As a public official, Kansas Secretary of State and gubernatorial hopeful Kris Kobach is not so competent; as a lawyer he’s even worse. Before you start frothing at the mouth, it wasn’t me that said it. As the Wichita Eagle reports , that...
West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry is more than a hallowed jurist. He is also the author of a book decrying political corruption in the Mountain State. Alas, as the Charleston Gazette reports , Loughry himself now stands accused of playing...
It was very bad that now-former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens left office in disgrace over a litany of deplorable behavior and alleged corruption. It was worse that he tried to stick the state with his legal fees on the way out the door. But as the Kansas...
MA Attorney General Approves Extension In a ruling with statewide implications, MASSACHUSETTS Attorney General Maura Healey (D) approves an extension of a temporary moratorium on legal cannabis shops and other marijuana businesses through June 2019...
Going On In AR A federal judge issues a temporary restraining order that prevents ARKANSAS from enforcing a section of a 2015 law requiring abortion providers to contract with a second doctor who has hospital admitting privileges. The order issued...
MA House Approves HB 4664 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 4664 , a bill that would ban the use of so-called conversion therapy, a controversial practice aimed at changing the sexual orientation and gender identity of minors. It moves to the Senate...
Going On In OK The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves a plan that will make OKLAHOMA the first state to oversee coal ash disposal within its borders. Under the agreement, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will fully take over...
PR Governor Signs Legislation Gov. Ricardo Rossello (NP) signs legislation that allows the U.S. territory to enter into public-private partnerships for the transmission and distribution of power as well as for services like billing and meter-reading...
MA Senate Approves SB 2546 The MASSACHUSETTS Senate approves SB 2546 , which would allow the Bay State attorney general to file civil actions and issue stop work orders in wage theft cases. The measure, which also would create a trust fund to repay...
BROWN MOVES DAYLIGHT SAVINGS BILL TO CA BALLOT CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed AB 807 , a measure that will allow Golden State voters to decide if they want to stay on daylight saving time year-round. If voters approve, the measure would still...
The ongoing controversy over family separations at the U.S. border with Mexico has spurred a bipartisan group of governors to pull back or reject outright President Trump’s request to send National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. Democrats...
Culminating a broad effort to prevent several major policy issues being decided by voters at the ballot box, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed off on a so-called “grand bargain” that will gradually raise the Bay State minimum wage...
SCOTUS LARGELY UPHOLDS CONTESTED TX POLITICAL DISTRICTS In a 5-4 decision last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all but one of the handful of TEXAS legislative districts and both of the congressional districts that a three-judge panel said...
In a 5-4 decision last month, the Supreme Court ruled that public-sector workers who opt out of joining unions can’t be forced to contribute to those unions’ collective bargaining efforts. In Abood v. Detroit Board of Education in 1977...
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...
GAS TAX REPEAL INITIATIVE ON CA BALLOT An initiative to repeal the gas tax hike and new vehicle registration fees approved by CALIFORNIA’s Democrat-controlled Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown (D) last year to pay for road and highway repairs...
On June 21 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. that online retailers can be required to collect sales taxes in states where they don’t have a physical presence. The 5-4 decision reversed the court’s 1992 ruling in...
At least 11 states have introduced bills this session related to polystyrene food or beverage containers, most of them prohibiting their use, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative information system. Five of those states have also introduced...
Today, a visitor to a Bon Appétit cafe will have no problem finding plenty of tasty things to nosh on. But finding a plastic straw for their soda or a plastic stirrer for their coffee will soon be impossible. San Francisco-based Bon Appétit...
WALKER SIGNS AK RAPE KIT BILL Saying the Last Frontier has over 3,500 untested rape kits awaiting processing, ALASKA Gov. Bill Walker (I) signed a bill that requires local police to report to the state annually the number of untested sexual assault...
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...
VA City Council Rejects Proposal The VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA City Council rejects a proposal to regulate short-term rentals. The Council is expected to reconsider possible regulations and introduce a new proposal (WAVYTV [VIRGINIA BEACH]). WY City...
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) rejected 36 bills last week, adding to the record 500-plus vetoes he has accumulated during his eight years in office. As expected, the governor’s vetoes included legislation that would have funded voter-approved...
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;...
Federal Judge Rejects Challenge In CA A federal judge rejects a challenge to CALIFORNIA’s so-called “sanctuary state” law that limits the ability of state and local law enforcement to help federal agents enforce immigration law. The...