Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s (R) proposed private-option Medicaid expansion (SB 164) got a major boost last week when the Republican-controlled Beehive State Senate gave the plan its endorsement. The two-year pilot program, dubbed “Healthy...
On February 19, almost a month after being accused of receiving $4 million in payments and kickbacks disguised as legal fees, former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts: mail fraud, wire fraud...
Republican- and Democrat-dominated states are polls apart on most issues. But there appears to be some agreement about the need for tax cuts for low- and middle-income taxpayers, although there’s still a difference of opinion about how to provide...
Every state requires children to be vaccinated against certain diseases. But all 50 states grant exemptions from those vaccination mandates for medical reasons. All but two grant exemptions for religious reasons. And 20 grant exemptions for moral or other...
States have long had a tortured relationship with legal requirements that children be vaccinated against contagious diseases such as measles and mumps before entering school. Every state requires such vaccinations, but all also allow exemptions for medical...
Speaking of challenges, new Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has one for you -- self-esteem. Yes, when given his chance to answer Bartiromo’s question, Wolf opined that what Keystone Staters could really use most is a little personal pep talk to make...
The GEORGIA Senate approves SB 72, a bill that would impose fines and jail time on anyone who harms or kills a police dog, horse or other animals used in the line of duty by Peach State law enforcement. Under the measure, perpetrators could face fines...
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) has unveiled a three-pronged plan to reduce prison overcrowding in the Razorback State. The proposal he released on Feb 18 th would include adding almost 800 new prison beds, hiring new parole and probation officers and...
Nevada Sen. James Settlemeyer (R) introduced a bill last month that would require voters to show a driver’s license or other form of government-issued ID before casting a ballot. The bill, SB 169, would also require the state’s Department...
Almost half of the states mandate higher copayments for emergency-department (ED) visits by Medicaid recipients to try to discourage them from making unnecessary -- and costly -- trips to the ED. But a 2013 study published in the Journal of the American...
By a narrow margin, the Virginia Senate last week rejected HB 1573, a proposal that would have required the state Attorney General to defend any state laws that are challenged on constitutional grounds. The measure was aimed at current AG Mark Herring...
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) is filing a lawsuit against United Parcel Service for allegedly delivering nearly 700,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes in the state between 2010 and 2014. The $180-mllion lawsuit claims UPS shipped...
Baker and Wolf weren’t the only ones capable of drawing a laugh at the NGA winter meeting. After a presentation by famed New York City restauranteur Danny Meyer, the govs got a chance to hit him with some questions. While most focused on Meyer’s...
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) says he has high expectations for the commission he put together to delve into the aftermath of the often-violent protests in Ferguson last summer after an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer...
Three months after California voters approved Proposition 47, a ballot measure that reduced many drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, some law enforcement officials said the law is responsible for a dramatic decline in the number of...
A bill increasing IOWA’s tax on gas and diesel fuel by 10 cents per gallon was on its way to Gov. Terry Branstad’s (R) desk last week, having been approved by lawmakers the week before. If signed by the governor as expected, SB 257 would constitute...
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was a hot item at this year’s NGA meeting, drawing big crowds of reporters virtually everywhere he went. Being a prime presidential candidate will do that for you. But someone needs to tell him to lay off the selfies...
The MAINE Department of Education announces it will not give Pine Tree State schools A-F letter grades this year. Officials said the reason for the action was that students are taking a new assessment test and the state will not have enough data to measure...
While acknowledging that it is rare for public employees to look at porn while at work or while using a stet electronic device, MAINE Gov. Paul LePage (R) issued Executive Order 2015-002, which bans them from doing so (STATE NET). * The administration...
MICHIGAN government computer systems are hit by about 730,000 cyberattacks -- ranging from spam to malicious bots -- each day, up from 540,000 a year ago, according to David Behen, director of the state’s Department of Technology, Management and...
President Barack Obama vetoes a bill that would have authorized the building of the Keystone Pipeline, a transfer line that would carry crude oil from wells in Canada south across the U.S. to refineries in TEXAS and ILLINOIS (GOVERNING).
The NORTH DAKOTA House Human Services Committee rejects HB 1430, a bill that would have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana in the Flickertail State (GRAND FORKS HERALD). * The GEORGIA Senate approves SB 51, a bill that creates rules for pharmacists...
The UTAH Senate unanimously approves SB 184, which would require unauthorized immigrants seeking a “driving privilege” card to first undergo a nationwide FBI background check. The measure moves to the House (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE).
The WEST VIRGINIA Senate approves HB 2568, legislation that would ban abortions after a woman has reached the 20 th week of pregnancy. The measure moves to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D), who vetoed a similar bill last year (WEST VIRGINIA METRO NEWS NETWORK...
The UTAH Senate unanimously approves HB 147, which requires first-time drivers to take an online driving test after they take and pass a driver’s training class. The test would be in addition to an in-person test drivers take before receiving a...