• Wisconsin May Join States with Social Media Privacy Laws
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Wisconsin   |   April 22, 2013
• Legislation that has been proposed would limit the ability of employers, landlords and universities to request access to the private social media accounts of applicants, tenants and students.

• San Francisco to Require Quake Retrofitting for At-Risk Buildings
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   April 22, 2013
• After years of study and debate, San Francisco has formally adopted a new law requiring owners to retrofit thousands of buildings, marking the most sweeping seismic regulations in California in years.

• Will Rick Perry Run for Governor Again?
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   April 22, 2013
• The Texas governor has said he won't lay out his political plans until June. Whether he decides to run for a fourth term in office may affect races across the state.
• 1 Comments

• Retiree Health-Care Benefits: The Next Shoe to Drop?
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   April 22, 2013
• The rising cost of health care for retirees may force states and localities to make wholesale changes to their pension health plans.
• 6 Comments

• How Gov. Patrick is Handling the Boston Bombing Tragedy
• Source: Bloomberg   |   Massachusetts   |   April 22, 2013
• Managing tragedies or natural disasters are some of the toughest, most complex jobs that confront governors, who must reassure the public while coordinating and executing a response effort in an unforgiving media glare. It’s a moment that can make or break a career.

• Even Moderate States in the West Balk at Gun Control
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Nation   |   April 22, 2013
• The West has become increasingly friendly political terrain for Democrats, but guns remain a touchy matter

• Christie Seeks to Strengthen New Jersey's Already Strict Gun Laws
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   April 22, 2013
• Gov. Chris Christie unveiled a plan to reduce gun violence by strengthening background checks and making it easier to commit the mentally ill.

• EPA Slams California for Not Spending $455M in Clean-Water Funds
• Source: Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   April 22, 2013
• California was declared to be out of compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act because it is sitting on $455 million that should be spent to improve local drinking water systems.
• 1 Comments

• Federal Inaction on Immigration Drives Shift in Oregon Lawmakers' Views
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   April 22, 2013
• The federal government's failure to pass comprehensive federal immigration reform has put the onus on state lawmakers to tackle legislation on matters they can control such as granting in-state tuition and driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

• Tennessee's Failed Education Bills to be Revived Next Year
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   April 22, 2013
• Two big initiatives were proposed during the 108th Tennessee General Assembly: an administrative proposal to create a school voucher program, and a so-called parent trigger measure that would allow parents to decide the fate of a struggling school.

• Water Rights Rattle Indian Reservation
• Source: New York Times   |   Montana   |   April 22, 2013
• A deal has rankled farmers and ranchers on an Indian reservation in Montana who fear they could lose half the water they need to grow wheat and hay and to water their cattle.

• Iowa Aims to Soften Self-Imposed Casino Bans
• Source: Des Moines Register   |   Iowa   |   April 22, 2013
• A bill would allow people to ban themselves for five years or life. If, after the initial five-year ban, people wanted to return to gambling, they could.

• 4/20 Marijuana Rally Shooting Injures 3 in Denver
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   April 22, 2013
• Saturday's rally — an annual event called 4/20 that celebrates a holiday for marijuana enthusiasts — was the first since Colorado voters legalized use of marijuana for people over 21.

• Is Raising the Gas Tax Truly Politically Unpalatable?
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   April 22, 2013
• It's conventional wisdom in Washington that voters won't support a gas tax hike or a vehicle miles traveled fee. A new study suggests that long-held belief is wrong.
• 8 Comments

• Tying Welfare to Grades Meets Resistance
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   April 22, 2013
• Should welfare benefits be tethered to a students' performance in school? One Tennessee legislator thinks so, but he's gotten national backlash for his proposal.
• 5 Comments