AR House Gives Final Approval to SB 411 The ARKANSAS House gives final approval to SB 411 , a bill that would bar Razorback State cities from becoming so-called “sanctuary cities,” which bar law enforcement from cooperating with federal...
OH Governor Signs SB 23 OHIO Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signs SB 23 , which bans Buckeye State doctors from performing an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, roughly six weeks into pregnancy. The measure would also allow for doctors who perform...
IL Governor Signs HB 345 ILLINOIS Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signs HB 345 , which raises the age for legally buying tobacco products in the Prairie State to 21. The bill, which takes effect on July 1, covers all tobacco and vaping products, including cigarettes...
IN Governor Signs SB 632 INDIANA Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signs SB 632 , which requires the Hoosier State Department of Health to educate schools about how to test for radon. The law takes effect July 1 (INDYCHANNEL). ND Governor Signs HB 1332 NORTH...
CO House and Senate Give Final Approval to SB 78 The COLORADO House and Senate give final approval to SB 78 , net-neutrality legislation that would bar internet service providers from receiving state taxpayer money if they slow access to the internet...
NEWSOM TO PARTNER WITH CA CITIES ON HOUSING CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced his administration would partner with a handful of Golden State cities to help develop affordable housing on state-owned properties. The announcement came after...
Without any comment, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has signed a bill making the Bay State the 16 th (and with Washington D.C.) to ban so-called “conversion therapy,” a controversial practice aimed at changing a minor’s sexual...
In his January State of the State address, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would make the Grand Canyon State the first to accept out-of-state professional licenses. Lawmakers responded by sending him HB 2569 last...
MD HOUSE SPEAKER DIES MARYLAND House Speaker Michael Busch died last week after being hospitalized with pneumonia. The 72-year-old was the longest-serving speaker in the state’s history, having initially assumed that post in 2003. (NBC NEWS,...
Oregon appears poised to become the next state to join the National Popular Vote Compact, after the state’s Senate approved legislation to do so last week. Bills to ratify that agreement, which pledges the electoral votes of its signatory...
As of April 9, at least 10 states had introduced bans on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. Most of the proposals would exempt establishments that prohibit minors. Some would apply only to e-liquids...
All district, appellate and Supreme Court judges in Nevada are currently elected by voters. But that would change under a proposed constitutional amendment in the state’s Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee. Under the proposed...
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY TAX CREDIT EXTENDED IN NY A provision extending NEW YORK’s film and television credit for two years was quietly inserted into the state budget shortly before it was approved last month. The credit, which cost the state...
A call for the first sales tax increase in Texas in nearly 30 years came from an unlikely source last week: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has routinely touted his state as a haven for tax- and regulation-averse conservatives. His proposed penny...
Hawaii’s House and Senate both passed bills last week that would require short-term rental platforms like Airbnb to collect and pay taxes on behalf of their hosts. Collection of the state’s transient accommodations and general excise...
Lawmakers in at least 10 states are considering bills that would impose the first state bans on the sale of flavored tobacco and “vaping” products. The measures are part of a wave of legislation dealing with e-cigarettes and other vaping...
There were only three FCPA enforcement actions in the first quarter of 2019, but the small number obscures a bigger threat to corporate bottom lines—fines totalling $1.1 billion. This figure eclipses the total settlements in Q1 2018—also for...
Is sustainability part of your corporate social responsibility commitment ? This year’s Earth Day festivities mark the 49th year of the global awareness event and brings into focus a pressing concern for all Earthlings—from CEOs to regular...
There’s no room for clowning about when it comes to risk management and maintaining the integrity of international business. According to records of ancient Chinese history, the armies of the Chu and Song states were facing each other in readiness...
These days, any sentence that includes the words “Florida man” is usually ends in a tale of someone doing something ignorant, criminal or both. So kudos to Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters for flipping that narrative around. As the Tampa Bay...
Arguments over health care are a daily occurrence in statehouses around this country. While it’s hard to find common ground on what reforms would be best, everyone can agree that the cost of health care can be downright absurd. Which is why, as...
California Assemblyman Kevin Kiley has big ambitions, beginning with beating out fellow Republican Brian Dahle for a currently-vacant Senate seat. That race is TBD, but Kiley has a little extra motivation to move on – he’s been relocated to...
As Oklahoma Gov. Brad Stitt watched the “American Ninja Warrior” crew setting up the show’s rigorous obstacle course on the south side of the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City last week, he couldn’t help thinking, “I could...
Sacramento City Council Passes Ordinance The SACRAMENTO City Council passes an ordinance that makes it illegal to sell flavored e-cigarette cartridges, menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products within city limits (SACRAMENTO BEE). CO...
US Supreme Court Declines The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear a challenge to a NEW JERSEY law that bans the use of so-called “conversion therapy,” which seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation, on minors (NJ.COM). NJ...