The UTAH Senate unanimously approves SB 184, which would require unauthorized immigrants seeking a “driving privilege” card to first undergo a nationwide FBI background check. The measure moves to the House (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE).
The WEST VIRGINIA Senate approves HB 2568, legislation that would ban abortions after a woman has reached the 20 th week of pregnancy. The measure moves to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D), who vetoed a similar bill last year (WEST VIRGINIA METRO NEWS NETWORK...
The UTAH Senate unanimously approves HB 147, which requires first-time drivers to take an online driving test after they take and pass a driver’s training class. The test would be in addition to an in-person test drivers take before receiving a...
In The Hopper Number of 2015 Prefiles last week: 699 Number of Intros last week: 5,815 Number of Enacted/Adopted last week: 1,084 Number of 2015 Prefiles to date: 16376 Number of 2015 Intros to date: 74,871 Number of...
(02/27/2015 - 03/20/2015) 03/03/2015 Kentucky Special Election Senate District 27 Massachusetts Special Primary House Districts 1st Suffolk and 11th Worcester 03/10/2015 Maine Special Election House District 93
The week in session States in Regular Session: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD...
Here are some of the topics you may see covered in upcoming issues of the State Net Capitol Journal: - Right to Try - State worker exodus - Legalizing pot
Challenges are always in the eye of the beholder. Case in point: During the recent winter meeting of the National Governors Association, Fox Business reporter Maria Bartiromo moderated a panel discussion in which she asked all the attending govs to share...
Speaking of challenges, new Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has one for you -- self-esteem. Yes, when given his chance to answer Bartiromo’s question, Wolf opined that what Keystone Staters could really use most is a little personal pep talk to make...
Baker and Wolf weren’t the only ones capable of drawing a laugh at the NGA winter meeting. After a presentation by famed New York City restauranteur Danny Meyer, the govs got a chance to hit him with some questions. While most focused on Meyer’s...
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was a hot item at this year’s NGA meeting, drawing big crowds of reporters virtually everywhere he went. Being a prime presidential candidate will do that for you. But someone needs to tell him to lay off the selfies...
With Congress still gridlocked on immigration, the real action has moved to the states. But the path forward isn’t really any clearer there. In case you missed it, the story can be found on our Web site at http://www.statenet.com/capitol_journal...
Editor: Rich Ehisen Associate Editor: Korey Clark Contributing Editor: Mary Peck, David Giusti Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Lauren Davis (MA), Steve Karas (CA) and Ben Livingood (PA), Cathy Santsche (CA), Dena Blodgett...
In 2002 the Council of State Governments and the National Association of State Personnel Executives issued a report entitled “State Employee Worker Shortages: The Impending Crisis,” which referenced estimates showing “state governments...
Wyoming has more government employees per capita than any other state, according to 2013 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As The Wall Street Journal reported last year, more than 11.39 percent of the state’s total population -- or 114 people...
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) administration proposed a 2016 budget last month that included deep cuts that would close community health clinics and historic sites, as well as force more belt-tightening at the state’s colleges and universities...
After two hours of arguing, Mississippi’s House passed a bill last month that would potentially phase out the state’s personal income tax over 15 years. The GOP-led chamber approved HB 1629 on an 82-32 vote, with several Democrats supporting...
Washington Senate Approves Gas Tax Increase The WASHINGTON Senate passed a $15 billion transportation package this month that included an 11.7-cent increase in the gas tax. The 27-22 vote came shortly after Lt. Gov. Brad Owen (D) declared he would...
Hawaii’s Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill last month that would require super PAC’s -- which are allowed to raise and spend unrestricted amounts of money on elections -- to disclose whether their contributors and recipients have...
Feuding between centrist Republicans and Tea Party and Libertarian activists in Virginia could cost the GOP the crucial swing state and possibly the White House in 2016, some prominent members of the party fear. A principal source of the conflict is the...
Wisconsin Approves Right-to-Work Bill (SB44) The GOP-led WISCONSIN Senate voted largely along party lines last month to approve a fast-tracked right-to-work bill (SB 44) that spurred about eight hours of debate. The bill comes four years after Gov...
Citing rapidly growing per-patient costs, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) issued an executive order last month (15-08) to create a commission to examine and overhaul the state’s Medicaid program. “The brutal fact is we have a Medicaid...
Calling family homelessness “a human tragedy,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has proposed a new $20 million fund to pay for counselors and other support services to help keep at-risk families from ending up on the streets. Baker...
New York Gov Andrew Cuomo (D) kicked off a statewide tour last week to promote his plan to raise the Empire State minimum wage to $10.50 per hour, which he said would lift 100,000 workers out of poverty and produce a $3 billion annual boost to the state’s...
The PENNSYLVANIA Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a moratorium on executions imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in February. The court did not say when it will hear the case (PHILADELPHIACBSLOCAL.COM). * UTAH Gov. Gary Herbert (R) said he would...