Source: Salt Lake Tribune | Utah |
January 28, 2013
After years of not reporting Utah’s mentally ill to a federal database meant to keep guns out of the hands of those with a history of psychiatric problems, the state this week fed more than 10,000 records to the clearinghouse.
Source: Washington Post | Nation |
January 25, 2013
Republicans in Virginia and a handful of other battleground states are pushing for far-reaching changes to the electoral college in an attempt to counter recent success by Democrats.
Using an existing reporting tool, states are moving vets off Medicaid rolls by connecting them to better federal benefits they may not have known about.
Source: Des Moines Register | Iowa |
January 24, 2013
The agency had angered immigration activists late last month by determining that state law prohibited it from issuing licenses to people granted “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Status” by President Barack Obama’s administration.
Source: Los Angeles Times | Nation |
January 24, 2013
The federal court's decision keeps in place an odd legal split over marijuana, a drug deemed to be as dangerous as heroin and worse than methamphetamine by federal authorities, but one that has been legalized for medical use by voters or legislators in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: Nebraska Watchdog | Nebraska |
January 23, 2013
Gov. Dave Heineman has approved the rerouted Keystone XL oil pipeline path, which would move oil from Canada to Texas, putting the final decision squarely in the lap of President Barack Obama’s administration.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger | New Jersey |
January 23, 2013
The United States Justice Department joined the nation's professional and collegiate sports leagues in challenging New Jersey's attempt to legalize sports wagering in Atlantic City casinos and the state's four horseracing tracks.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Georgia |
January 23, 2013
Some 60 sheriffs from across the country have written or signed similar letters that they will not enforce any gun control laws they deem unconstitutional.
Retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is moving from the Capitol to the association circuit, where he will take over as president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Last year, 19 states enacted a total of 43 provisions limiting access to abortion -- half the number that went into effect the previous year, but still the second-highest number since 1985.
There were tremendous differences among the states in 2010. Fifty-eight percent of students in Nevada and 60 percent in Washington, D.C., completed their high school education in four years. By comparison, 91 percent of students in Wisconsin and Vermont did, according to a government report.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Wisconsin |
January 22, 2013
A federal court of appeals upheld Wisconsin's law repealing most collective bargaining for most public employees, handing a victory to Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans who put the law in place amid tumult two years ago.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune | Utah |
January 22, 2013
A state lawmaker said he would unveil legislation giving local sheriffs the power to arrest any federal agent attempting to seize firearms from Utah residents.
Source: AP/Idaho Statesman | Idaho |
January 22, 2013
Idaho lawmakers, motivated by the potential for new revenue and the appeal of having more authority over how those lands are managed, are gearing up to follow the lead taken by Utah and Arizona in 2012.
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.