The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves SB 10 , which would allow unauthorized immigrants to buy health insurance through the state’s health benefits exchange. Purchasers would not be eligible for federal subsidies to help them pay for their coverage....
SC Gov Signs HB 3114 SOUTH CAROLINA Gov. Nikki Haley (R) signs HB 3114 , which makes it illegal for a woman to get an abortion once her pregnancy reaches 20 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. Women will be able to obtain an abortion after...
The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 1730 , which would create a pilot program to provide temporary housing and other services for sexually exploited children. It moves to the Senate (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET). -- Compiled by RICH EHISEN
Forgive the pun, but it probably won’t come as a shock that the energy industry ranks near the top when it comes to bribery and corruption risk. Some of the largest enforcement actions ever under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act have taken...
The presidential election. Beyoncé. The NBA playoffs. Prince. You might wonder what each of these entities have in common, but a scroll through social media or visit to your favorite news outlet can answer that question. Each of the above...
Energy industries have received a lot of unwelcome attention lately—and it’s not just oil companies like Petrobras and Unaoil that are feeling the watchful eyes of the public and regulatory agencies. While those scandals may have dominated...
What industry forecasts and emerging trends are consultants predicting for their own industry this year? We took a closer look to see what could be uncovered in the news. Interestingly enough, many of the trends that are impacting other industries have...
Elected leaders get their share of nice gifts, most of which are fairly generic . But some can be downright quirky. As CBS News reports , Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has had his share of both. Some of the more interesting include a pair of sea otter fur mittens...
Business In the Workplace The Obama administration announces new rules that raise the threshold for full-time salaried workers to be paid overtime to those making $47,476 per year, up from the current standard of $23,660. The change, which would impact...
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) appears to be softening his once rigid stance against legalized marijuana. Speaking at a panel held at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles last week, the governor who once said he wished he could “wave...
A federal judge struck down parts of Kentucky’s judicial code intended to keep judges out of politics. Specifically U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar voided judicial conduct rules prohibiting judges and judicial candidates from publicly declaring...
Oh, it’s tough times in the Heart of Dixie these days. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley done got caught stepping out, so to speak, with his top adviser and now his fellow Reeps want to impeach him. Meanwhile, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore...
The Texas Supreme Court ruled this month that the state’s “Robin Hood” school funding system, under which wealthy districts share property tax revenues with poorer districts, while not perfect, is not unconstitutional. “Our...
As of last month, 29 states had a minimum wage that was higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Two of those states, California and New York, have also passed laws that will gradually...
AZ, OH, OK Delay Executions Pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer announces it will enact protocols to ensure states are no longer able to use drugs it provides as part of carrying out a lethal injection execution. At least 20 other U.S. and European...
U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell struck down Montana’s limits on political campaign contributions last Tuesday, just three weeks ahead of the state’s presidential primary. Lovell ruled those campaign limits, approved by voters in 1994, unconstitutional...
Bypassing seven years of congressional inaction and accelerating a national trend, state legislatures in California and New York have passed laws that will gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In separate legislation these states have also...
In 1969 Kentucky voters approved a tax break for agricultural land with the aim of protecting family farms from encroaching development. But according to a series of reports by the Lexington Herald-Leader , $36.6 billion worth of property in the state...
PA Approves HB 1574 The PENNSYLVANIA House gives final approval to HB 1574 , which would broaden the Keystone State’s anti-hazing law to include public and private high schools. The bill, which makes it a third-degree misdemeanor when a student...
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill last week ( HB 2537 ) that will expand the state’s Supreme Court from five justices to seven. Earlier this month Chief Justice Scott Bales asked Ducey to veto that bill, saying in a letter that expansion...
Virginia Congressional candidate Mike Webb wasn’t happy about losing in the June primary for the Old Dominion’s 8 th Congressional District to GOP rival Matt Wavro. He was in fact quite ticked, feeling that Wavro had sabotaged him. But it...
It could cost over $3.3 trillion over the next decade to keep up with repairs on America’s roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure, according to the latest “report card” from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The engineers...
Environment In CA Water officials in CALIFORNIA suspend a mandatory statewide 25 percent reduction in urban water use, allowing local communities to set their own conservation standards. The change came after the Golden State received a relatively...
Judge Orders Acceptance of 18,000 Pending Voter Registrations A federal judge has ordered KANSAS officials to register thousands of prospective voters whose applications at the state’s motor vehicle offices have been derailed by the state’s...
Ice cream lovers in Ohio may soon have a new option when they trundle into their local ice cream parlor – booze-infused ice cream. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports , making hooch-laden ice cream is already legal in the Buckeye State. So is...