Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) is proposing deep cuts in the state budget, a hiring freeze, a temporary one-cent sales tax increase and higher alcohol and cigarette taxes to close a looming budget shortfall of nearly $1 billion. The increased...
Well, not really. But it could easily have turned out much worse for North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory than it did when the car he and his security folks were traveling in got rear ended as he was leaving the Super Bowl. As the Charlotte Observer reports...
A pair of legal cases could have a big impact on budget decisions in Texas next year, when lawmakers meet again in regular session. One of the cases, set to go before the Texas Supreme Court in March, revolves around the issue of whether metal pipes...
Immigration In AZ The ARIZONA Senate approves HB 2451, a bill that would require that undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes complete 85 percent of their sentences before they can be released to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement for...
CO Gov Signs HB 1423 COLORADO Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signs HB 1423 , which bars software vendors from selling student-specific data or from using that data to create individual student profiles or for targeted advertising. Vendors will also be...
Thirty-four states have passed laws regulating transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft, according to Bloomberg BNA . The laws, which Bloomberg said are generally aimed at bringing TNCs into “competitive parity” with the...
At least two bills before the MAINE Legislature -- HB 496 and SB 274 -- would allow independents to vote in the state’s primary elections. Independents have long outnumbered Democrats and Republicans in the state, but it is one of only 11 states...
Dancing shouldn’t be complicated. Well, good dancing is actually really complicated but that’s beside the point. What is pertinent is that if you are in a bar or anywhere else that serves alcohol on the Hawaiian island of Maui, there is no...
Reducing the soaring prices of commonly used prescription drugs has become a political priority in the nation’s statehouses. So far this year, 258 bills that sponsors hope will assist consumers in managing pharmaceutical costs have been filed in...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) joined forces with other prominent Republicans last week in filing briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court urging justices to rule that extreme political gerrymandering —...
Horror movie fans know all about Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, the fictional horror movie characters who are almost impossible to kill. While they are merely the spawn of Hollywood’s ability to make serious money by scaring us half to death...
NY Governor Signs AB 7006 NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 7006 , which adds post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of medical conditions legal to treat with marijuana. The Empire State becomes the 28 th to legalize medicinal weed to treat...
It’s one thing to be abrasive and snarky; it’s another to do it in the public realm where said obnoxiousness can very quickly come bite you on the backside. Today’s case in point comes from Wisconsin, where the new social media manager...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) promised swift action last week to implement a task force’s recommendations for improving the relationship between Buckeye State law enforcement and the communities they serve. Kasich said a variety of new policies and...
Health In Florida FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott (R) extends for 60 days an earlier executive order declaring the opioid crisis to be a state of emergency. The extension is the second since Scott issued his original order on May 3 (ORLANDO SENTINEL).
JUSTICE ALITO STAYS TX CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REDRAW U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito temporarily stayed a lower-court ruling requiring two TEXAS congressional districts to be redrawn because they discriminated against minority voters, “pending...
WA Insurance Commissioner Bans Sale of NRA WASHINGTON Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler bans the sale of NRA-backed insurance policies that offer liability coverage to people who fire a gun. The policy provides money up front to cover costs and...
CA Building Standards Commission Finalizes The CALIFORNIA Building Standards Commission finalizes new rules that make the Golden State the first in the nation to require new homes built in 2020 and beyond to be solar-powered (ASSOCIATED PRESS).
WI Assembly Approves AB 1 The WISCONSIN Assembly approves AB 1 , which would require Badger State health insurers to cover pre-existing health conditions and ban them from dropping coverage for those who exceed caps on lifetime or annual coverage amounts...
GA Senate Approves HB 159 The GEORGIA Senate approves HB 159 , which among several things shortens the time allowed for a birth mother to change her mind after giving up her child, allows adoptive parents to reimburse birth mothers’ living expenses...
The MAINE Department of Health and Human Services announces it will seek a federal waiver that allows it to ban food stamp recipients from using their benefits to purchase candy and soda. Pine Tree State lawmakers considered and rejected legislation to...
Women Lawmakers In The States COLORADO has the highest percentage of female state lawmakers in the nation, at 42 percent, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. LOUISIANA has the lowest percentage, at 11.8 percent (HONOLULU...
NY Judge Issues Injunction A federal judge in NEW YORK issues an injunction ordering the Trump administration to continue the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which defers deportation actions on unauthorized immigrants who were...
LEPAGE SIGNS REVISED ME FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAW : MAINE Gov. Paul LePage (R) signed legislation last week that allows anyone living in or visiting one of 22 designated Pine Tree State communities to make a face-to-face purchase at a farmer’s or...
Pennsylvania Governor Signs HB 271 PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signs HB 271 , which legalizes online poker, online table games, online slots, daily fantasy sports and internet lottery sales in the Keystone State. The law also allows 10 of the state’s...