On the same day that Alaska voters backed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, they also approved an initiative calling for progressive election reform. The passage of Ballot Measure 1 means that voting-age residents of the state will now automatically...
After Ohio’s Republican-controlled General Assembly passed HB 234 in 2005, establishing 35 days of absentee voting in the state, there was a week-long interval, when the absentee-voting period overlapped the state’s voter registration period...
NORTHAM ISSUES VA NON-DISCRIMNATION ORDER : New VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) issued a trio of executive orders, including one that bars state agencies under Executive Branch control from discrimination “based on race, sex, color, national...
Saying “It’s not like we won the Lotto,” Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza warned that after almost three years without a budget it is going to take some time to eliminate the state’s nearly $14.5 billion debt backlog....
Michigan Signs 13 Bills MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signs a package of 13 bills that collectively make genital mutilation of girls a state felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, both for doctors who perform the procedure and parents who transport...
Social Policy In AL The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously reverses an ALABAMA Supreme Court ruling that denied parental rights to a lesbian adoptive mother who had split with her partner. Social Policy In GA The couple legally adopted...
Responding to an uptick in hate crimes since the Nov. 8 election, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) recently announced the creation of a special State Police unit to combat those incidents. The governor also announced a legislative effort to expand the Empire...
Expressing concern that current state and federal programs don’t consider public health enough in regulating industrial air emissions, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced a major overhaul last week of the state’s air pollution regulations...
Crime In FL A FLORIDA judge rules the Sunshine State’s death penalty law is unconstitutional because it does not require jurors to reach a unanimous decision on an execution sentence. The state’s current system requires 10 of 12 jurors...
MA House and Senate Approve HB 4032 The MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate give final approval to HB 4032 , a bill that would allow Bay State school districts to maintain current English immersion programming or choose an alternative that meets federal...
In February New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) unveiled a plan to use revenue from the state’s lottery to bail out its woefully underfunded public pension system. And last week he told reporters he’s been meeting with union leaders to discuss...
TN Gov Signs SB 2109 TENNESSEE Gov. Bill Haslam (R) signs SB 2109 , which makes the Volunteer State the third to legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports games. The law establishes a regulatory framework for the industry, including a licensing process...
It’s old news that in his early years California Gov. Jerry Brown was always looking for another job, most notably at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. What is less clear to the masses but something those of us who cover him regularly know well is that...
Health In Washington The WASHINGTON D.C. City Council gives initial approval to so-called ‘death with dignity” legislation that would allow doctors to prescribe a terminally ill patient drugs they could use to end their own life. The Council...
California Signs AB 2844 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 2844 , which bars the state from doing business with companies that boycott Israel or other sovereign nations. The law applies to companies that have contracts worth $100,000 or more...
California Approves SB 1063 The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves SB 1063 , which bars employers from paying workers based on race or ethnicity. The bill moves to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for consideration (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). California Gives Endorsement...
The National Governors Association sent U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner (R- OHIO ) a letter last week urging him to support new legislation allowing states to collect sales tax on Internet purchases, the so-called Marketplace Fairness...
WI Approves SB 179 The WISCONSIN Assembly approves SB 179, which would ban doctors from performing abortions after a woman has reached the 20 th week of her pregnancy. It goes to Gov. Scott Walker (R), who says he will sign it into law. Opponents are...
Crime In New York The NEW YORK State Court of Appeals unanimously upholds a policy implemented by the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that allows the state Department of Motor Vehicles to permanently revoke driving privileges for repeat drunk...
Nevada Signs SB 240 NEVADA Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) signs SB 240 , which adds e-sports events – such as competitive video gaming - to the list for which betting is allowed (U.S NEWS & WORLD REPORT). Nevada Signs AB 113 Staying in NEVADA...
If you don’t want to hear an honest answer, you had better not ask Missouri Lt. Governor candidate Jake Wilburn a question. Wilburn, who is running a write-in campaign for the position, minces no words when it comes to his disdain for the office...
VW Settlement to Offset Budget Cuts in MO MISSOURI Gov. Jay Nixon (D) said the state will use the first $8.7 million share it received from Volkswagen as part of a settlement over the German carmaker’s emissions cheating scandal to offset earlier...
The FLORIDA House approves HB 833, which would require Sunshine State public schools to provide 100 minutes of recess each week in kindergarten through fifth grade. The measure, which would also apply to sixth-grade students enrolled in schools with one...
Snyder Seeks Expanded Medicaid for Flint MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) is seeking federal approval to expand Medicaid benefits in the city of Flint to include residents up to 21 years old and pregnant women who have been receiving water from the city’s...
Thirty-one states have adopted policies aimed at expanding access to middle-skill jobs, those that require education and training beyond high school but not a college degree and which comprise the biggest share of the labor market, according to the National...