Over 200 state legislators have attended Next Generation workshops, designed to cultivate collaboration across party lines in the development of public policy. The workshops were hosted by the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute for Civil Discourse...
Judge Colleen O’Toole, of Ohio’s 11th District Court of Appeals, has filed a federal lawsuit against Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and two other state court officials, alleging that fundraising restrictions on judicial...
Bloomberg Philanthropies Improves Policymaking Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable organization founded by former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, plans to spend $42 million on the What Works Cities Initiative, which will help 100 cities...
Approximately a month after the GOP-dominated legislature rejected his own plan, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) signed off on a Republican plan to expand Medicaid in the Treasure State. Under the bill (SB 405), the state will extend health coverage...
It was a week of big announcements from California Gov. Jerry Brown (D). First, on Tuesday, Brown announced a proposal to hit the state’s biggest water wasters with fines up to $10,000, a significant increase over the current maximum penalty of...
MA Gov Halts Expansion of Convention Center Expressing concern about the debt it would incur and the impact it could have on the state budget, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has halted a planned $1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention and...
MN Rejects Amendment to Liquor Bill The MINNESOTA House rejects a proposal to allow local municipalities to decide for themselves whether to allow Sunday liquor sales. The proposal was an amendment to an omnibus liquor bill that did garner House approval...
IL Approves HB 218 The ILLINOIS House approves HB 218, a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. It is now in the Senate (CHICAGO TRIBUNE). MD Signs HB 594, SB 482 and HB 533 MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signs...
TN Rejects HB 675 The TENNESSEE House rejects HB 675, a bill that would have allowed undocumented immigrant students who qualified for federal Deferred Action Status to pay in-state tuition at Volunteer State colleges and universities (TENNESSEAN ...
FL Passes HB 1205 The FLORIDA House passes HB 1205, which would establish a regulatory framework for the oil and natural gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The rules include establishing a permitting process and allowing...
TX Approves HB 21 The TEXAS House approves HB 21, so-called “right-to-try” legislation that would allow terminally ill patients to access experimental medications still awaiting federal approval. The measure moves to the Senate (TEXAS TRIBUNE...
OK Approves HB 1007 and SB 788 The OKLAHOMA House and Senate each approve so-called “religious freedom” bills (HB 1007 and SB 788) that give civil liability protection to clergy members who refuse to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies...
America has a huge problem, notably that too many of us are downright huge. With obesity rates and the ensuing ills that come with them through the roof, Texas officials decided 10 years ago to bar school cafeterias from cooking with deep fryers and to...
Speaking of the Lone Star State, nobody can accuse them of not having a sense of humor down there. Electing Rick “Oops” Perry four times proved that. But I digress. To the matter at hand, the Associated Press reports that the Texas House recently...
If you are in Wisconsin any time soon, stop and have a beer or three. As the Washington Post reports, the Badger State is also the Brewski State, the one with the highest number of heavy drinkers. Heavy, you say? Defined how? According to a study from...
Iowa lawmakers got a scare last week when, right in the middle of the day, smoke started wafting up from behind the Senate chambers. Fire alarms went off and people were sent scurrying out of the building post haste. Alas there was no fire, only the intense...
Credits 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...
Eight years ago, two guys who needed to pay the rent on their San Francisco apartment came up with the idea of renting out air mattress space on their floor and serving breakfast during a design conference when the city’s hotels were full. To facilitate...
The U.S. travel destinations with the fastest growing short-term rental markets are not big cities, according to a 2014 report from HomeAway, Inc. which offers rentals worldwide through numerous websites, including VRBO.com. Based on a comparison of traveler...
With the state’s economy continuing to improve, California lawmakers were expecting a budget surplus this year of about $2 billion. But last week Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D) announced that the projected surplus had surged by as much as $8 billion...
Last Tuesday, Michigan voters rejected Proposition 1, the transportation funding measure put before them by Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and state legislative leaders. Voters made it very clear how they felt about the complicated plan, which included higher vehicle...
The Alabama House Republican Caucus has proposed a plan to address a projected budget shortfall of $290 million for 2016. The plan calls for cost reductions, including the suspension of longevity bonuses for state employees for a year and mandatory furloughs...
Possible Digital Streaming Tax in AL The ALABAMA Department of Revenue is planning to issue a rule that would impose a four-percent rental tax on digital streaming services like Netflix. The state’s legislative leaders have asked revenue commissioner...
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last month that states can prohibit judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign donations. The decision (in Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar) , upholding a Florida law similar to those in 29 other states, rejected...
A bill to bring online voter registration to Texas came before the state’s House Elections Committee this month. Dozens of people signed up in support of the measure, HB 76, and a number of experts testified about its viability, but a handful of...