A series of new laws expanded workforce programs through high schools, community colleges and apprenticeships.
The state House Education Committee unanimously approved a measure on Tuesday that would bar protests by any organization funded by a foreign adversary. It would also prohibit professors from imposing their political views on students.
State officials are offering up to $400 in gift cards to drivers who are willing to try out a new system aimed at replacing the gas tax with funding based on the number of miles a person drives.
The state Legislature passed a “first-grade readiness” bill to require students who do not complete kindergarten to take a test to enter the first grade. If signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, the law will go into effect in July.
The Senate ended the legislative session with a 23-12 vote to pass a bill that will provide funding for striking workers. However, filibusters ran the clock out on other controversial bills, including those on Chinese-made drones and climate change.
Despite widespread support for the legislation, state lawmakers have failed to pass a ban on motorist handheld use of cellphones. From 2014 to 2023, 78 people in Iowa were killed by distracted drivers using a cellphone or other handheld device.
GOP Sens. Shawnna Bolick and T.J. Shope, both vocal opponents of the Civil War-era ban, joined Democrats and backed the repeal.
The bill is part of a package to punish juvenile offenders more harshly. One senator warns the measure will bring “massive repercussions” and raises complicated legal questions.
The Chicago-based nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life distributed $3.5 million in private funds to 2,500 local election offices across 49 states during the 2020 presidential election cycle. But many believe the additional funds were unnecessary.
After a February special legislative session gave gun-rights groups sweeping wins, bills to expand firearm-free zones have stalled. Expansion of the zones seems unlikely this year.
The state estimates it will have between $300 and $400 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding still available for use. The problem will be figuring out how to prioritize which programs get money.
The three-term lieutenant governor has already become one of the most powerful and successful policymakers in Texas history. Now he is actively campaigning against House Speaker Dade Phelan, one of Patrick’s political rivals.
Though Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said she wants to keep the July special session narrowly focused on public safety, a group of Republican state senators has proposed packages that aim to secure a porous border.
As several states propose child marriage bans, Missouri state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder hopes that she can use her experiences to encourage a shift in her state’s legislation.
A lot of communities are experimenting with this costly, ineffective approach to fighting poverty that disincentivizes work. Iowa lawmakers are right to ban localities from creating guaranteed income programs.
Currently, the state controls the local speed limits but a proposal folded into the state budget would change that. The current speed limit in New York City was set in 2014, the first citywide reduction in a half-century.
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