California’s loopy proposition process – a.k.a. “direct democracy” - was created to give ordinary citizens a way to have more say in their government. Sadly, that say was long ago co-opted by huge money special interests and, of...
CA Governor Vetoes SB 320 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoes SB 320 , a bill that would have required public university student health centers to provide abortion medication by no later than Jan. 1, 2022 (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE). ...
Republican leaders in the Virginia House proposed a new plan - supported by at least four Democratic lawmakers - to address a federal court ruling that 11 House districts drawn by the state’s GOP-controlled General Assembly in 2011 were racially...
Bombastic brothel owner Dennis Hof may be dead, but he’s likely going to win election to the Nevada legislature anyway. That’s because, as KTLA reports , it’s too late to remove the self-described pimp and “Trump of Pahrump”...
John Lennon fans likely recall a song he did called “Instant Karma.” Well, some karma of the fairly-immediate variety jumped up and bit Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker square in the fanny last week. As CBS News reports , Walker lost his bid on...
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS GOING INTO ELECTIONS Days before last Tuesday’s vote, the Labor Department reported that the typical worker’s wages went up 3.1 percent in the past year, the biggest increase in nearly a decade. Federal economists also...
MS Federal Court Blocks HS 1510 A federal court temporarily blocks HB 1510 , a bill signed into law by MISSISSIPPPI Gov. Phil Bryant (R) that would bar Magnolia State doctors from performing abortions after a woman’s 15 th week of pregnancy....
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed dozens of bills that collectively expand fire prevention efforts while also allowing public utilities to offload some of the financial liability for their role in starting those fires onto their customers. ...
WV House Tables Bill The WEST VIRGINIA House tables a bill that would have, among other things, created the state’s first charter schools and legalized education savings accounts for parents to pay for private school. The proposal prompted teachers...
Until last week most Americans had never heard of George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign advisor who we’re told pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with the Russian government on the campaign’s behalf. Oops. Per...
US HOUSE PASSES TAX PLAN: The U.S. House passed its version of the GOP tax overhaul last week on a 227 to 205 vote, with none of the chamber’s Democrats supporting the plan and 13 Republicans opposing it. But passage of the Senate version isn’t...
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) unveiled a major overhaul of the Volunteer State’s higher education system last week, a plan that includes creating individual governing boards for the state’s six major universities. Those schools are currently...
At any given time, State Net tracks tens of thousands of bills in all 50 states, US Congress, and the District of Columbia. Here's a snapshot of what's in the legislative works: Number of 2014 Prefiles last week: 1,634 Number of 2015 Prefiles...
The West Virginia Legislature passed a budget bill in special session ( SB 1013 a ) last week, ending a months-long impasse between lawmakers and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D). That stalemate had come to a head two weeks ago when lawmakers passed and the...
Democrats Hold DE Senate After Special Election Democrats maintained control of the DELAWARE Senate after Democrat Stephanie Hansen defeated Republican John Marino 58-42 in a special election in the state’s 10th Senate District last month. Hansen’s...
New Jersey Signs AB 2949 NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) signs AB 2949 , which bars the harvesting of diamondback terrapins in the Garden State. The law also requires state environmental officials to develop a management plan for terrapins (NJTODAY...
If you're visiting the Michigan statehouse in Lansing this Christmas season, don't waste your time looking for the usual nativity scene. Not one there. There is, however, a nice tribute to Satan! Yep, as the Washington Post reports, the Wolverine...
US HOUSE PROPOSES TAX PLAN ELIMINATING SALT DEDUCTION: The draft tax bill (HR 1) released by the U.S. House last week, as previously reported it might , calls for elimination of the federal deductions for state and local income and sales taxes, often...
If you think 120 lawmakers sounds like a lot, how does 10 times that grab you? As the Modesto Bee reports , that’s exactly what California GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox is suggesting. Calling it his “Neighborhood Legislature”...
Michigan Governor Signs Trio of Bills MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs a trio of bills that collectively allow electric bicycles on Wolverine State nature trails. The measures are: HB 4781 , which determines which kinds of electric bicycles can...
Going On In MA The MASSACHUSETTS Supreme Judicial Court rules that professors and staff at Bay State colleges can be sued for failing to act after learning a student was considering suicide. The decision came in a suit over the death of a Massachusetts...
NJ SUPREME COURT BLOCKS STATE FUNDING FOR CHURCHES The NEW JERSEY Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state Constitution expressly prohibits the use of public money for the benefit of churches, invalidating Morris County’s practice of giving...
MA Supreme Judicial Court The MASSACHUSETTS Supreme Judicial Court upholds a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Bay State’s charter school cap. The suit argued that caps on charters were arbitrary and denied...
CALIFORNIA Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D) announced a proposal to increase transportation funding by $2 billion per year over the next 5 years. She plans to generate that money by redirecting truck weight fees, which currently go to servicing general...
Later this year the University of California Center in Sacramento will say goodbye to its long-time associate director, A.G. Block. For the last dozen years Block has led the school’s public policy programs, teaching college students about government...