Tesla Motors is understandably proud of the advancements they have pioneered in electric car technology. But some California regulators and consumer advocates say the company is playing a bit fast and loose with the name it has given its new self-driving...
This past summer Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) quietly engineered a major tax break for General Electric, in an effort to keep the company’s headquarters in Fairfield. The break will allow any company with at least $6 billion in carried...
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) reached a momentous milestone last week, becoming the longest serving governor in American history. On Dec. 14, Branstad marked his 7,6742nd day in office, surpassing the previous gubernatorial longevity record held by New...
MISSISSIPPI lawmakers approved $17 million in state disaster relief in response to last month's deadly tornadoes (CLARION-LEDGER [JACKSON]). • OHIO's Supreme Court will likely hear two lawsuits challenging Cleveland's so-called "jock...
The IOWA Senate gives final approval to SB 462, which would allow school officials and volunteers to use epinephrine auto-injectors, commonly known as EpiPens, when they believe a student is suffering a severe allergic reaction that has cut off their...
In the wake of damage to the main and emergency spillways of California’s Oroville Dam, which prompted the evacuation of 188,000 nearby residents from their homes last month, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has proposed a $437 million flood protection plan...
Last year supporters of limiting attorneys’ fees in medical lawsuits gathered enough signatures to qualify an initiative for the state’s November ballot. But the measure was blocked by the state’s Supreme Court over issues with the canvassing...
TN House Rejects SB 1086 The TENNESSEE House rejects SB 1086 , a Senate-endorsed bill that would strip local municipalities of the ability to ban short term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. The measure is expected to go to a joint conference committee...
Iowa Signs SB 489 IOWA Gov. Terry Branstad (R) signs SB 489 , legislation legalizing the sale and use of consumer fireworks in the Hawkeye State, but only during the periods around the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve (CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE)...
BAKER TO FORM MA TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE Responding to a business group’s report that called for an independent review of state transportation infrastructure needs, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said he will issue an executive order...
KY HOUSE SPEAKER RESIGNS POST: KENTUCKY Rep. Jeff Hoover, the state’s first Republican House speaker since 1921, stepped down from that post last week over allegations of sexual harassment were made against him and three other Republican lawmakers...
GA TRIES OUT PAPER-BALLOT VOTING MACHINES GEORGIA initiated the first step of a new paper-ballot voting machine pilot program last week with the start of early voting ahead of local contests and special elections on Nov. 7. The aim of the test, in...
In spite of “serious concerns,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed into law sweeping changes to the Bay State’s criminal justice system. Provisions of the new law include rolling back mandatory minimum sentences for some...
IL House Approves HB 4870 The ILLINOIS House approves HB 4870 , a bill that allows infused medical marijuana to be administered to students by parents in Prairie State elementary and secondary schools. It moves to the Senate (ABC7CHICAGO). IA Governor...
In spite of calls to resign from legislative leaders in both chambers, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) insisted last week he will not step down over the growing number of scandals surrounding his administration. Greitens is facing a felony trial...
In our polarized and often fact-challenged world, few political utterances surprise us any longer. And then there was this : Kentucky Gov. Mat Bevin railing against teachers protesting a shady pension overhaul he signed into law a few weeks ago by claiming...
For a long, long time the annual “Back to Session Bash” for California lobbyists and political staffers has been a ribald affair with so much drunken debauchery that some attendees joke the event is good to end at least one promising career...
A slew of ex-jocks had a good Election Day this year. As Pro Football Talk reports , former NFL linebacker Napoleon Harris retained his seat in the Illinois Senate, while Green Bay Packer safety Aaron Rouse, late of the Green Bay Packers, kept his seat...
CA ECONOMY NOW WORLD’S 5TH LARGEST CALIFORNIA’s economy has surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the world’s fifth-largest, according to data released this month by the U.S. Department of Commerce. California’s 2017...
After Congress imposed a $10,000 limit on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction with the federal tax overhaul it passed last year, high-tax states like California and New York began strategizing ways for their taxpaying residents to get around the...
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was a hot item at this year’s NGA meeting, drawing big crowds of reporters virtually everywhere he went. Being a prime presidential candidate will do that for you. But someone needs to tell him to lay off the selfies...
New Jersey governor and 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie has vetoed election reform legislation passed by his state’s Democrat-controlled Legislature that would have expanded early voting, allowed online voter registration, and...
ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs SB 1847, a bill that raises the income limit for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to 165 percent of the poverty level. The previous cap was 130 percent. The law takes effect on January 1...
Despite having a population of only 580,000, Wyoming spends over $9 billion in state and federal dollars every two years. A 2013 study calculated that the state’s government expenditures totaled $15,673 per person, the second highest rate in the...
NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announces a series of reforms in the use of solitary confinement for inmates in the Empire State prison system. The reforms, which are part of an agreement to settle litigation brought against the system by the New York...