The latest court battle in the ongoing power struggle between North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Republicans who control both chambers of the state’s General Assembly appears to be over. The legal skirmish began in late June when the legislature...
STATES AWARDED MILLIONS IN ACA LAWSUIT A federal court in TEXAS ruled that the federal government improperly charged several states millions of dollars in state Medicaid fees that provide funding for the Affordable Care Act. Under the terms of the...
The frenzied last days of the legislative session are over, and now California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) must act on nearly 1,000 bills by the end of September. While some of the more controversial measures died before getting to Brown, he still faces a number...
In November Connecticut voters will consider the Connecticut Transportation Revenue Lockbox Amendment, which would bar lawmakers from using the state’s transportation fund for non-transportation-related purposes. If the ballot measure is approved...
Citing “a persistent and alarming lack of accountability in local school systems across the state,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued an executive order last week that creates a new post in his administration: director of the Office of...
After the state and local tax (SALT) deduction was capped at $10,000 as part of the federal tax overhaul last December, high-tax states immediately began looking for ways for their residents to avoid a big bump in their federal tax burdens. Connecticut...
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair sanctioning that state’s economic nexus-based sales tax law, similar requirements - with and without new enabling legislation - have gone into effect in five states, according...
When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that a law passed by South Dakota had freed it from a longstanding legal precedent barring states from imposing sales taxes on internet and mail-order retailers that did not have a physical presence within their...
Five trillion plastic bags. That’s the number of single-use (double, if you have a dog) bags used worldwide every year. To put that into perspective, the bags spread out side-by-side would cover an area twice the size of France says a U.N. report...
The tiny Kentucky town of Rabbit Hash (population 315) is mostly known for two things: the bunny-based meal that gave the burg its name and for having the best known country store in the Bluegrass State. That’s worthwhile enough, but there’s...
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...
Me or you griping? Meh. The governor griping? Now there’s a call to arms! Case in point comes from New Hampshire, where the AP reports that a Londonberry Township resident took to Twitter to ask a local market to stop placing the price stickers...
New Initiative pledging to incorporate electric vehicles Led by LOS ANGELES Mayor Eric Garcetti, Representatives from 19 cities and counties sign a new initiative pledging to incorporate electric vehicles into their municipal fleets. Under the new...
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...
CA governor signs AB 1775 and SB 874 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 1775 and SB 874 , which together bar the State Lands Commission from granting leases for new pipelines and infrastructure to companies looking to drill for oil off the state’s...
CA Governor signs SB 100 Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 100 , which requires that all retail electricity sold in the state be carbon-free by 2045. The Golden State joins HAWAII as the only states with a 100 percent carbon-free mandate (SACRAMENTO BEE...
U.S department of education implements regulation to protect students A federal court rules that the U.S. Department of Education wrongly delayed implementation of regulations meant to protect students who take out loans to attend college from predatory...
U.s food and drug administration and e-cigarette The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives e-cigarette makers 60 days to devise a detailed plan for reducing use of their product by minors, threatening to ban a number of their products if the companies...
SNYDER SIGNS ‘BAN THE BOX’ ORDER MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed Executive Order 2018-4 , which directs some state agencies to no longer ask job applicants about any criminal history in the initial application process. The so-called...
Responding to Medicaid expansion advocates who are urging eligible Mainers to sign up for the insurance plan, Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) said he will reject those applications until lawmakers fund the program to his satisfaction. Expansion supporters...
Days before hosting a global summit on climate change in San Francisco, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed SB 100, a measure that requires the Golden State to obtain 100 percent of its retail electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045. Brown...
NM SUPREME COURT RULES OUT STRAIGHT-TICKET VOTING The NEW MEXICO Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week that Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) did not have the authority to reinstate straight-ticket voting after that option was discontinued...
There’s been a lot of talk about the “blue wave” that may sweep Democrats into control of the U.S. House in November. But the seas are also looking pretty favorable for Democrats in some state legislative chambers. If Colorado...
Last month the West Virginia House voted to impeach all of the sitting justices on the state’s Supreme Court. And this week the Senate will begin its impeachment trial for those justices. At least a couple of the justices have been charged...
SPORTS BETTING OFF TO GOOD START IN MS Gamblers bet $9.8 million dollars on sporting events at state-regulated gambling halls in MISSISSIPPI in the first 34 days of legalized sports wagering in the state. Mississippi is one of four states - the others...