Despite being the nation’s largest full-time legislature, divided government and a budget impasse have sharply limited output.
The state’s child welfare system is considered one of the most dysfunctional and mismanaged in the nation. But a proposal to improve the system, through the creation of a state oversight panel, has stalled.
Residents will vote on whether the state general reserve fund should keep 7 percent of the previous year’s state-collected tax dollars and whether the capital reserve should retain 3 percent of the year prior’s revenues.
There are 129 ballot measures in states this November, with issues ranging from dialysis to term limits.
Voters in a record number of states face abortion-related measures, as well as traditional topics including marijuana and minimum wage.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed bills that will slash the state’s carbon emissions, protect vulnerable communities and create a two-decade pathway to a 100 percent clean energy electrical grid.
New Jersey lawmakers are fast-tracking a bill that would reform the state’s pension law to tighten criteria under which former government workers convicted of on-the-job misconduct should lose some or all of their pension.
Economic uncertainty, caused by high inflation rates, the COVID-19 pandemic and international crises, at the state and national level has prompted Gavin Newsom to reject several bills in an effort to maintain a cushioned budget.
U.S. House leaders diverged from a Senate bill to prevent future attempts to overturn a presidential election by favoring a slightly tougher version. The two bills will need to be reconciled, while maintaining Republican support.
State health officials have disclosed that the state’s first major count of pregnancy-related deaths in nearly a decade won’t be released until next summer, which means the data won’t be available to lawmakers until the 2025 cycle.
The legislation would provide $400 million worth of tax credits to reimburse a portion of union members’ dues payments starting in 2024; it’s not yet clear how much each member would be eligible to receive.
The state’s House Ways & Means Committee began to study the possibility of removing individual and corporate income taxes, which would require significant reworking of property, sales or other taxes to offset the loss in revenue.
In an effort to make it easier for library users to borrow digital versions of books, lawmakers and librarians are putting pressure on publishers to adjust the terms and costs of e-book licenses.
Gov. Charlie Baker signed sports wagering legislation into law on Aug. 10 but its ban on wagers for in-state schools will likely leave money on the table for the state.
The state has cut unemployment insurance benefits almost in half; removed prevailing wage protections and reduced guaranteed retirement benefits for public school teachers hired this year.
The measure would loan California's electricity supplier Pacific Gas & Electric up to $1.4 billion to keep the Diablo Canyon plant open until 2030. It also makes $1 billion available to support clean energy projects.
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