NJ Governor Signs SB 478, SB 493, and SB 705 NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signs a trio of transgender rights bills: SB 478 , which allows Garden State residents to amend their birth certificate without proof of having undergone a sex-change operation;...
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) announced he is creating a seven-member advisory council on gambling to try to resolve ongoing disagreements with lawmakers over electronic bingo and other issues. The governor said the Alabama Advisory Council on Gaming...
Gov. Rick Snyder (R) announces the Wolverine State will recognize over 300 same-sex marriages performed in 2014 during a time period when a court had lifted the state’s ban on those unions. Snyder said the state would not appeal the decision rendered...
IL Governor Signs HB 4843 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs HB 4843 , which makes it a crime to import, sell, buy or trade any ivory or rhino horn within the Prairie State. (ILLINOIS GOVERNOR’S OFFICE)
NV GOV WILL SIGN WAGE, PAID LEAVE BILLS In a statement issued last week, NEVADA Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) said he would sign legislation ( AB 456 ) on his desk that will incrementally raise the Silver State minimum wage to $12 per hour by July, 2024....
Los Angeles City Council Unanimously Approves Statute The LOS ANGELES City Council unanimously approves a statute that makes the City of Angeles the first to require companies that have contracts with the city to disclose under affidavit any contracts...
AK Supreme Court Rules Local Gender Ordinance The ARKANSAS Supreme Court rules that the city of FAYETTEVILLE can’t enforce an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The court said it has already ruled...
State and local tax collections increased by 9.4 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively, in the final quarter of 2017, roughly three times the average quarterly growth rate for the last year, according to a report by the Rockefeller Institute of Government...
TN no longer covers OxyContin In an effort to combat the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic, health insurer BlueCross BlueShield announces it will stop covering OxyContin prescriptions in TENNESSEE . BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee reps say the company...
NY Governor Signs AB 6823 NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 6823 , which relieves Empire State prosecutors from having to prove force, fraud or coercion was used to involve a minor in prostitution. (NEW YORK POST)
NY Assembly and Senate Approve AB 2572 The NEW YORK Assembly and Senate approve AB 2572 , which would bar the state from granting permits for drilling or oil or gas exploration in offshore areas controlled by the state. It moves to Gov. Andrew Cuomo...
NJ Governor Signs AB 1414 NEW JERSEY Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver (D) signs AB 1414 , a bill that mandates the state Board of Education include financial literacy instruction in the curriculum for sixth- through eighth-grade students in public schools across...
The NEW MEXICO House approves HB 29, which would allow local communities to impose curfews on teenagers under age 16. The measure moves to the Senate (KRQE.COM [ALBUQUERQUE]). -- Compiled by RICH EHISEN
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency publishes new rules that allow international students earning degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields in the United States to be eligible to stay in America for three years...
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), Dena Blodgett...
OH Governor signs HB 101 OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) signs HB 101 , which authorizes Buckeye State pharmacists to substitute cheaper but equivalent alternatives to the brand-name product EpiPen, which is used to counter severe allergic reactions to bee...
With wildfires burning the state down amidst the usual end-of-session jamming through bills that really ought to have had a lot more deliberation, California lawmakers can point to at least one epic accomplishment: surfing is now the official state sport...
TX City Council Unanimously Approves The SAN ANTONIO City Council unanimously approves a six-month pilot program regulating electric scooters. Riders will be required to use sidewalks or roads, but will be barred from roadways where the speed limit...
Going On In LA The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a LOUISIANA law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital (REUTERS). CA Governor Signs AB 2989 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D)...
NJ Governor Signs AB 261 NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) signs AB 261 , which bars the installation and sale of wheel weights containing lead or mercury and prohibits the sale of new motor vehicles equipped with wheel weights containing lead or...
California Signs SB 1139 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 1139 , which bars the denial of applicants to Golden State medical schools based solely on their immigration status. The law also ensures that all medical students are eligible to apply...
According to Census Bureau data, there were about 7.5 million full-time equivalent state and local government employees, not including those who work in education, nationwide last year. That’s 3 percent fewer than there were before the Great Recession...
As part of a plan to address their state’s $2.8 billion budget deficit, members of the Alaska House voted 21-19 in favor of a bill ( HB 111 ) last week that would increase oil production taxes and reduce the state subsidy for new oil drilling. ...
Being in politics means learning to roll with the punches, but former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently had to take that lesson a step further. As the Washington Post reports , Schwarzenegger was signing autographs at his annual Arnold Classic...
Although motor vehicle subscription services - similar to auto leases but with no long-term commitment, the ability to change vehicles periodically and insurance and maintenance bundled in - have only been around for a few years, they’ve been embraced...