TX Lawmakers Approve Changes to Voter ID Law The TEXAS Legislature approved a bill ( SB 5 ) loosening the requirements of the voter ID law passed by the state in 2011, which the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year discriminated against...
Business In Nevada Faced with overwhelming demand and limited supply, the NEVADA Department of Taxation votes to begin issuing marijuana distribution licenses to businesses other than liquor wholesalers. The ballot measure endorsed last November by...
Texas Approves Senate Bill 7 The TEXAS House approves Senate Bill 7 , which would require principals and superintendents to report teachers having inappropriate relationships with students or face a state jail felony or a fine of up to $10,000. It...
JUDGE GIVES GO-AHEAD FOR AZ LAW RESTRICTING CITIZEN INITIATIVES Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens ruled last week that a new ARIZONA law making it more difficult for citizen initiatives to qualify for the state ballot can take effect...
AR House Gives Final Approval to SB 411 The ARKANSAS House gives final approval to SB 411 , a bill that would bar Razorback State cities from becoming so-called “sanctuary cities,” which bar law enforcement from cooperating with federal...
CA Assembly Approves AB 202 The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 202, legislation that would make cheerleaders for professional sports teams employees of those franchises. It moves to the Senate (SACRAMENTO BEE). Also in CALIFORNIA , the Assembly approves...
HI Senate to be Controlled Exclusively by Dems HAWAII’s sole Senate Republican Sam Slom was defeated by Democrat Stanley Chang on Nov. 8. As a result, the state’s 25-member Senate will become the nation’s first single-party chamber...
Seven states have set minimum staffing levels for dialysis clinics through administrative regulations, according to analysis by the Service Employees International Union. California also considered an SEIU-backed bill ( SB 349 ) this year that, if passed...
Of the 42 states for which reliable data is available, New Mexico had the highest rate of suicides in 2015 among white men between the ages of 45 and 54, at 67.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is taking another shot at reviving a program to build affordable apartment housing for low income New York City residents. The deal Cuomo brokered between the 100,000 member Building and Construction Trades Council...
Business In West Virginia A federal court rules that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not adequately considered potential job losses when establishing regulations governing the coal and other industries. Judge John Preston Bailey of the...
Although there appears to be broad public support for some gun control measures , federal action on any of them seems unlikely in the current political climate. “The possibility of evidence-based firearm laws has become so politically toxic...
Gov. Kasich Urges Reduced Medical Licensing Boards OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) and lawmakers are working on a plan to consolidate the Buckeye State’s multiple medical licensing boards. Legislation currently under consideration in the General Assembly...
North Dakota Signs HB 1427 NORTH DAKOTA Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signs HB 1427 , which requests a legislative study of various aspects of refugee resettlement in North Dakota, including the effect refugees have on wages or working conditions, law enforcement...
As of the start of this year, at least 25 states had passed laws requiring businesses that handle personal data to implement security procedures to protect that information from unauthorized access, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures...
NC Tentative On HB 943 The NORTH CAROLINA House tentatively approved a nearly $3 billion bipartisan bond proposal for roads and government infrastructure that would go before voters in the fall. Another vote was required in the House before HB 943...
CA Approves AB 1676 The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 1676 , which bars employers from asking job applicants for their salary histories. The measure is now in the Senate (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). PA Gov Signs HB 1690 PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf...
CO Endorses SB 40 The COLORADO Senate endorses SB 40 , a bill that allows non-residents to invest in pot shops starting in 2017 provided at least one controlling owner or investor resides in-state. Current law restricts investors and owners to people...
Last week California voters handily endorsed Proposition 63, a ballot measure to regulate ammunition being sold in the Golden State. In the days leading up to the election, voters received a slick, glossy mailer featuring Senate President pro Tem Kevin...
NH Endorses HB 136 The NEW HAMPSHIRE Senate endorses HB 136, which would ban minors from using tanning beds. It goes to Gov. Maggie Hassan (D), who is expected to sign it into law (UNION LEADER [MANCHESTER]). KS Overrides Veto of SB 117 The KANSAS...
With lawmakers in both parties reluctant to endorse his proposed carbon cap-and-trade plan during the recently-ended legislative session, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) last week ordered the state Department of Ecology to instead develop a statewide cap...
After going through more resurrections than Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger, the GOP’s Congressional efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act finally seem to be dead. If so, the question becomes what happens now? While definitive answers are in...
Oregon Elects First LGBTQ Governor OREGON Gov. Kate Brown’s (D) re-election marks the first time an openly LGBTQ person has been elected governor in any state. Brown is bi-sexual. She was looking to fill out the remainder of former Gov. John...
Arkansas Endorses HB 1434 The ARKANSAS House endorses HB 1434 , which would bar abortions in the Razorback State based solely on the sex of the fetus. The measure moves to the Senate (WREG.COM [MEMPHIS]).
Things are getting ugly in Maine, where lawmakers overturned a flurry of vetoes by Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), who has vowed to block every bill sponsored by a Democrat until the Legislature approves his proposed constitutional amendment that would allow...