Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) joined with Attorney General Maura Healey (D) and law enforcement officers last week to announce legislation that would update the Bay State’s wiretapping law for the first time since its inception in 1968. Under...
Amidst criticism he has not done enough to deal with the growing opioid abuse issue in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott (R) last week declared such abuse to be a public health emergency. The declaration allows the state to accept $54 million in federal grant...
Indiana Signs HB 1085 INDIANA Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signs HB 1085 , which would allow someone to break into a car to rescue a dog or cat that had been left inside during a time of extreme heat or cold without facing criminal liability. The law does...
Nevada Approves Joint Resolution 2 The NEVADA Senate approves Assembly Joint Resolution 2 , a constitutional amendment that would codify recognition of same-sex marriage in the Silver State in the instance the Supreme Court of the United States reverses...
Texas Approves SB 4 The TEXAS Senate gives final approval to SB 4 , which would make it a crime for law enforcement to refuse cooperation with federal immigration officials. Local jurisdictions could also face fines of up to $25,000 per day for violating...
Oregon Approves SB 719 The OREGON Senate approves SB 719 , which would establish a process for a judge to issue an “extreme risk protection order” if a person is found by clear and convincing evidence to pose a risk of suicide or threat...
Colorado Approves HB 1339 The COLORADO House approves HB 1339 , which would use public bonds to help ease the way to decommissioning aging coal plants. The measure, which would also use some of the bond sale revenue to help displaced workers from shuttered...
Louisiana Approves HB 79 The LOUISIANA House unanimously approves HB 79 , which would ban the paddling of disabled students at Pelican State public schools. The bill moves to the Senate (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). Arizona Signs SB 1042 ARIZONA...
Crime In Wisconsin A federal judge in WISCONSIN rules that the Badger State’s so-called “cocaine mom” law, which allows adult pregnant women suspected of current or past drug or alcohol use that could affect their fetus be held in...
Vermont Approves HB 196 The VERMONT House approves HB 196 , which would require business owners to provide workers with six weeks of family leave at 80 percent of their salary, paid for by a statewide payroll tax on all workers. The measure moves to...
It seems pretty clear that Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens really enjoyed signing legislation recently that enacted statewide regulations on ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. How clear? Well, as The Hill reports , he signed the bill while taking a...
For three decades ferret lovers have been trying to get California lawmakers and regulators to overturn a law that bans folks from owning ferrets. For the uninformed, ferrets are a member of the weasel family and bear a strong connection to the European...
As LexisNexis State Net notes, each state sends anywhere from hundreds to thousands of bills to the governor each year for consideration. For the 2017 session, LNSN estimates California will ponder 2,900 bills , almost five times the 600 we estimate Delaware...
F ictional detective Sherlock Holmes is frequently quoted in forums and blogs related to competitive intelligence (CI). After all, he was obsessed with data. In The Boscombe Valley Mystery, for example, Holmes says, “You know my method. It is founded...
April 29, 2017 marked the 100 th day of Donald Trump’s Presidency. Since taking office, Trump has signed 24 executive orders, 22 presidential memoranda, 20 presidential proclamations, and 28 bills. But how much of his work has made a difference...
After three years of negotiations, the European Parliament—and subsequently the EU’s Council—approved a new regulation requiring importers of certain minerals from conflict-affected countries to meet supply chain due diligence requirements...
The number of deadly crashes on U.S. roadways increased more in the last two years than in any other two-year period over the last half century, due at least in part to distracted driving. The surge in accidents is driving up auto insurance rates across...
Drivers in southern states used their cell phones more than those in the rest of the country between April 2016 and March 2017, according to data collected on the 2.7 million car trips taken and 230 million miles driven by users of online insurance marketplace...
GA Gov Signs Rural Investment Tax Credit Bill GEORGIA Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed legislation ( SB 133 ) providing $60 million in tax credits for companies that invest in businesses in rural areas. The measure has been both criticized as a handout...
Last week Nebraska Sens. Steve Erdman (R) and Joni Albrecht (R) proposed amendments to an $8.9 billion budget package under consideration in their chamber and then withdrew them before they could be voted on. Erdman’s amendment would have kept all...
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe (D) has proposed an unconventional way to reduce Medicaid spending in his state, which could become a necessity if Congress succeeds in repealing the Affordable Care Act: raising the state’s minimum wage. His administration...
For the past couple of years, taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks have been on a roll. In November 2014 Berkeley, California became the first city to pass such a tax. And that levy’s dual benefit of raising new revenue while reducing the consumption...
Congress Blocks State Retirement Plans Congress voted to eliminate an Obama-administration rule removing regulatory hurdles obstructing states from creating retirement programs for workers who don’t have access to retirement plans through their...
For decades California has banned members of the Communist Party from working in its government. But that could change under a bill ( AB 22 ) passed by the state’s Assembly this month providing for the removal of references to the party from requirements...
By the time California held its primary election on June 7 last year, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already their parties’ presumptive nominees. But under a pair of bills passed by their respective chambers of origin, the state would hold...