• States Rush to Cash in on Cybersecurity Boom
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   June 17, 2013
• As data dragnets and information breaches dominate the news, states are scrambling to cash in on a rapidly expanding business sector by offering tax incentives to firms that protect sensitive information from outside attacks.

• 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.

• New England States Look to Increase Hydropower
• Source: The Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   June 17, 2013
• Hydropower could play a larger role in New England’s energy mix as five of the region’s states, including Massachusetts, move to import more of it -- most likely from Canada -- and at least one has passed a law that could allow electricity from large-scale hydroelectric dams to be classified as green as wind or solar energy.

• California's Inland City Budgets Remain Weak
• Source: The Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   June 17, 2013
• California's monthly report on jobs and unemployment includes a county-by-county breakdown that shows a sharp east-west economic split with cities along the coast recovering well from the recession while inland cities remain mired in deficits and high unemployment.

• 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.
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• Police Increasingly Using State Photo-ID Databases
• Source: The Washington Post   |   Nation   |   June 17, 2013
• The faces of more than 120 million people are in searchable photo databases that state officials assembled to prevent driver’s-license fraud but that increasingly are used by police to identify suspects, accomplices and even innocent bystanders in a wide range of criminal investigations.

• Nevada to Give Tax Credits to Filmmakers
• Source: The Reno Gazette   |   Nevada   |   June 17, 2013
• Gov. Brian Sandoval’s signature Tuesday means filmmakers will now be granted transferrable tax credits in a move he hopes will bring jobs and a new industry to the state.

• Washington Congressional Delegation Not Attempting Reconciliation of Pot Laws
• Source: The Seattle Times   |   Seattle, Wash.   |   June 17, 2013
• Seven months after Washington voters legalized recreational pot, supporters are growing increasingly aggrieved over the dearth of effort by the state’s congressional lawmakers to reconcile the state law with the federal prohibition against marijuana.

• Indiana's Gay Marriage Fight Could Continue Beyond Supreme Court Ruling
• Source: The Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   June 17, 2013
• The state legislature has delayed debate on an amendment banning gay marriage in the state while it waits to see the outcome of the pending Supreme Court ruling. But barring a sweeping decision by the court, both sides expect the fight over the proposed change to the state constitution to continue.

• EPA Orders Minnesota to Increase Water Pollution Prevention Efforts
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Minnesota   |   June 14, 2013
• About a dozen states face similar petitions pending at the EPA, most filed by citizen groups that say state regulators are not doing enough to enforce the Clean Water Act.

• California's High-Speed Rail Exempt from Federal Oversight
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   June 14, 2013
• California's bullet train agency won a key legal ruling Thursday, obtaining an exemption from regulatory oversight by the federal Surface Transportation Board for construction of the first segment of the rail system that would run 220 mph trains from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

• 2 Former Governors Say Immigration Reform Would Save States Money
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   Nation   |   June 14, 2013
• Immigration reform could save states money and boost the economy, said former governors Haley Barbour and Jeb Bush at a recent forum.

• Signed Michigan Budget Doesn't Address Gov. Snyder's Top Priorities
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Michigan   |   June 14, 2013
• Gov. Rick Snyder signed a 2013-14 state budget that doesn't address two of his major priorities -- expanded Medicaid coverage and raising more than $1 billion in extra revenues for repair and maintenance of state roads and bridges.

• Private Preschools See More Public Funds as Classes Grow
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 14, 2013
• Across the country, states and districts are increasingly funneling public funds to religious schools, private nursery schools and a variety of community-based nonprofit organizations that conduct preschool classes.

• Nevada Gov. Sandoval Vetoes Universal Background Checks
• Source: AP/Reno Gazette-Journal   |   Nevada   |   June 14, 2013
• In his veto message, Gov. Brian Sandoval said the universal background checks provision "imposes unreasonable burdens and harsh penalties upon law-abiding Nevadans, while doing little to prevent criminals from unlawfully obtaining firearms."

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• Some GOP Lawmakers Refuse to Answer Constituent Questions on Obamacare
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• Nonprofits Draw States' Money, But Not Much Oversight

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Comments

• Supreme Court to Reexamine Church-State Separation at Government Meetings
  
  "There is everything in the constituation that says laws may not be written such that your..."
• Maine Gov. LePage Vetoes Medicaid Expansion Bill
  
  "It's frustrating when politicians (and demagogues)avoid explaining their rationale. So,..."
• Bill to Keep Dead, Imprisoned People Off Welfare Becomes Michigan Law
  
  "Snyder should also make sure to sign a law restricting dead people from getting driver's..."
• Study: Medicaid Improves Mental But Not Physical Health
  
  "Dennis,
  
  Please elaborate, as I am not sure what you are saying in your post. Are you..."
• FEMA Rejects Texas' Request for More Aid After Plant Blast
  
  "With 5 schools within the blast radius, do you think it's a problem the plant was only..."

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