Last fall, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) joked that if then-GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump won the election, the Golden State “would have to build a wall around California to defend ourselves from the rest of this country.” He was...
With a whole new year stretching out in front of you, it's time to take stock of what trends and changes your department or company is going to face in the months ahead. The next steps for the Public Relations universe will likely include a few continuing...
There is a "strong risk" of modern slavery in the global construction sector and its material supply chains, according to a recent LexisNexis report . The report found that forced labor and other exploitation that constitutes modern slavery...
At the start of 2017, we look at key trends and developments in regulatory compliance this year. Beneficial ownership Beneficial ownership will remain a major issue in corporate transparency in 2017. Countries will face increasing pressure from...
Every calendar year is full of inspiring successful Public Relations campaigns - and some embarrassing mistakes. While the latter category may be promotions those companies would rather forget, they offer strong educational lessons for the rest of the...
Consumers’ purchasing behavior is increasingly influenced by businesses’ ethical behavior. Since this season of celebration and festivities and goes hand in hand with consumption, it is a good moment to look into some of the products that...
There are bad ideas and then there are ideas that reek like an animal that crawled up and died inside a wall of your house. A new proposal from a trio of Washington state lawmakers is definitely in the latter category. As Sports Illustrated reports ,...
Business In CA The CALIFORNIA Supreme Court rules that online travel companies are exempt from paying hotel occupancy taxes. The ruling rejects claims by the city of San Diego that companies like Expedia and Priceline are liable for paying the hotel...
Saying “we’ve got the firepower,” California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) told a gathering of scientists on Wednesday that his state is ready to fight back against anticipated efforts by the incoming Trump administration to impede or halt their...
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has unveiled a series of agenda items he plans to pursue in the new legislative session, including the repeal of a law adopted earlier this year that requires state officials to rate and rank proposed transportation projects...
North Carolina Gov.-elect Roy Cooper (D) threatened to sue the GOP-dominated Tar Heel State Legislature last week over the Republicans’ move to limit gubernatorial powers before he takes office. Cooper was reacting to legislation proposed in a surprise...
Board Denies Funds for OR Women’s Prison The OREGON Emergency Board rejected a plea by state correction officials for $3.8 million to help re-open the Oregon State Penitentiary Minimum in Salem to augment the state’s only current women’s...
Last week a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a voter ID law passed by Virginia’s Republican-controlled General Assembly in 2013, rejecting a challenge from Democrats that the law suppressed minority voting...
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson this month saying the state had discovered an unsuccessful effort to breach computer systems housing its voter registration database by an...
Oklahoma Sen. J.J. Dossett (D) has filed a bill ( SB 9 ) that would do away with straight-party voting in the state. “I think it is unnecessary to have the straight-party option,” he said. “I think it is something that might have...
Lobbyist Spending Down in MA Lobbyist spending last year in MISSOURI - which totaled about $690,000 - was down by more than $200,000 from any other year on record, and spending has continued to fall this year, according to analysis of Missouri Ethics...
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to a Colorado law aimed at enabling the state to collect more of the sales taxes that go unpaid each year by Colorado residents on their out-of-state purchases, costing the state more than...
After months of not talking about taxes, other than to brag in speeches about lowering them on residents’ incomes during his six years in office, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said last week he was open to the idea of extending the state’s...
VMT Tax Still Possibility in MA Despite MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) veto in August of a provision in a road funding bill passed by state lawmakers providing for a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax pilot program, the state hasn’t...
Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid in accordance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) but left to states discretion by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius in...
States and local governments will face many challenges and opportunities as they navigate the turbulent waters of the coming Donald Trump administration. Despite uncertainty about the precise policies of President-elect Trump and the Republican...
Speaking of guns, it’s pretty much a requirement these days for a Republican candidate for any office – and in some states, Dems too – to be to the far right of Yosemite Sam when it comes to firearms. Hence, Prince William County Board...
Crime In IL Hoping to reduce recidivism, ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs SB 3368 , which requires the secretary of state's office to issue a standard Illinois ID card to ex-inmates at the time of release. The inmates must present a birth certificate...
Love him or hate him, reality TV star Donald Trump has definitely shaken up the world by winning the White House. And for better or worse, nothing says success quite like having someone try to copy you. Enter former Saturday Night Live cast member Joe...
As Millennials grow to become the largest living generation, the donor focus of nonprofit organizations will begin to shift away from the reigning population champs, the Baby Boomers. Nonprofits must begin to perceive the significance of the needs and...