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US: Governors refuse to send National Guard to the border
National Guard troops from eight states will be withheld or recalled from the southern border, the states’ governors announced, over mounting objections to the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents there.
CA: California Senate panel moves to restrict police use of force
California Democratic lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would restrict the circumstances under which police officers in the state could use deadly force. The measure, which would raise the standard for lethal use of force from “reasonable” to “necessary,” passed a Senate committee.
AL: 450 undocumented immigrant children placed in Alabama since October
More than 450 unaccompanied immigrant children have been released to sponsors in Alabama since October, with almost a quarter going to two counties, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
LA: Nearly 41,000 Louisiana homes could be a flood risk, report says
Nearly 99,000 people could be affected by floods that would happen 26 times a year or more by 2045, a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists says. The value of the homes affected by the flooding is pegged at nearly $4.3 billion, contributing $36 million in property taxes.
KY: Kentucky lawmakers form panel to write sports betting bill
A bipartisan group of Kentucky lawmakers is writing a bill to legalize and regulate sports betting in the state. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that states should be allowed to legalize sports betting. Proponents say the bill would generate between $6.5 million and $26 million for the state every year through licensing and taxes.
AR: Judge blocks Arkansas law inhibiting medication-induced abortion
Medication-induced abortion is available again in Arkansas after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the state from enforcing a section of a 2015 law requiring abortion providers to contract with a second doctor who has hospital-admitting privileges.
NY: New York City will end marijuana arrests for most people
The New York Police Department will spare many people who smoke marijuana in public from getting arrested and will give them a ticket instead, but not if a person has certain kinds of past arrests or convictions, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
TX: Texas lawmakers want answers after Medicaid investigation
Texas lawmakers called for hearings this month to ask private health care companies and state officials to respond to a series by the Dallas Morning News that exposed how companies boost profits by denying necessary care and showed that state officials have hidden the magnitude of problems in what’s called Medicaid managed care.
MO: Former Missouri governor staffers appear to circumvent open records law
Two staffers for former Republican Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens appear to have used an app last summer to share talking points on one of the governor’s policy priorities. The app deletes messages after they are read – circumventing the state’s open records law. Screenshots of the text messages appear to confirm the use of the app.
CO: Colorado to adopt California-style vehicle emission standards
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, has issued an executive order requiring the adoption of low-emission vehicle standards by 2025, with the first steps in developing the program ready by the end of this year.
RI: Rhode Island could require presidential hopefuls to release tax returns
Rhode Island’s Democrat-dominated Senate has approved a bill that would require candidates for president and vice president to make their tax returns public as a prerequisite to getting on the state ballot. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
VT: Vermont House fails to override governor’s budget veto
Vermont lawmakers will need to start over on the state budget and tax rates after the House of Representatives failed to override Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s veto.
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