Energy and Environment
Top State Stories 4/14
FL: Florida governor signs 6-week abortion ban. Next step is up to state Supreme Court miamiherald.com Late Thursday night, in a private ceremony in his office, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The legislation prohibits abortion in most cases after six weeks, with exceptions […]
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 […]
Some States Want to Give You a Constitutional Right to a Clean Environment
Editor’s note: This story was updated to identify the harmful algal bloom as a brown tide. New Mexico’s budget relies heavily on oil and gas revenue, but the state also bears the scars of generations of mining and drilling. So when Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, a former law professor and current Democratic state senator, heard about […]
In Rush to Fight Climate Change, Cities Coordinate to Battle Heat With Trees
From Seattle to Palm Beach, Florida, city leaders agree that urban areas need more trees to alleviate the effects of climate change. Amid the growing attention to tree canopy — and an infusion of federal funding — more than a dozen cities are convening to share ideas and plan the urban forests of the future. […]
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 […]
Spring Brings Commerce, Concerns for States Along Mississippi River
DUBUQUE, Iowa — As Old Man River slowly awakens from its winter slumber, eagles work the edges of the opening channels and marina docks groan as the slow current wrestles the ice. Anglers — and an occasional whitetail deer — tread cautiously on the big river. Just like any other early spring on the Upper […]
Top State Stories 3/31
TX, US: Federal judge in Texas strikes down key Affordable Care Act provision regarding preventive care texastribune.org A federal judge in Texas struck down a key provision in the Affordable Care Act that mandates that insurers provide preventive services, including cancer screenings, for free. The judge rules that preventive care recommendations issued by a volunteer […]
Top State Stories 3/29
US: Republicans face setbacks in push to tighten voting laws on campuses nytimes.com Alarmed over young people increasingly proving to be a force for Democrats at the ballot box, Republican lawmakers in a number of states have been trying to enact new obstacles to voting for college students. But so far this year, a new […]
Top State Stories 3/28
NC: North Carolina expands Medicaid after Republicans drop opposition newsobserver.com North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed a new law after the Republican-led House and Senate agreed to pass Medicaid expansion, reaching a breakthrough after years of debate. North Carolina is one of just 11 states that has not adopted Medicaid expansion under the federal […]
States With Legal Pot Consider How to Protect Cannabis Workers
Most cannabis dispensaries are cash-only businesses, constantly at risk of being robbed. Indoor growing facilities use harsh lighting, and plants get sprayed with pesticides. Those conditions can create daily hazards for cannabis workers, which is why labor organizers are trying to unionize them as legalization spreads and the marijuana workforce grows. “Cannabis consumers might assume […]
States Seek to Ease Child Care Crunch
States are spending more money and creating new incentives to ease the severe child care crisis, with most federal pandemic aid set to dry up in September. The child care shortage costs the United States billion in lost earnings, productivity and revenue each year, according to ReadyNation, a consortium of business leaders under the umbrella […]
Top State Stories 3/24
OK: Oklahoma school board unanimously passes rules targeting library content tulsaworld.com Without discussion or debate, the Oklahoma State Board of Education unanimously approved a pair of rules that would downgrade schools’ or districts’ accreditation if they are found to have library materials deemed to be pornographic or excessively sexualized. Both rules are subject to approval […]