
In some ways, academics’ methods of teaching and research have hardly changed since Plato and Aristotle were discussing philosophy and mathematics in the Academy in Ancient Greece. Students still learn from a tutor in small discussion groups and...
No state has a car culture quite like California, where the mythology of the hot rod still reigns supreme. Which may be why Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation last week that overturns a law which allowed police to issue a ticket carrying a hefty fine...
As noted elsewhere in this issue, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last week that allows college athletes to profit from the use of their “name, image or likeness.” But someone glancing at the following headline from Reuters –...
A federal court may have struck down a Colorado city’s ordinance banning women from going topless, but ladies ought not to think they can get all half-nekkid in Oklahoma. As the Oklahoman reports , Attorney General Mike Hunter announced last week...
Former California Congressman Darrell Issa announced last week he would seek to return to Congress by challenging embattled fellow Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter – who is facing a lonnnng list of ethics and legal challenges – to represent the...
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Unanimously Approves Legislation The LOS ANGELES County Board of Supervisors unanimously approves legislation to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products – including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol...
Georgia Judge Blocks Abortion Ban A district judge in GEORGIA issues a temporary order blocking a Peach State law that would ban most abortions once a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity. The ruling by District Judge Steve C. Jones’ blocks...
The Missouri Department Of Social Services Makes Announcement The MISSOURI Department of Social Services announces that people participating in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program who hold a doctor-issued medical cannabis card allowing...