Israel, Brazil, United States, Netherlands—companies headquartered in each of these countries settled U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions in 2016 . They weren’t alone; 23 other companies in countries around the world...
On the heels of a generous 2015, charitable giving grew another 4.1 percent in 2016—and those in the know predict 4.3 percent growth in 2017. How can you ensure that your university or nonprofit organization gets a piece of the projected pie? Staying...
Last fall, Gallup announced that its latest polling data revealed a significant decline in the public's trust of media. The 8 percent drop brings the number of people with either a 'great deal' or a 'fair amount' of confidence in mass...
Spinning the truth to suit your own needs is a time honored political tradition. But in our current hyperpartisan world, that spin has turned into a whirlwind that too often spits out downright falsehoods. Such is the case in California, where Assemblymember...
Count California Congressional Rep. Duncan Hunter among those not fond of the House Office of Congressional Ethics. As noted by the San Diego Union-Tribune , that’s because the results of a recent audit of Hunter’s campaign expenditures ended...
Nobody can ever claim that Mark Callahan isn’t persistent. Since 2009 the Oregon Republican has run for numerous offices big and small, from the presidency to a local community college board, some of them many times over. To date, he has won exactly...
A California Assembly committee came together last week to grill state attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra. When it came time for Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican, to pose his questions, he noted that Becerra, a Democrat, was the only...
Business in KY KENTUCKY Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signs a trio of anti-labor measures: HB 1 , so-called “right-to-work” legislation that bars union membership as a requirement for employment; SB 6 , which requires workers to “opt in”...
CA District Court A CALIFORNIA appeals court strikes down a Golden State law requiring prosecutors, rather than secret grand juries, to decide whether a police officer who kills someone should be charged with a crime. The Third District Court of Appeal...
Environment in MI MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs HB 5120 , which requires municipal water systems, upon learning their water has exceeded the federal “action level” for lead, to notify the public within three business days. The previous...
Energy in OH OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) vetoes Substitute House Bill 554 , which would have extended a freeze on renewable-energy standards for the past two years by making them voluntary for 2017 and 2018 (CLEVELAND PLAIN-DEALER).
Health In DC A federal court issues a ruling ending court supervision over the District of Columbia’s care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle concludes a 40-year class...
Social Policy in KY KENTUCKY Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signs HB 2 , a bill requiring women to obtain an ultrasound prior to proceeding with an abortion and for images from that procedure to be shown to the mother. The American Civil Liberties Union quickly...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) chose a highly unorthodox format for his annual State of the State address this year: forsaking a speech made to lawmakers in favor of a weeklong statewide tour in which he presented his agenda to audiences in six different...
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) notified federal officials of his intention to expand Medicaid in the Tar Heel State, setting up a potential legal battle with the GOP-dominated General Assembly. Republicans contend that a 2013 state law specifically...
Saying “Our children are dying,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) vowed during his last State of the State speech to focus his attention this year on battling drug addiction in the Garden State. Christie unveiled a number of proposals...
Ducey Seeks to Repeal AZ Welfare Limit : Just six months into a new policy that limits welfare recipients to no more than a year on public assistance, ARIZONA Gov. Rob Ducey (R) proposed last week returning to the previous limit of two years. The one...
Republicans won control of a few more governors’ offices and state legislative chambers in November, giving them command of both branches of the government in states where Democrats had previously maintained footholds, including Iowa, Kentucky,...
The U.S. Supreme Court put on hold a court-ordered legislative redistricting and special election in North Carolina while it considers an appeal from Republican lawmakers in the state to keep the current districts in place through at least 2018. ...
VA Senate Remains in GOP Control: Republicans maintained control of the VIRGINIA Senate after special elections last week to replace two members elected to Congress in November. Democrat Jennifer L. McClellan defeated Libertarian Corey Maurice Fauconier...
A weekly newsletter from the city manager of Pasadena, California in September included a memo from the city’s director of finance indicating that, effective Jan. 1, the 9 percent utility tax approved by voters in 2008 would apply to video streaming...
Four years ago, in presenting his proposed budget for 2013-14, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) declared that the state had finally ended its cycle of chronic multi-billion-dollar budget deficits. “For the next four years we are talking about...
For the past several years states have been pretty good about saving money for a rainy day. Most have restored their cash reserves to pre-Great Recession levels, and 13 have actually socked away twice as much money, a notable achievement considering the...
KS Gov Proposes Budget: KANSAS Gov. Sam Brownback (R) has proposed a budget calling for tax increases, borrowing and the use of one-time sources - but not the repeal of the so-called LLC loophole exempting over 330,000 farmers and business owners from...
California and New York are “emerging as the East and West Coast headquarters” of the Democratic resistance to immigration and other policies proposed by Republican President-elect Donald Trump that are opposed by progressives, according to...