Future debate organizers might want to cross famed “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek off their list of potential moderators. Goodness knows the folks who put together the recent debate between Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and challenger Scott Wagner...
Oct. 1 was the 25th anniversary of the last time Congress increased the federal gas tax, the primary source of federal funding for highway and transit projects across the country. The tax has stood at 18.4 cents per gallon for unleaded fuel and 23.4 cents...
Sports betting has really taken off in New Jersey. Roughly $184 million in bets on sporting events were placed in the state in September, almost twice as much as the $96 million wagered in August. And that brings the total in the first three and a half...
CO River Water Agreement Seven states that depend on the Colorado River for water reach agreement on a management plan for the waterway. The deal between COLORADO, UTAH, ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, CALIFORNIA, NEVADA and WYOMING creates a collection of drought...
UT HOUSE SPEAKER CALLS FOR RECORD TAX CUT UTAH House Speaker Brad Wilson (R) kicked off the state’s 2019 session by calling for a tax cut of at least $225 million. According to the Utah Taxpayers Association, that would be the state’s largest...
CA Supreme Court The CALIFORNIA Supreme Court rules that businesses seeking to declare a worker an independent contractor must be able to prove that the worker is independent of control and direction from the employer, performs work that is outside...
AK HOUSE PASSES INCOME TAX ALASKA’s House, run by a coalition of 17 Democrats, three Republicans and two independents, passed a bill ( HB 115 ) that would institute an income tax on the state’s highest earners as part of a plan to address...
Gov. Paul LePage isn’t the only easily agitated person in the state of Maine. As the Portland Press Herald reports , a man recently got very upset at city officials in the Augusta General Services office. Said man was apparently angry that 1) his...
BAKER TO SEEK HARSHER PENALTIES FOR MA SEX OFFENDERS : With the release of a notorious convicted sex offender dominating headlines across the Bay State, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said he plans to introduce legislation to increase penalties...
MI Senate Approves SB 969 The MICHIGAN Senate approves SB 969 , which would ban the production and sale of marijuana-infused beer and wine. It moves to the House (DETROIT NEWS). CT Governor Signs HB 5386 CONNECTICUT Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D)...
CA BALLOT MEASURE SEEKS TO CAP DIALYSIS CLINIC REVENUES: Backers of a proposed initiative in CALIFORNIA aimed at limiting dialysis clinics’ revenues to 115 percent of the average cost of dialysis treatment have submitted more than 600,000 signatures...
US Supreme Court Declines The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear a challenge to a 2015 ARKANSAS law that requires a doctor who prescribes or dispenses an abortion-inducing drug to contract with a physician who agrees to handle complications. The SCOTUS...
While acknowledging that it is rare for public employees to look at porn while at work or while using a stet electronic device, MAINE Gov. Paul LePage (R) issued Executive Order 2015-002, which bans them from doing so (STATE NET). * The administration...
Republican- and Democrat-dominated states are polls apart on most issues. But there appears to be some agreement about the need for tax cuts for low- and middle-income taxpayers, although there’s still a difference of opinion about how to provide...
The MICHIGAN House approves HB 4843, which would exempt minors from criminal prosecution if they call 911 to get help for a prescription drug-related overdose or health emergency. The state already exempts residents from criminal action for seeking help...
A federal judge rejects a plea from TEXAS officials seeking to bar the settlement of Syrian refugees in the Lone Star State. Judge David C. Godbey rejected a claim by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that “terrorists could have infiltrated...
Health In MI MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs SB 152, which requires amateur mixed martial arts fighters to undergo pre-fight medical exams similar to those used with professional fighters, including testing for blood-borne diseases and drugs and...
MI Governor Issues Executive Order 2019-10 MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issues Executive Order 2019-10 , which bars state agencies and departments from asking job applicants about previous salary history until a conditional offer of employment...
Last month Nevada made history by becoming the 36th state to ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment, stipulating that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”...
VOTE-BY-MAIL ADVANCES IN HI Two HAWAII Senate committees unanimously approved an amended version of a bill ( HB 1401 ) already passed by the House that would institute voting by mail throughout the state by 2020. But supporters fear even if the Senate...
After weeks of negotiations, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) reached a deal with lawmakers last week on a trio of bills intended to ease the Golden State’s acute shortage of affordable housing. The bills are expected to spur significant new construction...
ONLINE SALES TAX PLAN FAILS IN NH In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair , allowing states to collect sales taxes from online sellers located out-of-state, the NEW HAMPSHIRE Senate, meeting in special session...
BAN ON NON-CITIZEN VOTING POTENTIALLY HEADED FOR ND BALLOT Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment in NORTH DAKOTA to explicitly bar non-U.S. citizens from voting in the state’s elections have submitted more than 35,000 signatures, well...
California Gov. Jerry Brown has always had his quirks, many deeply rooted in the time he spent as a youth in a Jesuit seminary. Case in point comes in the form of the space in his outer office where he often addresses reporters. More specifically, the...
Utah Sen. Wayne Harper (R) is apparently fed up with tax deadbeats in his state. Last month he persuaded the state Legislature’s Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee to unanimously approve his bill providing for automated searches for the bank...