• 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.

• 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.

• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Wisconsin   |   May 13, 2013
• Recent moves by the republican-controlled legislature that could hurt the city's finances has raised speculation that it being targeted as part of a political vendetta.
• 6 Comments

• Amtrak Unveils Locomotives to Replace Aging Fleet
• Source: AP/The Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• When Amtrak unveils the first of 70 new locomotives Monday at a plant in California, it will mark what the national passenger railroad service hopes will be a new era of better reliability, streamlined maintenance and better energy efficiency.

• Minnesota Poised to Become 12th Same-Sex Marriage State
• Source: Reuters/Yahoo   |   Minnesota   |   May 13, 2013
• The Minnesota Senate is expected to give final approval on Monday to a bill that would make the state the 12th in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry and only the second in the Midwest.

• Voting Rights Activists Strike Back on Elections Laws
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 10, 2013
• Trying to stem the tide of restrictive voting measures passed in recent years by Republicans, voting rights activists have successfully targeted states controlled by Democrats to win reforms expanding voting rights.
• 2 Comments

• Texas Scrutinizes Chemical Stockpiles in Wake of Plant Explosion
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   May 10, 2013
• Following the explosion of a fertilizer plant last month, officials and residents across the state are reexamining safety regulations.

• Washington State Court System Hacking Exposes 160,000 Social Security Numbers
• Source: JDJournal   |   May 10, 2013
• Officials of Washington State said on Thursday that the Washington State Court System website has been hacked and about a million driver's license numbers and about 160,000 Social Security numbers may have been accessed.

• Minnesota House Approves Gay Marriage
• Source: AP/Yahoo   |   May 10, 2013
• A historic vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest to pass such a law out of its Legislature.

• Maryland Lt. Gov. Plans Run for Governor
• Source: The Washington Post   |   May 10, 2013
• Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown is expected to announce his plans to run for Governor in a speech today. The speech will also lay out several campaign priorities, including a stepped-up focus on fighting racial and other disparities in health care, education and employment.

• Oregon Coal Export Terminal Plans Put on Hold
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   Oregon   |   May 10, 2013
• The battle over plans for a series of massive coal export terminals across the Pacific Northwest took a new turn Wednesday when the energy company Kinder Morgan announced it was dropping its plan to build a $200-million facility on the Columbia River in northern Oregon.

• Obama, Perry Both Take Credit for Impressive Texas Jobs Growth
• Source: Time   |   Texas   |   May 10, 2013
• Texas has been a monster job creator over the past ten years with steady employment growth despite massive increases in the state's labor pool and a spike in unemployment in 2009.

• California Assembly Approves Two Bills for Transgender Rights
• Source: The Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   May 10, 2013
• Two bills aimed at eliminating obstacles facing transgender people cleared the Assembly largely along party lines Thursday, including one measure to let students choose the bathroom and sports team that correlates with their gender identity.

• Former Calif. Lt. Gov. Criticizes State's Prison Policies
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   May 9, 2013
• In a speech where he hinted at a possible run for governor, former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado called out Gov. Jerry Brown for his handling of prison crowding in the state, calling the policies being pursued an "early release" program.

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• 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......"
• Motorcycle Deaths Rise as States Rethink Helmet Laws
  
  "How many more lives would be saved if automobile riders would wear helmets. We are talking..."
• 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..."
• 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..."

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