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CA: Brown signs .6 billion California budget with anti-poverty initiatives
The new budget will establish an earned income tax credit for California’s working-poor families, boost the number of state-subsidized child care slots and expand state-funded health care coverage to children from low-income families who are in the country illegally.
SC: South Carolina Supreme Court replaces Charleston County magistrate
Without comment, South Carolina’s high court replaced the chief magistrate who was criticized for soliciting sympathy for the family of a man accused of killing nine people at a Charleston church last week.
WI: Walker signs bills to expand gun rights in Wisconsin
Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed two bills expanding gun rights in Wisconsin: one repealing the state’s 48-hour waiting period to purchase a handgun and the other allowing retired or off-duty law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons on school grounds.
OH: Ohio Senate passes 20-week abortion ban
The legislation, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, would make it a fourth degree felony for a physician to perform an abortion if the unborn child is more than 20 weeks from fertilization.
AL: Alabama governor orders removal of Confederate flags
Republican Gov. Robert Bentley ordered the removal of four Confederate flags from a memorial at the Alabama State Capitol amid a growing national controversy over their official display.
VA: Virginia to revisit granting parole
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe will create a commission to study reinstating parole in Virginia, two decades after it was abolished amid a wave of tough-on-crime laws across the nation.
MA: Massachusetts governor signs stop-gap budget
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed a .5 billion interim budget to keep state government running through July. The House and Senate are still ironing out differences on a full-year budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
NM: New Mexico governor seeks tighter food stamp rules
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration wants to expand work, training and job-search requirements for low-income New Mexicans to qualify for food stamps. Proposed rules would require most single, able-bodied adults age 16 to 60 to search for jobs or train for one in order to get food assistance.
RI: Rhode Island’s economic chief seeks more spending on tourist promotion
Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor says he wants to spend million next year to promote the state as a tourist destination as a way to increase state revenue. The state currently spends ,000 to try to lure out-of-state visitors.
TX: Some Texas felons to be eligible for food stamps
If they finish their sentences and comply with any terms of parole, Texans convicted on felony drug charges soon will be able to receive food stamps, under legislation signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
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