Stateline

Recent Articles

• EPA Warns of Poor U.S. Water Quality
• Mar 27, 2013
• More than half of the nation’s thousands of miles of rivers and streams are plagued by poor water quality, including harmful nutrient pollution and mercury, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

• Legislatures Seek to Protect Immigrants from Federal Law
• Mar 26, 2013
• As Congress considers major revisions to federal immigration laws, legislators in a few states are trying to block the federal government’s power to deport immigrants who land in their jails.

• Before Right-to-Work Begins, Michigan Unions Rush to Sign Contracts
• Mar 22, 2013
• All over Michigan, public employee unions are scrambling to cement long-term contracts with school districts, higher education institutions and local units of government before the state’s right-to-work law takes effect March 28.

• Colorado Joins 5 States with Same-Sex Civil Unions
• Mar 22, 2013
• Colorado became the sixth state to allow civil unions for same-sex couples when Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the legislation Thursday. Another nine states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage.

• Maryland Repeals the Death Penalty, Joins Growing Trend
• Mar 18, 2013
• After a years-long fight, Maryland has become the sixth state in as many years to repeal its death penalty.
• 3 Comments

• Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Initiative to Begin in Select States
• Mar 14, 2013
• The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it will send $2.3 million to 12 counties and cities in 10 states to bolster efforts to prevent domestic violence homicides, even as Washington remains consumed with budget cutbacks.

• Reducing Road Deaths Proves Challenging in Rural States
• Mar 13, 2013
• Rural roads are generally more dangerous than urban roads for a number of reasons, and states with more country routes tend to have higher fatality rates. Only 19 percent of Americans live in rural areas, but 55 percent of all road fatalities happened in the country.
• 1 Comments

• Governors Prioritize Employing People with Disabilities
• Mar 11, 2013
• The nation’s governors have turned their attention to helping more people with disabilities find jobs by building partnerships with companies that are willing to help accommodate them.
• 1 Comments

• After Newtown, States Go Different Directions on School Safety
• Mar 6, 2013
• States have pursued a variety of proposals on school safety in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings.

• Labor Strike in Illinois State Government Avoided
• Mar 4, 2013
• A dramatic standoff between Illinois’ largest state-employee union and Democratic Governor Pat Quinn ended last Thursday morning with a tentative contract agreement after more than 15 months of negotiations.

• Red-Light Cameras Keep Popping Up Despite Public, Legislative Outcry
• Feb 26, 2013
• This year, lawmakers in 22 states have filed more than 100 bills dealing with traffic cameras.

• The White House's Breakdown of Sequestration's Impact on Every State
• Feb 25, 2013
• A 50-state sampling of budget cuts outlined by the White House for just this year.
• 3 Comments

• Fracking Debate Heating Up in States
• Feb 25, 2013
• Some lawmakers want to open up their states to fracking, while others hope to impose moratoriums.

• Supreme Court to Weigh States’ Rights vs. Voting Rights
• Feb 25, 2013
• At issue is Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires all or part of 16 states to get any changes to election law pre-approved by the feds.
• 1 Comments

• States Seek Legal Limits on Domestic Drones
• Feb 22, 2013
• Ready or not, the drones are coming home: Nine law enforcement agencies in six states already use drones, and another nine have applied to the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to do the same.
• 2 Comments