• Florida Teacher Lawsuit Could Spread to Other States
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   May 14, 2013
• The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's new teacher evaluation system was touted as the first of its kind, but it's unlikely to be the last.
• 6 Comments

• Florida Lawmakers Have Low Insurance Premiums Denied Medicaid Expansion
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   May 14, 2013
• Florida House Republicans last month rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million poor Floridians while keeping their own health insurance premiums staggeringly low.

• Legislation Aims to Save State Mineral Revenues From Sequestration
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 14, 2013
• Wyoming Republicans Sen. Mike Enzi and Rep. Cynthia Lummis plan to introduce bills next week allowing states to collect royalties directly from companies that develop oil, gas and coal on federal lands.

• Los Angeles Discovers $42.6 Million Lost Through Accounting Error
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Los Angeles, Calif.   |   May 14, 2013
• The money was found in a Transportation Department special fund, making officials wonder whether other misplaced money can be found.
• 2 Comments

• Vermont Passes Aid-in-Dying Bill
• Source: New England Cable News   |   Vermont   |   May 14, 2013
• The Vermont House voted Monday evening to make the state the first in the U.S. to legislate allowing physicians to provide lethal medication to terminally ill patients who request it.

• GOP States Struggle With Use of Budget Surpluses
• Source: AP/Yahoo   |   Nation   |   May 14, 2013
• Republicans who won control over state legislatures on principles of small government are facing pressure to spend budget surpluses on roads, schools and buildings that were cut or neglected during the recession.
• 2 Comments

• Kansas Legislature Seeks Changes to Judicial Nomination Process
• Source: AP/The Republic   |   Kansas   |   May 14, 2013
• Legislators who believe the Kansas Senate should have the power to confirm appellate court judges, including Supreme Court justices, have a new plan that they hope will get approved before lawmakers adjourn this year, an influential senator involved in drafting the measure said Monday.

• Alabama State Democratic Party Faces Financial Ruin
• Source: AL.com   |   Alabama   |   May 14, 2013
• Following a fight over the direction and control of the party that saw party chairman Mark Kennedy resign to form a new organization to be called the Alabama Democratic Majority, the new leader of the party announced at a meeting Monday that the party is broke and unable to pay it's bills.

• Minnesota Passes Same-Sex Marriage
• Source: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   May 14, 2013
• The Minnesota Senate voted 37-30 to legalize same-sex marriage. The measure next moves to Gov. Mark Dayton, who will sign it in a ceremony at 5 p.m. today on the south steps of the Capitol.

• Arizona Governor Refuses to Sign Bills Over Medicaid Expansion Delays
• Source: The Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   May 14, 2013
• Gov. Jan Brewer has told lawmakers she's done signing bills until they get moving on Medicaid expansion and the state budget.

• HHS Secretary Criticized Over Private Fundraising for Health Law Implementation
• Source: The Tennessean   |   Nation   |   May 14, 2013
• U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is taking aim at Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying her fundraising efforts and coordination with private entities to implement President Barack Obama's new health care law "may be illegal."

• California Struggles With Experiment to Shift Inmates
• Source: AP/The Fresno Bee   |   California   |   May 14, 2013
• The shift in California's penal system, referred to as "realignment," is one of the nation's largest criminal justice experiments and has done its job in at least one respect: The population in the state's 33 adult prisons has dropped so much that the system now ranks second to Texas in the number of inmates.

• Baltimore City Council Approves Bill Requiring Contractors to Hire Residents
• Source: The Baltimore Sun   |   Baltimore, Md.   |   May 14, 2013
• In a unanimous vote, the City Council gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would require businesses getting large city contracts or financial support to hire 51 percent of new workers from Baltimore.

• California Creates Cybersecurity Task Force
• BY: Government Technology   |   California   |   May 13, 2013
• California government officials and private-sector leaders are collaborating on a comprehensive cybersecurity plan for the state -- the California Cybersecurity Task Force. It will be the first state-led collaboration of its kind.

• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• Mandatory sick leave is being championed by several localities across the nation. At the same time the progressive public health measure is sparking fierce opposition in several state legislatures.