Just over a week after legislative district maps drawn by North Carolina’s GOP-controlled General Assembly were declared unconstitutional by a judicial panel , there was more political controversy in the state last week over a budget veto override...
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling this year in Rucho v. Common Cause slammed the door on partisan gerrymandering claims under the U.S. Constitution. In his opinion for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts maintained that it wasn’t possible...
GOP WINS SPECIAL ELECTION IN NC Republican Dan Bishop defeated Democrat Dan McCready 50.7 percent to 48.7 percent in a special election last week in NORTH CAROLINA's 9th Congressional District. The election, which was called due to allegations...
Calling the rise in vaping-related illnesses “a frightening public health phenomenon,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) proposed legislation to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the Empire State. “Common sense says if you...
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) warned lawmakers planning another attempt at legalizing industrial hemp that a new bill will meet the same fate as this year’s bill: a veto. In her veto statement for HB 1191 last March, Noem said “There...
VA GOV VOWS END TO LAWSUITS AGAINST PATIENTS VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said he would work with University of Virginia James Ryan to end the widespread practice of aggressively pursuing former patients for unpaid medical bills. A recent investigation...
Sponsor of California SB 51 Pulls Bill The sponsor of CALIFORNIA SB 51 , a bill that would allow banks and credit unions to do limited business with legal cannabis companies, pulls the measure before it can come up for a vote, turning it into a two...
California Governor Signs SB 419 CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs SB 419 , which permanently prohibits willful defiance suspensions in grades four and five and bans such suspensions in grades six through eight for five years. The measure takes...
California Assembly Gives Final Approval to AB 342 The CALIFORNIA Assembly gives final approval to AB 342 , which would bar new oil and gas wells in national parks and other protected areas in the Golden State. It moves to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who...
California Governor Signs SB 276 and SB 714 CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs two vaccine-related measures: SB 276 , which would allow the state to investigate doctors who grant more than five medical vaccine exemptions in a single year, and SB...
California Assembly Gives Final Approval to AB 589 The CALIFORNIA Assembly gives final approval to AB 589 , which makes it a crime for an employer to confiscate a worker’s immigration documents as a way to force them into labor. The measure,...
Federal Judge In North Dakota Blocks State Law A federal judge in NORTH DAKOTA blocks a state law enacted earlier this year that required physicians to tell women they may reverse a so-called medication abortion if they have second thoughts. State...
California Senate Gives Final Approval to SB 330 The CALIFORNIA Senate gives final approval to SB 330 , which would temporarily ban cities from imposing a moratorium on new housing construction, prohibit the changing of local zoning laws to outlaw...
Things at the California Capitol have been anything but peaceful of late, with controversial legislation dealing with the gig economy, rent control and vaccinations ensuring that folks on all sides have made their presence felt every day. Loudly felt...
Some folks leave quietly; others go with both middle fingers flying. Put Jennifer Kent, director of the state Department of Health Care Services, in the latter group. I should say former director, as Kent recently announced she was leaving her post. And...
Riders on the Boston subway might have done a double take last week at the site of the tall, distinguished guy who looked a lot like the governor. But why would he be on the T? Doesn’t he have a car and a driver to shuttle him about town? Yes, he...
This year more than 70 state and local governments have been targeted by hackers that have locked up their computer systems and demanded ransoms to release them. A majority of states have taken legislative action in recent years to protect data held by...
At least 37 states have introduced legislation this year dealing with the cybersecurity of government agencies, 24 of which have enacted such measures, according to information from the National Conference of State Legislatures and LexisNexis State Net...
Minnesota’s labor market is in pretty good shape right now. The state’s unemployment rate is hovering around 3.4 percent. And with nearly 70 percent of working-age residents employed or looking for jobs, employers have a decent labor pool...
FEDERAL RULE COULD END FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR 33,000 IN CO A newly proposed federal rule would cut off food assistance for 33,000 COLORADO residents, including about 11,000 children. The state currently allows those earning up to twice the federal poverty...
A group called Voter Choice Massachusetts has proposed a ballot measure for the state’s 2020 election that would replace the state’s current winner-take-all election system with a ranked-choice system. Under a ranked-choice system, voters...
A three-judge panel consisting of two Democrats and one Republican unanimously ruled last week that legislative district maps drawn by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly in 2017 - to replace maps drawn in 2011 that were struck...
UNION MEMBERSHIP WAY DOWN IN WI An annual labor report from the University of WISCONSIN -Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) indicates that union membership in the state has declined by 53.9 percent since 2011, three times the 14.9...
With the legislative session winding down, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has been steadily working behind the scenes to broker deals on a number of high-impact measures lawmakers are close to sending to his desk. After negotiating a deal between...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) was joined last week by six former top state housing officials from thee different gubernatorial administrations in urging Bay State lawmakers to pass a bill before the end of the year to stimulate housing production...