Virginia Approves SB 1400 The VIRGINIA Senate approves SB 1400 , which would classify poker as a game of skill rather than chance. The bill moves to the House (POKER NEWS DAILY). Virginia Approves HB 1432 Also in VIRGINIA , the House approves...
Federal Govt Offers to Help States Guard Against Election Tampering In response to recent allegations from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the American voting system is open to fraud, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson...
Big budget cuts expected in LA LOUISIANA is facing over $600 million in mid-year budget cuts - likely to higher education, hospitals that treat the poor and uninsured, and services for those with disabilities - in spite of passing over $1.5 billion...
At least five states have enacted laws this year aimed at curbing the rise of prescription drug prices, including through increasing transparency of drug pricing by manufacturers. Drug price bills are also still pending in more than a dozen states, including...
In a special election this month in Kentucky’s 49th House District, where President Trump received 72 percent of the vote in the 2016 presidential race, Democrat Linda Belcher defeated Republican Rebecca Johnson, the widow of the former representative...
TN Rejects HB 675 The TENNESSEE House rejects HB 675, a bill that would have allowed undocumented immigrant students who qualified for federal Deferred Action Status to pay in-state tuition at Volunteer State colleges and universities (TENNESSEAN ...
Last summer, Eddie Tipton, a former security officer for the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which administers several multi-state games including Powerball and Mega Millions, was convicted of rigging a jackpot in Iowa in 2010. Now Tipton is facing...
In August 2015, after spending over two years working on a plan that would have reduced Louisiana’s reliance on nursing homes and saved the state $77 million a year, the administration of then-Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) abruptly announced that any effort...
This month Airbnb defeated a ballot measure in its hometown of San Francisco (Proposition F) that would have limited its operations there and possibly encouraged similar efforts in other cities. The company spent more than $6 million on a sophisticated...
The WISCONSIN Senate and Assembly approve SB 70, a bill that would allow off-duty and retired officers to carry guns in schools. It moves to Gov. Scott Walker (R) for consideration (TELEGRAPH HERALD [DUBUQUE]).
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s ample girth has been the subject of more than a few jokes over the years, including by the governor himself. But we never knew just how much the governor likes food and drink...until now. As New Jersey Watchdog reports...
The administration of LOUISIANA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) is saying its proposed tobacco tax increase wouldn’t necessarily be limited to cigarettes but could apply to a range of tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes...
Maine Gov. Paul LePage is the hands down champ as the most disagreeable governor in the nation, a guy as likely to stomp on measures from his Republican colleagues as he is those from the Democrats he clearly hates. So it should come as no surprise that...
RI Approves HB 7866 The RHODE ISLAND Senate approves HB 7866 , which would allow Ocean State health-care providers with their patients’ permission to access up-to-date information from a centralized electronic health exchange to improve coordination...
If you are in Wisconsin any time soon, stop and have a beer or three. As the Washington Post reports, the Badger State is also the Brewski State, the one with the highest number of heavy drinkers. Heavy, you say? Defined how? According to a study from...
Crime In Colorado The United States Supreme Court rules that people freed from prison when their convictions are reversed deserve a refund of what they paid in fees, court costs and restitution. The ruling also orders COLORADO to refund several thousand...
CO Redistricting Initiative Stricken from November Ballot The COLORADO Supreme Court has voided an initiative bound for the state’s November ballot (Initiative 132) that would have turned over the job of drawing legislative and congressional...
Education In TX The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a call to abolish a policy at the University of TEXAS that considers an applicant’s race in admissions. The court ruled that the university system had complied with earlier court rulings that allow...
to sooth the savage ***, or so said 17 th Century English playwright William Congreve. But can it also cool the hyper-partisan fires that burn in most statehouses? That’s an open question but the folks in the Vermont Capitol are at least trying...
Internet and anti-tax activists are applauding Congressional action on a customs bill this month that would make a current moratorium on Internet access taxes permanent. But that action could cost seven states hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue...
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...
Illinois Signs SB 2661 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs SB 2661 , which allows emergency responders to take an injured police dog directly to a veterinarian, provided that no humans need medical attention at that time (KFVS12.COM [CARTERVILLE]...
Budget Deal in NH NEW HAMPSHIRE Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) and legislative leaders have reached a deal ending the state’s budget stalemate. Under the terms of the agreement, business tax cuts - the major sticking point of budget negotiations - would...
KS GOP Urges Public to Lobby Supreme Court on School Funding The KANSAS House Republican Campaign Committee has taken out billboard-style ads urging citizens to call the state Supreme Court and urge it not to close the state’s schools. The court...
L awmakers in 43 states enacted 171 laws and 117 resolutions related to immigration last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California was the most active state on the issue, enacting 28 resolutions and 26 laws, including...