In the months leading up to last year’s presidential election, news agencies reported that Russian hackers had targeted the election systems of more than 20 states, including Arizona and Illinois. Last week, a National Security Agency intelligence...
Scott Creates First VT Ethics Commission VERMONT Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed legislation last week that will create a five-member commission to review cases of unethical behavior and potentially forward appropriate cases to the attorney general’s...
Calling it a way to help recovering drug addicts return to society and the workforce, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced a trio of bills last week aimed at making it easier for those convicted of drug offenses to clear their criminal records...
Missouri Signs HB 151 MISSOURI Gov. Eric Greitens (R) signs HB 151 , legislation that brings the Show Me State into compliance with federal Real ID laws, which require state-issued driver’s licenses to have enhanced security protections (GOVERNMENT...
Tennessee Signs SB 1260 TENNESSEE Gov. Bill Haslam (R) signs SB 1260 , which gives Volunteer State judges the power to enhance sentences for defendants in the country illegally at the time of their crimes (MEMPHIS DAILY NEWS).
Louisiana Signs A Trio Of Bills LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signs a trio of bills aimed at addressing the Pelican State’s severe opioid crisis. Those measures include: SB 55 , which requires doctors to check the state’s prescription...
Pennsylvania Approves HB 1071 The PENNSYLVANIA Senate gives final approval to HB 1071 , legislation that would prohibit cities, towns, and counties from banning or taxing recyclable plastic bags. It moves to Gov. Tom Wolf (D) for consideration (PHILADELPHIA...
Florida Signs SB 436 FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott (R) signs SB 436 , a measure to ensure that students are able to express their religious views in class assignments, on their clothing or jewelry or by praying during the school day (ORLANDO SENTINEL). ...
Nevada Gov Vetoes AB303 & AB259 Citing his belief that the bill infringed upon executive branch authority, NEVADA Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) vetoes AB 303 , which would have barred the Silver State from utilizing private prisons (LAS VEGAS SUN...
New York Approves SB 3898 The NEW YORK Senate approves SB 3898 , which would legalize online poker in the Empire State. It moves to the Assembly (NEWSDAY). Nevada Signs SB 344 NEVADA Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) signs SB 344 , which requires edible...
Visiting the state Capitol in Lincoln used to be a regular thing for Nebraska fourth-graders. But in these days of tight budgets those trips have become few and far between, particularly for schools located in the Cornhusker State’s far reaches...
You can say one thing about Missouri Rep. Mike Moon: dude knows how to get attention. Kind of like how misanthropes like Dennis Rodman or anyone named Kardashian know how to get attention. Case in point – this week – is a new video Moon put...
If you are a fan of some level of somber dignity amidst the crazy sausage grinder of public policy making, you may have to avoid the South Carolina statehouse in Columbia for a while. As the Charlotte Observer reports , the city recently won a $195,000...
We’re getting close to the silly season at the Massachusetts statehouse. While serious issues still dominate Bay State lawmakers’ attention – marijuana legalization and a budget deal come to mind - a wealth of less critical measures...
From 1983 until 1994, PBS aired The Joy of Painting , which featured the always good-natured Bob Ross demonstrating wet-on-wet oil painting. While it doesn’t sound like a show that would attract a large audience, the show—and Bob’s folksy...
In October 2015, the UK Modern Slavery Act came into effect, including the Transparency in Supply Chains (TISC) clause requiring businesses to disclose the steps they are taking to tackle modern slavery. Businesses with a year-end of 31 st March 2016...
Reputation management, one of the major branches of modern public relations, is at its most important when a crisis strikes. If a brand you're representing comes into bad press, your efforts to burnish the company's image will face a major test...
When President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in June 1963, lawmakers believed the measure would ensure the simplest of concepts: that female workers would be paid the same as their male colleagues for doing the same work. But while the gender...
Five states have enacted laws this session aimed at narrowing the wage gender gap, according to the American Association of University Women. Equal pay measures are also awaiting gubernatorial action in two states and are still pending in one other. And...
For the last month Texas’ Public Utility Commission has been pondering the complex financial structure of Energy Future Holdings. Buried by $40 billion in debt, the company filed for Chapter 11 protection last year, one of the largest bankruptcy...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said last month that New Jersey owes the federal government $32.2 million for improper Medicaid reimbursement claims filed for home care services by officials in the state. An audit found that 17 claims...
Population loss is nothing new to rural America. But it’s a trend that’s on the rise. Between 1994 and 2010, 759 rural counties in 42 states lost population, but since 2010 over 1,300 rural counties in 46 states have lost population, according...
AL special session ALABAMA Gov. Robert Bentley (R) said last month that he would call lawmakers into special session on Sept. 8 to deal with the state’s $200 million budget shortfall (MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). LA tax holiday...
States usually complete the process of legislative redistricting shortly after the U.S. Census Bureau updates its population numbers every 10 years. But the remapping based on the last census in 2010 is still dragging on in a few states. In Florida...
House Democrats in New Mexico are saying they will initiate impeachment proceedings against Secretary of State Dianna Duran (R) unless she resigns from office over allegations that she used campaign funds for personal expenses, including gambling. ...