Twenty-two states are in full compliance with the driver’s license security standards set by the federal Real ID Act of 2005, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to Jan. 8 of this year, 23 states were granted extensions, allowing...
The Supreme Court of the United States strikes down part of FLORIDA’s death penalty law, saying it violates the constitutional rights of criminal defendants by allowing judges to find aggravating factors that determine whether a defendant is eligible...
“Federalism” is the all-purpose word used to describe the complex relationship between the federal government and the states. As the United States enters an election year in which the role of government is a central issue, federalism is showing...
On his first day in office, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed Executive Order NO. JBE 16-01, expanding Medicaid to cover an additional 300,000 Pelican State residents. Louisiana became the 31 st state overall – and the first in the deep...
A bipartisan group of New York lawmakers, led by Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda (D), are pushing for legislation to allow voters to recall elected officials, something nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently do, according to the National Conference...
There’s a new sheriff in town in St. Paul, and she’s pretty fond of chew toys and belly rubs. As the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis reports , state officials have ramped up security for the Capitol by welcoming Matka, a Hungarian Vizsla fresh...
Atlantic City was once the nation’s second-largest gambling market. But that industry and the city’s financial health have crumbled in recent years as newer casinos in New York and Pennsylvania have lured daytrip gamblers away. In 2011...
The NEW JERSEY Senate approves SB 2617, legislation that would allow environmental and research groups to establish oyster colonies in polluted waters as long as the colonies are invisible to and not easily accessible by the public. It moves to Gov. Chris...
No Impeachment for LePage Democrats in the MAINE House rejected an effort last week to launch possible impeachment proceedings against Gov. Paul LePage (R). Lawmakers instead endorsed a resolution that extols the virtues of statesmanship and working...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) proposed a $122.6 billion General Fund budget for 2016-17 that balances fiscal restraint with increased investment in government services cut during the recession. Among other things, the plan includes a new $1.1 billion...
The MASSACHUSETTS House unanimously approves HB 3944, legislation that would among several things give doctors a 24-hour window to conduct a substance abuse evaluation on patients who enter an emergency room showing symptoms of an opioid overdose. They...
Chicago to Consider Airbnb fee Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed an ordinance that would impose a 2-percent surcharge on home-sharing and vacation rentals like those offered through services like Airbnb and VRBO. The proposal also seeks to require...
A federal judge extends until March her order blocking ARKANSAS from enforcing a law that limits how the so-called abortion pill mifepristone is administered. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker blocks enforcement of the law, which requires...
The NEW JERSEY Assembly approves SB 3249, which would require Garden State gun shop owners to stock so-called “smart guns” that can only be fired by their owners. The measure moves to Gov. Chris Christie (R), who has indicated he will likely...
Revolving-door Bill on Move in MO A MISSOURI House panel unanimously approved a measure that would bar lawmakers, state officials and gubernatorial appointees from working as a lobbyist for one year after leaving office. The ban would not apply to...
Would you set sail with your family without reassuring yourself that the boat is well-equipped to reach your destination safely? Probably not. Yet, time and again, we see proof that companies voyage into the global business operations with a limited view...
The environment has consistently been a hot topic, but at the end of 2015, it dominated headlines for weeks due to unusually warm temperatures in some places and extremely cold weather conditions in other parts of the United States. From tornadoes to...
Information technology pioneer Mitchell Kapor once said, “Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hose.” As an information consumer, you are probably nodding your head in agreement right now. Yet, your job depends...
If you thought presidential candidate Carly Fiorina was a terrible CEO, well, you are right. But it turns out she is even worse at 1) football prognostication and 2) social media. The hubbub started on New Year’s Day when Fiorina took to Twitter...
MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs HB 3922, which extends a Bay State law that requires 35 percent of employees eligible for a group home or auto insurance marketing discount, or credit, to participate in that plan within two years of the plan...
Decrying a “sea of dilapidated buildings” that have become “a hotbed for crime,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced an almost $700 million plan last week to tear down thousands of abandoned buildings in Baltimore’s decaying...
Oregon became the first state to conduct elections entirely by mail with a voter-approved initiative (Measure 60) in 1998. Washington made the switch via legislative action in 2011. And Colorado followed suit in 2014. The nation’s most populous...
By most measures, lawyer, real estate mogul and venture capitalist John Cox is a success. But when it comes to politics, the self-described “Reagan Republican” has had few signature moments. Since 2002 Cox has run for the U.S. House of Representatives...
It took Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and the state’s lawmakers until the end of December - six months into the current fiscal year - to approve a state budget. It was only a partial budget at that, with Wolf’s line-item vetoes leaving major...
Among the state laws taking effect this year are new gun restrictions in California tightening that state’s existing ban on firearms on school grounds and allowing individuals to request the temporary seizure of weapons from relatives who may pose...