• Before Health Reform Kicks In, Maryland Insurer Requests 25% Premium Hike
• Source: Washington Post   |   Maryland   |   April 25, 2013
• Maryland’s biggest health insurer proposed raising premiums for individual policies by an average of 25 percent next year, saying that President Obama’s health law would require it to accept even the sickest applicants, driving up costs.

• Why Didn't 2,400 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate at Texas Plant Raise Regulatory Concerns?
• Source: Dallas Morning News   |   Texas   |   April 25, 2013
• How a fire caused the ammonium nitrate to detonate is the focus of federal and state investigations into the explosion.
• 1 Comments

• Washington's Marijuana Law Impairs All Pot Prosecutions
• Source: AP/Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   April 25, 2013
• Prosecutors and crime-lab scientists say a little-noticed provision in Washington’s new law legalizing recreational marijuana has jeopardized their ability to go after any pot crimes at all, and they’re calling for an immediate fix in the Legislature.

• Study: Marijuana Legalization May Not Pay for Itself in Colorado
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   April 25, 2013
• Legal marijuana in Colorado may not bring in enough money to cover the societal costs of legalization, a new study from a Colorado State University think tank concludes.
• 2 Comments

• Gov. Jerry Brown Promises Opponents 'Battle of Their Lives' over Education Funding
• Source: Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   April 25, 2013
• Brown is seeking to give local school districts greater flexibility in how they spend state money by eliminating most of California's "categorical" funding – pots of money that can be used only for certain purposes.

• Tennessee's Annexation Ban Puts Cities in Limbo
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   April 25, 2013
• The yearlong ban, awaiting Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature, is the end result of considerable debate in the General Assembly this year.
• 1 Comments

• Pennsylvania Plan to Stop Government-Funded Abortions Wins Bipartisan Support
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Pennsylvania   |   April 25, 2013
• The state House gave bipartisan support to a bill that would block insurance plans offered through the state’s new health insurance exchanges from covering abortions.
• 1 Comments

• Michigan Seeks to Redirect Film Tax Credits to Road Repairs
• Source: Detroit News   |   Michigan   |   April 25, 2013
• The Republican-controlled state House wants to eliminate tax incentives for making movies in Michigan so the money can be shifted to repairing roads.

• GOP Businessman Enters Minnesota Governor's Race
• Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   April 25, 2013
• Businessman Scott Honour became the first high-profile Republican to challenge DFL Gov. Mark Dayton’s bid for re-election.

• States Consider Drug Testing Lawmakers
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   April 24, 2013
• In connection to the ongoing debate about drug-testing welfare recipients, lawmakers in Minnesota, Alabama, Illinois and Texas are considering requiring it of state legislators too.
• 4 Comments

• States Press Ahead on Bills Expanding Voter Access
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   April 24, 2013
• Amid the legal battles over Voter ID laws and the Voting Rights Act, legislation to expand voter access and decrease election day lines is active in 21 states.

• Motorcycle Deaths Rise as States Rethink Helmet Laws
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   April 24, 2013
• The number of motorcyclists killed in traffic accidents jumped 9 percent in 2012 and have gone up in 14 of the last 15 years. Experts say more states should enact universal helmet laws to reverse that trend.
• 9 Comments

• Will Ex-Montana Gov. Schweitzer Replace Baucus?
• Source: Politico   |   Montana   |   April 24, 2013
• Now that veteran Sen. Max Baucus (D), the two-term governor who left office in January is the prospect national Democrats are hanging their hopes on in the now-open Montana Senate race.

• NRA Takes Political Aim at 2 States Gun Laws
• Source: Baltimore Sun   |   Nation   |   April 24, 2013
• National Rifle Association President David Keene said the organization will pursue lawsuits in New York and Maryland where Democratic governors are believed to have presidential aspirations
• 3 Comments

• Amazon Fights Old Ally eBay over Online Sales Tax
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   April 24, 2013
• Amazon is now fighting eBay in an all-out civil war in the U.S. Senate, where a bill to set national sales tax standards for online retailers is up for debate.

Most Viewed

This Section    |    Whole Site

• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies
• Amtrak Unveils Locomotives to Replace Aging Fleet
• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
• Couple Sues South Carolina Agency over Child's Sex-Assignment Surgery
• Florida Legislators Pay Peanuts for Health Insurance

• How Tennessee Plans to Solve Its IT Problems
• Bike Lane Battles Heat Up
• Has High-Speed Rail Been Derailed?
• Los Angeles Discovers $42.6 Million Lost Through Accounting Error
• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans

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/..."

Training Opportunities

• Health Care Reform After the Decision
• In this Mercer Report, you’ll learn how different organizations plan to tackle the new requirements of ACA and discover where most employer concerns are focused, who expects to be hardest hit, and how different health plans and Medicaid may impact overall costs.
• Crime Prediction and Prevention


• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality