CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 329, which would require that high school students take sex education classes unless their parents specifically request for them to be exempted. Also in CALIFORNIA , Gov. Brown signs SB 695, which requires school...
As of May 1, at least 129 bills referring specifically to rent control were pending in 10 states, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking system. The majority of those measures were introduced in New York’s Legislature. Several...
Alabama GOP U.S. Senate nominee Roy Moore appears to have bounced back from the allegations of sexual misconduct that have been leveled against him. But some members of the state’s business community are concerned about the potential impact of his...
DC Council Gives Preliminary Approval The WASHINGTON D.C. Council gives preliminary approval to legislation allowing homeowners who rent out their homes to sell them without giving their tenants the first opportunity to buy. It must clear one more...
After lawmakers failed to come up with their own “ban-the-box” measure this session, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) issued an executive order last week that bars Old Dominion state agencies from asking most job seekers about their criminal...
Former PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Ed Rendell – eternally blessed with a bad temper and a blunt nature - has never been shy about dining on his own foot. The former gov was at his best again last week while trying to explain how presumptive GOP presidential...
Wisconsin Senate Approves SB 236 The WISCONSIN Senate approves SB 236 , which would require school districts for the first time to seek competitive bids on contracts of significant dollar value. The measure moves to the Assembly (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL...
It isn’t surprising that Massachusetts companies with large numbers of workers who get their health care coverage through the Bay State’s version of Medicaid might not want that info getting around. Be that as it may, they may be about to...
CA SENATE SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASES TO BE INVESTIGATED BY OUTSIDE COUNSEL: CALIFORNIA’s Senate Rules Committee issued a statement last week indicating that an outside legal team will now be handling the investigation of any sexual harassment or...
Michigan lawmakers gave final approval last week for a package of legislation addressing the state’s roughly $18 billion in unfunded retiree benefits, about half of which is health-care related. The bills, which received unanimous votes in the Senate...
That news apparently hasn’t got to Channelview, Texas yet. As the Washington Post reports , a group of junior high school teachers recently handed out several mock awards to students, including one to a 13-year-old girl of Salvadoran descent that...
CA RECEIVES NEARLY $1B REVENUE WINDFALL IN Q1 CALIFORNIA took in $990 million more in personal income tax revenues in the first three months of the current fiscal year (July 1 to Sept. 30) than projected in June. Sales tax revenues came in slightly...
SPORTS BETTING OFF AND RUNNING IN NJ Three casinos and two racetracks allowing sports betting in NEW JERSEY took in $40.6 million in such wagering in July, the first full month it has been legal. Since the state initially began allowing sports gambling...
Gov. Cuomo, Lawmakers Reach Cancer Screening Deal NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and lawmakers reached a deal before the end of session last week to expand access to breast cancer screening by ordering Empire State hospitals to expand hours when mammograms...
Business in DE The DELAWARE Senate approves SB 39, a bill that would raise the First State minimum wage to $10.25 by 2020. It is now in the House (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET, DELAWAREONLINE.COM). Business in IN The INDIANA House approves HB 1247, which...
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a 2013 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling declaring that the state’s unusual practice of denying taxpayers a credit on the county segment of the state’s income tax wrongly exposes those who earn income out-of...
Seattle’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance last week allowing drivers for Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing services to collectively negotiate for pay and working conditions, the first legislation of its kind in the nation. “This...
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) signed legislation last week to remove the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds in Columbia and send it to a museum instead. Haley signed the bill nine times with nine different pens in honor of the same number...
Virginia’s congressional district map is now in the hands of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District. Last year, the court declared the map drawn by the state’s Republican-controlled General Assembly unconstitutional, saying it reduced...
STATES AWARDED MILLIONS IN ACA LAWSUIT A federal court in TEXAS ruled that the federal government improperly charged several states millions of dollars in state Medicaid fees that provide funding for the Affordable Care Act. Under the terms of the...
In 2012, after signing into law one of the largest tax cuts in his state’s history in an effort to jump start the state’s economy, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) said in a television interview: “We’ll see how it works. We’ll...
South Carolina Approves HB 3930 The SOUTH CAROLINA House approves HB 3930 , which would allow Palmetto State residents to carry a gun, openly or concealed, without obtaining a state permit. It moves to the Senate (POST & COURIER [CHARLESTON])....
The Republican-led U.S. House passed a bill last week that would prevent a looming suspension of federal highway funding to states. The bill would provide an $8 billion infusion to the federal Highway Trust Fund, enough to keep money flowing for state...
Speaking of dogs, it is sadly not unusual for pets to be caught in the middle of messy divorce proceedings. In most states dogs, cats and other pets are considered to be property, meaning they must be divvied up like furniture and cars. Emphasis on most...
Last month the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate passed a budget resolution allowing for the repeal of parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). And on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order providing for the dismantling...