Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) has proposed giving the state power to take over failing public schools. Doing so would require lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment, with voters getting the final say in the 2016 election. Under Georgia law, schools...
The federal transportation bill approved by Congress in December “provides far too little money to repair and upgrade America’s crumbling transportation system,” and federal lawmakers are too “fearful of raising taxes ahead of...
You want to drop $700 on food at a Michelin-rated eatery where it took months to get a reservation? Go for it. The rest of us will just scoop up some venison off the road and have us a time. As CalMatters reports , a bill ( SB 395 ) is working its way...
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) joined with all four legislative leaders last week to announce updates to a proposal ( SB 901 ) that would limit the liability of public utilities like Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for future wildfires. The measure would...
A trio of closely watched redistricting cases were dispatched by the Supreme Court last month on technical grounds rather than on the merits of their arguments. In one of the cases, Gill v. Whitford , from Wisconsin, the justices unanimously 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...
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...
Baker and Wolf weren’t the only ones capable of drawing a laugh at the NGA winter meeting. After a presentation by famed New York City restauranteur Danny Meyer, the govs got a chance to hit him with some questions. While most focused on Meyer’s...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he is meeting with people from both law enforcement and the community to consider ways to make the Empire State grand jury system more transparent. Some media outlets have reported he is weighing the possibility of...
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) said he needs to study a bill lawmakers sent him last week that would make the Green Mountain State the first to import prescription drugs from Canada. That measure, SB 175 , would create an importation program for buying widely...
MA Governor Signs HB 4670 MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signs HB 4670 , so-called “red flag” legislation that allows family or household members to petition the courts for a one-year renewable order suspending gun ownership rights...
Left to their own devices, humans are pretty good at wiping out native animal species. Such has definitely been the case for the so-called “prairie chicken” – known elsewhere as a grouse - of northwest Kansas. Long considered a nuisance...
Bypassing the Trump administration, California has reached agreement with four of the world’s largest automakers to improve fuel efficiency and reduce automobile emissions that contribute to global warming. And more are likely to follow. ...
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 –...
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...
OR House Approves HB 2623 The OREGON House approves HB 2623 , a bill that would impose a 10-year ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process that injects high-pressure liquids into underground rock to extract oil and gas. The measure moves...
The UTAH Senate unanimously approves HB 147, which requires first-time drivers to take an online driving test after they take and pass a driver’s training class. The test would be in addition to an in-person test drivers take before receiving a...
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).
Officials in Maryland have agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a lawsuit over Gov. Larry Hogan (R) blocking hundreds of people from his official Facebook page. The settlement also includes attorney’s fees and an agreement to adhere to a new policy for...
We all have a relative (or, heaven help us, two or more) who just will not stop talking politics at family gatherings, or at least not until doors are slammed, tires are screeched or blood is spilled. That is probably what Raleigh, North Carolina resident...
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...
WA Supreme Court Rules The WASHINGTON state Supreme Court rules the use of capital punishment to be unconstitutional. The ruling, which makes the Evergreen State the 20th where courts or legislatures have abolished or overturned capital punishment...
Be careful what you tell folks they can get for free. Ohhhh boy. When the Australian magazine Vice reported recently that a quirk in the law allowed every Aussie citizen to receive free “nationhood material,” it was on. As NBC News reports...
State and local lawmakers used to dealing with homelessness issues know that one of the major aspects of that dilemma is public urination. And as city leaders in Paris can attest, it certainly is not a problem relegated to the U.S. As such, the City of...