Colorado will no longer allow donors of sperm or eggs to remain anonymous. Georgia recently guaranteed adoptees the right to see their original birth certificates.
Gov. Brian Kemp warned that the tort reform rewrite will spill into next year, but it remains atop his list of priorities. The package pits corporate leaders, medical organizations and the insurance industry against trial lawyers who oppose the changes.
“Second look” laws allow courts or parole boards to re-evaluate a person’s long prison sentence. The bills often focus on older populations or those whose crimes might have mitigating factors.
The nation suffers from a housing shortage of between 1.5 million and 5.5 million units. Renters occupy about 15.9 million single-family homes and corporate landlords own about 3 percent of them.
Several major bills went unresolved when the main legislative session ended in June. Now lawmakers have just a few days remaining in session each month.
Future in Context
State lawmakers are working to define key terms and address risks as AI gets integrated into everyday life. California state Sen. Thomas Umberg talks about balancing regulation and innovation.
Breaking a years-long impasse, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to increase transparency for the governor and lawmakers. The bill still offers them some loopholes, however.
A federal judge has ordered the state to release unrepresented defendants, with about 2,500 now out of custody as a result. The state is now hiring more attorneys rather than relying on contracts with private defenders.
Kentucky’s Republican-controlled Legislature is sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Louisville this year. Local leaders hope strong cross-partisan relationships will help the city over the long term.
Instead of indulging in the sugar high of tough-on-crime legislation, lawmakers should provide the treatment solutions that dramatically reduce deaths, especially in correctional settings.
The current transportation budget falls short of the state’s litany of needs. As lawmakers prepare to craft a major transit package next session, they will need to figure out how to increase revenue streams despite logistical and political challenges.
One resolution would eliminate most judicial re-elections, essentially giving judges lifetime appointments.
A state House committee voted 8-3 to pass a cluster of bills that would devote billions over 10 years to Michigan’s economic development and transit. But Democrats will need at least one Republican to vote to pass the package.
Proposed legislation would allow for up to one-quarter of the state’s spending on homeless housing, assistance and prevention programs to go toward sober living environments. The bill would reverse a 2016 funding ban.
Following the deaths of state Sen. Dick Sears and former Sen. Dick Mazza, as well as the retirements of four other senators, the chamber will look decidedly different in January.
Last year, the state House fell a few votes short of advancing a constitutional amendment to allow the construction of eight destination resort casinos. It is unlikely that the state Senate will have enough votes to pass the measure next session.
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