New Jersey Governor Signs Trio of Opioid-Related Bills NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signs a trio of opioid-related bills: AB 3292 , a bill that makes the Garden State the first to require opioid prescriptions to have a warning label to inform patients...
Last week Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure making it more difficult to impose an income tax in the state. The measure, Proposition 4, authored by Rep. Jeff Leach (R), asked voters if they supported adding a prohibition against a state...
BAKER PUSHES MA IMPAIRED DRIVING BILL Responding to the state Cannabis Control Commission moving closer to allowing social consumption marijuana lounges, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) urged Bay State lawmakers to act on legislation ( HB 71 ...
New Hampshire Governor Signs HB 399 and Vetoes SB 88 NEW HAMPSHIRE Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signs HB 399 , which allows anyone who convicted of possession of a small amount of weed before Sept. 16, 2017 to petition the court to have that conviction removed...
Florida Board of Education Enacts New Rules The FLORIDA Board of Education enacts new rules that require Sunshine State schools to provide students with at least five hours of mental health instruction, beginning in the 6 th grade. The instruction...
Minnesota Governor Signs HF 2A MINNESOTA Gov. Tim Walz (D) signs HF 2a , an omnibus jobs and economic development package that will also make it a felony in some cases for employers to withhold workers’ wages. The new law, which went into effect...
TRIBES REJECT OK GOV’S CALL FOR NEW GAMING DEALS Questioning “his sincerity to work with us in a cooperative manner,” the leaders of five major OKLAHOMA -based tribes rejected Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) call to renegotiate their...
After initially saying he had no plans to try changing a state law that requires the governor to annually issue a proclamation honoring an early Ku Klux Klan leader, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) reversed course and said he would seek to change the law...
Former California Congressman Darrell Issa announced last week he would seek to return to Congress by challenging embattled fellow Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter – who is facing a lonnnng list of ethics and legal challenges – to represent the...
As noted elsewhere in this issue, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last week that allows college athletes to profit from the use of their “name, image or likeness.” But someone glancing at the following headline from Reuters –...
Many states have learned lessons from the Great Recession of 2007-09 and are better prepared for the next economic downturn, according to findings by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and other analysts. “Rainy day...
Dismissal rates in certain types of criminal cases in Massachusetts - including some that involve public officials - vary widely from court to court, according to analysis of court data by the Boston Globe . In Massachusetts, when someone is accused...
Democrats are pouring money into next year’s state legislative races. In Dallas, Shawn Terry, the Democratic challenger in a longtime Republican district, has already raised $235,000. In Virginia, where the GOP holds narrow majorities in both...
California Senate Appropriations Committee Holds AB 376 The CALIFORNIA Senate Appropriations Committee holds AB 376 , a bill that would have established a student loan borrower’s bill of rights, hired a state borrower advocate to respond to consumer...
The world’s most popular social network is coming under a lot of criticism these days for, well a lot of things. But top on the list is Facebook leader Mark Zuckerberg’s response to claims his network fosters and even encourages a daily gusher...
As of Oct. 15, governors or public health agencies in seven states had imposed temporary bans on the sale of vaping products, four of which had been at least partially blocked by legal challenges, according to Time . At least five states have also introduced...
As public health officials confront an outbreak of lung injuries linked to vaping from e-cigarettes, a patchwork of state and local responses have cropped up in lieu of federal regulation. But with a developing and not yet fully understood problem...
Editor: Rich Ehisen Associate Editor: Korey Clark Contributing Editor: Mary Peck, David Giusti Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Lauren Davis (MA), Steve Karas (CA) and Ben Livingood (PA), Cathy Santsche (CA), Dena Blodgett...
Here are some of the topics you may see covered in upcoming issues of the State Net Capitol Journal: - Right to Try - Biosimilars - Legalizing pot
For all of its positives, there’s no denying that California also has its share of problems. It’s expensive to live here, the ground moves a lot, water can be scarce and, as the last few years have shown, wildfires are a constant threat. All...
Denver City Council Approves Regulation The DENVER City Council approves a regulation that will allow residents to leave a restaurant with an alcoholic beverage during special events. The ordinance applies to events held in pre-determined common areas...
7th Circuit Court of Appeals Rules The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the WISCONSIN Legislature can’t intervene in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood over laws that prevent Badger State nurses from performing abortions and limit...
The impending California Consumer Privacy Act and other state data privacy laws have done more than motivate companies to rethink how they manage consumer data; it also has many organizations thinking more than ever about how they manage their cyber insurance...
Massachusetts House Approves HB 4183 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4183 , which would make the Bay State the first to completely ban the sale of all flavored vaping and tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The measure moves to the...
Supreme Court of the United States Allows Lawsuit The Supreme Court of the United States allows a lawsuit filed by parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims to move forward at the state level. The suit alleges that the Remington Arms Co. marketed...