A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court blocks proof-of-citizenship requirements on federal voter registration forms, but leaves open the possibility of amending the form to include Arizona's stricter standard for verifying citizenship.
Barack Obama’s near-complete absence from more than 25 percent of the states, from which he is politically estranged, is no surprise, in that it reflects routine cost-benefit calculations of the modern presidency. But in a country splintered by partisanship and race, it may also have consequences.
The U.S. Department of Education will allow some states that have gotten waivers from pieces of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to postpone using student growth on state tests as a factor in personnel decisions for up to one additional year —until the 2016-17 school year.
State Senate President John Morse is the target of a recall for his leadership on the party's passage of tougher gun control laws in this year's legislative session
Source: Seattle Times | Washington state |
June 19, 2013
Seven congressional Democrats from Washington are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to honor the state’s new recreational-marijuana law — the delegation’s first collective public statement on the issue.
Source: Indianapolis Star | Indiana |
June 19, 2013
Indiana House Democrats won’t recoup any of the more than $233,000 in fines levied against them over their legislative walkouts in 2011 and 2012, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger | New Jersey |
June 19, 2013
A state Senate panel advanced legislation that would require out-of-state law enforcement agencies to notify New Jersey authorities before conducting counterterrorism operations within its borders.
Source: Seattle Times | Washington state |
June 19, 2013
State officials predict rapid progress in budget negotiations after two forecasts on Tuesday gave the Legislature an additional $320 million to spend over the next two years.
A remarkable book provides leaders with a practical, simple framework, based on the latest brain research, for turning an organization to a new direction.
Source: Portland Press Herald | Maine |
June 19, 2013
A spokesperson for the administration said that responses from the administration could be gleaned from reports by The Associated Press or through document requests using the Freedom of Access Act.
Gov. Pat Quinn has signed signed sweeping legislation to regulate horizontal hydraulic fracturing Illinois, which includes some of the tightest restrictions on oil and gas companies in the nation.
Supporters and opponents of capital punishment agree: The current death penalty is expensive, inefficient, and arbitrary. Some state legislatures have reacted to those faults by abolishing the death penalty, while others are trying to speed it up.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that would block local governments from enacting mandatory paid-sick-time measures, such as the one pending in Orange County.
Nationally, six straight years of revenue declines have put enormous pressure on state and local governments, nevertheless, some are thriving. Standard & Poor's, the credit-rating agency, reports that it issued more bond upgrades than downgrades in 2012.
The Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act are in full swing. With the influx of people who will be applying for benefits and the ACA requirement for online enrollment, it is more important than ever to verify the identities of those accessing benefits up front.