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The First Step Act was meant to compassionately release people from federal prison who are terminally ill or aging and who pose little to no safety threat. But data shows that judges rejected more than 80 percent of requests.
The practice of revoking a job offer just weeks or days before the start date is not as common as the recent layoffs, but the practice could grow if the economy dips into a recession.
U.S. Senator Jon Tester, announcing his campaign for re-election in 2024, a boon for Democrats. Tester has represented the state since 2007. (Reuters — Feb. 22, 2023)
Hardscaped schoolyards present health risks in a warming world. A school forest initiative in California reflects a potential national trend to change the character and function of outdoor spaces.
Proposed reforms to several states’ antitrust laws would give workers, small businesses and entrepreneurs a fighting chance against abusive monopolistic practices and workplace dominance.
Five months after a federal court reaffirmed that voters with disabilities are entitled to receive help with their ballots, not all local Wisconsin election officials are clear about the rules on helping residents to vote.
State lawmakers have filed dozens of bills in an effort to address how Texas administers its elections and prosecutes fraud. It’s unlikely that the Democratic efforts to expand voting access will pass.
Just four members of the public were allowed to speak on a bill that would increase penalties for inciting a riot, allows police and prosecutors to determine what constitutes a riot and escalates punishment for property damage.
The logistics industry currently makes up 13 percent of the jobs in the state’s Inland Empire, but many expect that rate to increase with automation and as friendly zoning and officials bring more jobs to the area.
Virginia state Senator Jennifer McClellan, regarding the likeliness that she will become the state’s first Black congresswoman. The Feb. 21 special election is to fill a vacancy created by the November death of Rep. Don McEachin. (Reuters — Feb. 21, 2023)
The state is carrying out an ambitious offshore wind program as part of a plan to decarbonize its power grid. Some coastal residents don’t want to see it.
It’s doubtful that taxing art collections, yachts or big inheritances will attract a significant political constituency. It’s all about the “endowment effect,” the value we place on the things we possess.
Things that go beep beep beep in the night are generating more heat than light. They always have. But history suggests that a little panic can be a catalyst for positive public policy changes.
New orders for electric buses experienced unprecedented growth in 2022 driven, in part, by robust state and federal incentives, policy pressures and cost savings. With plenty of money in the pipeline, those purchases will continue.
Investigations revealed communication flaws and unclear lines of authority in the medical response that further hampered lifesaving efforts. Nineteen children and two adults died in the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary.
A freshman lawmaker has proposed a bill that would end the use of college campuses as polling places during elections. In November, more than 18,500 early voting ballots were cast from college campuses in Tarrant County.
The legislation would create a flat state income tax rate of 2.75 percent, which would yield a larger tax break for the highest tax bracket, and would supplement the lost revenue by cutting $1.2 billion per year in state property tax rollbacks.
Clinton Collamore has admitted that he signed the names of supporters on funding petitions, after previously pleading not-guilty to the charges. But Collamore maintains that he did not want to deceive regulators.
A Nebraska bill would create a 12-member working group with representatives from the state Legislature, nuclear and hydrogen industries and the state and community college systems to create a pipeline of skilled workers.
Lincoln County, W.Va., school district, on its Facebook page and website shortly before midnight on Thursday, Feb. 16, as floodwaters in the area forced some students to sleep at the school overnight. Community members, stores and churches donated cots, blankets, pillows and other supplies to Lincoln County High School for the students to use for the night. (Associated Press — Feb. 16, 2023)
For hard-liners in both parties, aggressive action from Washington at the expense of state and local autonomy is more popular than ever. With both parties’ centrists also in the mix, the presidential election looks to be a four-way battle.
Urban leaders like to complain that suburbs are a drain on their prosperity. The facts are otherwise.
Toxic chemicals, such as PFAS, are found in an increasing number of water sources and can be found in nearly every American’s bloodstream. States across the nation want to limit the use of these compounds to reduce health risks.
Proposed legislation would remove protections surrounding school librarians who allow students to check out books found to be obscene and would, instead, expose them to a misdemeanor of a “high and aggravated nature.”
The Alaska budget attempts to address some of the state’s crises, such as the public defender shortage and a backlog of Medicaid and SNAP benefits applications, but the $400 million deficit is millions more than estimated.
The nation’s average productivity decreased 1.3 percent between 2021 and 2022, the largest decrease since 1974. The six most productive states also supply one-third of the country’s jobs and 40 percent of the U.S. GDP.
Eric Mitchell, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, regarding the end of federal government policies that were adopted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by about $82 a month. (Reuters — Feb. 16, 2023)
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