Facing a public employee pension shortfall of at least $40 billion and perhaps as much as $70 billion, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and GOP legislative leaders unveiled a plan last week to move public workers from traditional defined-benefit retirement...
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced he had reached a deal with LGBT rights activists that would end litigation against the state by allowing transgender people to use public restrooms that match their gender identity. The new rule would apply...
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) met with the Pine Tree State’s 16 county sheriffs last week in an effort to reach a compromise over his order for them to hold suspects for federal immigration officials. In September LePage sent all of the sheriffs a...
Bucking his own party’s fervent anti-Trump sentiment, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoed a measure ( SB 149 ) that would have required presidential candidates to release five years-worth of their personal income tax returns. The bill came...
SNYDER SIGNS MI POLICE MICONDUCT LAW Looking to prevent police agencies from hiding misconduct that leads to terminations, MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed legislation last week that requires law enforcement agencies to keep records of the circumstances...
Last week Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg struck down an Alaska law barring independent candidates from running in the state’s partisan primary elections. The state’s Democratic Party had challenged the law, contending it restricted...
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...
GA TRIES OUT PAPER-BALLOT VOTING MACHINES GEORGIA initiated the first step of a new paper-ballot voting machine pilot program last week with the start of early voting ahead of local contests and special elections on Nov. 7. The aim of the test, in...
With over eight years having passed since the end of the Great Recession, the third longest period of economic expansion in U.S. history, the next downturn could come at any time. But many states aren’t well prepared for it, according to a report...
With over 50,000 high-paying jobs, billions of dollars in direct investment and millions in associated economic activity at stake, cities across the country are vying to be the future home of Amazon’s second headquarters in North America. And with...
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FREES UP CHIP MONEY FOR FIVE STATES Since Congress failed to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), providing health care for children from low-income families that don’t qualify for Medicaid, the Trump...
As of October 17, there have been 15 weather- or climate-related disaster events this year that have caused over $1 billion in damage in a single state or group of states, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s...
This past week, as firefighters continued to battle deadly wildfires in Northern California, officials there said this could become one of the Golden State’s worst ever fire seasons, coming on the heels of a historically wet winter and the hottest...
In the first blog in our series on PESTLE risk monitoring, we look at the “P”—Political—and the role political factors play in terms of the supply-chain and third-party risks organizations face. If 2016 taught us nothing else...
How quickly can a trickle of negative news accelerate into a flood of financial and reputational risk? These days, the answer is fast—at least when it comes to sexual harassment allegations. As more women (and a few men) come forward to share their...
Texas state Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R) said last week that the cost of responding to Hurricane Harvey, including dispatching first responders, repairing roads and aiding affected schools, could reach $2 billion in the current two-year budget cycle. ...
Last week, facing strong public opposition to the penny-an-ounce tax on soda and other sweetened beverages imposed in Chicago a little over two months ago, the Cook County Board voted 15-2 to repeal it, effective Dec. 1. The vote marked another...
It may come as no surprise to anyone who’s observed the political discourse in this country during the last two presidential administrations, but the gap between Democrats and Republicans is widening, according to a new study from the Pew Research...
NY NEEDS $27B FOR BRIDGE REPAIRS NEW YORK state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (D) said the state needs $27 billion to repair hundreds of locally owned bridges in the state. Nearly 13 percent of the roughly 8,500 bridges owned by local governments are...
Oklahoma could spend over a quarter of a million dollars on special elections this year. The reason? The need to fill eight vacancies in the state’s Legislature - four in the House and four in the Senate. One of those vacancies was created...
One of the highlights of this year’s DEFCON - one of the world’s largest hacker conferences, held each summer in Las Vegas - was a Voting Machine Hacking Village, where attendees were invited to infiltrate more than 25 different voting machines...
OK CONSIDERS COOLING-OFF PERIOD FOR STATE OFFICIALS The OKLAHOMA Ethics Commission is considering banning state officials and employees from lobbying for two years from the time their government service ends. Over 30 states already have such cooling...
It’s often said that showing up is half the battle. If you need proof, we present the case of Manhattan, Montana resident Glen Clements. As the Bozeman Chronicle reports , Clement is assured of becoming the town’s next mayor. How can they...
If you live in Wisconsin and you’ve always thought your grandma’s cookies were so good she ought to sell them, take heart. As Wisconsin Public Radio reports , it’s now perfectly fine for home bakers to sell their scrumptious goodies...
Anyone but the Dodgers. Yep, that’s generally the feeling here in Northern California from early April to late October. And while Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti deftly sidestepped a question about his gubernatorial ambitions during his luncheon...