CALIFORNIA lawmakers send a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) that bars secret settlements and non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases, one of several bills considered this year in state legislatures in response to the #MeToo movement. The California...
TN House Approves HB 2312 The TENNESSEE House approves HB 2312 , which would ban state and local officials from accepting consular IDs to establish identity. The measure, which would also prohibit officials from accepting locally issued forms of identification...
Think our current political climate is toxic? Well, it is. But the stain of incivility is hardly unique to us Yankees. Case in point comes from Japan, where lawmaker Yoichi Anami yelled “enough already!” at Kazuo Hasegawa, a 47-year-old non...
Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals Rules The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that cities cannot make it a crime to sleep on a public street or sidewalk when no homeless shelters are available. The court’s ruling applies to ordinances...
In The Hopper Number of 2015 Prefiles last week: 1,033 Number of Intros last week: 1,635 Number of Enacted/Adopted last week: 1,445 Number of 2015 Prefiles to date: 20,086 Number of 2015 Intros to date: 101,776 Number...
President Barack Obama vetoes a bill that would have authorized the building of the Keystone Pipeline, a transfer line that would carry crude oil from wells in Canada south across the U.S. to refineries in TEXAS and ILLINOIS (GOVERNING).
WA Governor Signs SB 5497 WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signs SB 5497 , legislation that bars local authorities from asking residents about their immigration status. Washington joins CALIFORNIA and OREGON with so-called “sanctuary state”...
Let the lemonade flow! As the Texas Tribune reports , Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill last week that bars local governments from imposing harsh regulations on the kind of lemonade stands once imagined to be ubiquitous in this country. The law grew...
RI Senate Approves SB 509 The RHODE ISLAND Senate approves SB 509 , which would bar employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. It is now in the House (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL). NV Governor Signs AB 466 NEVADA Gov. Steve Sisolak...
With a pair of 4-3 rulings, the Wisconsin Supreme Court reinstated most of the laws GOP lawmakers approved in a lame-duck session in December reducing Democrats’ powers, while the justices weigh a challenge to those laws. The reestablished laws...
Last year Vermont cancelled a contract with cell phone service provider CoverageCo, after the company failed to earn a profit or cover its expenses on a rollout of microcell technology in rural parts of the state. Now, with $4 million in microcell equipment...
AK Governor Signs HB 240 ALASKA Gov. Bill Walker (I) signs HB 240 , which bars gag rules in contracts between pharmacy benefits managers and pharmacies. Gag rules prohibit pharmacists from telling customers of a cheaper option for medication if they...
NYC EYEING ASSISTANCE FOR STRUGGLING TAXI DRIVERS New York City is considering eliminating up to $10 million in fees on taxi drivers. The proposal is part of several initiatives aimed at helping drivers struggling with debt after taking out loans to...
When Massachusetts state Sen. Joan Lovely needed a mascot for the diaper donation drive she and a few fellow lawmakers were putting on last week, she knew the perfect fit. As State House News Service reports, Lovely brought in Drake, one of her four pet...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) announced the Golden State would lead a 17-state coalition and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over the agency’s proposed rollback of fuel economy standards....
CA Governor Signs SB 946 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 946 , which allows cities to establish a permit process that allows food vendors to sell their wares on the street. Under the law, cities and municipalities without an existing licensing...
The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) did not exceed its authority by implementing a “demand response” rule that requires electric utilities to give customers fiscal incentives to...
IL Governor Signs SB 25 ILLINOIS Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signs SB 25 , which codifies that women in the Prairie State have the “fundamental right” to have an abortion, and that a “fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent...
GOP STRATEGIST’S HARD DRIVES LINKED TO NC GERRYMANDERING CASE Court documents filed in NORTH CAROLINA by Common Cause allege that computer drives belonging to recently deceased GOP strategist Thomas Hofeller show North Carolina Republicans lied...
California City Council Approves Proposal The San Diego, CALIFORNIA City Council approves a proposal to limit homeshare rentals like Airbnb to the property owner’s primary residence. The new rules go into effect in July, 2019 (SAN DIEGO UNION...
The city legislative body in ANCHORAGE narrowly approves a complete ban on all disposable plastic shopping bags from local retail stores. The ban, which takes effect next March, is stricter than those adopted in other Alaska cities and villages and comes...
Calling it “a step forward,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he would sign off on an agreement reached between Democratic leaders in the Empire State Assembly and Senate meant to strengthen New York City’s rent laws and tenant protections...
CT Governor Signs HB 7156 CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signs HB 7156 , which authorizes the Constitution State to buy up to 2 megawatts of offshore wind power, equal to about 30 percent of the state’s energy load. The new law also requires...
Virginia held primary elections last week for all 140 of the state legislative seats that will be contested there in November. The state is one of just four holding legislative elections this year and the only one where Democrats have a chance of taking...
ME Senate Gives Final Approval to SB 285 The MAINE Senate gives final approval to SB 285 , which would implement a system for the Pine Tree State to oversee student loan servicers, including requiring those servicers to be licensed by the state. It...