In 1978 California voters approved Proposition 13, which, among other things, capped property taxes at 1 percent of market value and limited property tax increases to 2 percent per year. The changes to the state’s tax system were dramatic, and they’ve...
That Ron Estes is a real winner. Ron Estes is also a loser. Wait, what? Yes, as the Huffington Post reports , Ron Estes was both the winner and the loser in last month’s GOP primary to represent Kansas’s 4th Congressional District. So how...
AK Rejects Request for Medicaid Expansion A court in ALASKA rejects a request by Republican lawmakers to stay the expansion of Medicaid in the Last Frontier State ordered by Gov. Bill Walker (I). Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner rejected the request...
MONTANA Gov. Steve Bullock (D) announced that a Republican, Rep. Jeff Welborn, will carry his legislation seeking to allocate $380 million for Treasure State infrastructure projects in the upcoming legislative session (MONTANA GOVERNOR'S OFFICE)....
Wind power companies have invested more than $532 million in MAINE over the last eight years and are providing 1,560 jobs a year, mostly in construction, according to a report commissioned by wind-power advocacy group Wind For Maine. The report also said...
Faced with ongoing scrutiny over his fiancee's consulting work, OREGON Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) and fiancee Cylvia Hayes have hired attorneys to represent them in an investigation by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The governor said he and...
Dependent elders CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 196, which authorizes a county adult protective services agency to file a petition for a protective order on behalf of an elder or dependent adult who has suffered abuse and has impaired ability...
Representatives of 195 nations sign a legally binding accord in Paris that for the first time requires nearly every country to commit to lowering greenhouse gas emissions to help mitigate the most drastic effects of global climate change. Under the agreement...
For years, a lack of state funding has forced delays of bridge replacement projects in Wisconsin. But the state’s Department of Transportation, or WisDOT, has launched a new program to address that problem. Under the program, called “Replace...
Despite recent evidence to the contrary , the U.S. Congress does appear capable of passing substantive legislation - and with relative ease. After just a few weeks of negotiations by leaders of the U.S. House and Senate Armed Services committees, the...
Four years ago, with the state in the middle of a protracted budget crisis and Gov. Jerry Brown (D) warning of deep budget cuts, California voters approved Proposition 30, temporarily raising income taxes on the state’s highest earners. The 1 percent...
As reported in Bloomberg , there’s a new business out there making a killing convincing folks to lease a whole plethora of things one would not normally consider leasing. The list includes everything from wedding dresses to pets. And while that...
Democrats in Iowa would be able to participate in their party’s presidential caucuses without actually having to be present, under a proposal made last week by the party’s caucus review committee. The proposal called for allowing voters who...
MA Endorses HB 4866 and Signs HB 2515 The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate endorse HB 4866 , which would establish a statewide standing prescription for the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. The measure, which also allows local governments to exchange...
There’s several kinds of stupid in this world. Driving darned near 100 miles per hour in a 55 zone, for instance. And then there’s the kind of dumb where said speed demon brags about it to the cop who pulls him over, and even claims to take...
CA Department of Insurance Approves The CALIFORNIA Department of Insurance approves the state’s first-ever insurance coverage for legal cannabis businesses. The new policies will cover both property and liability coverage (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT...
At least 40 states have introduced legislation in 2019 aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs, according to LexisNexis State Net ’s legislative tracking system. Fifteen of those states have enacted such measures.
Things have sure gone downhill for the relationship between former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Donald Trump. Once at least willing to be nice to one another in public, these days it would be better to not invite them to the...
HI Governor Signs HB 1489 HAWAII Gov. David Ige (D) signs HB 1489 , which bars discrimination against LGBTQ students in Aloha State schools (METRO WEEKLY [WASHINGTON DC]).
Last month, New Mexico’s Democrat-controlled Legislature approved a $6.1 billion budget slightly boosting spending and increasing several taxes to bolster faltering revenues tied to a downturn in the energy industry and the state’s high unemployment...
Saying “New Mexico families deserve to be safe from drunk drivers,” Gov. Susana Martinez (R) announced a series of executive actions last week aimed at getting those drivers off the road and monitoring judges she says have routinely gone easy...
The WEST VIRGINIA House approves HB 2153, which would bar doctors from performing an abortion after a woman’s pregnancy has reached 20 weeks. The bill, which contains no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, moves to the Senate (WASHINGTON POST...
After two hours of arguing, Mississippi’s House passed a bill last month that would potentially phase out the state’s personal income tax over 15 years. The GOP-led chamber approved HB 1629 on an 82-32 vote, with several Democrats supporting...
Colorado taxpayers could receive $200 million in tax refunds this year and $187 million next, thanks to the state's constitutional cap on tax revenue growth, known as the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR. But those refunds would come even though...
I admit I have never seen a single episode of ‘Gilmore Girls,’ the popular TV show that went off the air several years ago. But since everything old becomes new again – at least in Hollywood – the show is coming back soon, and...