Riders on the Boston subway might have done a double take last week at the site of the tall, distinguished guy who looked a lot like the governor. But why would he be on the T? Doesn’t he have a car and a driver to shuttle him about town? Yes, he...
A group called Voter Choice Massachusetts has proposed a ballot measure for the state’s 2020 election that would replace the state’s current winner-take-all election system with a ranked-choice system. Under a ranked-choice system, voters...
GOP WINS SPECIAL ELECTION IN NC Republican Dan Bishop defeated Democrat Dan McCready 50.7 percent to 48.7 percent in a special election last week in NORTH CAROLINA's 9th Congressional District. The election, which was called due to allegations...
A former North Dakota gubernatorial candidate has had it with the secrecy of his fellow lawmakers. Had, had, had it! Now, Rep. Marvin Nelson is going to do something about it. as the Bismarck Tribune reports , Nelson said he will livestream legislative...
California Senate Appropriations Committee Kills AB 161 The CALIFORNIA Senate Appropriations Committee kills AB 161 , a bill that would have banned most paper receipts at large retailers unless customers requested one (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). ...
WA LEG SUES INSLEE The WASHINGTON Legislature filed suit against Gov. Jay Inslee (D), arguing the governor had violated the Evergreen State Constitution when he issued several partial vetoes of the 2019-21 transportation budget. Inslee acknowledged...
California Governor Signs SB 245 CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs SB 245 , which allows military veterans to have adoption fees waived for dogs and cats available at animal shelters (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). California Governor Signs SB 192...
Delaware Governor Signs HB 65 DELAWARE Gov. John Carney (D) signs HB 65 , which bars covenants or other restrictions that would halt or unreasonably limit the use of roof or ground-mounted residential solar systems. The measure also lowers the voting...
IN COMMENCES ONLINE SPORTS BETTING DraftKings and Rush Street Interactive launched mobile sports wagering platforms throughout INDIANA last week, making the state the eighth to offer legal online sports betting. Sports betting became legal in the state...
At least 18 states allow sports betting either in-person at casinos and other gambling facilities, or online via computer or mobile phone, according to the website BettingUSA.com. Eleven of those states allow both, while six allow only in-person sports...
With the legislative session winding down, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has been steadily working behind the scenes to broker deals on a number of high-impact measures lawmakers are close to sending to his desk. After negotiating a deal between...
UNION MEMBERSHIP WAY DOWN IN WI An annual labor report from the University of WISCONSIN -Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) indicates that union membership in the state has declined by 53.9 percent since 2011, three times the 14.9...
In The Hopper Number of 2015 Prefiles last week: 531 Number of Intros last week: 12,093 Number of Enacted/Adopted last week: 743 Number of 2015 Prefiles to date: 14,461 Number of 2015 Intros to date: 49,679 Number of...
A new temporary homeless camp fostered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is so far not doing much to alleviate the growing homelessness problem in Austin. A week after the camp was opened at a former maintenance yard for TxDOT vehicles in East Austin, advocates...
California Public Utilities Commission Votes The CALIFORNIA Public Utilities Commission votes unanimously to order an investigation into the intentional blackouts by Pacific Gas & Electric and other utilities that left millions of Golden State...
SCOTUS DECLINES TO CONSIDER WV SUPREME COURT IMPEACHMENT CASE The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of an October 2018 ruling by a specially appointed WEST VIRGINIA Supreme Court halting impeachment proceedings against four justices for...
Last year when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was facing a tough primary battle, his campaign asked the Greater New York Hospital Association, one of Albany’s biggest power players, representing New York City’s largest healthcare institutions...
Citing a worsening teacher shortage, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) proposed raising the minimum annual salary for Sunshine State teachers to $47,500, up from the current $37,636. DeSantis asked lawmakers to approve his call for an additional $600 million...
Calling the rise in vaping-related illnesses “a frightening public health phenomenon,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) proposed legislation to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the Empire State. “Common sense says if you...
Sponsor of California SB 51 Pulls Bill The sponsor of CALIFORNIA SB 51 , a bill that would allow banks and credit unions to do limited business with legal cannabis companies, pulls the measure before it can come up for a vote, turning it into a two...
A three-judge panel consisting of two Democrats and one Republican unanimously ruled last week that legislative district maps drawn by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly in 2017 - to replace maps drawn in 2011 that were struck...
California Senate Appropriations Committee Declines to Endorse AB 572 The CALIFORNIA Senate Appropriations Committee declines to endorse AB 572 , a bill that would have barred the state from doing business with companies whose products contributed...
On Oct. 3 an Alaska Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state from implementing an administrative order from Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) changing union membership procedures for state workers. Dunleavy’s administrative...
Utah Board of Education Passes Emergency Regulations Reacting to increasing illnesses and deaths related to vaping, the UTAH Board of Education passes emergency regulations allowing schools to ban electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. The measure...
After two weeks of resistance, President Trump abandoned his plan to get a citizenship question on the 2020 census. But that doesn’t mean he’s given up on the idea of collecting information about the citizenship status of everyone living in...