News
Ohio state Rep. Sean Brennan, regarding the replacement of police dogs as an unintended consequence of legalizing recreational marijuana. Nearly 400 dogs in the state who were trained to detect marijuana will need to be retired because they cannot reliably be retrained. Proposed legislation would provide each agency with up to $20,000 per dog to offset the cost of acquiring, training and equipping narcotics dogs. (Associated Press — March 7, 2024)
In a sweeping State of the Union address before Congress, the president spotlighted the economic comeback under his administration and offered his plans for the future.
Voters in Los Angeles approved a ballot measure to add hundreds of miles of bike lanes and bus lanes. It will force implementation of a plan the city agreed to years ago.
Local governments face a year-end deadline for obligating American Rescue Plan Act funds. To keep funds earmarked for housing from being plundered, they need to make some decisions now.
Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill that provides legal immunity to doctors and patients undergoing IVF treatment. However, the new law does not address the state Supreme Court’s recent ruling that frozen embryos are considered people.
The Delta Conveyance Project is a 45-mile tunnel that would run beneath the delta and move more water from Northern California to cities further south. Opponents worry about the tunnel’s impact on the delta’s fragile ecosystem.
Iowa state Sen. Jason Schultz, regarding his proposed legislation that would remove a mandate that state, county and local decision-making bodies are balanced by gender. (Associated Press — March 7, 2024)
Tuesday's election results demonstrate voter antipathy towards crime. Meanwhile, the field is set in the year's most competitive race for governor and Texas has gotten redder.
The pilot release of a first-of-its-kind mapping tool is a step toward understanding carbon storage in Oregon estuaries, supporting long-term goals to preserve them.
The number of nonprofit news outlets is holding steady but 203 counties are news deserts, leaving thousands of communities without access to local news.
Lawmakers hope grant and loan programs can help small towns keep their markets open.
Lawmakers in several states, mostly conservative and largely rural, have rejoined the debate over whether transgender people may use bathrooms and other facilities that do not match their sex assigned at birth.
Miami-Dade introduced a first-of-its-kind policy that would require employers to provide water, rest and shade to outdoor workers on hot days. The Legislature quickly sought to pre-empt such rules.
State lawmakers considered legislation that calls any federal order to confiscate firearms, gun accessories or ammunition a violation of a law-abiding citizen’s Second Amendment rights.
Dawn Ramsey, mayor of South Jordan, Utah, regarding the scores of dried tumbleweeds that bounced into the city after several days of high winds. Crews were able to remove about 13 dumpster loads of tumbleweeds. (Associated Press — March 5, 2024)
A new $1 billion fund will help Texas communities fix crumbling water infrastructure. Advocates say much more will be needed due to population growth and climate change.
Not only are they trying to rob voters of their voice, but what they’re doing highlights the state’s broken recall process.
The legislation would allow lawmakers to meet and communicate in groups small enough that they don’t constitute a voting majority of a committee or chamber, codifying practices that were longstanding prior to being challenged last year.
Legislators are supporting a bill that would prohibit county and municipal governments from accepting IDs or documents provided to undocumented individuals by community programs.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for 2024-2025 does not include any funding for the state’s Telework Compliance Office, which oversaw the rollout of telework during the pandemic and maintains telework data.
The state will now give consumers a legal right to fix their own home electronics and requires manufacturers to provide access to the tools, parts and manuals to repair them. Oregon’s law goes further with its protections than other states’ rules.
Greg Reilly, a southeast marine campaigner for International Fund for Animal Welfare, regarding the year’s first confirmed death of a baby right whale from collision with a ship. There are fewer than 360 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, making every baby vitally important to the future of the species. The federal government has been working on new ship speed rules designed to protect whales from injuries and deaths, but new policies have not been finalized. (Associated Press — March 5, 2024)
Modular houses assembled from factory-built components are cheaper to build and the governor of Colorado is all in on them. They won't solve the housing problem but can be part of the solution.
DOD has released an industrial strategy that calls for a revival of domestic manufacturing that extends far beyond traditional defense contractors.
The Florida governor vetoed legislation that would have banned all children under 16 from using social media. He instead opted for a bill that will allow 14- and 15-year-olds to use the platforms with parental consent.
A handful of incoming mega-projects, such as a $15B Micron expansion and a new Meta data center, could squeeze the state’s tradesmen and hinder other developments across the state.
