If you were looking for Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo last Monday, you needed to ditch the shoes first. That’s because, as CBS News reports, she opted to hold her usual Monday office hours at the beach. It was just the first of what Raimondo plans to be a regular Monday occurrence around Ocean State beaches. She kicked things off by signing an executive order to create a task force to come up with ways to reduce the appalling growth of plastic garbage that pollutes the state’s beaches and waterways. Now if she could only do something about making old, fat dudes stop wearing skimpy bikini-style bathing suits, we’d all appreciate it.
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 179, which will require the state to offer a gender-neutral option on state documents for those who are transgender, intersex and others who do not identify as male or female (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
U.S. Senate Republicans abandoned their last-ditch effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last week ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to do so with a simple majority of 50 votes. That decision came after U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and John McCain (R-Arizona) in opposing the plan authored by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), leaving the GOP one vote short of the 50-vote threshold.
Collins announced her opposition to the bill just minutes after the Congressional Budget Office released a report projecting that millions of Americans would lose insurance coverage if it became law and despite last-minute changes to the measure that would have sent more money to Collins’ home state and that of fellow centrist U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
“Obviously this was an issue to which I’ve given a great deal of thought because there are many problems in the Affordable Care Act that do need to be fixed. However it was clear to me that the Graham-Cassidy bill was not the answer,” Collins said.
Bipartisan negotiations on a plan to address those problems could now resume, and some congressional Republicans have expressed support for that course of action.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida), who represents a swing district in his state, said, “I think the time for partisan health-care reform has passed, and we should focus on a bipartisan package that provides some regulatory relief” and “guarantees [cost-sharing subsidies] for the most vulnerable people.”
But other Republicans aren’t similarly inclined.
“I personally think it’s time for the American people to see what the Democrats have done to them on health care,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). “They’re going to find they can’t pay for it, they’re going to find that it doesn’t work.... Now that will make it tough on everybody. Maybe that’s what it takes to wise people up.” (HILL, NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, BANGOR DAILY NEWS, ABC NEWS)
Since the passing of former First Dog and national celebrity Sutter Brown in 2016, current First Dog Colusa has been a tad lonely. But no more! California Gov. Jerry Brown reported last week that Colusa has a new buddy, a poodle and Border collie mix appropriately named Cali. The newbie pooch even has an official title, Deputy First Dog, and official duties that include “assisting the First Dog in herding staff at the State Capitol and lending a paw around the family ranch in Colusa County.” We’re sure that somewhere across that old Rainbow Bridge, Sutter is woofing his approval.
The NEW YORK City Council votes to stop issuing licenses for most for-hire driving services for one year while the Taxi & Limousine Commission studies the impact of the vehicles on the city's streets, whether their total number should ultimately be capped, and whether to regulate how often the vehicles are allowed to drive without passengers, which helps reduce wait times compared to dispatching from a base (NEW YORK TIMES).
-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN
Utah legislators are pondering doing away with the Beehive State’s so-called “porn czar,” officially known as the “obscenity and pornography complaints ombudsman.” The state made big news in 2000 when it created the position as a way to give local governments some state-level legal help in battling against anything it considered smutty. Alas, budget cuts essentially killed the position just a few years later, though the law creating it still remains on the books. But don’t say so long just yet. As the Salt Lake Tribune reports, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Todd Weiler wants to revive the ombudsman position with a scope beyond just porn. Perhaps, but he also says his motivation comes from a new Cosmopolitan magazine ad campaign some folks call obscene. Proving once again that everything old eventually becomes new again.
-- By RICH EHISEN
Across the nation, prison inmates or their families have been suing states for the heat conditions in their un-air-conditioned cells that they say violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. States have argued they simply can’t afford to air-condition their prisons, but nonetheless several cases have been decided in the prisoners’ favor.
Still, no legal standard has been established for what temperature constitutes an infringement mandating remedial action. Some legal experts, however, say that could soon change because of global warming.
“I think there’s a real possibility that the law will move in that direction,” said Michael Gerrard, a professor at Columbia Law School who oversaw a recent report on climate change and the corrections system. “But I think it’s going to require extensive legal advocacy efforts by lawyers around the country.” (GOVERNING, COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL)
A whopping 84 GOP freshmen were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, many of them part of the historic Tea Party wave that promised to change how things were done in stodgy old, gridlocked D.C. Well, a little over five years down the road it’s pretty clear that nothing much has changed in how D.C. operates. What is changing, however, are those members themselves. As the Washington Post reports, eight members of that class are not seeking re-election in November, joining the 10 previous members of the group that have either quit outright or left to seek another office. Not sure there is a moral to the story, other than there may be no greater or more powerful wave breaker on earth than the immovable object known as Congress.
The United States Supreme Court declines to hear a challenge to an appeals court ruling that blocked an ARIZONA law that prohibited women from taking the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone after the seventh week of pregnancy. The court declined to overrule the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which blocked the law from going into effect while it is being challenged in the courts (WASHINGTON POST).
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).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 730, a bill that requires a train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight to have at least two operators at all times. Violators face fines up to $1,000 for a first violation, up to $5,000 for a second violation within a three-year period, and up to $10,000 for the third violation and every subsequent violation within a three-year period (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
The LOS ANGELES City Council unanimously approves a statute that makes the City of Angeles the first to require companies that have contracts with the city to disclose under affidavit any contracts or sponsorships they or their subsidiaries have with the National Rifle Association. The NRA has vowed to challenge the ordinance in court (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
Also in L.A., the Council announces it will bar the sale of genuine fur products within city boundaries. West Hollywood, Berkeley and San Francisco also ban fur sales. The measure takes effect on Jan 1, 2021 (COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE).
The UTAH Senate approves SB 34, which would require Beehive State cities to take state-approved steps aimed at encouraging affordable housing to be eligible to receive state investment funds. It moves to the House (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE).
The OKLAHOMA House approves HB 2591, which would strip Medicaid eligibility from providers of “services relating to pregnancy or termination of pregnancy” who do not report evidence of the rape of a minor. It moves to the Senate (TULSA WORLD).
The MONTANA Senate approves SB 100, a bill that would require doctors who provide abortion services to offer women seeking the procedure the opportunity to first see an ultrasound of the fetus. The bill, which also requires the women to sign a statement acknowledging they were given the option to see the image, moves to the House (KRTV [GREAT FALLS]).
The MONTANA House approves HB 219, a bill that would change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in the Treasure State. It moves to the Senate (INDEPENDENT RECORD [HELENA]).
UTAH Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signs SB 96, which implements only a partial expansion of Medicaid, a lesser expansion than what voters endorsed via ballot measure in Nov. 2018. See Governors in this issue for more details (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE).
IDAHO Gov. Brad Little (R) signs HB 12, which would allow any licensed health professional to prescribe and dispense the anti-overdose drug naloxone to those in danger of overdose, first responders and family members who might have reason to use the drug to save an overdose victim (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
The NEW YORK Assembly and Senate approve AB 2572, which would bar the state from granting permits for drilling or oil or gas exploration in offshore areas controlled by the state. It moves to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who has said he will sign it into law (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoes SB 462, legislation that would have barred local governments from adopting so-called “inclusionary” zoning policies that require developers to include affordable housing in their projects (TIMES-PICAYUNE [NEW ORLEANS]).
A federal court rules that TENNESSEE may no longer revoke a person’s driver’s license over their inability to pay a traffic ticket. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger’s ruling included a preliminary injunction that stops the Volunteer State from invoking the law while a suit seeking to overturn it is pending (TENNESSEAN [NASHVILLE]).
PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signs HB 2060, legislation that requires those convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence or subject to protective orders to give up their guns within 24 hours (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 31, which bars state and local governments from releasing personal information to the federal government for the creation of any religious list, registry or database, or from using state resources to create their own lists (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
It’s now the thick of primary season, aka prime endorsement gathering time. Which is kind of like mating season in the animal world, just with even crazier behavior. Case in point this week comes from the California Lieutenant Governor’s race, where Democratic candidate Jeff Bleich crowed last week that he has been endorsed by the Sacramento Bee. Interestingly enough, this came the same day that fellow Democratic lite gov challenger Eleni Kounalakis announced the Bee had endorsed her. So what gives? Well, both of them are right...sorta. What the Bee editorial board actually said was either one would be fine, with each being perfectly qualified – even overly so – for a job with minimal real duties. With candidates clawing to get into the top two for the November general election, that’s as good as a full-throated yeehaw of support. Clearly.
Back in January Iowa’s Department of Revenue announced that taxpayers’ refund checks would be delayed by several weeks this year because of efforts to prevent identity theft and fraud. But that may not have been the only reason for the holdup. An analysis by the Des Moines Register indicates that on April 15 the state simply didn’t have enough money to pay refunds at the pace of previous years, with just $72 million on hand, the lowest balance in the state’s “checkbook,” including emergency reserves, since the Great Recession.
After reviewing the data, Holly Lyons, director of the fiscal services division of Iowa’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, said the revenue department’s claim of fraud prevention “may be an early and partial explanation” for the tax refund delays, while state Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald said, “The state could not have made those payments” promptly. (DES MOINES REGISTER)
The WISCONSIN Senate approves AB 547, which would limit regulations designed to avoid or minimize construction on wetlands. It moves to Gov. Scott Walker (R), who is expected to sign it into law (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 1158, which requires manufacturers to increase carpet recycling from 11 percent now to 24 percent by 2020 (SACRAMENTO BEE).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Brown vetoes SB 51, which would have required the state Environmental Protection Agency to protect and post online scientific data that is at risk of facing censorship or destruction by the federal government and barred most state regulators from suspending professional licenses for federal whistleblowers (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
Remaining in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Brown signs SB 262, which directs state officials to consider greenhouse gas emissions when choosing building materials. Under the measure, the Department of General Services must draft standards for emissions. Bidders seeking state contracts for materials including steel, glass and insulation will have to start meeting them by July 1, 2019 (SACRAMENTO BEE).
One of the highlights of this year’s DEFCON - one of the world’s largest hacker conferences, held each summer in Las Vegas - was a Voting Machine Hacking Village, where attendees were invited to infiltrate more than 25 different voting machines, most of which are widely used in state and local elections across the country. By the time the conference was over, every piece of equipment had been successfully hacked.
Researchers associated with the event announced last week that members of the DEFCON community will now be forming a coalition with academic institutions, government agencies and cyber and national security leaders focused on making U.S. elections more secure. The coalition plans to recommend election security best practices in the next couple of months.
The effort joins others directed at the problem, including the Defending Digital Democracy program launched in July by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and funded in part by Facebook. (CNN MONEY)
President Trump abruptly dissolved his Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity this month. The commission had been tasked with investigating voter fraud, which Trump has repeatedly insisted was responsible for Hillary Clinton’s popular vote victory in the presidential race while he won in the Electoral College.
Trump said his decision was prompted by the lack of cooperation with the commission on the part of states.
“Despite substantial evidence of voter fraud, many states have refused to provide the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity with basic information relevant to its inquiry,” he stated in a White House statement. “Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today I signed an executive order to dissolve the commission.”
Trump also said he’d turned over the investigation of voter fraud to the Department of Homeland Security.
State officials, even some Republican ones, have, in fact, refused to turn over voter data to the commission. And a number of lawsuits have been filed with the intent of blocking the commission’s efforts. But one of the main reasons for states’ resistance is that none of them have uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud. And many Democrats have expressed the belief that the commission’s real aim is to lay the groundwork for voting restrictions that make it more difficult for voting groups that have traditionally supported Democrats to cast ballots.
As U.S. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said in a statement, “the commission never had anything to do with election integrity.”
“It was instead a front to suppress the vote, perpetrate dangerous and baseless claims, and was ridiculed from one end of the country to the other.”
And Matthew Dunlap, Maine’s Democratic secretary of state and a member of the now-defunct election integrity commission, who was often critical of its actions, called the decision to transfer the investigation of voter fraud to the Department of Homeland Security “utterly alarming.”
“Homeland security operates very much in the dark,” he said. “Any chance of having this investigation done in a public forum is now lost, and I think people should be, frankly, frightened by that.” (NEW YORK TIMES, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE)
WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signs SB 5116, a bill that establishes a mandate for Evergreen State utilities to eliminate coal as an energy source by the end of 2025, with the ultimate goal of providing carbon-free electricity by 2045. At least six other states - MINNESOTA, NEW JERSEY, MASSACHUSETTS, COLORADO, ILLINOIS and NEW YORK – are considering similar measures (ASSOCIATED PRESS, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
The CALIFORNIA Environmental Protection Agency bans the use of the farm pesticide chlorpyrifos, a chemical that has been linked to neurological problems among farmworkers and their children. The ban won’t take effect for at least two years, and farmers may continue to use chlorpyrifos until then (MODESTO BEE).