Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) pushed back a bit this week on Attorney General Maura Healy’s (D) recently announced plan to begin prosecuting gun sellers and manufacturers that seek to go around the state’s ban on assault weapons. Baker...
The recent good news for Illinois is that, as the Cap J reported in July , Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and the state’s Democrat-controlled Legislature finally agreed on a budget, a $75 billion stopgap spending plan for the 2017 fiscal year that will fund...
Politicians are often accused of turning a blind eye to the needs of their constituents. But not so for Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. As the Deseret News reports , Herbert attended an event last week to celebrate the merger of the State Office of Rehabilitation...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) joined with former Gov. Jim McGreevey (D) to announce a series of new or expanded programs designed to help ease the Garden State’s ongoing opioid addiction crisis. Those measures include an emergency order issued...
As a politico, California Gov. Jerry Brown has always been a bit out of the mainstream. But now Brown is going off the grid for real. As the Sacramento Bee reports , Brown has submitted plans to build a house on his family ranch property near Colusa that...
Social Policy in WV The WEST VIRGINIA Senate approves SB 6, which would allow for the drug testing of welfare recipients if “reasonable suspicion” exists they could be using illegal drugs. The bill moves to the House (WILLIAMSON DAILY NEWS...
Health In AK The ALASKA House approves SB 23, which lifts civil liabilities for prescribing, providing or administering the overdose antidote drug naloxone. The measure moves back to the Senate for concurrence (FAIRBANKS NEWS MINER). Health In...
It’s no secret that some folks believe the answer to reforming America’s immigration system – the only answer - begins with building a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Back in 2011, Arizona lawmakers passed legislation authorizing...
Crime In OH The OHIO Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of requiring sex offenders to register their addresses with authorities (DAYTON DAILY NEWS). Crime In MA The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate give final approval to HB 1641, which...
Most women endure “mansplaining” with the grace and tolerance said mansplainers rarely exhibit on their own. But United States Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri has about had enough. In a recent video clip for “The Late Show with Stephen...
By most measures, lawyer, real estate mogul and venture capitalist John Cox is a success. But when it comes to politics, the self-described “Reagan Republican” has had few signature moments. Since 2002 Cox has run for the U.S. House of Representatives...
The Pennsylvania Senate gave preliminary approval last week to change the state’s Constitution to reduce the size of the House from 203 seats to 151. The House passed a resolution last May allowing that change. But while the Senate embraced the...
There are sweet perks to being governor. One of the sweetest for Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is getting regular deliveries from Alma Winberry, better known around the Capitol as “the fudge lady.” As KULR News in Billings reports, Winberry is...
Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich have all promised major tax cuts to stimulate the U.S. economy. Cruz’s plan, which includes a 10 percent flat income tax, would cost the federal treasury $768 billion but...
Republicans in California are used to being disrespected. Like Dems in Utah or Texas, Reeps here are kind of an afterthought. But that doesn’t make it any less painful to also get treated like refugees at your own party hoedown. As the Cleveland...
Okay, now it’s just getting downright embarrassing for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. We’ve chronicled the general downfall of the once-prominent Garden State gov a lot of late, but this is too much. As the New Yorker reports , the gov who...
Airbnb made an enticing offer to the more than 200 mayors gathered at a panel discussion it hosted at the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Indianapolis last month: Let us pay you millions of dollars in hotel taxes. “Read my lips...
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) introduced his “Start-Up New York” jobs initiative in 2013, he promised it would “supercharge” the Empire State Economy and create 4,100 new jobs by 2020. But in spite of the state spending tens...
MD Gov Signs SB 663 MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signs SB 663 , which among several things bars Old Line State pet stores from selling dogs or cats obtained from so-called “puppy mills” and requires they provide buyers with a written record...
$1B Budget Shortfall in NJ NEW JERSEY Treasurer Ford Scudder announced last week that the state is facing a budget deficit of close to $1 billion for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 combined. But he said the state would be able to manage the shortfall with...
Last month the U.S. Supreme Court refused for the second time to block Texas’ voter ID law - the strictest in the nation, allowing only certain forms of photo ID, including gun licenses but not student IDs - from remaining in effect. The justices...
Action NC, Democracy North Carolina, the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute and three North Carolina residents have filed a lawsuit alleging that the state’s Board of Elections, Department of Health and Human Services, and Division of Motor...
Saying “It’s 2015, and it’s time to start getting results,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) earlier this month issued an executive order (EO 15-09) directing Show Me State government agencies under his control to root out gender-based...
A new way to cover the rising costs of social service programs, which has been gathering momentum in state and local governments across the country, is coming to Denver. Under the financing method, known as a social impact bond or “pay for...
New York Gov Andrew Cuomo (D) kicked off a statewide tour last week to promote his plan to raise the Empire State minimum wage to $10.50 per hour, which he said would lift 100,000 workers out of poverty and produce a $3 billion annual boost to the state’s...