Health In Michigan The MICHIGAN House and Senate approve a package of bills to regulate the medical marijuana industry: HB 4209 , which would impose a 3 percent tax on dispensaries as well as creating a licensing system for growers, dispensaries, patients...
New York Signs AB 3461 NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 3461 , which requires a court order appointing a guardian to oversee the care of an incapacitated person to identify all individuals who are entitled to notice of a person's death,...
Randy Dorn is the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Washington. His constitutional duty is to supervise “all matters pertaining to public schools.” So it may seem a little strange that he has called for the state Supreme...
AZ Restricts Collection of Early Ballots ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill (HB 2023) passed by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature that makes it a felony for anyone other than a family member, caregiver, roommate, election official...
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) issued an executive order last Wednesday launching a statewide public health initiative to reduce and prevent what he called the “scourge” of gun-related fatalities and injuries in the Evergreen State. Under...
Critics often contend that politicos live in their own little world. Proof positive these days could be Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (for any number of reasons), who took to Twitter recently to congratulate Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon for signing...
Super Tuesday was a pretty good night for reality show goofball/presidential aspirant Donald Trump. It was far less so for his newfound caddy, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Unless you’ve been under a rock of late you know the tough talking Garden...
Citing concerns that sex offenders could use the Pokémon Go craze to lure children, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered state corrections and parole officials to take steps to restrict the state’s 3,000 registered offenders under community...
Not long from now, fleets of self-driving cars could be transporting passengers all over America’s cities. The resulting reduction in the need for privately owned vehicles poses a significant problem for those cities’ governments. “Municipalities...
California has a wide array of folks running to replace soon-to-be-termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018, most of them your standard Dems or Reeps promising the same things Dems and Reeps always say to fire up their base enough to at least get through the...
It is probably hard for most folks to imagine an idea too ridiculous for California, but gubernatorial candidate John Cox has found it. Yes, as the Sacramento Bee reports , Cox failed in his mission to get a measure on the November ballot that would have...
GOP BLOCKING EFFORT TO GIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CONTROL OVER CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS: Republicans who control the VIRGINIA Senate have vowed not to allow local governments in the state to decide whether to move or remove Confederate monuments. Democrats...
Faced with mounting legal challenges, the commission assembled to investigate President Donald Trump’s claims that voter fraud is rampant in America and cost him the popular vote in last year’s presidential election has suspended its effort...
A federal judge in Indiana ruled this month that denying or delaying treatment of prison inmates infected with hepatitis C constituted cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. A similar ruling last...
CA Senate Approves SB 23 The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 23, which would repeal a state law that bars women from receiving additional welfare benefits if they become pregnant while on public assistance. It moves to the Assembly (LEXISNEXIS STATE...
A bill increasing IOWA’s tax on gas and diesel fuel by 10 cents per gallon was on its way to Gov. Terry Branstad’s (R) desk last week, having been approved by lawmakers the week before. If signed by the governor as expected, SB 257 would constitute...
NM Local Governments Spend Millions Lobbying State Cities, counties, colleges and other public entities in NEW MEXICO spent nearly $7.2 million in 2014 and 2015 lobbying the state and federal government. About two-thirds of that sum, or around $4.8...
A federal trial opened last week in North Carolina that will decide whether sweeping election law changes made by the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature in 2013 - after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the requirement that North Carolina and eight...
After a months-long campaign in which he turned to celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg and Lady Gaga to foster support, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) reached a deal with lawmakers last week on his proposal to change how Empire State colleges and universities...
NH Heroin Use Not Statewide Emergency NEW HAMPSHIRE Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) declined a request to declare a statewide health emergency over the state’s burgeoning heroin epidemic. The request came from Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas. Hassan said...
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot (R) signed a package of bills that will commit hundreds of millions of state dollars to bolster security along the Texas-Mexico border. The measures, HB 10, HB 11 and HB 12, collectively contain a wide array of elements, including...
Regular readers of this column might recall that last week we talked about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s role as “ He who jinxes the Dallas Cowboys .” But there is another governor who may actually be his team’s good luck charm...
CA LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING BILLIONS IN SPENDIND PROPOSALS CALIFORNIANS could vote on billions of dollars in new spending for low-income housing, water projects and parks improvements next year if Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and state lawmakers approve several...
HOGAN PROPOSES MD SENTENCING LEGISLATION Responding to what he called “out of control” violent crime in Baltimore, MARYLAND , Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he plans to introduce a major package of anti-crime legislation when lawmakers reconvene...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) issued an executive order last month ( EO 569 ) that orders his administration by next spring to develop and implement a statewide plan for specific annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. The order directs...