Texas state Rep. Jessica Farrar isn’t fond of her male colleagues proposing bills they claim will protect women’s health but which she says are in fact barely-veiled attempts to block women from obtaining a legal abortion. So, as the Houston...
Maine Rep. Jim Handy thought he was doing something good when he recently introduced a bill that would have required dogs to be safely secured in a seat belt when riding in a car. But as the Washington Post reports , the reaction from dog lovers ranged...
Depending on where you stand yourself, former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is either a hero or a villain for sticking to his guns on HB 2, the Tar Heel State’s controversial “bathroom bill” that barred transgender folks from using...
Business In Arizona The ARIZONA Supreme Court unanimously upholds a voter-approved law that raises the Grand Canyon State minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020. The court rejected a claim by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce that the law was unconstitutional...
New Mexico Approves HB 175 The NEW MEXICO House approves HB 175 , a bill that would prohibit solitary confinement for inmates who are pregnant or under 18 years old. It is now in the Senate (ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL). Mississippi Signs HB 812 MISSISSIPPI...
Kentucky Approves SB 159 The KENTUCKY House approves SB 159 , which would require Bluegrass State high school students to pass a version of the civics test that the U.S. government gives to immigrants when they apply to become citizens. It returns...
Kentucky Approves HB 384 The KENTUCKY Senate approves HB 384 , which would replace up to three of the four required annual underground mine inspections with mine safety analysis visits and reduce the minimum number of annual full electrical inspections...
Immigration In Hawaii A federal judge in HAWAII temporarily bans an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that would have banned travel into the U.S. by people from six Muslim-majority nations. The Aloha State was one of several that had...
New Jersey Approves AB 3091 The NEW JERSEY Senate approves AB 3091 , which would set the legal age for marriage at 18. The measure, which is intended to prevent forced arranged marriages, moves to Gov. Chris Christie (R) for consideration (NJ.COM)...
Texas Approves HB 62 The TEXAS House approves HB 62 , which would ban Lone Star State motorists from texting while behind the wheel. It needs one more affirmative vote in the House before it can move to the Senate (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN). ...
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) unveiled a seven-part plan last week to implement strict new statewide water quality standards. Inspired by a significant issue with lead contamination in the water supply for the city of Flint, the new Wolverine State standards...
Martinez Vetoes Slew of Bipartisan NM Bills NEW MEXICO Gov. Susana Martinez (R) surprised lawmakers in both parties last week by vetoing without explanation at least nine Senate-sponsored bills, most of which had wide bipartisan support. The vetoes...
With questions about Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election still in the headlines , a number of states are considering legislation to block businesses with foreign ties from contributing to political campaigns. Noncitizens...
In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit invalidated three congressional districts drawn by Texas’ GOP-led Legislature in 2011 on the grounds that the Republican lawmakers intentionally curbed the influence...
IA HOUSE PASSES VOTER ID BILL After 12 hours of debate over two days, IOWA’s Republican-controlled House passed legislation ( HF 516 ) that would require voters to present government-issued identification at the polls. The bill now moves to the...
Despite President Trump’s call for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, at least 15 states, including six governed by Republicans - Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah - are considering raising gas taxes or other fees...
A proposed constitutional amendment that would permanently limit state spending in Iowa was unanimously approved by a Senate subcommittee last week. The bill - SJR 9 , which would limit spending to “the lesser of 99 percent of the adjusted revenue...
With baby boomer retirements diminishing the ranks of California teachers, nearly one in three educators in the state leaving the job within the first seven years, and modest starting salaries doing little to attract people to the fill those positions...
WV SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES TAX REFORM PLAN WEST VIRGINIA’s Select Senate Committee on Reform approved a bill ( SB 335 ) last week that would replace the state’s current 6-percent sales tax with an 8-percent general consumption tax and...
As of 2015, 1,235 of North Carolina’s dams were classified as “high hazard potential” by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the highest number in the nation. Texas had 1,212 dams with that same hazard potential, meaning that a...
As spring arrives in California, scientists and public officials are taking stock of a stormy winter that eased the state’s five-year drought but exposed the vulnerability to age and climate change of the Golden State’s dams, levees, and bridges...
Public relations operations are a little different today than in the past, and failing to take the changes into account could harm your agency or department. Skills that were highly relevant only a few years ago could fail you now, and progress in the...
When Bill C-31 to amend Canada’s Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) goes into effect on June 17, 2017, regulated entities will likely embrace some aspects, such as the amendment to the definition of “signature...
Hunters in Virginia have for years been required to wear a Day-Glo orange vest to make sure their fellow hunters can more easily discern them from Bambi before firing off a few rounds. But if Virginia state Sen. Richard Stuart has his way Old Dominion...
It seemed like such a simple thing. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner offered congrats on Twitter to Chicago music sensation Chance the Rapper for winning a trio of Grammy awards. The rapper said he’d like to meet up with the gov to talk about the city...