• Connecticut Leaders Agree on Nation's Strictest Gun Control Bill
• Source: Hartford Courant   |   Connecticut   |   April 2, 2013
• The bipartisan deal would strengthen the state's existing ban on semiautomatic assault rifles to include weapons such as the Bushmaster AR-15 used by Adam Lanza to kill 20 first-graders and six women at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

• Washington State's Abortion Debate Counters the Conservative Trend
• Source: New York Times   |   Washington state   |   April 2, 2013
• The state is is now debating a law that would require health insurers to pay for an elective abortion.

• 13 States Seek Contraceptive Exemption to Obamacare
• Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer   |   Nation   |   April 2, 2013
• Thirteen attorneys general believe any employer who says he or she objects to contraception should not have to provide contraceptive coverage.
• 12 Comments

• New Jersey is 3rd State to Ban Teens from Tanning Beds
• Source: NorthJersey.com   |   New Jersey   |   April 2, 2013
• California and Vermont both ban the use of tanning beds for children under the age of 18.

• Judge Overturns Colorado Election Law
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   April 2, 2013
• The law required that petition circulators be paid on an hourly basis, rather than on a by-signature basis. Critics argued it made it more difficult for citizens to place a measure on the ballot.

• 6 Ways States Are Addressing the Doctor Shortage
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 2, 2013
• States are trying to ensure there will be enough health professionals to provide care to the millions expected to get insurance next year under Obamacare.
• 6 Comments

• Online Voter Registration a Rare Spot of Bipartisan Peace
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   April 1, 2013
• A wave of states -- both red and blue -- in recent years have moved to allow residents to register online and the pace is quickening today as many more are debating the issue.
• 1 Comments

• Hazleton a Test Case for GOP's Immigration Stance
• Source: New York Times   |   Hazleton, Pa.   |   April 1, 2013
• The Pennsylvania city presents a test case of whether the party risks leaving behind a critical part of its core constituency: white working-class voters for whom illegal immigration stirs visceral reactions.

• Gov. Pence Pushes Controversial Healthy Indiana Plan to Expand Medicaid
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   April 1, 2013
• If Washington doesn’t agree to allow the state to alter Medicaid to fit the Healthy Indiana Plan — which could happen — Medicaid would not be expanded and the state would forgo $10.5 billion in federal aid through 202

• 'Gabby's Bill' to Protect Mentally Ill in Jeopardy in Arizona
• Source: Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   April 1, 2013
• Legislation to protect the mentally ill and the public, including a bill — unofficially called Gabby’s Law — to better identify and respond to people in crisis, could be in trouble as state lawmakers enter final deliberations on non-budget-related bills.

• Gender-Neutral Language Written into State Laws
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 2013
• Many states -- Washington being the latest -- have revised decades-old codes and statutes to remove any gender bias.

• Tea Party Running the Show in Georgia County
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   April 2013
• Most of Fayette County’s elected leaders are Tea Partiers, shedding light on how Tea Party reformers -- if given full control -- might shape public policy and overhaul Republican politics at the local level.
• 5 Comments

• Whatever Happened to the Office of Urban Affairs?
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   March 29, 2013
• Created four years ago, the federal office was supposed to engage cities and metro areas in all major policy decisions. Today, the Obama administration has “little to show for its efforts.”
• 2 Comments

• Nevada May OK Betting on Federal Elections
• Source: Politico   |   Nevada   |   March 28, 2013
• The bill's sponsor said betting on the presidential election was “one of the biggest moneymakers [for the government] in all of betting outside the United States."
• 2 Comments

• Hospitals May Be Required to Publicize Prices in North Carolina
• Source: Raleigh News & Observer   |   North Carolina   |   March 28, 2013
• At least 14 states – but not North Carolina – require collection of health care cost data for use by consumers. New Hampshire and Maine have published estimates online.