Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) expressed reservations about a proposal from state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg to launch the Lottery’s own fantasy sports website. Baker said he would prefer the Lottery focus on its current offerings. “The...
President Obama signs HR 83, a $1.6 trillion dollar spending bill that, among other things, bars the Department of Justice from spending any federal funds to arrest or prosecute operators of medical marijuana facilities in states where medicinal marijuana...
NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 739, which bars Empire State residents from adorning their pets with tattoos or piercings. The law, which exempts procedures done for medical reasons or identification, takes effect in 120 days (STATE NET, NEWYORK...
With the October 15 signing deadline fast approaching, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is slowly working his way through the annual slew of bills that end up on his desk after the frantic final days of the legislative session come to an end. But while...
New CA Pesticide Regulation The CALIFORNIA Dept. of Pesticide Regulation issues new rules barring the use of certain pesticides within a quarter mile of schools and day care centers from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the school week. The new regulations...
If you live in Rhode Island and need a lawyer, you might consider dropping in on the statehouse. That’s because, as the Providence Journal reports , the Ocean State Legislature has so many attorneys on its payroll it could qualify as the state’s...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) vowed to reintroduce legislation to codify abortion rights into the Empire State constitution within 30 days of the start of the next legislative session. Cuomo has pushed similar legislation since 2014. The latest version...
In recent years it hasn’t been uncommon for over 40 percent of the state legislative seats up for election across the nation to go uncontested. But this year is shaping up to be very different. In states where candidate filing deadlines have...
Facing a public employee pension shortfall of at least $40 billion and perhaps as much as $70 billion, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and GOP legislative leaders unveiled a plan last week to move public workers from traditional defined-benefit retirement...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said car-hire services like Uber and Lyft can continue operation in the Bay State while he works with mayors in Boston and Somerville to craft licensing regulations for those operations. Those regulations are expected...
Democrats are used to having their way in the California Legislature, but for the last 13 years it has been quite a different story on the softball field. Every year since 2002, the Republicans have kicked the Dems’ fannies in the annual charity...
Chicago has the largest unfunded pension liability of any city in the nation - more than seven times its annual operating revenues - according to a new report from Moody’s. But four of the other cities on the financial analysis firm’s list...
The United States Supreme Court blocks three scheduled executions in OKLAHOMA pending a review of the state’s lethal injection drug protocol. The order came just days after the court allowed GEORGIA to use a different injection cocktail to execute...
California Signs AB 602 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 602 , which prohibits pharmacies from acquiring diabetes testing devices from unauthorized distributors (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE). California Signs SB 374 Also in CALIFORNIA...
NV PENSION FUND GROWS BY DOUBLE DIGITS NEVADA’s public employee pension fund grew 11.8 percent, well over its 8 percent target rate, to $38.5 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Last fiscal year the fund’s rate of return was...
Speaking of candidates who might generously be described as a bit off center...Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner appears to have the temperament of an agitated pit bull. Or maybe just a desperate pol trying to stay relevant in a race he’s...
Health In MO Health officials in MISSOURI say they will now allow anyone on Medicaid with hepatitis C to receive the medication that cures the disease. The Show Me State had previously said it would not cover the treatment. The reversal led to the...
SANDOVAL SAYS NV GUN LAW IS A MISFIRE NEVADA Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) and state Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R) filed court documents in early January that argue a voter-approved ballot measure that requires background checks for firearms purchases...
WA Governor Signs SB 5064 WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signs SB 5064 , which bars school administrators from censoring the work of student journalists. The measure goes into effect in June (SEATTLE TIMES). IDAHO Gov. Butch Otter (R) signs HB...
MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs SB 74, which adds cyberbullying to the forms of harassment specifically barred under the state's anti-bullying law. The law defines cyberbullying as any form of electronic communication intended to harm or harass...
The ILLINOIS Department of Health rejects a recommendation from the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board to add eight conditions — including autism, irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, osteoarthritis and several pain-related...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) unveiled a plan last Thursday to spend almost $918 million in state funds over the next five years on economic development, housing and job training in the Bay State. He will further seek to bolster the state’s...
Coastal states reacted with alarm last week when the Trump administration announced it was expanding oil drilling leases in waters previously protected under the Obama administration. But when U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced that after a...
CA Governor Signs AB 3032 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 3032 , which requires hospitals to provide maternal mental health training to clinical staff who work with pregnant and postpartum women and to educate women and families about the...
Much has been made of the number of women running for state or federal office this year, but the ladies aren’t the only group of traditionally underrepresented folks making a run this year. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports , the younger...