Business of Government
Top State Stories: Washington bans sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles
WA: Washington bans sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles, effective immediately seattletimes.com Washington has become the 10th state to prohibit sales of AR-15s and dozens of other semi-automatic rifles, as Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed the ban into law, effective immediately. The state Capitol was closed to the public for the signing ceremony out […]
Top State Stories: North Carolina Republicans are coalescing around a 12-week abortion ban
NC: North Carolina Republicans are coalescing around a 12-week abortion ban, House speaker says newsobserver.com North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said he believes Republicans in the House and Senate are “really close” to reaching a consensus on what new abortion restrictions should look like. The state currently bans abortion after 20 weeks. FL: Florida governor signs […]
Top State Stories: New Tennessee survey finds strong bipartisan support for gun safety
TN: New Tennessee survey finds strong bipartisan support for gun safety, laws tennessean.com A survey of registered Tennessee voters taken after last month’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville finds strong bipartisan support for gun safety measures, including background checks and so-called red flag laws. The poll found that 88% of respondents support background checks for gun […]
Top State Stories: Ohio governor delays 3 inmates’ executions
OH: Ohio governor delays 3 inmates’ executions cleveland.com Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine issued three reprieves of execution, citing issues with obtaining drugs for lethal injection. DeWine has repeatedly expressed his concern that if pharmaceutical companies find that Ohio used its drugs to put people to death, they will refuse to sell any of its drugs […]
Voting to Raise Their Own Pay Puts State Lawmakers in a Bind
Persistently low salaries discourage everyday citizens from serving in state legislatures, say legislators who face an uphill battle to raise pay. “Could a single parent be a state rep? Absolutely not. If you are the sole wage earner in a family, you can’t afford it — or even if you’re the primary wage earner,” Louisiana […]
Lawmakers in Some States See a Need for Higher Speed Limits
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine didn’t mince words last month when he weighed in on a legislative plan to increase speed limits on certain Ohio highways: He was a no. “Every expert that you talk to can tell you that the data clearly shows that if we increase the speed limit, even only by five […]
Top State Stories 4/11
TN: Expelled Tennessee lawmaker returns to legislature after unanimous Nashville council appointment tennessean.com Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones left the Tennessee Capitol April 6, expelled from the House of Representatives for leading a gun-safety protest from the floor following a deadly Nashville school shooting. On Monday, hundreds of jubilant supporters marched alongside him as he walked up the […]
Top State Stories 4/7
TN: Tennessee GOP expels two Democratic members over gun-safety protest tennessean.com Ten days after a shooter unloaded 152 rounds inside a Nashville school and killed six people, Tennessee House Republicans expelled two Black Democratic lawmakers for breaking House rules and mounting a gun-safety protest on the chamber’s floor. The House failed by one vote to achieve […]
Top State Stories 4/6
IN: Indiana governor signs bill banning gender-affirming care for minors indystar.com Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill banning gender-affirming health care procedures for transgender minors. Almost immediately, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit to stop it from being implemented. MD: State report shows ‘astonishing’ depravity in child sexual abuse at Maryland archdiocese baltimoresun.com […]
Top State Stories 4/5
ID: Idaho governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for minors idahostatesman.com Idaho physicians who provide gender-affirming care to transgender minors could now face up to 10 years in prison. Republican Gov. Brad Little signed into law a measure that makes it a felony to provide puberty blockers, hormone therapies and gender-affirmation surgeries to minors. WI: Liberal […]
Top State Stories 4/4
FL: Florida governor signs permitless carry gun bill into law tampabay.com Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that lets people carry guns without a permit and without any training. People who are otherwise prohibited from carrying a gun under state and federal law — such as people with felony records and certain disqualifying misdemeanors — […]
Top State Stories 3/30
TN: Tennessee lawmakers delay gun bills after Nashville shooting as advocates demand action tennessean.com Tennessee lawmakers chose to delay hearing a number of proposed bills related to firearms, a decision some gun safety advocates criticized as inaction in the wake of the deadliest school shooting in state history. Prior to Monday’s shooting at The Covenant […]