• Bill to Make Illinois 19th State to OK Medical Marijuana on Gov. Quinn's Desk
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   May 20, 2013
• The Democratic governor must weigh not only the merits of the bill but also the politics, given his re-election campaign next year.

• New York Lawmaker Lopez Set to Resign Amid Sexual Harassment Accusations
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   May 20, 2013
• While the resignation of Assemblyman Vito Lopez, a veteran Brooklyn Democrat accused of sexually harassing several women, ends an effort to expel him from the legislature, the scrutiny is not over for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

• N.J. May Pay Recent Grads to Live in Poor Cities
• BY: Brian Peteritas   |   New Jersey   |   May 17, 2013
• Lawmakers in New Jersey have proposed paying part of college graduates' student loans if they agree to live in cities in need of revitalization.
• 1 Comments

• California is 1st to Use Health Exchange for Voter Registration
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   May 17, 2013
• In a move that other states are expected to follow, California is giving people who contact the state's new health exchange to buy insurance the opportunity to register to vote at the same time.

• Feds Issue New Fracking Rules
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   May 17, 2013
• The Interior Department proposed new rules to regulate hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas drilling on federal lands, drawing criticism from environmentalists and the industry.

• Texas Enacts Law to Prevent Wrongful Convictions
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   May 17, 2013
• Known as the Michael Morton Act, the law aims to avoid wrongful convictions by preventing prosecutors from suppressing evidence.
• 1 Comments

• Obama Losing Support of State and Local Officials, Survey Finds
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   May 17, 2013
• State and local government officials increasingly disapprove of President Obama and fear the country is headed in the wrong direction, a new Governing survey finds.
• 11 Comments

• Brewer's Immigrant-License Policy Upheld in Court
• Source: Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   May 17, 2013
• A federal judge refused to suspend Gov. Jan Brewer’s policy denying driver’s licenses to young undocumented immigrants who receive work permits through President Barack Obama’s deferred-action policy.

• 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.