Michigan collected twice as much in “sin taxes” from drinkers and smokers than in income taxes from businesses last year, according to an analysis of tax data by The Detroit News . Taxes on beer, wine, liquor and tobacco topped $290 million...
KANSAS Gov. Sam Brownback (R) signs HB 2155, a bill that clarifies the legality of fantasy sports leagues in the Sunflower State. The measure codifies that fantasy leagues are games of skill and knowledge and not chance (LEGAL SPORTS REPORT). -- Compiled...
LA Approves SB 143 The LOUISIANA Senate approves SB 143, which would legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in the Pelican State. It moves to the House (TIMES-PICAYUNE [NEW ORLEANS]). TN Signs SB 280 TENNESSEE Gov. Bill Haslam ...
It is safe to presume that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe doesn’t think much of Sen. Bill Stanley’s intestinal fortitude. Or lack thereof, to be more precise. As Washington D.C. radio station WTOP reports , Stanley recently called police over...
California Assemblymember Ian Calderon got married last month, which is a great thing. And like many young couples – Calderon is the second youngest member of the California Legislature – they want to start their lives by buying a home together...
It’s been almost 50 years since a California governor has lived in the Golden State Governor’s Mansion, but that is about to change. As the Sacramento Bee reports, Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife Anne Gust Brown are planning to move into the...
The OKLAHOMA Supreme Court rules that a non-biological parent in a same-sex relationship who has acted as a parent has the same rights as the biological parent. The ruling came in the case of a same-sex couple who split after 10 years of co-parenting...
For the first time in a decade congressional leaders have agreed on a federal highway bill that provides funding for more than two years. If approved by the full House and Senate and signed by President Obama, the approximately $300 billion, 5-year plan...
As is the case in most states, voter turnout in Utah has plummeted in recent years. Only 28.8 percent of the state’s eligible voters participated in the 2014 general election. But a report released by the Utah Foundation this month said that...
It took 20 years, but California is finally implementing a regulatory framework for its billion dollar medical marijuana industry. Now all it needs is someone to run herd on the new agency being created to devise and implement those regulations. As the...
Moody’s Corp., the world’s second largest ratings firm, has agreed to pay 21 states and the District of Columbia $426.3 million as part of an $864 million settlement with state and federal authorities over its ratings of mortgage securities...
During the last U.S. election cycle two years ago, at least 21 states were targeted by foreign hackers, according to the Department of Homeland Security. And with Congress having done little to address the issue other than authorizing $380 million to...
Calling the synthetic opioid fentanyl “the most dangerous element in street drugs here in the commonwealth,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) filed legislation last week seeking $5 million to launch a pilot program for a “regional...
San Diego County Announces New Program The SAN DIEGO County District Attorney’s Office announces a new program to add education about human trafficking to the school curriculum in seven schools around “America’s Finest City”...
Federal Judge Blocks U.S Department of Commerce A federal judge blocks the U.S. Department of Commerce from adding a question on American citizenship to the 2020 census. Judge Jesse M. Furman of the United States District Court in Manhattan said that...
AR Governor Signs HB 1010a ARKANSAS Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signs HB 1010a , a measure that requires pharmacy benefit managers to be licensed by the state. The measure exempts insurance plans that are self-funded by employers (ARKANSAS ONLINE). ...
Supreme Court Rejects Petitions The Supreme Court of the United States declines to review whether states can block Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from their Medicaid programs. The Court’s decision rejects a pair of petitions...
California state Sen. Bob Hertzberg is fond of dropping Yiddish words and phrases into his public discourse. Recent examples include referring to the “shpilkes” – or restlessness – that local officials have felt since the state...
WI Gov Signs SB 533 WISCONSIN Gov. Scott Walker (R) signs SB 533 , which bars local governments from issuing their own photo IDs to the homeless, unauthorized immigrants or others struggling to obtain other forms of identification (WISCONSIN PUBLIC...
Every state has at least a few laws on the books that might have seemed like a good idea at some time but now make no sense at all. Not surprisingly, according to the website Thrillist.com, many deal with alcohol. For instance, don’t be getting...
The WISCONSIN Senate unanimously approves AB 8, which would make “upskirting” — the act of secretly taking a photo of someone’s genitals, buttocks or breasts — a stand-alone felony. It moves to Gov. Scott Walker (R) for consideration...
With retail sales of music CDs, DVD movies and computer software plummeting, state sales tax revenues have taken a hit. But at least a couple of states are looking to recapture that lost revenue stream by taxing consumers’ new source for such media...
Workers comp CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 623, which ensures that a worker injured on the job cannot be denied workers’ compensation benefits due to their immigration status (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
MI Approves Confiscated Property Bill Package The MICHIGAN Senate approves a seven-bill package (HBs 4500, 4503, 4504, 4506, 4507, 4499 and 4505) that collectively increase civil asset forfeiture reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies...
Activists Pull Pot Measure Backers of a proposed ballot initiative to allow marijuana use in bars and other businesses in Denver said this month they were going to pull the measure and instead work with city and business leaders on a measure that could...