...or at least really foolish things people say, allow me to introduce the lawyer Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear hired to defend the Bluegrass State's ban on same-sex marriage. As the Lexington Courier-Journal reports, attorney Leigh Gross Latherow told...
The NEW JERSEY Senate approves SB 1041, legislation that would ban companies from treating, discharging, disposing, and storing waste from hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, in the Garden State. It moves to the Assembly (STAR-LEDGER [NEWARK]). •...
Pregnant women, children, the elderly and the disabled have long made up the bulk of Medicaid beneficiaries. But as a result of the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, younger and more able-bodied adults have been enrolling in the program...
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 53, which requires a parent, legal guardian, or the driver of a motor vehicle to properly secure a child under a specified age in an appropriate rear-facing child passenger restraint system, unless the child is...
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) said he will soon issue an executive order making the Constitution State the first to bar people on the federal no-fly list from buying guns. Malloy’s actions come barely a week after Congress rejected legislation...
The survey has been done and unless you live in Washington, your state just doesn’t measure up. That’s the word anyway from U .S. News and World Report , which recently released its assessment of the best and worst states to live in. Based...
With over 50,000 high-paying jobs, billions of dollars in direct investment and millions in associated economic activity at stake, cities across the country are vying to be the future home of Amazon’s second headquarters in North America. And with...
MA Senate Approves Budget Amendment The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves a budget amendment that would bar police from asking about people’s immigration status unless required by law; end contracts that deputize state and local law enforcement as...
Kentucky House Majority Leader Jonathan Shell (R) was ousted from his seat by a high school math teacher and first-time political candidate in a Republican primary election in that state on May 22. Republican voters have not been kind to incumbents in...
This is our final issue of the year, so let me pass along best wishes for a very merry holiday season to all of you from all of us here at the State Net Capitol Journal. We'll be back in mid-January to do our best to keep you all up to speed on legislative...
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...
California is on pace to take in $1.9 billion in revenue from medical and recreational marijuana sales in 2018, according to a recent projection from the cannabis industry analytics firm New Frontier Data. While that sum is substantial, it’s only...
As recently noted in this space, the tiny Alabama town of Walker has had it rough of late. Due to a lack of regulations city leaders didn’t know they needed, Parrish became a parking spot for a train carrying 200 containers of human waste sludge...
A Superior Court judge has ordered Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) to take the necessary steps to implement voter-approved expansion of Medicaid in the Pine Tree State. Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy gave LePage until June 11 to file an expansion plan...
Government officials all over the world are feverishly working to figure out ways to mitigate the worst impacts of global climate change. In the meantime, we poor peons have to learn to deal with a rapidly warming globe. But if you think you have it bad...
New Initiative pledging to incorporate electric vehicles Led by LOS ANGELES Mayor Eric Garcetti, Representatives from 19 cities and counties sign a new initiative pledging to incorporate electric vehicles into their municipal fleets. Under the new...
Seeking to mitigate fast-rising prescription drug prices, Massachusetts health leaders have asked the Trump administration for permission to limit the number of drugs that will be covered in its Medicaid program, including “drugs with limited or...
Immigration In The US The U.S. Supreme Court rules that federal officials may implement part of President Donald Trump’s travel ban on people from six nations with overwhelmingly Muslim populations until the court decides on the issue in its...
The ongoing war between California and President Trump heated up significantly last week, as the administration moved to challenge two of the Golden State’s cornerstone environmental laws. The first came on Monday when Environmental Protection...
The California Capitol community lost a classic old school Republican last week, as former Gov. George Deukmejian passed away at age 89. Most rightly recall him as being representative of what Claremont McKenna College professor Jack Pitney called “the...
GA Senate Rejects SB 418 The GEORGIA Senate rejects SB 418 , which would have barred local governments from enacting prohibitions on the sale of commercially-bred puppies (WXIA [ATLANTA]). Going On In HI The HONOLULU City Council unanimously...
US Attorney General Declares U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R) declares that the Trump administration will now allow federal prosecutors to prosecute marijuana businesses in states where weed has been legalized for either medical or recreational...
PA Governor Signs HB 1346 PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signs HB 1346 , which among several things bars local governments from regulating drone aircraft (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
DC City Council Votes To Overturn Initiative 77 The WASHINGTON D.C. City Council officially votes to overturn Initiative 77 , which would have eliminated the tipped minimum wage and raised minimum base pay for tipped workers to the standard minimum...
Defying his own party, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) called last week for the Hoosier State to adopt legislation against hate crimes. Indiana is one of only five states – the others are Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Wyoming – without...