• 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.

• Colorado Joins 5 States with Same-Sex Civil Unions
• BY: Stateline   |   Colorado   |   March 22, 2013
• Colorado became the sixth state to allow civil unions for same-sex couples when Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the legislation Thursday. Another nine states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage.

• Oregon to Become Next State to Offer Immigrants In-State Tuition
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   March 22, 2013
• When the governor signs the bill that has cleared both legislative chambers, Oregon will join at least a dozen states in allowing undocumented students to pay the lower rates reserved for residents.

• 3 New Gun Laws on the Books in Colorado
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   March 21, 2013
• Gov. John Hickenlooper signed three gun bills into law Wednesday, joining New York as the first states to pass stricter gun laws after the December shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.
• 13 Comments

• New York Governor Favors Easing New Gun Law
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   March 21, 2013
• After weeks of criticism from gun owners, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he would seek to ease the restriction on the maximum legal capacity of gun magazines.
• 3 Comments

• Coastal States May Get More Offshore Drilling Revenue
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   March 21, 2013
• A bill in Congress would give 27.5 percent of revenue from offshore energy development — including oil, gas, wind and others — to coastal states, plus another 10 percent if the state creates a clean energy or conservation fund.

• Current Laws Fail to Address Drone-Privacy Issue
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   March 21, 2013
• The drones, or unmanned aerial systems, have already helped the police find missing people and county planners measure the growth of a landfill. But they could also be used by drug dealers, pedophiles and nosy neighbors, witnesses and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a hearing.

• Physician-Assisted Suicide at Issue in Connecticut
• Source: Connecticut Post   |   Connecticut   |   March 21, 2013
• The General Assembly is considering the difficult question of whether a dying person should be allowed to legally take his or her own life with the help of a doctor.

• Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange Signed into Law
• Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   March 21, 2013
• Gov. Mark Dayton signed it into law, enacting the most sweeping health care change the state has seen in half a century.

• Illinois Gay Marriage Bill to be Championed by Obama Political Group
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   March 20, 2013
• The national organization created to assist Obama's second-term agenda on a variety of issues before Congress is bringing it's power and influence to the state-level.

• Minnesota Dems Drop Universal Background Checks to Close Gun-Show Loophole
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Minnesota   |   March 20, 2013
• House democrats reached a compromise on gun legislation, dropping universal background checks and a few other provisions while keeping language that would close the gun-show loophole in the state.

• Colorado Prisons Chief Killed on Eve of Gun Laws Signing
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   March 20, 2013
• Tom Clements was shot and killed in his home Tuesday night, right before Gov. John Hickenlooper signed bills Wednesday morning to place new restrictions on guns. Authorities are searching for a suspect and a motive.

• Oregon Secretary of State Wants to Use Driver's Licenses to Automatically Register Voters
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   March 20, 2013
• Kate Brown's proposal could give Oregon the broadest pool of registered voters in the country.

• Georgia's Parent-Trigger Law Would Differ From Other States'
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Georgia   |   March 20, 2013
• Georgia could become the only state to force local school boards to consider petitions to transform not just failing but also non-failing traditional public schools into charter schools.

• Drone Regulation up for Debate in Oregon
• Source: AP/Seattle Times   |   Oregon   |   March 20, 2013
• As the nation debates the use of drones to hunt terrorism suspects abroad, Oregon lawmakers are considering legislation that would regulate how drones could be used there.
• 1 Comments