The PENNSYLVANIA Department of Corrections announces it will no longer place inmates with serious mental illnesses in solitary confinement. Those prisoners will now be placed in special treatment units instead. The agreement settles a lawsuit brought...
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard became the latest GOP governor to propose expanding Medicaid as laid out under the Affordable Care Act. Daugaard pitched the expansion as part of his $4.8 billion 2016 budget proposal, noting it would provide health care...
PA Governor Signs HB 1346 PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signs HB 1346 , which among several things bars local governments from regulating drone aircraft (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
Defying his own party, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) called last week for the Hoosier State to adopt legislation against hate crimes. Indiana is one of only five states – the others are Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Wyoming – without...
In the 2016 presidential election, over two-thirds of Florida voters cast their ballots early or by mail rather than at their local polling place on Election Day. That fact has election officials in the state thinking about switching from traditional...
The ongoing war between California and President Trump heated up significantly last week, as the administration moved to challenge two of the Golden State’s cornerstone environmental laws. The first came on Monday when Environmental Protection...
US Attorney General Declares U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R) declares that the Trump administration will now allow federal prosecutors to prosecute marijuana businesses in states where weed has been legalized for either medical or recreational...
California lost another old school GOP stalwart last week, as longtime Assemblymember and Senator Sam Aanestad died at 71 after a lengthy illness. An oral surgeon by trade, much of his time in office was focused on health care issues. This was on prominent...
CO City Council Endorses The DENVER City Council unanimously endorses new rules that, among several things, require so-called “slot homes” – town homes that face sideways, allowing developers to fit more units on the property –...
MA HIGH COURT UPHOLDS PRE-ELECTION DAY VOTER REGISTRATION BLACKOUT MASSACHUSETTS’ Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, has upheld a state law barring voters who haven’t registered at least 20 days before Election Day...
Going On In AR A federal judge issues a temporary restraining order that prevents ARKANSAS from enforcing a section of a 2015 law requiring abortion providers to contract with a second doctor who has hospital admitting privileges. The order issued...
OH Attorney General Announces New Online Site OHIO Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) announces the creation of a free, online system will allow victims to anonymously check the status of their rape kits from the time they are collected at a medical...
With tourism a huge part of most state budgets these days, everyone is looking for ways to convince folks to come for a visit. And of course to leave their cash behind when they go home. With the competition fierce for those tourist dollars, South Dakota...
About half of Americans say not enough has been done to create gender equality in the country, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center. But that study, which is based on an online survey of 4,573 adults conducted on Aug. 8-21 and Sept. 14...
Montana GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte may or may not unseat incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock, but if he does it will be without the support of Susan Carstensen. As the Missoulian reports , Carstensen has publicly endorsed Bullock, saying of Gianforte...
The Wall Street investment firm that has already agreed under settlements with U.S. government regulators to pay over $1.5 billion for its part in the subprime mortgage scandal that helped precipitate the Great Recession may soon be accused of pushing...
TX City Council Approves Proposal The SAN ANTONIO City Council approves a proposal to require all employers except government entities to provide employees with one hour of paid sick leave for every 34 hours worked. Employers with more than five...
HI Governor Signs SB 3095 HAWAII Gov. David Ige (D) signs SB 3095 , a bill that makes the Aloha State the first to ban pesticides containing the chemical chlorpyrifos. Overexposure to chlorpyrifos can cause paralysis and death (MAUI NEWS).
We’ve seen some great political ads over the years, but Minnesota Congressional candidate Dean Phillips has outdone them all. In a new video , Phillips uses the legend of Bigfoot to accuse his opponent – incumbent Erik Paulsen – of ignoring...
CALIFORNIA passes a measure setting ambitious clean energy goals, calling for relying solely on clean sources of energy like solar, wind and geothermal by 2045, and sends it to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who is expected to sign it. The proposal...
In the two decades from 1991 to 2010, over 100 new stadiums opened across the country. Most of them were financed at least in part with public money. The boom was fueled by demand from sports teams and their fans for a more elevated spectator experience...
If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If not, it never was. Or so said author Richard Bach, anyway. Now it appears Utah is ready to give his words some legal muscle. As NBC affiliate KHQ-TV reports , Gov. Gary Herbert...
The CALIFORNIA Supreme Court votes to bar state judges from belonging to non-profit youth organizations if those groups practice any form of discrimination (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
Clear leaders emerged in TEXAS' three special legislative elections last Tuesday, but none of the candidates appeared to have received the 50-percent voter support needed to win outright. So all three of the races — in House District 17, House...
The NEW YORK Senate approves SB 1850, which would create a public database of violent felons similar to the state's sex offender registry. The measure, which would require all individuals convicted of a violent felony to register with the state Department...