Potpourri In the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upholds a lower court’s ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not have the legal power to strip gray wolves in the Great Lakes Region of their protection under...
Social Policy In South Carolina The SOUTH CAROLINA Supreme Court rules that people in same-sex marriages are covered under the state’s domestic violence laws. The law does not pertain, however, to unmarried same-sex couples (CHARLESTON POST &...
Immigration In Massachusetts The MASSACHUSETTS Supreme Judicial Court rules that Bay State police do not have the legal authority to detain suspects solely to hold them for federal officials. The ruling rejects requests by the federal Immigration and...
Maine Overrides A Veto of SB 391 The MAINE House and Senate override a veto by Gov. Paul LePage (R) of SB 391 , which will raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 (PORTLAND PRESS HERALD).
Environment In California The CALIFORNIA Supreme Court rules that publicly-owned railroads are not exempt from adhering to the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires officials to consider a project’s environmental impact before...
New York Signs AB 611 NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 611 , which bans the use of electronic cigarettes and tobacco products on Empire State public school grounds. The law also prohibits e-cigarette use on buses and other vehicles that transport...
New York Signs AB 2806 NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 2806 , which adds the act of animal fighting to offenses which allow authorities to obtain an eavesdropping or video surveillance warrant (LONGISLAND.COM). North Carolina Signs HB 128...
Gov. Charlie Baker Signs HB 3680 Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs HB 3680 , legislation that requires Bay State employers to offer “reasonable accommodations” to pregnant workers and makes it illegal to fire or refuse to hire a worker because...
The ongoing saga of Chris Christie vs. The World completed another chapter last week. It all started when the New Jersey governor was making his way through the stands at a Milwaukee Brewers game (Christie’s son works for the Brew Crew) and fans...
Washington drivers can breathe easy – nobody is trying to take away their coffee. As the Seattle Times reports , Evergreen State motorists have been up in arms of late over a new distracted driving law that some have interpreted as banning their...
In case you doubt that California is the most diverse state in America, as many as 100 Capitol staffers recently came together to create what is believed to be the nation’s first LGBT staff caucus. As Capitol Weekly reports , the group got together...
In most places bug spray is as much a part of summer as barbecues and swimming pools. Alas, not so in upstate New York, where kids attending woodland summer camps need a doctor’s note to be able to spray themselves with something to keep the skeeters...
In July the 2017 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Business Forum recognized the critical role of business in delivering on the promise of sustainable and inclusive development. In this article, we elaborate on the SDG business case, and how businesses...
The term “fake news” is the new normal in today’s landscape, but decisions that fall flat based on poor quality or missing information are nothing new in the business world. While some professionals have a nose for sniffing out details...
The practice among out-of-network healthcare providers of billing patients when the patients’ insurance carriers don’t cover the full cost of the providers’ services - known as “balance billing” - isn’t the healthcare...
As of January of this year, 21 states had enacted legislation or regulations providing at least some direct consumer protection from balance billing, the practice among out-of-network healthcare providers of billing patients when the patients’ insurance...
LOTTERY REVENUES DOWN IN NM Lottery proceeds for the 2017 fiscal year in NEW MEXICO were down $8.5 million, or about 18 percent, from last fiscal year. The decline is believed to be due in part to a reduction in prize payouts resulting from legislative...
Not long from now, fleets of self-driving cars could be transporting passengers all over America’s cities. The resulting reduction in the need for privately owned vehicles poses a significant problem for those cities’ governments. “Municipalities...
JUDGE GIVES GO-AHEAD FOR AZ LAW RESTRICTING CITIZEN INITIATIVES Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens ruled last week that a new ARIZONA law making it more difficult for citizen initiatives to qualify for the state ballot can take effect...
CUOMO GIVES NY COLLEGES MILLIONS FOR PRISON EDUCATION NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has awarded $7 million in grants to colleges around the Empire State to offer courses to prisoners. Cuomo initially proposed the grants in 2014, but backed off in...
Wisconsin lawmakers have given initial approval to Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) nearly $3 billon proposal to lure Chinese electronics company Foxconn to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in the Badger State. But if successful, he might not be...
Illinois Signs HB 1805 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs HB 1805 , which allows 16- and 17-year olds to sign up with the First Person Consent Organ and Tissue donor registry when they receive their driver's licenses or state ID cards. Parents...
Texas Approves HB 214 The TEXAS House approves HB 214 , which requires women to pay an additional insurance premium if they want their health plan to cover abortions performed outside of medical emergencies. The bill, which does not contain exceptions...
Alaska Signs SB 83 ALASKA Gov. Bill Walker (I) signs SB 83 , which allows the state’s Adult Protective Services agency to use videoconferencing technology in rural communities to serve adults. Walker also signs HB 108 , which allows fiduciaries...
California Signs AB 990 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 990 , which requires the California State University system to post estimates of the specific cost of off campus housing for students. Many universities estimate the cost of living off...