SNYDER SIGNS ‘BAN THE BOX’ ORDER MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed Executive Order 2018-4 , which directs some state agencies to no longer ask job applicants about any criminal history in the initial application process. The so-called...
The nationwide movement to remove politics from the process of drawing political districts suffered a major setback this year when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected three cases dealing with partisan gerrymandering - the drawing of maps in a way that disproportionately...
To hear certain folks talk (cough, cough, everyone on Fox News), high earners can’t get out of California fast enough. They’re packing up and sprinting for the border – any border – as fast as their private fitness instructor-toned...
For years Claire Conlon was one of the most affable, competent and respected Capitol staffers in Sacramento. But as anyone who works in a statehouse can tell you, the job can and often will grind you to dust. So a year ago Claire pulled up stakes and...
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is a rabid Eagles fan. I mean rabid! As in he even does a bit of pro-Eagles punditry for Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia. But it hasn’t been a great year for the Iggles so far, which means the mercurial Rendell...
After battling over rival transportation funding bills for a week, with U.S. House Republicans favoring a five-month extension they passed last month and Senate Republicans preferring a longer-term plan, the House passed a three-month extension last Wednesday...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) proposed raising the minimum wage for all State University of New York workers to $15 per hour by 2018. Cuomo’s proposal would include students who participate in work-study programs to help pay their tuition and other...
A weekly newsletter from the city manager of Pasadena, California in September included a memo from the city’s director of finance indicating that, effective Jan. 1, the 9 percent utility tax approved by voters in 2008 would apply to video streaming...
SC Gov Vetoes HB 3440 SOUTH CAROLINA Gov. Nikki Haley (R) vetoes HB 3440 , which would have required moped drivers younger than 21 to wear helmets and all moped drivers wear reflective vests at night (STATE [COLUMBIA]). PA Gov Signs SB 1132 PENNSYLVANIA...
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a challenge to a ban on semiautomatic, high-capacity assault weapons imposed by Highland Park, Illinois. A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit had ruled that the ban was...
Big Budget Surplus Sets Up Political Battle in MN MINNESOTA’s projected budget surplus for next year has doubled on strong economic growth to $1.9 billion. But that windfall sets up an election-year battle over how to spend the money, with Gov...
Pennsylvania lawmakers are expected to make a final push this weekend to hammer out the details of a budget that would increase spending by 6 percent, expand the sales tax base, reform public pensions, increase the availability of wine and liquor, and...
The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 1694, which would make it a crime to profit by fraudulently claiming to be a veteran. Violators would face a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. It moves to the Senate (STATEHOUSE NEWS [BOSTON]). MICHIGAN Gov. Rick...
RANKED-CHOICE VOTING GETS INAUGURAL STATE-LEVEL RUN IN ME: In last Tuesday’s primary election, MAINE became the first state to use ranked-choice voting, already employed in about a dozen cities, including Minneapolis and San Francisco. Although...
TX VOTER ROLLS SWELL TO 15.6M Nearly 400,000 names have been added to TEXAS’ voter rolls since March. The total number of registered voters in the state is now 15.6 million, 1.6 million more than at the time of the last midterm election, in 2014...
The legal war California has been waging with the federal government since President Trump took office is costing the state’s taxpayers millions of dollars. The Golden State has filed more than 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration...
There’s rarely a shortage of goofballs seeking public office, and this year was not different. Most but not all fail and slink quietly back into their own little worlds. Alas, newly-elected Congressman Denver Riggleman fits into the “but not...
HI Senate Approves HB 2739 The HAWAII Senate gives final approval to HB 2739 , a bill that would allow Aloha State doctors to help terminally ill patients to end their own lives. It is now with Gov. David Ige (D), who has said he will sign it into...
AZ BANS LOCAL SODA TAXES: ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed HB 2484 , prohibiting local governments in the state from imposing extra taxes on sodas or other sugary beverages, as some left-leaning cities in other states, including San Francisco and...
IA Senate Approves SF 2349 The IOWA Senate gives final approval to SF 2349 , which would allow insurance carriers to resume selling small-employer policies that don’t meet Affordable Care Act rules, such as those requiring coverage for maternity...
VT Legislature Endorses SB 55 The VERMONT Legislature endorses SB 55 , legislation that would raise the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21, limit the capacity of gun magazines that retailers may sell, ban bump stocks – devices that allow semiautomatic...
Speaking of unpopular presidents, let’s take a moment to digest this infonugget: French President Emmanuel Macron apparently has spent $30,000 in just three months in office on makeup! As the Washington Post (via the French magazine Le Point) reports...
The OHIO House approves HB 48, which would allow people to carry a handgun in a school safety zone if the person has a license and leaves the weapon inside a locked motor vehicle. The measure, which would also allow universities to adopt policies permitting...
Brown Seeks OR Education Innovation OREGON Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced the creation of an education innovation officer position on her staff. The position, which will not be an executive appointment, will be tasked with helping Brown better assess...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) defended a recent $225 million settlement made with Exxon Mobile to settle a 10-year legal fight with the oil company over environmental damages caused by its refineries in the Garden State. The state had sought $8.9...