• Washington State's Marijuana Rules Taking Shape
• Source: Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   May 17, 2013
• State officials released proposed rules for a legal seed-to-store marijuana system that would allow adults to buy an ounce of tested, labeled pot seven days a week.

• Facing a Strike, UC Medical Centers Cancel Elective Surgeries
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   May 17, 2013
• Facing a possible two-day strike next week by patient care and technical workers, the five large University of California medical centers are starting to cancel elective surgeries.

• LAPD Freed from Federal Oversight After 12 Years
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Los Angeles   |   May 17, 2013
• In a brief, three-line order, a judge formally lifted the binding agreement the U.S. Department of Justice imposed on the LAPD in 2001, which spelled out dozens of major reforms the police agency had to implement and frequent audits it was required to undergo.

• Proposal to Raise Legal Cigarette Age to 21 Catches on in New Jersey
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   May 17, 2013
• New Jersey and New York are both considering raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21.

• Bill Allowing Armed Personnel in Schools Becomes Tennessee Law
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   May 17, 2013
• Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a bill that allows school districts to let people with police training be armed in schools.

• Impact of Louisiana School Voucher Ruling Beginning to Show
• Source: New Orleans Times Picayune   |   Louisiana   |   May 17, 2013
• As the 2013-14 funding plan boomeranged between the Legislature and the state board of education, the state education superintendent revealed that the state had to find an extra $29 million for the current school year; meanwhile, parents of students in the voucher program rallied to keep their kids enrolled.

• Minimum-Wage Increase Hits Roadblock in Minnesota
• Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   May 17, 2013
• Once a top priority, a hike in the minimum wage is falling off the agenda as the House and Senate disagree on how much it should rise.

• Florida's Rick Scott Rejects Amazon Deal
• Source: AP/Miami Herald   |   Florida   |   May 17, 2013
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has made job creation his top priority, has rejected a proposed deal to bring major Internet retailer Amazon to the state because it would have meant that Floridians would have to pay sales tax on Internet purchases made through the company.
• 3 Comments

• How Vermont Raised Its Gas Tax
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   May 17, 2013
• State leaders say they had no choice to find new gas tax revenue since they risked losing federal funds.

• Detroit's Recovery Plan Increases Default Risks
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   Detroit   |   May 16, 2013
• Moody's, the credit ratings agency, has warned that Detroit’s preliminary financial operating plan opens the door to place bondholders on the hook for the city’s debts, a move that would further damage the city’s already low credit rating.

• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans
• BY: Penelope Lemov   |   May 16, 2013
• Defined-benefit plans put all the risk on states and localities; defined-contribution plans put it all on employees. Now there's a new approach to risk sharing.
• 3 Comments

• How Weak is the GOP in the Bluest States?
• BY: Louis Jacobson   |   May 16, 2013
• Just about as weak as Democrats are in the reddest states.

• Illinois to Allow 17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primaries
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   May 16, 2013
• The Illinois legislature has passed a bill allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they are going to turn 18 by the November general election. In doing so they become the 13th state to allow this group of teens to vote in primaries.

• Oklahoma Law Bucks Trend in End-of-Life Care Debate
• BY: Stateline   |   Oklahoma   |   May 16, 2013
• A new law in Oklahoma severely restricting end-of-life options for patients raises a number of questions for doctors and is adding fuel to the national debate about end of life care.
• 2 Comments

• Texas GOP Donor Releases Anti-Obamacare Songs
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   May 16, 2013
• Houston physician and Republican campaign donor Steve Hotze has written two songs about his opposition to federal health reform.
• 1 Comments