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Top State Stories 11/27
CA, OR: California, Oregon crabbers sue fossil fuel companies
Commercial crabbers in Oregon and California are suing 30 fossil fuel companies, claiming they are to blame for climate change that has hurt their industry.
NC: Lame-duck North Carolina session could last to December
North Carolina Republicans, who will lose their veto-proof majority in January, plan a long lame-duck session to address issues including a voter ID bill to replace one struck down by courts in 2016.
MI: Michigan Republicans hope to roll back minimum wage in lame-duck session
In the final weeks of this year’s lame-duck legislative session, Michigan lawmakers hope to unravel laws passed earlier this year to raise the minimum wage from .25 to an hour and require employers to provide paid sick time for workers. The laws were passed to avoid ballot initiatives.
MS: Group sues over Mississippi absentee procedures
On the eve of the U.S. Senate runoff election, the Washington-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is asking a federal court to make Mississippi extend its deadline for voters to return absentee ballots.
AZ: Democrats won most seats in Arizona House since 1966
Democrats fell short on Election Day in their quest to flip a legislative chamber at the Arizona state Capitol, but they made historic gains.
WI: Wedding barns subject to Wisconsin liquor laws, AG says
Barns rented for events such as weddings are subject to Wisconsin’s liquor laws, the state’s attorney general suggested in a recent legal analysis.
NY: New York gets first female legislative leader
Democrats picked Andrea Stewart-Cousins to become the first female leader of a legislative chamber in New York, making history at a critical time for her party.
PA: Judge dismisses Pennsylvania Senate challenge over absentee ballots
A Bucks County judge dismissed a legal challenge filed in a contested state Senate race that claimed Pennsylvania’s deadline for excluding absentee ballots is unconstitutional. State Rep. Tina Davis filed the lawsuit after losing the race to state Sen. Richard “Tommy” Tomlinson by 74 votes.
NJ: Legal weed one step closer in New Jersey
After months of false starts and delays, New Jersey took a big step toward legal weed, with lawmakers advancing a bill that would legalize the possession and personal use of marijuana.
MD: Maryland governor creates emergency anti-gerrymandering panel
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, created an “emergency” commission to redraw the controversial boundaries of Western Maryland’s congressional district, saying he was acting without Democrats to cut politics out of the mapmaking process.
NV: Rural homebuilders ramp up work in Nevada
Construction, sales and development plans are speeding up — in some cases rapidly — in towns an hour’s drive or more from Las Vegas. The uptick comes amid fast-rising home prices in Nevada’s largest metro area.
OH: Ohio to accept Bitcoin for tax payments
Ohio became the first state in the nation to accept Bitcoin tax payments, as State Treasurer Josh Mandel announced the launch of OhioCrypto.com.
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