• Illinois Lawmakers Seeking Compromise on Pension Reform
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   June 19, 2013
• Lacking agreement on a comprehensive plan to reduce a pension debt that's approaching $100 billion, the state's Democratic leaders are opting to line up in punt formation. They expect to approve a conference committee of lawmakers from both parties to spend weeks looking for common ground on the issue.

• In Obama's Forgotten States, Dissent Festers
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 19, 2013
• Barack Obama’s near-complete absence from more than 25 percent of the states, from which he is politically estranged, is no surprise, in that it reflects routine cost-benefit calculations of the modern presidency. But in a country splintered by partisanship and race, it may also have consequences.

• John Morse Will be 1st Colorado Lawmaker to Face Recall
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   June 19, 2013
• State Senate President John Morse is the target of a recall for his leadership on the party's passage of tougher gun control laws in this year's legislative session

• U.S. Dems Urge DOJ to Recognize Legal Marijuana in Washington State
• Source: Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   June 19, 2013
• Seven congressional Democrats from Washington are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to honor the state’s new recreational-marijuana law — the delegation’s first collective public statement on the issue.

• Lawmakers Must Pay Fines for Walkout, Indiana Supreme Court Rules
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   June 19, 2013
• Indiana House Democrats won’t recoup any of the more than $233,000 in fines levied against them over their legislative walkouts in 2011 and 2012, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

• Bill to Require Notification of Spying Operations Advances in New Jersey
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   June 19, 2013
• A state Senate panel advanced legislation that would require out-of-state law enforcement agencies to notify New Jersey authorities before conducting counterterrorism operations within its borders.

• Maine Gov. LePage Refuses to Talk to 3 Newspapers
• Source: Portland Press Herald   |   Maine   |   June 19, 2013
• A spokesperson for the administration said that responses from the administration could be gleaned from reports by The Associated Press or through document requests using the Freedom of Access Act.

• Illinois' New Fracking Regulations Some of Nation's Strictest
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   June 18, 2013
• Gov. Pat Quinn has signed signed sweeping legislation to regulate horizontal hydraulic fracturing Illinois, which includes some of the tightest restrictions on oil and gas companies in the nation.

• States Go Different Directions on the Death Penalty
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• Supporters and opponents of capital punishment agree: The current death penalty is expensive, inefficient, and arbitrary. Some state legislatures have reacted to those faults by abolishing the death penalty, while others are trying to speed it up.

• Florida Blocks Local Votes on Mandatory Paid-Sick-Time Measures
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   June 18, 2013
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that would block local governments from enacting mandatory paid-sick-time measures, such as the one pending in Orange County.

• Garcetti Aims to Be Different Kind of L.A. Mayor
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   Los Angeles, Calif.   |   June 18, 2013
• Since his victory last month, Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti has set himself to the task of being a more low-key public official than his predecessor. He is not using a transition team studded with big names and has scraped plans for a black-tie inaugural ball, opting instead for a public party in Grand Park with music and food.

• Florida Governor Signs Bill to Speed Up Executions
• Source: The Tampa Bay Times   |   Florida   |   June 18, 2013
• Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law Friday aimed at accelerating the pace of the death penalty process in Florida, which could make the governor the most active executioner in modern state history.

• Choice of Health Plans to Vary Sharply By State
• Source: The New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• Under President Obama’s health care law, it is becoming clear that the millions of people purchasing policies in the exchanges will find that their choices vary sharply, depending on where they live.

• Texas Enacts Unemployment Drug-Testing Law
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   June 17, 2013
• Gov. Rick Perry has signed a bill that will subject Texans applying for unemployment benefits to a drug test if their responses to a screening questionnaire indicate possible drug use.
• 5 Comments

• Some GOP Lawmakers Refuse to Answer Constituent Questions on Obamacare
• Source: The Hill   |   Nation   |   June 17, 2013
• Constituents frequently contact their Congress members with questions or requests for help with Medicare, Social Security and other government programs. But when it comes to Obamacare inquiries, some GOP lawmakers say they won't assist constituents or will forward the calls to the Obama administration.
• 2 Comments

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• Harry Reid: GOP Now Controlled by 'Extremists' such as Jan Brewer
  
  "Goldwater was wrong, period. His "Extremism" statement is an endorsement of..."