High tuition rates, financial aid hassles, broken air conditioners, dingy dorm rooms—sounds like the typical complaints of college students, right? Yet, when students and alumni at one historical black college deluged Twitter® with these issues...
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced a pilot program that is intended to encourage companies to self-report any breaches of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The objective is to offer companies the opportunity to reduce fines...
The end of the presidential primary season is drawing ever closer. While the candidates themselves appear to be in the midst of a feeding frenzy – pulling out all the stops to forge ahead – media monitoring and news analysis indicates the...
Trying to determine the nationwide outlook for the daily fantasy sports industry is about as easy as picking which hitters in tomorrow’s baseball games will hit home runs. In April, Tennessee became the third state to legalize daily fantasy...
Outgoing Arizona House Speaker David Gowan (R) did his best to give developers in his state a gift last week by securing the passage of a pet bill of his allowing them to create “community facilities districts” without city approval. The bill...
Of the 31 states that approve budgets on an annual basis (the rest do so biannually), 15 have already enacted a budget for the 2017 fiscal year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Illinois is not one of those states. In...
Special Session on Budget in WV WEST VIRGINIA Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) has called a special session for May 16 to resolve how to close a $270 million projected shortfall in the state’s 2016-17 budget. The session will begin only 45 days before...
In his State of the State address in January, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) warned local governments not to try to raise the minimum wage above the state rate, as cities across the nation have increasingly been doing , or they would risk losing state revenue...
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has been suspended and could be removed from his position after being charged with ethics violations for ordering probate judges in the state to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses earlier this year, after the U.S....
CO Has Most Female Lawmakers COLORADO has the highest percentage of female legislators in the nation, at 42 percent, according to analysis of National Conference of State Legislatures data by InsideGov.com. Although that rate is significantly higher...
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said the state will cover Flint residents’ water bills throughout this month to encourage them to flush out water pipes in an effort to return water quality to normal faster. “The state will cover 100 percent...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is the most popular governor in the nation, at least according to one new survey released last week. The study of 66,000 people from across the country by Morning Consult, which bills itself as “a media and technology...
Cuomo Forms Opioid Task Force Noting that accidental overdose is the leading cause of death in his state, NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced he is forming a task force to combat growing heroin and prescription opioid abuse in the Empire State...
CO Endorses SB 40 The COLORADO Senate endorses SB 40 , a bill that allows non-residents to invest in pot shops starting in 2017 provided at least one controlling owner or investor resides in-state. Current law restricts investors and owners to people...
Crime In FL A FLORIDA judge rules the Sunshine State’s death penalty law is unconstitutional because it does not require jurors to reach a unanimous decision on an execution sentence. The state’s current system requires 10 of 12 jurors...
PA Approves HB 805 The PENNSYLVANIA Senate approves HB 805 , which would require Keystone State school districts to use an evaluation system instead of seniority when determining which teachers to lay off. It moves to Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who has said...
KANSAS Gov. Sam Brownback (R) signs legislation barring Sunflower State agencies from conducting studies or doing other work toward complying with federal regulations meant to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions from power plants until...
OH Approves HB 523 The OHIO House approves HB 523 , a bill that would legalize medicinal marijuana use in the Buckeye State. The measure moves to the Senate (CINCINATTI INQUIRER). MD Gov Signs HB 1005 & SB 97 MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R...
The MONTANA Supreme Court upholds a lower court’s 2014 ruling in a lawsuit that the law denying unemployment benefits, university enrollment and other services to people who arrived in the country illegally was unconstitutional. The court also rejected...
MA Approves SB 735 The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves SB 735 , a bill that would ban discrimination in public accommodations or businesses. The measure moves to the House (STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE [BOSTON]). CA Approves AB 1732 The CALIFORNIA...
MA Approves HB 4278 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4278 , which would give veterans preference for placement into public housing. It moves to the Senate (STATE HOUSE NEWS [BOSTON]). AZ Gov Signs SB 1449 ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signs...
Bill signing sessions involving hundreds of measures are moderately boring affairs, with a handful of note to the general public and most only exciting to the advocates and interests they impact the most. But then there is always the occasional odd nugget...
That one wasn’t Hogan’s only unusual effort of the day. As the Capital Gazette reports , he also inked his name to a bill that creates a pilot program allowing authorities to bring dogs into courtrooms to help with child witnesses. The bill...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hasn’t had the best last few years. Once considered a favorite for the GOP presidential nomination, Bridgegate, poor home approval ratings and an epic beatdown by and subsequent capitulation to presumptive nominee...
Thirty-three states have considered legislation related to daily fantasy sports this year, according to LegalSportsReport.com and LexisNexis State Net legislative data. DFS bills have been passed in four states, including Virginia, which enacted two....