Hoping to avoid what appears to be an imminent override, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he would in January introduce an alternative version of a paid sick leave bill he vetoed last session. That measure ( 2017 HB 1 ) requires Old Line State...
WI Gov Signs SB 119 Gov. Scott Walker (R) signs SB 119 , which makes the Badger State one of more than 30 which allow farmers to grow industrial hemp (WMTV [MADISON]).
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced a “first-in-the-nation set of educational core principles” he says will help ensure the Bay State’s more than 4,000 enrolled social work students are equipped with the skills needed to confront...
Major changes to the state employee pay and benefit package squeaked through the Connecticut Senate this week, with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman (D) breaking an 18-18 tie vote to advance the measure, which Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) has lauded as vital to reducing...
CA Cities Adopt Flavor Tobacco Ban Days after SAN FRANCISCO voters upheld a ban on all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarette liquids , the SAN MATEO County Board of Supervisors endorses a similar ban. Several...
Candidates often spar over which one loves certain things more than the other. The object of that affection in recent years has often been guns, but as the Chicago Tribune reports the Illinois governor’s race might hinge on something far more interesting...
Last month, without any fanfare, the Trump administration laid out its vision for the $1 trillion infrastructure plan the president has been promising. Outlined in a six-page fact sheet included with Trump’s proposed 2018 budget, the plan calls...
The tax overhaul outlined by President Trump and GOP congressional leaders last month proposed doing away with the federal tax deduction for state and local tax payments to help offset the business and individual tax cuts included in the plan. But congressional...
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has declared the Keystone State’s ongoing opioid abuse crisis to be a statewide health emergency. Pennsylvania’s drug overdose rate is twice the national average. Wolf’s declaration allows state officials...
Going On In MI The MICHIGAN Department of Environmental Quality closes the final four bottled water distribution centers in the city of FLINT . State officials said testing showed Flint's water quality had remained below federal action levels for...
In normal times, when the vice president comes to town the governor is sure to be there for a good old fashioned grip-and-grin for the news photographers. And if he is from your own party? Done deal, right? Wrong! Or so it was last week for Massachusetts...
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) joined with state Supreme Court Justice Michael Douglas and legislative leaders in announcing a comprehensive review of the Silver State’s criminal justice system. In a statement , the governor’s office said...
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...
With the saga of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) coming to an abrupt end last week, all eyes turned to take a new look at his replacement, fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Michael L. Parson. Parson’s ascension came with shocking swiftness. Greitens...
The office of NEW JERSEY Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced the kickoff of a plan that will allow thousands of low-income Garden State residents to attend college tuition-free next year. The pilot program will cover tuition and mandatory fees for students...
Maine lawmakers overturned 23 of Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) 43 vetoes, but failed to turn back his rejection of startup funding for voter-approved Medicaid expansion in the Pine Tree State. The successful veto marks the seventh time that LePage...
The Cuomo administration has opened a criminal investigation into whether the Donald J. Trump Charitable Foundation violated New York state tax laws. It is the second high-level state investigation into the Trump Foundation. New York Attorney General...
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...
PA Governor Issues Executive Order 2019-01 PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) issues Executive Order 2019-01 , which establishes a Keystone State goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050. The order also creates a state...
Connecticut’s 28 acute-care hospitals posted a collective gain from their operations in the 2016 fiscal year of $353 million, a 17 percent decline from the $422 million increase in fiscal 2015. A major reason for that decline is that the hospitals...
WY House Passes Internet Sales Tax Bill The WYOMING House has given final approval to a bill requiring internet retailers located outside the state to collect sales taxes on purchases by state residents. The measure ( HB 19 ) now heads to the Senate...
U.S. Supreme Court On Immigration The U.S. Supreme Court declines to rehear a challenge to a proposal from President Barack Obama that would have protected approximately 4 million unauthorized immigrants from being deported. The Court earlier this...
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and his fellow Democrats who control the state’s General Assembly have come up with a plan to reduce the state’s public school teacher pension costs: get local governments to cover some of them. Under the proposal...
CA Governor Signs SB 375 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 910 and SB 375 , which together ban short-term and association health plans, so-called “junk insurance” coverage that is exempt from Affordable Care Act rules, such as accepting...
CA Governor Signs SB 1406 CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs SB 1406 , which extends for three years a pilot program that allows some community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees in a handful of technical fields (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S...