It’s one thing to be abrasive and snarky; it’s another to do it in the public realm where said obnoxiousness can very quickly come bite you on the backside. Today’s case in point comes from Wisconsin, where the new social media manager...
Georgia Approves SB 36 The GEORGIA Senate approves SB 36, a bill that would renew a Peach State law that bars the injection of chemically-treated waste, surface or ground water into an aquifer with the intent to withdraw it later. The bill moves to...
Dancing shouldn’t be complicated. Well, good dancing is actually really complicated but that’s beside the point. What is pertinent is that if you are in a bar or anywhere else that serves alcohol on the Hawaiian island of Maui, there is no...
Georgia Passes SB 185 The GEORGIA House passes SB 185, legislation that would legalize the use of cannabis oil for people with seizure disorders, cancer and seven other medical diagnoses. It moves to the House (BND.COM). Mississippi Approves HB...
Oregon Approves HB 2307 The OREGON House approves HB 2307, which would ban the use of so-called “gay conversion” therapy on minors. The bill moves now to the Senate (OREGONLIVE.COM). SB 296 Signed in Utah UTAH Gov. Gary Herbert (R...
Arkansas Reviews Child Welfare In the wake of a state lawmaker’s admission he “re-homed” his two adopted daughters with a man who later sexually assaulted them, ARKANSAS Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) last week ordered a review of the state’s...
Internet Sales Tax Re-Introduced In Senate The Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA), which would allow states to levy sales taxes on Internet transactions, has been re-introduced in the U.S. Senate. The MFA was approved by the previous, Democrat-controlled...
The NEW MEXICO Senate approves a bill that would put the Land of Enchantment on permanent daylight savings time. The measure has moved to the House (ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL).
Social Policy In CO Authors of so-called “right to die” legislation in COLORADO pull HB 1054 from consideration, saying they lack the votes to get it passed. The Centennial State was vying to become the fifth state to adopt such legislation...
Editor: Rich Ehisen Associate Editor: Korey Clark Contributing Editor: Mary Peck, David Giusti Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Lauren Davis (MA), Steve Karas (CA) and Ben Livingood (PA), Cathy Santsche (CA), Dena Blodgett...
Government watchers have been predicting an imminent public employment crisis for over a decade. Although that crisis has yet to fully materialize, the factors contributing to the dire predictions are still very much in play. In case you missed...
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has made no bones about his skepticism of global climate change. But as reported by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting , Scott wants everyone else in Sunshine State government to take the same view. According to FCIR...
Here are some of the topics you may see covered in upcoming issues of the State Net Capitol Journal: - Right to Try - Biosimilars - Legalizing pot
(03/13/2015 - 04/03/2015) 03/24/2015 Pennsylvania Special Election House District 170 03/28/2015 Louisiana Special Runoff House District 66 03/31/2015 Massachusetts Special Election House Districts 1st Suffolk and 11th...
The week in session States in Regular Session: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, US...
In The Hopper Number of 2015 Prefiles last week: 307 Number of Intros last week: 5,193 Number of Enacted/Adopted last week: 1,039 Number of 2015 Prefiles to date: 17,544 Number of 2015 Intros to date: 85,362 Number...
Utah Approves HB 415 The UTAH House approves HB 415, a bill that would require retailers to obtain a license in order to sell electronic cigarette products and outline criminal penalties for vendors who violate those requirements. It moves to the Senate...
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s (D) proposal to expand Medicaid came to a quick demise last week. The measure, which would have extended health benefits to about 70,000 working poor in the Treasure State, died in the House after the Human Services...
A bill spiritedly debated before the Texas Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee last week would prohibit cities from passing laws forcing landlords to accept federal housing vouchers. Opponents of the bill, SB 267, which was spurred by a local...
Under Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) proposed budget, nonprofits in the state would lose their exemption from local property taxes. LePage’s plan is to lower the state income tax from 7.95 percent to 5.75 percent and raise the sales tax from...
Sixteen states have introduced bills this year dealing with prohibitions against labor contracts requiring workers to pay union dues or other fees as a condition of employment, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ labor union...
With voter apathy at an all-time high, Rhode Island officials may have hit on the ultimate enticement to get folks to actually participate in their own governance: baked goods! That’s right, as the Providence Journal reports, the Ocean State Senate...
Buoyed by hefty legislative majorities, Republicans in several states are pushing hard for right-to-work laws and other anti-union legislation. Democrats and their labor allies are pushing back, both in the legislatures and the courts. The GOP marked...
Utah Approves HB 11 The UTAH Senate approves HB 11, a bill that authorizes the use of a firing squad to carry out executions in the Beehive State if the drug cocktail necessary for lethal injection is not available at least 30 days before a scheduled...
Last Monday the Missouri Supreme Court announced it would be taking the “extraordinary action” of reassigning all municipal court cases in Ferguson to the circuit court. The high court said in a press release it was undertaking that action...