Energy in OH OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) vetoes Substitute House Bill 554 , which would have extended a freeze on renewable-energy standards for the past two years by making them voluntary for 2017 and 2018 (CLEVELAND PLAIN-DEALER).
Environment in MI MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs HB 5120 , which requires municipal water systems, upon learning their water has exceeded the federal “action level” for lead, to notify the public within three business days. The previous...
CA District Court A CALIFORNIA appeals court strikes down a Golden State law requiring prosecutors, rather than secret grand juries, to decide whether a police officer who kills someone should be charged with a crime. The Third District Court of Appeal...
Business in KY KENTUCKY Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signs a trio of anti-labor measures: HB 1 , so-called “right-to-work” legislation that bars union membership as a requirement for employment; SB 6 , which requires workers to “opt in”...
A California Assembly committee came together last week to grill state attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra. When it came time for Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican, to pose his questions, he noted that Becerra, a Democrat, was the only...
Nobody can ever claim that Mark Callahan isn’t persistent. Since 2009 the Oregon Republican has run for numerous offices big and small, from the presidency to a local community college board, some of them many times over. To date, he has won exactly...
Count California Congressional Rep. Duncan Hunter among those not fond of the House Office of Congressional Ethics. As noted by the San Diego Union-Tribune , that’s because the results of a recent audit of Hunter’s campaign expenditures ended...
Spinning the truth to suit your own needs is a time honored political tradition. But in our current hyperpartisan world, that spin has turned into a whirlwind that too often spits out downright falsehoods. Such is the case in California, where Assemblymember...
Last fall, Gallup announced that its latest polling data revealed a significant decline in the public's trust of media. The 8 percent drop brings the number of people with either a 'great deal' or a 'fair amount' of confidence in mass...
On the heels of a generous 2015, charitable giving grew another 4.1 percent in 2016—and those in the know predict 4.3 percent growth in 2017. How can you ensure that your university or nonprofit organization gets a piece of the projected pie? Staying...
Israel, Brazil, United States, Netherlands—companies headquartered in each of these countries settled U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions in 2016 . They weren’t alone; 23 other companies in countries around the world...
When a disaster or bad publicity strikes a company, PR agencies and departments earn their keep. Of course, not every organization will thrive under tough circumstances. These events separate good PR teams that can provide positive return on investment...
The U.S. economy is entering an eighth year of recovery and the stock market has reached record heights, but at least 24 states face budget shortfalls in 2017 as revenues lag behind projections. Pension issues also continue to bedevil state and local...
Revenue collections in the first few months of fiscal 2017 were below projections in 24 states, the highest number early in the fiscal year - which for most states begins July 1 - since fiscal 2010, according to the National Association of State Budget...
WY House Passes Internet Sales Tax Bill The WYOMING House has given final approval to a bill requiring internet retailers located outside the state to collect sales taxes on purchases by state residents. The measure ( HB 19 ) now heads to the Senate...
Moody’s Corp., the world’s second largest ratings firm, has agreed to pay 21 states and the District of Columbia $426.3 million as part of an $864 million settlement with state and federal authorities over its ratings of mortgage securities...
According to a 2015 report by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, cities and counties in at least 27 states have converted 550 miles of paved roads to dirt roads, either by actively tearing up the pavement and combining it with gravel and...
In 2004 California voters approved Proposition 71 , authorizing the sale of $3 billion in general obligation bonds to support human embryonic and other types of stem cell research. “Research that we do now holds the promise of cures for tomorrow...
Thousands of Ballots Tossed in KS Thousands of provisional ballots cast in KANSAS in November were thrown out by election officials because no registration could be found for the voters who cast them. But some local election officials are concerned...
In 2015 a grass-roots group gathered enough signatures for a public vote on raising Kansas City’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. But Judge Justine Del Muro of the 16th Circuit Court in Jackson County blocked the proposal from going on the...
With Republicans emerging from last year’s election in control of the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and the White House, and congressional redistricting approaching in 2020, Democrats are planning to mount a major effort in state legislative races...
Christie Signs Opioid EO Sticking to his vow to address the state’s rising opioid abuse epidemic, NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) issued Executive Order No. 219, which declares opioid abuse to be a public health crisis and creates a state...
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) used her annual State of the State address to call for the state to “rebuild and reinvent” the Ocean State’s manufacturing sector. Raimondo said she believes the state has its strongest workforce,...
Seeking to address rising health costs, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has proposed reinstating a law that would fine employers for not offering health care insurance to their workers. Baker’s proposal would also cap payments to some health...
Potpourri In New Jersey The NEW JERSEY Supreme Court rules that municipalities must allow the development of affordable housing for poor and middle-class families whose needs were ignored for more than 16 years. The court rejected claims from several...