Florida lawmakers are increasingly spilling into costly special sessions, raising questions about the limits of part-time governance.
The state’s attorney general is pressing lawmakers to pass legislation that reduces potential conflicts of interest, requires more public reporting and improves protections for investors within the cryptocurrency industry.
Primary elections are where most of those who govern us are chosen. Can making them nonpartisan — or eliminating them altogether — diminish the impact of ideological fringes? What has happened in Louisiana suggests that it can.
As Washington state rolls out its new cap-and-invest program to cut greenhouse gas emissions, it's bringing in new money to fund a range of important transportation projects.
The Legislature has overridden eight out of 15 vetoed bills in the current session, including a ban on transgender athletes in girls sports and additional work rules for older recipients of food assistance.
Children with disabilities are central to a fierce debate in the state legislature over any school voucher program. Roughly 13 percent of Texas public school students receive special education services.
The GOP-controlled Legislature has promised to try and override many of Kelly’s vetoes, which cover a variety of issues including transgender rights and income tax rates. The governor sees her re-election as a mandate to check legislative excesses.
The legislative package would give consumers the right to opt out of sharing their data, requiring tech giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook to disclose when and if they are collecting users’ personal data.
The program was among the more than 100 bills that Wes Moore signed into law, including approval for the $63.1 billion Maryland budget, fixes to the 529 college savings program and agencies for racetracks and water systems.
Many in the state argue that the state’s lax gun control laws have contributed to an environment in which residents are too comfortable pulling the trigger. The Republican-majority state Legislature has not signaled they will change the laws.
The persistently low salaries of state legislators often discourage citizens from serving in public office, especially as lawmakers face heavier workloads and greater demands on their time than in the past.
More than 10 percent of statehouse reporters are university students, and in some states they are a significant presence in the statehouse media corps. They have stepped up coverage at a time when newspapers are pulling back.
A four-bill package will renew the Alabama Jobs Act and Growing Alabama Act and will increase the caps on benefits that can go to companies. The package will also require the state to publicize the benefits paid to companies.
Some conservatives want to rein in journalists’ protections established long ago by the Supreme Court. That would be a blow to the news coverage that aims to keep state and local governments accountable.
With more than 80 nonwhite members, this year’s General Assembly is the state’s most diverse ever. The Legislature is beginning to reflect the state’s population, which narrowly remained majority white in 2020.
Fifteen states have considered adding measures to their constitutions to preserve the fundamental right to clean air, water, soil and other environmental priorities. Montana, Pennsylvania and New York already have established green amendments.
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