• House Farm Bill Cuts Food-Stamp Funding
• Source: AP/Des Moines Register   |   Nation   |   May 16, 2013
• The House bill would cut about $2.5 billion a year — or a little more than 3 percent — from the food stamp program, which is used by 1 in 7 Americans.

• GOP: Leave Blood-Alcohol Rules to the States
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   May 16, 2013
• Republicans are warning the government against withholding federal funding from -- or offering financial incentives to -- states to prod them to adopt tougher drunken driving laws.
• 1 Comments

• Couple Sues South Carolina Agency over Child's Sex-Assignment Surgery
• Source: The State   |   South Carolina   |   May 16, 2013
• In a legal first, a couple is suing the state Department of Social Services for removing their child’s penis and testicular tissue in an effort to “assign” him to the female sex while in foster care.

• North Carolina Officials Pitch Medicaid Managed Care to Doctors
• Source: Raleigh News & Observer   |   North Carolina   |   May 16, 2013
• In a national address earlier this month, Gov. Pat McCrory called on President Barack Obama to approve the state’s Medicaid request, but it’s clear that the state’s doctors and other health care professionals aren’t convinced that managed care is the best course.

• Former Congressman Tancredo Considers 2014 Run for Colorado Governor
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   May 16, 2013
• Former Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, known for his hard-line stances on immigration, is strongly considering a run for governor in 2014.

• NTSB Advocates Stricter Standards for Drunk Driving
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   May 15, 2013
• The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday that states lower their threshold for drunken driving from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent or less.
• 1 Comments

• Majority of States Show Positive Performance on Cutting Carbon Emissions
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 15, 2013
• Over the past decade, 32 states have successfully cut their carbon emissions, while 18 states have seen increases.

• Minnesota Becomes 12th State to Allow Same-Sex Marriage
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Minnesota   |   May 15, 2013
• Minnesota becomes the 12th state to allow same-sex marriage with Gov. Mark Dayton's signature, which was celebrated with a large festival.

• Christie's Affordable-Housing Battle Heads to Court
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   May 15, 2013
• A three-judge panel said it will hear arguments on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to grab up to $162 million in affordable-housing funds for his proposed $32.9 billion budget

• Feds Block Utah Public-Lands Law
• Source: Salt Lake Tribune   |   Utah   |   May 15, 2013
• A federal judge signed an order blocking implementation of a Utah law prohibiting some Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service employees from enforcing state laws anywhere in Utah after the U.S. Department of Justice argued the law was unconstitutional.

• DUI Bill Advances in Washington State Amid NTSB Calls for Crackdown
• Source: Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   May 15, 2013
• A bipartisan bill to stiffen Washington state’s DUI penalties cleared its first legislative hurdle, while a safety board in the other Washington sought to kick off a national conversation about changing the very definition of drunken driving.

• Controversial Arizona Laws Rack Up Huge Legal Fees
• Source: Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   May 15, 2013
• Lawsuits defending some of the state’s most controversial laws have cost millions of dollars and thousands of hours of state employee time, diverting them from other important work.
• 3 Comments

• Child Welfare Bills Signed by Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   May 15, 2013
• The bills address a number of issues within the child welfare system, including expanding the number of case-specific child fatality reviews and creating a statewide hotline for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect.

• Florida Legislators Pay Peanuts for Health Insurance
• Source: Miami Herald   |   Florida   |   May 15, 2013
• Florida House Republicans, who last month loudly and proudly rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million low-income people, pay less than the $25 a month they wanted to charge poor Floridians for basic coverage.
• 2 Comments

• Gov. Jerry Brown Unveils Cautious Budget for Deficit-Free California
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   May 15, 2013
• Brown put lawmakers on notice that he had no desire to ratchet up spending despite a multibillion-dollar windfall of tax receipts in recent months.

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Comments

• U.S. AG Holder, Gov. Brownback Spar over Kansas' New Gun Law
  
  "RE: your response to me - I understand your confusion. Our tendency to devalue historical..."
• Felons' Voting Rights Could Impact 2012 Election
  
  "well that exulated quickly......"
• Colorado Becomes 14th State to Offer Undocumented Immigrants In-State Tuition
  
  "Finally, while I do agree with you that people who cheat the system should not be given..."
• Motorcycle Deaths Rise as States Rethink Helmet Laws
  
  "How many more lives would be saved if automobile riders would wear helmets. We are talking..."
• Surveillance Cameras Key to Solving Crimes in Boston, Elsewhere
  
  "By the way joe read this;
  
  
  http://www.eejournal.com/archives/fresh-bytes/a-fingerprint-scanner-that-can-capture-prints-from-20-feet-away/..."

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