• Death Penalty Ban Killed in Colorado
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   March 27, 2013
• A House committee killed a bill that sought to abolish the death penalty, exactly one week after Gov. John Hickenlooper expressed concerns that Coloradans weren't ready to part ways with the execution chamber.

• Voter ID Bill Becomes Law in Virginia
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   March 27, 2013
• Virginia has become the latest GOP-led state to approve legislation that would ask voters to present a photo ID to cast a ballot.
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• Arkansas Governor Vetoes Voter ID Bill
• Source: Arkansas News   |   Arkansas   |   March 27, 2013
• Gov. Mike Beebe vetoed legislation to require voters to show photo identification at the polls and characterized the measure as “an expensive solution in search of a problem.”

• Nevada Lawmakers Vote to Expel One of Their Own
• Source: Las Vegas Sun   |   Nevada   |   March 27, 2013
• Assemblyman Steven Brooks opted not to show up for the historic legislative hearing on whether he's fit to continue serving as a lawmaker after two arrests and an involuntary admission to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

• States' Rights Debated in Supreme Court DOMA Case
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Washington, D.C.   |   March 27, 2013
• The U.S. Supreme Court clashed over whether it's constitutional for the federal government to ignore state decisions to legalize gay marriage.

• Hawaii May Study Effects of Gay Marriage
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Hawaii   |   March 26, 2013
• A state Senate committee approved resolutions requesting a task force study the social, economic and religious consequences of legalizing same-sex marriage the same week the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing two landmark cases on the issue.

• Legislatures Seek to Protect Immigrants from Federal Law
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   March 26, 2013
• As Congress considers major revisions to federal immigration laws, legislators in a few states are trying to block the federal government’s power to deport immigrants who land in their jails.

• Iowa Senate OKs Medicaid Expansion, Setting Up Showdown with Gov. Branstad
• Source: Des Moines Register   |   Iowa   |   March 26, 2013
• Gov. Terry Branstad has proposed a “Healthy Iowa Plan” to cover all of the approximately 89,000 uninsured Iowans earning below 100 percent of federal poverty level.

• School Takeover Bill Introduced in Maryland
• Source: Washington Post   |   Prince George's County, Md.   |   March 26, 2013
• Maryland lawmakers introduced a bill that would give Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III direct control over the county’s schools superintendent and operations.

• Utah Legislature Passed Record Number of Bills
• Source: Salt Lake Tribune   |   Utah   |   March 26, 2013
• Utah legislators just set an all-time record, apparently, for passing bills and resolutions -- enacting 524 this year, compared to 478 in 2012 and 504 in 2011.

• Can Illinois Seal the Deal on Pension Reform?
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   March 25, 2013
• Legislators have moved slowly so far on the issue of pension reform. After a successful House vote last week, can lawmakers keep the momentum going?

• Texas Seeks to Move Gold Deposits Back Inside State Borders
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   March 25, 2013
• In a move aimed to make the state appear more financially stable, the Governor and some lawmakers are working on a bill that would move the state's gold deposits from a Federal Reserve Bank in New York City to a secure location in Texas.
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• Indiana Leading States in Support of Gay Marriage Bans
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   March 25, 2013
• The state's attorney general, however, said that he is not arguing against same-sex marriage as much as he is advocating that states should be able to make their own decisions.
• 1 Comments

• Arizona's Ban on Ethnic Studies Sparked Renewed Interest in Subject Nationwide
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Nation   |   March 25, 2013
• Arizona passed a law to dismantle a Mexican American studies program, but the legislation has had an unintended effect of renewing interest in ethnic studies and Chicano and Latino literature.

• Before Right-to-Work Begins, Michigan Unions Rush to Sign Contracts
• BY: Stateline   |   Michigan   |   March 22, 2013
• All over Michigan, public employee unions are scrambling to cement long-term contracts with school districts, higher education institutions and local units of government before the state’s right-to-work law takes effect March 28.