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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...
Last week in our Bird’s eye view section we incorrectly identified Illinois as a state that had introduced new motor vehicle event data recorder or so-called “black box” legislation in 2015. The EDR legislation in IL was actually introduced...
Although the general public has barely even heard of it, the so-called Internet of Things has dominated talk in tech circles for years. Now lawmakers in both statehouses and Congress are getting involved, too. In case you missed it, the story can...
In every state in America it is the responsibility of the governor to present lawmakers with a balanced budget proposal, after which said pols spend weeks or months in their own legislative cage match parrying and thrusting until enough of them agree...
Here are some of the topics you may see covered in upcoming issues of the State Net Capitol Journal: - Common Core - State worker exodus - Legalizing pot
Moving quickly to act on a campaign pledge, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) began dismantling predecessor Gov. Tom Corbett’s (R) private-option “Healthy PA” in favor of extending traditional Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of newly...
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) issued an executive order last week absolving public employees who decline to join a union from having to pay fees that support union activities like collective bargaining. State law currently allows state workers to opt...
Motorists across the country have welcomed the more than 50 percent drop in oil prices since last summer, from over $100 a barrel in June to $50 this month. But the same can’t be said for state governments. The collapse in oil prices is creating...
While it might sound like an oxymoron to some, political ethics remains one of the top issues in many statehouses this year. For instance, as the Missouri political blog PoliticMO.com reports, the Missouri Senate last week endorsed a bill that would require...
L awmakers in 43 states enacted 171 laws and 117 resolutions related to immigration last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California was the most active state on the issue, enacting 28 resolutions and 26 laws, including...
With national immigration reform stymied by partisan division, several states have extended privileges associated with U.S. citizenship to millions of unauthorized immigrants. At the same time states are leading the legal charge against President Obama’s...
The SOUTH DAKOTA Senate Commerce and Energy Committee rejects SB 156 legislation that would have required business owners to offer workers one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work. The measure’s author said she will consider reintroducing...
The week in session States in Regular Session: States in Informal Session: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, US, UT, VA,...
In The Hopper Number of 2015 Prefiles last week: 616 Number of Intros last week: 9,466 Number of Enacted/Adopted last week: 732 Number of 2015 Prefiles to date: 15,077 Number of 2015 Intros to date: 59,145 Number of...
(02/06/2015 - 02/27/2015) 02/10/2015 Arkansas Runoff Senate District 16 Florida Special Primary House District 64 Iowa Special Election House District 23 02/17/2015 Florida Special Election House District 13 ...
Saying it will save the state $6 million dollars a year, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) announced plans to expand Medicaid coverage to around 41,000 more Last Frontier State residents. Walker said doing so would do good well beyond helping the state’s...
Several states are investigating a major cyberattack on the nation’s No. 2 health insurer, Anthem Inc., which the company disclosed this month. The company said hackers accessed a database and stole personal information about tens of millions of...
Speaking of fiscal responsibility, somebody in the North Carolina Legislature has some explaining to do. As the Fayetteville Observer reports, the General Assembly website went offline last week, creating a fair amount of havoc for the lobbyists, reporters...
Online travel website Expedia has run up one hell of a hotel tab, according to Hawaii and scores of cities and counties across the nation. Dozens of lawsuits filed by the state and local governments allege Expedia has shortchanged them by more than $800...
The University of CALIFORNIA announces it will now require all students to be vaccinated for measles, mumps, chicken pox, rubella, tetanus, meningococcus and whopping cough. The program will be phased in over three years before taking full effect in 2017...
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) called last week for major drug sentencing reforms, including reclassifying several nonviolent offenses as misdemeanors and eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for narcotics possession. The proposal would also...
Six MARYLAND House members have announced the formation of the Maryland Latino Legislative Caucus to represent the interests of the state’s fastest-growing demographic group (WASHINGTON POST). * ARKANSAS lawmakers are considering abolishing the...
If you’re one of them public nudie types, or even just a woman who likes the comfort of going about her business in form-fitting yoga pants, Montana Rep. David Moore is coming after you. As the Billings Gazette reports, Moore has introduced a bill...
The ALABAMA Law Enforcement Agency raised the renewal fee for operational driver's licenses by 54 percent, from $23.50 to $36.25, last week. The increase was made in an effort to increase efficiency in the ALEA, a new agency created as part of an...