Pennsylvania lawmakers are expected to make a final push this weekend to hammer out the details of a budget that would increase spending by 6 percent, expand the sales tax base, reform public pensions, increase the availability of wine and liquor, and...
IPERS still facing big shortfall Despite improving performance due to stock market gains and recent policy changes, IOWA ’s Public Employee Retirement System is still underfunded by $5.45 billion (DES MOINES REGISTER). WV lottery revenue...
Legislative terms in Florida are currently limited to a maximum of eight years. But a pair of lawmakers in the state - Sen. Rene Garcia (R) and Rep. Mark Pafford (D) - are looking to change that. They’ve proposed legislation to expand the state’s...
As is the case in most states, voter turnout in Utah has plummeted in recent years. Only 28.8 percent of the state’s eligible voters participated in the 2014 general election. But a report released by the Utah Foundation this month said that...
Lobbying disclosure limited in AZ Over 86 percent of the roughly $333,000 spent lobbying ARIZONA lawmakers in the first half of 2015 failed to identify who the money went to, continuing a trend dating back years. Loopholes in the state’s disclosure...
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) opted to settle a lawsuit brought forth by Planned Parenthood Southeast rather than appeal a federal judge’s order to reinstate a contract with the organization. Bentley also agreed that the state will pay over $51...
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) unveiled a major overhaul of the Volunteer State’s higher education system last week, a plan that includes creating individual governing boards for the state’s six major universities. Those schools are currently...
LGBT Protection in LA LOUISIANA Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards (D) said he will issue an executive order to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender state employees and government contractors from discrimination. His planned directive would protect...
Business in TX The United State Supreme Court refuses to hear a challenge to a TEXAS law that requires veterinarians to examine an animal before offering advice or suggesting treatment. The law bars vets from giving advice online without first seeing...
MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs HB 3798, which imposes a 20-year jail sentence for someone convicted of trafficking more than 10 grams of the drug fentanyl, an opioid known to be many times stronger than heroin (MASSLIVE.COM).
Education in MA The University of MASSACHUSETTS Foundation, which manages charitable giving for the five-university UMASS system, announces it will divest itself of direct investments of its $770 million endowment in coal companies. The Foundation...
The MAINE Department of Health and Human Services announces it will seek a federal waiver that allows it to ban food stamp recipients from using their benefits to purchase candy and soda. Pine Tree State lawmakers considered and rejected legislation to...
The HAWAII Dept. of Agriculture approves new rules that would define what constitutes a dangerous wild animal and bar the import of such animals “for exhibition or performance in public entertainment shows such as circuses, carnivals and state fairs...
The longstanding football rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan took on a new wrinkle this year. Or is that a pleat? As reported by Sports Illustrated , Ohio Gov. John Kasich issued a resolution last week before the big game that included not only his...
Like so many cities and towns, the Connecticut burg of Norwalk was ready for its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony this year. But when officials went to give the lights a test drive, several strands didn’t work. Was this yet another example...
Speaking of small burgs, the little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania recently marked the 152nd anniversary of the momentous battle there in 1863 that turned the tide of the Civil War in favor of the Union. Shortly thereafter, as ABC News reports, a bust...
More than a few tweets, memes and pins have compared Black Friday to the Hunger Games, which is both funny and a little frightening, but let's dig in a bit deeper. Since we previously analyzed media coverage of Prime Day —Amazon’s mid...
A decade ago, the U.N. General Assembly designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day to bring awareness to a growing blight on social and economic development. In the years since, anti-bribery and corruption enforcement actions have also...
With the current U.S. presidential campaign trail heating up, we thought it would be interesting to see how some popular—and some not-so-popular—past presidents fared in the media after they were no longer residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue...
Donald Trump is not known for mincing words. In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, Trump suggested the U.S. enact a travel ban for all Muslims, and media coverage exploded. Naturally, we decided to monitor the media to see what we could learn. Here...
Last week, we took a look at several of the issues we expect to see a lot of activity in statehouses this year. Here are a few more, several of which are driven either by technological development, the upcoming presidential election or gun violence. ...
Eight states introduced legislation this year aimed at imposing or tightening restrictions on “assault weapons” specifically, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative database. Four of those states also introduced legislation...
Last week Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) unveiled his long-awaited plan to address the state’s multi-billion budget deficit, resulting from plunging oil prices and reduced oil production in the state. The proposal includes several measures that are...
As Illinois entered its sixth month without a state budget last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and Democrats who control the state’s General Assembly reached a rare agreement to free up $3.1 billion in state funds. The money will go to a host of needy...
Big Budget Surplus Sets Up Political Battle in MN MINNESOTA’s projected budget surplus for next year has doubled on strong economic growth to $1.9 billion. But that windfall sets up an election-year battle over how to spend the money, with Gov...