California Signs AB 2819 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 2819 , which extends the time in which the names of people involved in eviction lawsuits must be kept private. Under current law, records in eviction lawsuits are kept sealed for only...
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...
The Chicago City Council rejects a proposal that would have given an elected board power over the city’s police agencies, including authority to investigate and fire officers found guilty of wrongdoing (CHICAGO TRIBUNE). The AURORA City Council...
GA Senate Approves SB 375 The GEORGIA Senate approves SB 375 , which would bar same-sex couples from adopting children in the Peach State. It is now in the House (ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION). WI Senate Approves AB 128 The WISCONSIN Senate approves...
Saying the Garden State would be “a leader in the fight for common-sense gun safety,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed six gun control measures into law last week. The bills address a wide range of concerns, including requiring...
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 432, which will remove the term “alien” from the Golden State labor code as a way to describe foreign-born workers. The law goes into effect next year (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) is filing a lawsuit against United Parcel Service for allegedly delivering nearly 700,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes in the state between 2010 and 2014. The $180-mllion lawsuit claims UPS shipped...
California Signs AB 1570 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 1570 , which expands a Golden State law requiring sports memorabilia dealers to provide certificates of authenticity for any autographed collectibles they sell to include sellers of...
TN City Council Approves Ordinance The Knoxville, TENNESSEE City Council approves an ordinance to allow goat grazing on private property. The new law allows private property holders to obtain a permit to use goats to rid land of invasive plants, which...
Geez, don’t make California Assemblymember Melissa Melendez angry. Or at least make sure the sharp objects are out of her reach. As CalMatters reports , fellow Republican Chad Mayes once gave Melendez a basketball signed by members of her favorite...
VA House and Senate Pass HB 1811 and SB 1341 The VIRGINIA House and Senate each pass measures that would make it illegal for drivers to talk on a cellphone without using a hands-free device. Those measures, HB 1811 and SB 1341 , pass now to the opposite...
IL Governor Signs SB 486 and SB 2591 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs two solar energy bills: SB 486 , which creates a standard tax assessment value for Prairie State solar farms, and SB 2591 , which sets standards for the construction and deconstruction...
The snowstorm that recently hit the East Coast was no doubt a big ‘un. But the freezing temps and mountains of snow certainly didn’t thwart hearty lawmakers in the U.S. Senate, who braved it all to show up for work to honor their pledge to...
VA Governor Vetoes HB 1270 VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) vetoes HB 1270 , a bill that requires legislative approval before the Old Dominion can participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program among Northeastern and...
Today’s “All Christie All the Time” edition wouldn’t be complete without noting the furious blowback the governor received from all quarters over his imperious holiday stunt. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said her boss’s beach adventure...
WA City Council Votes The SEATTLE City Council votes to expand the areas within the Emerald City where developers can build housing without off-street parking and permit landlords to rent their parking spaces to people who don’t live in the building...
Anyone but the Dodgers. Yep, that’s generally the feeling here in Northern California from early April to late October. And while Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti deftly sidestepped a question about his gubernatorial ambitions during his luncheon...
It may not be their primary aim, but the federal tax code overhauls being pursued by Republicans in Congress are, in some ways, infrastructure bills, with provisions that could negatively impact state and local governments’ ability to pay for public...
Saying he has “absolutely no tolerance whatsoever for these repeat violent offenders and these criminal gangs causing lawlessness in our streets,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he will introduce wide ranging legislation in January intended...
In the wake of the deadly school shootings around the nation, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed a $100 million school safety package last week that will allow Badger State school districts to apply for grants to pay for safety upgrades. Walker...
US Environmental Protection Agency Declares The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declares portions of seven UTAH counties to be in violation of national standards for ozone, an airborne pollutant that is particularly harmful to children. The EPA...
Unemployment is still a big problem in some states like those in the Rust Belt. But in a growing number of other states the trouble isn’t too few jobs but too many. In Utah the unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent in March. And almost a third...
Nevada Sen. James Settlemeyer (R) introduced a bill last month that would require voters to show a driver’s license or other form of government-issued ID before casting a ballot. The bill, SB 169, would also require the state’s Department...
If you’re one of them public nudie types, or even just a woman who likes the comfort of going about her business in form-fitting yoga pants, Montana Rep. David Moore is coming after you. As the Billings Gazette reports, Moore has introduced a bill...
Calling it "one of the most difficult decisions of my public life," Vermont Gov. Pete Shumlin (D) abandoned his longstanding plan to make the Green Mountain State the first to implement a publicly-funded single-payer health insurance plan for...