Business In Indiana The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay and lesbian employees from workplace discrimination, the first time a federal appellate court has come to that conclusion. The ruling from the...
Alabama Approves HB 36 The ALABAMA House approves HB 36 , which would extend the Heart of Dixie’s so-called “stand your ground” law, which allows people to use deadly force to defend themselves, to include churches. It moves to the...
North Dakota Approves HB 1275 The NORTH DAKOTA Senate approves HB 1275 , a bill that says a student of a public or nonpublic school can't be prohibited from voluntarily participating in any “student-initiated prayer” at an athletic...
Maryland Signs HB 1325 MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signs HB 1325 , which makes the Old Line State the third to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking (BALTIMORE SUN).
Kansas Vetoes HB 2044 The KANSAS House fails to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) veto of HB 2044 , which would have expanded Medicaid in the Sunflower State to include people with incomes at 133 percent of the poverty line (KANSAS CITY STAR...
California Approves SB 54 The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 54 , so-called “sanctuary state” legislation that would bar state and local law enforcement from using their resources to assist federal officials in immigration enforcement. The...
Social Policy In Indiana A federal judge strikes down an INDIANA law that required women to undergo an ultrasound at least 18 hours prior to an abortion. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said the law would “place an undue burden”...
South Carolina Approves HB 3930 The SOUTH CAROLINA House approves HB 3930 , which would allow Palmetto State residents to carry a gun, openly or concealed, without obtaining a state permit. It moves to the Senate (POST & COURIER [CHARLESTON])....
Governors from the four states that have legalized recreational marijuana use asked the Trump administration last week to keep in place federal marijuana policies that have served as the foundation for legalization efforts in their states. In a letter...
After President Donald Trump’s effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, fell flat in Congress last month Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said Republican lawmakers were out of excuses for not joining 31 other...
Overcoming claims that he no longer has the political clout to sway lawmakers, CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) earned a huge victory last week as Golden State lawmakers endorsed his proposal to raise the state gasoline and vehicle licensing taxes to raise...
Baker Tries Again on MA Police Assault Bill After lawmakers killed a similar proposal last session, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) refiled legislation last week that would make it a felony to assault and cause serious bodily harm to a police...
In a direct challenge to the immigration policies of President Donald Trump, California’s Democrat-controlled Senate passed a bill ( SB 54 ) along party lines last week that would “prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies, including...
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a New Hampshire law prohibiting voters from taking “selfies” with their ballots on Election Day. The state passed the ban in 2014 out of concern that such photos could open the door...
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking a Seattle law - the first of its kind in the nation - allowing Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers to unionize and collectively bargain for pay, benefits and working conditions. The law...
VOTE-BY-MAIL ADVANCES IN HI Two HAWAII Senate committees unanimously approved an amended version of a bill ( HB 1401 ) already passed by the House that would institute voting by mail throughout the state by 2020. But supporters fear even if the Senate...
The same distress over the disappearance of jobs in rural communities that helped drive the successful presidential campaign of Donald Trump is leading some states to turn to a complex economic development approach that hasn’t lived up to its advocates’...
A bill ( SB 267 ) introduced in Colorado last month would allocate $300 million for road projects in rural counties, $400 million for rural school districts and millions of dollars for rural hospitals that serve large numbers of Medicaid participants...
NY PASSES BUDGET EXTENSION NEW YORK lawmakers approved a budget extension that will keep the state government operating through the next fiscal year as well as provide nearly $1.8 billion for economic development projects favored by Gov. Andrew Cuomo...
Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office in 24 states, while Democrats hold that level of control over the government in just seven. Control of the legislative and executive branch is split between the two parties...
Late last year, after Republican Gov. Pat McCrory (R) became the only incumbent governor ever to lose a reelection bid in North Carolina, the state’s GOP-led General Assembly passed legislation restricting appointment powers of Democratic Gov.-elect...
Last month, the inaugural Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) was launched. The Benchmark analysed 98 of the Global 500 largest publicly listed companies on their human rights performance. In this blog, we give insight into the results of the first...
Two years ago, the United Nations set 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to “end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all” by 2030. This astounding effort, led by 193 countries, encourages organizations and citizens...
Keeping your brand's reputation intact is your primary duty as a public relations professional in 2017. Being ready for crises is an essential element of this kind of brand image protection. When an organization implements a major change in the way...
Rare is the day some lawmaker somewhere doesn’t invoke their religion as cause for opposing or supporting a bill. But as my religious friends will tell you, if you have God then you also have to have Satan, and Old Ned is definitely looking to make...