Illinois Approves SB 1502 The ILLINOIS Senate approves SB 1502 , a measure that would require online companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon to disclose to consumers what data about them has been collected and shared with third parties. It is...
Crime In New York The NEW YORK State Court of Appeals unanimously upholds a policy implemented by the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that allows the state Department of Motor Vehicles to permanently revoke driving privileges for repeat drunk...
Texas Approves Senate Bill 7 The TEXAS House approves Senate Bill 7 , which would require principals and superintendents to report teachers having inappropriate relationships with students or face a state jail felony or a fine of up to $10,000. It...
Connecticut Approves HB 6329 The CONNECTICUT House approves HB 6329 , which would permanently ban the storage of fracking waste in the Constitution State. It moves to the Senate (HARTFORD COURANT).
Florida Amended HB 1397 The FLORIDA Senate declines to hear an amended version of HB 1397 , which would have created rules for the Sunshine State’s nascent medical marijuana industry, killing the measure for the year. Rules to regulate the medical...
Texas Approves SB 1018 The TEXAS Senate approves SB 1018 , legislation that would make it easier for the state to license privately run detention centers as “family residential centers” in order to hold immigrant families in detention centers...
Texas Approves HB 3859 The TEXAS House approves HB 3859 , which would allow foster care and adoption agencies to refuse to place children with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender households over religious objections. It moves to the Senate (AUSTIN...
Iowa Signs SB 489 IOWA Gov. Terry Branstad (R) signs SB 489 , legislation legalizing the sale and use of consumer fireworks in the Hawkeye State, but only during the periods around the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve (CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE)...
Citing data showing that people living in manufactured homes in Ohio are far more likely to die in a fire than those living in other dwellings, Gov. John Kasich (R) is urging lawmakers to give the Buckeye State direct oversight of the industry. That oversight...
President Donald Trump named Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) to a commission tasked with tackling the nation’s ongoing opioid abuse epidemic. The commission will be chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie...
Christie Vetoes Pension Bill Deriding it as handing out “a blank check,” NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) conditionally vetoed legislation ( SB 3040 ) that would have allowed Garden State police and firefighters to take control over their...
By the time California held its primary election on June 7 last year, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were already their parties’ presumptive nominees. But under a pair of bills passed by their respective chambers of origin, the state would hold...
For decades California has banned members of the Communist Party from working in its government. But that could change under a bill ( AB 22 ) passed by the state’s Assembly this month providing for the removal of references to the party from requirements...
Congress Blocks State Retirement Plans Congress voted to eliminate an Obama-administration rule removing regulatory hurdles obstructing states from creating retirement programs for workers who don’t have access to retirement plans through their...
For the past couple of years, taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks have been on a roll. In November 2014 Berkeley, California became the first city to pass such a tax. And that levy’s dual benefit of raising new revenue while reducing the consumption...
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe (D) has proposed an unconventional way to reduce Medicaid spending in his state, which could become a necessity if Congress succeeds in repealing the Affordable Care Act: raising the state’s minimum wage. His administration...
Last week Nebraska Sens. Steve Erdman (R) and Joni Albrecht (R) proposed amendments to an $8.9 billion budget package under consideration in their chamber and then withdrew them before they could be voted on. Erdman’s amendment would have kept all...
GA Gov Signs Rural Investment Tax Credit Bill GEORGIA Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed legislation ( SB 133 ) providing $60 million in tax credits for companies that invest in businesses in rural areas. The measure has been both criticized as a handout...
Drivers in southern states used their cell phones more than those in the rest of the country between April 2016 and March 2017, according to data collected on the 2.7 million car trips taken and 230 million miles driven by users of online insurance marketplace...
The number of deadly crashes on U.S. roadways increased more in the last two years than in any other two-year period over the last half century, due at least in part to distracted driving. The surge in accidents is driving up auto insurance rates across...
After three years of negotiations, the European Parliament—and subsequently the EU’s Council—approved a new regulation requiring importers of certain minerals from conflict-affected countries to meet supply chain due diligence requirements...
April 29, 2017 marked the 100 th day of Donald Trump’s Presidency. Since taking office, Trump has signed 24 executive orders, 22 presidential memoranda, 20 presidential proclamations, and 28 bills. But how much of his work has made a difference...
F ictional detective Sherlock Holmes is frequently quoted in forums and blogs related to competitive intelligence (CI). After all, he was obsessed with data. In The Boscombe Valley Mystery, for example, Holmes says, “You know my method. It is founded...
For three decades ferret lovers have been trying to get California lawmakers and regulators to overturn a law that bans folks from owning ferrets. For the uninformed, ferrets are a member of the weasel family and bear a strong connection to the European...
As LexisNexis State Net notes, each state sends anywhere from hundreds to thousands of bills to the governor each year for consideration. For the 2017 session, LNSN estimates California will ponder 2,900 bills , almost five times the 600 we estimate Delaware...