Stateline.org RSS - Politics

Mississippi Republicans challenge powers of attorney general

By Jim Malewitz, Stateline Staff Writer — 02/03/2012

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood hires lots of outside lawyers. They make a great deal of money for the state, and for themselves. Not everyone is happy with that situation.

Virginia set to lift limit on monthly handgun purchases

By John Gramlich, Stateline Staff Writer — 02/03/2012

TODAY'S TAKE: Virginians will no longer be limited to one handgun purchase a month under legislation set to clear the newly Republican state legislature. The limit has been in place for 19 years.

AK: Parnell rips traditional retirement system

By Pat Forgey

Gov. Sean Parnell said he doesn't support allowing new state employees back into the state's traditional pension plan, even if it's not expected to cost the state anything.

AK: Committee introduces pension bill

By The Associated Press

Another bill aimed at addressing Alaska's pension problem has been introduced, this time by the Senate Finance Committee.

AL: Alabama senator calls teacher pay raises unbiblical, defends raise for legislators

By Rena Havner Philips

DEKALB COUNTY, Alabama -- Giving Alabama teachers a big pay raise could go against the Bible, state Sen. Shadrack McGill (R-Woodville) said recently at a prayer breakfast in north Alabama, according to the Times-Journal of Dekalb County.

AL: Alabama Senate's top Republican donates to bingo trial figure Quinton Ross' legal fund

By The Associated Press

The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate said Thursday he helped pay the legal bills of a Democratic senator acquitted of all charges in Alabama's gambling corruption investigation.

AL: GOP leader helps pay Sen. Ross' legal fees

By Phillip Rawls, The Associated Press

The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate said Thursday he helped pay the legal bills of a Democratic senator acquitted of all charges in Alabama's gambling corruption investigation.

AZ: Arizona rising as key state in GOP race

By Dan Nowicki

With the early Republican presidential primaries out of the way, GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney and his rivals Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are turning to Arizona as a crucial upcoming battlefield.

AZ: Pearce files paperwork that would let him run for election again

By Howard Fischer

Recalled Senate President Russell Pearce has filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office that would allow him to seek a return to the Legislature.

AZ: Brewer's ultimatum -- State personnel reform or no union-busting bills

By Howard Fischer

Gov. Jan Brewer is threatening to veto some union-busting bills unless lawmakers first give her what she wants: reform of the state personnel system.

AZ: Arizona border-wall fund -- Few donations from politicians

By Alia Beard Rau

When it comes to securing the border, Arizona's politicians haven't been keen to put their money where their mouths are.

AZ: Arizona bill targets public employee unions

By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

Arizona unions representing tens of thousands of public workers would be banned from collective bargaining with local governments and school districts as part of a sweeping package of legislation moving forward at the state Capitol.

AZ: Senate approves motion picture tax credit

By The Associated Press

The Arizona Senate has approved a bill creating a tax credit for motion picture production in the state.

AZ: Bill to ban children from truck beds resurfaces after three deaths in past months

By Sara Smith

While attempts to bar minors from riding unrestrained in pickup truck beds have failed for years at the Legislature, state leaders have three new reasons to act, a lawmaker said Thursday.

AZ: House Democrats pushing renewable energy bills

By Jessica Testa

Give money to schools to install solar panels on their roofs. Eliminate extra paperwork for homeowners seeking to install panels on their roofs. Endorse a plan that encourages utilities to invest in the state's renewable energy industry.

AZ: Bill would bar Arizona salons from letting teens in tanning beds

By Cale Ottens

s a mother of five, Rep. Peggy Judd said she understands why that bronze glow offered by tanning beds is so appealing to teens heading to proms or dance recitals.

CA: Reversal on same-sex marriage trial tapes

By Ian Lovett

A federal appeals court refused Thursday to release videotapes of the trial challenging the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban.

CA: Judges bar viewing of gay marriage trial videos -- -what they're protecting

By Warren Richey

A federal appeals court rejected the release of video recordings of a landmark gay marriage trial, saying the trial judge's order to keep them under wraps must be honored to preserve judicial integrity.

CA: High-speed rail tapped state funds for unusual lobbying contract

By Mike Rosenberg

In an extremely unusual use of taxpayer money, the leaders behind California's $99 billion high-speed train quietly hired a lobbyist to sway the Legislature -- the same politicians who appointed them to build the project in the first place.

CA: California Democrats distort their majority-vote budget power

By Dan Walters

Many years of partisan wrangling over the state budget reached a climax in 2010 when public employee unions and Democratic politicians persuaded voters to pass Proposition 25, eliminating the two-thirds vote for budgets.

CO: Legislature closed today

By Patrick Malone

The Colorado General Assembly canceled today's calendar in anticipation of a snowstorm that is forecast to bring up to a foot of snow to some parts of the state.

CO: Rep. Bradford ethics probe has chorus of critics

By Lynn Bartles

A House ethics committee formed to review a Mesa County lawmaker's traffic stop after she had been drinking will meet on Monday, as criticism grows on whether the probe is needed.

CT: Advocates challenge DSS denial of "habilitation" services for children

By Arielle Levin Becker

When she was younger, Natalia Caraballo used some words and sign language to communicate. But around her 2nd birthday, Natalia, who has Down syndrome and autism, stopped speaking and started making less eye contact with those around her.

CT: Feds give state until last day of legislative session to salvage fuel spill clean-up program

By Keith M. Phaneuf

Federal environmental officials have warned Connecticut they will begin to de-certify a crucial pollution abatement program the day after the General Assembly session ends in May -- unless state policy-makers craft a solution first.

CT: Malloy cools to Keno -- or any major gambling initiative

By Mark Pazniokas

The administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appears to be cooling on Keno, a game the Connecticut Lottery has endorsed as a way to boost revenues in a lottery market that turns 40 this month.

CT: Coming soon -- more preschool for children in the poorest districts

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Nearly 6,500 students in Connecticut enter kindergarten each year never having attended preschool. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants to reduce that number by 500 students in the state's poorest districts.

CT: Tax officials clarify debit card benefits

By Brian Lockhart

State tax officials must provide JPMorgan Chase with taxpayers' Social Security numbers in order to issue their refund checks as debit cards, but an agency spokesman said the bank cannot share that personal information or use it for marketing.

DE: Audit -- DSU violated bid laws

By Wade Malcolm

Flawed policies at Delaware State University led to millions of dollars in no-bid building contracts and the risk of collusion with vendors, an investigation by the state's Auditor of Accounts has found.

DE: State's colleges bracing for war on costs

By Wade Malcolm

This time of year, college costs occupy many people's minds. From high school seniors dealing with application deadlines, to current college students wondering what the next tuition spike will be, to the administrators of the state's public institutions heading to Dover during the next week to ask for more money at budget hearings in Legislative Hall.

DE: Board of Parole asks finance committee to restore funding

By Doug Denison

The state's embattled Board of Parole asked budget drafters Thursday to reinstate its dedicated funding stream next fiscal year, allowing the panel to pay for administrative help and maintain its independence from the Department of Correction.

FL: Lawmakers weigh bills to create online sales tax

By Toluse Olorunnipa

It's a question that tests the Florida Legislature's aversion to new taxes and its pro-business bona fides: Should state law require online retailers to pay sales taxes? State legislators on Thursday began their push to do just that, moving forward on a pair of proposals that would force online-only companies—and people who buy goods on the Internet—to pay the state's 6-percent sales tax.

FL: Casino bill appears headed for House defeat

By Mary Ellen Klas

A bill that could bring three mega resort casinos to South Florida appeared doomed in the House Thursday, as backers struggled to cobble together a minimum eight-vote majority on the committee that will consider the controversial legislation on Friday.

FL: Opponents to prison privatization should hold firm

By Staff

It's easy to tell when Florida's leaders in Tallahassee are trying to ram through legislation that would not pass on its merits. First they try to sneak it through. Once caught, they change the rules and play with the financial numbers. Then the governor calls in opponents to twist arms. And finally, legislative leaders punish those who won't get on board.

FL: PIP insurance reform advances from state Senate committee

By Tia Mitchell

The Florida Senate's plan to reform the no-fault auto insurance program has already achieved what its counterpart in the House has not: unanimous approval from a committee.

FL: Redistricting maps are shuffling Florida's political landscape

By Mary Ellen Klas

The Republican-dominated House voted 80-39 along party lines Thursday to give preliminary approval to three redistricting maps drawn according to the new anti-gerrymandering standards of the Fair Districts amendments approved by voters. The amendments prohibit lawmakers — for the first time in Florida history — from drawing the districts with any intent to protect incumbents or political parties, and the results have shaken up the political landscape from Tallahassee to Jacksonville and from St. Petersburg to Miami.

FL: More Democrats may join primary fight for Rep. West's seat

By Amy Sherman and Erika Bolstad

The Democrats vying to replace departing Rep. Allen West from his 22nd congressional seat — businessman Patrick Murphy and former West Palm Beach mayor Lois Frankel — may miss the retired Army colonel and tea party crowd pleaser because his rants on Fox News fired up the left and delivered dollars to their campaign coffers. But the soon-to-be- redrawn congressional district — absent "bogeyman" West — has also perked the political ears of other Democrats, likely setting up a Democratic primary dogfight this summer with multiple candidates.

GA: Perdue reflects on governorship, GOP takeover

By Blake Aued

Former Gov. Sonny Perdue says he tried to fix the plummeting HOPE Scholarship when he was in office, but state legislators wouldn't listen.

HI: Hawaii lawmakers consider bill that would allow them to accept tickets to charitable events

By The Associated Press

A change to the state Code of Ethics would allow legislators to accept invitations and tickets to charitable events.

HI: Occupy Honolulu protesters pack belongings as city enforces ban on personal property in public

By The Associated Press

Occupy Honolulu protesters packed up tents and other belongings on Thursday as city officials enforce a ban on the storage of personal property in public places.

HI: House Vice Speaker Manahan announces bid for City Council

By Staff

State House Vice Speaker Joey Manahan said today that he will run for Honolulu City Council.

HI: Okamura stepping down from House, cites health reasons

By Derrick DePledge

State Rep. Tom Okamura, who was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie in January to fill a state House vacancy in Aiea, has resigned for health reasons.

IA: A symbol of democracy is criticized as undemocratic

By A.G. Sulzberger

DES MOINES — The errors started to emerge even before Mitt Romney was declared the winner of the Iowa caucus by eight votes. By the time the results were certified two weeks later, mistakes had been found in so many districts that the state Republican Party chairman declared that it would be impossible to determine a winner.

IA: Branstad urges renewed PTC for wind

By Dan Piller

Iowa governor Terry Branstad has joined Kansas governor Sam Brownback in a letter urging Congress to renew the production tax credit for wind energy production that is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

IA: 5 Iowa legislators resign following redistricting

By The Associated Press

Five Iowa state senators have turned in their resignations.

IA: Iowa has fewest traffic deaths since 1944

By The Associated Press

State officials say 364 people died on Iowa roadways in 2011, the lowest death toll in the state since 1944.

IA: GOP budget asks workers to share insurance cost

By The Associated Press

Republican legislators have unveiled a proposed budget that would force state workers to pay $200 a month toward the cost of their health care coverage.

IA: Tax credit change would aid 500,000 Iowans

By The Associated Press

An advocate for expanding a working-class tax cut backed by Democrats told state lawmakers Thursday that more than 500,000 Iowans would likely benefit from the change.

IA: Concerns raised over 'social host' and underage alcohol consumption bill

By Jason Noble

An alcohol-control bill expanding minor-in-possession laws and creating criminal penalties for adults who allow young people to drink faltered in a House committee this afternoon.

IA: Iowa Senate bill would raise earned income tax credit

By Rod Boshart

A Senate committee next week will be asked to approve a $25 million increase in the earned income tax credit for more than 250,000 working adults earning $45,000 a year or less and their 266,000 children, a key backer said Thursday.

IA: Proposal calls for state employees to share health insurance costs

By Rod Boshart

Legislative Republicans and Democrats issued fiscal 2013 spending targets Thursday that were below the $6.242 billion budget that Gov. Terry Branstad proposed last month

IA: Legislature weighs amendment to guarantee right to bear arms

By Rod Boshart

Gun-rights advocates fired the first volley Thursday in a legislative effort to amend the state's constitution to guarantee an individual's right to possess and bear arms in Iowa.

IA: House, Senate leaders issue state budget spending targets

By Rod Boshart

Legislative Republicans and Democrats issued fiscal 2013 spending targets Thursday that were below the $6.242 billion budget that Gov. Terry Branstad proposed last month, with House Republicans setting funding levels nearly $119 million below Senate Democrats and $182 million below the governor by providing less money to education, human services and economic incentives and requiring state employees to pay nearly $43 million in health insurance costs.

IA: Bill to tie university presidents' pay to tuition hikes fails

By Staff

A proposal from 11 House Republicans to tie pay increases for the presidents at Iowa's three regent universities to tuition hikes died in subcommittee.

IA: Traffic camera ban heads to legislative vote

By Mike Wiser

A bill banning red-light and speed cameras in the state sailed through a House committee Thursday and is on its way to the floor for a vote.

ID: Idaho House votes to ban e-cigarette sales to kids

By The Associated Press

Electronic cigarette sales to kids would be banned under a bill that unanimously cleared Idaho's House.

IL: IL seeks to add 100K people to Medicaid program

By Andrew Thomason

Illinois could add 100,000 new enrollees to its Medicaid rolls in the near future.

IL: Biggert, Schock won't have primary challengers

By The Associated Press

Two Republican incumbents who represent Illinois districts in the U.S. House won't have primary challengers.

IL: GOP lawmakers -- Drop Cook County Medicaid request

By The Associated Press

Two Republican state lawmakers on Thursday said it would be hypocritical for Gov. Pat Quinn to seek expansion of a health insurance program for low-income adults in Cook County at a time Illinois faces billions in unpaid bills and needs statewide Medicaid reforms.

IN: Indiana election chief's defense rests in fraud case

By Charles Wilson, The Associated Press

Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White's defense lawyer rested Thursday without presenting a case against voter fraud charges that could oust White from office.

IN: Charlie White's defense rests in fraud case

By The Associated Press

Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White's defense lawyer rested Thursday without presenting a case against voter fraud charges that could oust White from office.

IN: State workers demonstrate for pay hikes

By Kurt Erickson

Unionized state workers staged a protest outside of Gov. Pat Quinn's office Thursday over the Chicago Democrat's failure to pay wage hikes contained in their current contract.

IN: Ind. union leader promises no Super Bowl skirmish

By The Associated Press

The president of Indiana AFL-CIO is promising union members will not disrupt the Super Bowl festivities in Indianapolis after efforts to block right-to-work legislation failed.

IN: Indiana legislators on 'super' break

By Dan Carden

After enacting one of the most controversial laws in state history, the Indiana General Assembly did not meet Thursday and is taking Friday off, too.

KS: Brownback asks Kansans to help stop human trafficking

By Shaun Hittle

Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday evening urged Kansans to help stop human slave trade at the End Human Trafficking event at the Kansas Union.

KS: Kansas lawmakers warned to keep records of dinners with governor

By John Hanna, The Associated Press

A local prosecutor is warning Kansas legislators and Gov. Sam Brownback to preserve records and electronic files about gatherings at his official residence as "potentially relevant evidence" in an investigation into a newspaper's complaints that the sessions violated the state's open meetings act.

LA: Proposed business tax breaks could produce 10,000 jobs, Gov. Bobby Jindal says

By Ed Anderson

Gov. Bobby Jindal unveiled a four-bill legislative package of business incentives Thursday that he said could bring 10,000 jobs to the state "in the next five to 10 years."

LA: Jindal calls for resignation of teachers' leader

By Will Sentell

Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday that the executive director of one of Louisiana's largest teacher unions should resign. Jindal has repeatedly criticized Michael Walker-Jones, a top official of the Louisiana Association of Educators, after Walker-Jones was quoted as saying that some parents in poverty may not have the time or information to make a decision on their child's education.

LA: Louisiana to replace mental hospital in Pineville

By The Associated Press

Louisiana will build a new state mental hospital in Pineville to replace one built between 1906 and the 1950s. Central Louisiana State Hospital housed 3,128 patients at its peak in 1959. It now has only 60 beds, and many of the 84 buildings on its 400-acre campus are vacant and too dilapidated to repair, said Bruce Greenstein, secretary of health and hospitals.

LA: Critics of restoration projects financed by BP money say there should be more public input

By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch

There should be more opportunities for the public to participate in assessing the damage to natural resources caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, residents of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes and representatives of several environmental groups said during public hearings Wednesday and Thursday. Restoration projects also should be approved more quickly, so oil spill damage can be reversed, several officials said.

MA: Ruling -- Same-sex spouses get equal rights on custody

By John Zaremba

Same-sex spouses have equal parental rights in cases of artificial insemination, the state appeals court said yesterday in a ruling that affirmed a Suffolk County woman as a mother to the child her ex-wife carried during their marriage.

MA: Conferee -- Three-strikes would likely affect as few as five people per year

By Michael Norton and Kyle Cheney

Proposals approved in the House and Senate that would eliminate parole for three-time violent offenders would likely affect just a handful of offenders per year, according to a key House lawmaker.

MA: In redistricting's wake, Rep. Paul Adams opts to run for state Senate

By Matt Murphy

Freshman Republican Rep. Paul Adams, redistricted by his colleagues out of his Andover-based seat, has decided to challenge state Sen. Barry Finegold in the fall rather than run against another freshman, Republican Rep. Jim Lyons, or follow through on his earlier pledge to move and run in a new majority-minority district in Lawrence.

MD: Maryland public defender asks for stay in high court's ruling

By Tricia Bishop

The state would have to hire 284 new public defenders to comply with a recent Court of Appeals ruling requiring lawyers for indigent defendants at thousands of annual bail hearings, according to an affidavit filed Thursday by Maryland Public Defender Paul DeWolfe.

MD: Debate over Komen's Planned Parenthood decision grows in Maryland, nation

By Andrea K. Walker

The inaugural Susan B. Komen breast cancer race scheduled for Ocean City in April was meant to be a feel-good event promoting a noble cause — and a way to boost tourism during the resort town's off-season. Now uncertainty surrounds it and other Komen events in Maryland and beyond, as fallout continues from the national organization's recent decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood.

MD: Firms vying for state contracts fund O'Malley-led group

By Annie Linskey

Companies seeking lucrative state contracts and business deals in Maryland made five- and six-figure contributions in recent months to a Democratic governors group led by Gov. Martin O'Malley, federal records show.

MD: Feds give go ahead to offshore wind farms

By Pamela Wood

The effort to erect giant wind turbines off of Maryland's Atlantic Coast got a boost today. Federal officials announced the completion of an environmental review that found no negative effects of building wind farms over 80,000 acres of the Atlantic near Maryland.

ME: Maine GOP caucuses under way

By The Associated Press

Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are considered the undisputed top contenders as Maine Republican Party caucuses to choose presidential favorites get under way in earnest this weekend across the state.

ME: State cuts in Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management threatening federal funds

By Mal Leary

The commissioner of Maine's Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management warned lawmakers this week that state funding cuts are putting millions of dollars in federal funds for his department in jeopardy because it is increasingly difficult to meet matching fund requirements.

ME: Lawmakers hand LePage new DHHS budget proposal

By Eric Russell

The chairmen of the Legislature's budget-writing committee presented Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday with a compromise proposal to address an estimated $220 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services biennial budget.

ME: Maine releases estimates of how much money each school district will receive

By Christopher Cousins

BRUNSWICK, Maine — School districts across Maine learned Thursday the latest estimates from the Department of Education of how much state money might come their way for the next school year.

MI: Indiana's vote for Right to Work creates hairy situation for Gov. Rick Snyder

By Tim Skubick

Gov. Rick Snyder has not had a lot of bad hair days so far. He had one on Tuesday.

MI: State Dems propose campaign, ethics laws

By Tim Martin, The Associated Press

Democrats in the Michigan House on Thursday introduced proposals that would require personal financial disclosure forms for many public officials and put some restrictions on state-level political campaign donations.

MI: Is Michigan's text messaging ban too narrow to deter cellphone use and distracted driving?

By Angela Wittrock

When then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to sign Michigan's law banning texting while driving, Winfrey praised Granholm for being a leader in taking action to "stop the madness of distracted driving."

MI: Michigan Democrats are taking 1st shot at corporate funding with proposed ethics, campaign finance reform

By Rob South

State House Democrats want lawmakers and state officers to be more accountable and open about where they get personal and campaign donations. The package of bills and a resolution to amend the state constitution are aimed primarily at money from corporations.

MI: Michigan Democrats are taking 1st shot at corporate funding with proposed ethics, campaign finance reform

By Rob South

MI: House Democrats unveil bills to strengthen state government ethics laws

By Paul Egan

House Democrats would require financial disclosure by state lawmakers and top appointed officials in Michigan under a package of bills unveiled Thursday.

MN: Minn. House speaker to back Romney

By Brian Bakst, The Associated Press

Minnesota's House speaker and majority leader planned Friday to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney days ahead of the state's political caucuses, according to a leading state Capitol Republican familiar with their intentions.

MO: Mo. senators delay workplace discrimination vote

By Wes Duplantier

Minutes after reaching an agreement to end a filibuster effort that lasted nearly 15 hours, the Missouri Senate endorsed legislation early Thursday that would change the state's workplace discrimination laws.

MO: Missouri economic development chief resigns

By Jason Hancock

Gov. Jay Nixon's choice to run the Missouri Department of Economic Development resigned Thursday after the state Senate refused to approve his nomination.

MT: Legislators' 4 political practices nominees all have partisan ties

By Charles S. Johnson

Top legislative leaders on Thursday nominated four people, all with some past partisan political ties, for the vacant job of Montana's political practices commissioner.

MT: Schweitzer gets four nominees for Montana commissioner of political practices

By John S. Adams

Republican and Democratic leaders in the Montana Legislature on Thursday sent four names to Gov. Brian Schweitzer for consideration to be the new commissioner of political practices.

NC: Debate rises over future of N.C. public education

By Lynn Bonner

State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison is asking his members to champion public education in a political environment where lawmakers are increasingly open to alternatives.

NC: Exodus from legislature grows

By John Frank

State Rep. Joe Hackney, a 32-year veteran lawmaker and former speaker, said Thursday he would not seek another term, becoming the latest in a string of top Democrats to announce retirements in the past week.

NC: Coleman entering NC lieutenant governor's race

By The Associated Press

North Carolina state government's personnel director has decided she'll run for lieutenant governor this year.

NC: Ex-speaker Hackney won't run for N.C. House in 2012

By The Associated Press

Former two-term Speaker Joe Hackney announced Thursday he wouldn't seek re-election to his House seat this year after more than 30 years in the legislature.

NC: Bowles won't run for governor, but Etheridge joins race

By Rob Christensen

Erskine Bowles said Thursday that he would not run for governor, but other Democrats moved to fill the void with former Congressman Bob Etheridge announcing that he would seek his party's nomination.

ND: Nickname supporters make final push

By Chuck Haga

A leader of the petition drive to restore UND's Fighting Sioux nickname through a statewide vote said Thursday that "we're in striking distance" of the 13,500 signatures needed by Tuesday's filing deadline.

ND: State officials look at ag land value options

By Nick SMith

State officials who hosted an informational meeting with producer groups last week explaining a nearly 30 percent average increase in agricultural land values in 2012, say they're committed to continuing dialogue with groups and elected officials interested in addressing the issue.

ND: Governor says now is the time to build on success

By Nick Smith

With past initiatives to stimulate economic development and improving the state's business climate well established, now is the time to work on further expanding and diversifying the employment and cultural opportunities for North Dakotans.

ND: ND Dem gov candidate raises $46K

By The Associated Press

North Dakota Democratic governor candidate Ryan Taylor said he's raised more than $46,000 for his campaign.

ND: Fargo city leaders look into pension reform

By Kristen Daum

City leaders were briefed on the ins and outs of pension systems Thursday, as part of a monthslong effort to review and potentially change city employees' retirement benefits.

ND: UND Fighting Sioux nickname vote push extends across North Dakota

By Chuck Haga

Just five days from the deadline, a leader of the effort to put the shelved Fighting Sioux nickname to a statewide vote said the petitioning is extending to cities across the state as organizers get in "striking distance" of the needed 13,500 signatures.

ND: Gov. Dalrymple urges full review of Badlands tracts set for auction

By Ptrick Springer

Gov. Jack Dalrymple wants to review a list of untouched Badlands areas that state game and fish officials have asked be spared from oil drilling.

ND: N.D. Dem governor candidate Taylor raises $46,000 for campaign

By The Associated Press

North Dakota Democratic governor candidate Ryan Taylor said he's raised more than $46,000 for his campaign.

ND: Nickname petition drive 'in striking distance' of needed signatures, spokesman says

By Chuck Haga

A leader of the petition drive to restore UND's Fighting Sioux nickname through a statewide vote said today that "we're in striking distance" of the 13,500 signatures needed by Tuesday's filing deadline.

ND: BRAC lacks support in Congress

By Ryan Johnson

North Dakota's congressional delegation remains strongly opposed to a new round of domestic military base closures, and they said today there appears to be little support in Congress for the plan that could put the future of Grand Forks Air Force Base in jeopardy.

ND: Minot flood recovery getting $1 million FEMA grant

By The Associated Press

North Dakota's congressional delegation says the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing a $1 million grant toward flood recovery in Minot.

ND: Rural North Dakota GOP activist makes last-minute plea for more lawmakers

By Dale Wetzel, The Associated Press

A former Ward County commissioner and Republican activist made a last-minute appeal Tuesday to increase the size of the North Dakota Legislature, saying it would help prevent rural districts from becoming too large under a new redistricting plan.

NE: Legislative hearings canceled Friday for weather

By JoAnne Young

The Legislature has canceled bill hearings scheduled for Friday afternoon because of weather forecasts calling for a winter storm beginning Friday.

NE: Nebraska measure seeks to expand legislative term limits

By The Associated Press

Term limits for Nebraska lawmakers have given lobbyists, political parties and executive-branch officials an upper hand in shaping state policy, a state senator said Wednesday.

NH: Judge rejects law seeking to reform state pensions

By Paul Feely

The ink was barely dry yesterday on a Merrimack County Superior Court decision saying it is illegal to ask longtime state employees to contribute more from their paychecks for their pensions before talk of a possible appeal began.

NH: Prohibiting sobriety checkpoints opposed

By Garry Rayno

Law enforcement, the attorney general and the House leadership turned out Thursday to oppose a bill that would prohibit sobriety checkpoints. The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1452 and is expected to recommend the House kill the bill.

NH: Refugee moratorium called unconstitutional

By Garry Rayno

A bill allowing communities to impose a one-year moratorium on refugee resettlements is probably unconstitutional, a law professor told a House committee Thursday.

NJ: Sen. Sweeney declares Legislature will not send Christie a same-sex marriage referendum bill

By Tom Hester Sr.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) announced today that the Democratic-controlled Legislature will not consider moving legislation that would allow voters to decide through a ballot referendum if same-sex marriage should be legalized in New Jersey.

NJ: N.J. Assembly committee advances bill to allow gay marriage

By MaryAnn Spoto

A state Assembly committee today approved legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry, setting the stage for a showdown in two weeks between Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Chris Christie, who has vowed to veto the measure.

NJ: Former MF Global official says he warned Corzine

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The former chief risk officer of MF Global says he warned then-CEO Jon Corzine in late 2010 of the risks in large bets on European government debt. Those bets sank the brokerage firm last fall.

NJ: Gov. Christie brags about fights with Democrats

By Beth DeFalco, The Associated Press

DENVILLE, N.J. — The crowd was familiar and friendly, and Gov. Chris Christie soaked it up like a sponge full of energy.

NJ: Christie calls lame-duck bills by Democrats 'a pile of crap'

By Tom Hester Sr.

Gov. Chris Christie has used, well, colorful language again and a ranking Democratic Assemblyman has angrily responded. At his latest town hall meeting in Denville Thursday, Christie criticized the Democratic-controlled Legislature for not moving bills related to his agenda during the lame-duck session in December.

NJ: N.J. lawmakers introduce bills to make Port Authority more transparent

By Steve Strunsky

Without hearing testimony from the agency they were targeting, lawmakers Thursday released four bills from committee intended to reign in and open up the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

NM: Tribal leaders to take part in Legislature's American Indian Day, sovereignty to be the focus

By The Associated Press

Tribal leaders from pueblos and reservations around New Mexico are gathering at the State Capitol for the 25th annual American Indian Day at the Legislature.

NM: House OKs proposals to revamp NM regulatory agency

By Barry Massey, The Associated Press

Proposals to streamline New Mexico's utility regulatory agency and establish minimum qualifications for its elected members sped through the House on Thursday.

NV: Unity eludes Nevada tea party in GOP presidential race

By Amy Gardner and David Fahrenthold

LAS VEGAS — In 2010, as the tea party rose to prominence, the movement splintered in Nevada and helped nominate Republican Sharron Angle in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.

NV: Paul sees Nevada as a better bet

By Michael R. Crittenden

HENDERSON, Nev. — Rep. Ron Paul wrote himself out of the story of Florida's Republican presidential primary, saying the cost of television advertising would be high in the state and the odds of winning any convention delegates low.

NV: Paul -- States should resolve land management issues

By Scott Sonner, The Associated Press

ELKO, Nev. — Republican Rep. Ron Paul railed against the federal government during campaign stops in Nevada on Thursday, saying states are in the best position to resolve conflicts over the management of wild horses and roads on public lands.

NV: Gears grind as Gingrich shifts to Nevada

By Trip Gabriel

LAS VEGAS — As Newt Gingrich seeks to remain a factor, not an also-ran, in the Republican presidential race, it sometimes seems as if the campaign vehicle meant to smoothly transport him to the nomination is more like the Joad family jalopy.

NV: Nevada poll gives Romney wide lead

By Dalia Sussman

Fresh off his strong win in Florida, Mitt Romney received more good news from a new poll in Nevada that showed him with a wide lead over Newt Gingrich just days before the state's caucuses.

NY: Ethics pick questioned

By Jacob Gershman

At the urging of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of his most trusted deputies was chosen to run the state's overhauled ethics commission, a move that raised questions about the panel's independence.

NY: Albany is urged to let churches keep using schools

By John Eligon

With a little more than a week before New York City stops allowing churches to hold services in public schools, some lawmakers, churches and faith groups are desperately trying to push through legislation that would allow the practice to continue, while the affected congregations look for new homes and ponder uncertain futures.

NY: Bloomberg -- Use last rainy-day funds in budget plan

By The Associated Press

New York City should scrape dry the last of its rainy-day funds to balance next year's budget without new cutbacks or taxes, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday as he unveiled a $68.7 billion budget proposal that anticipates billions of dollars in deficits in years to come.

NY: Workers' comp cost joins sick list

By Rick Karlin

Add skyrocketing workers' compensation rates to the list of costs that local governments will be passing on to property taxpayers.

NY: Democrats ask to ease primary ballot access

By Jimmy Vielkind

Democrats on the state Board of Elections are proposing to lower the number of signatures candidates would need to get on the primary election ballot, according to papers filed in federal court.

NY: Key Cuomo aide picked to run new ethics panel

By James M. Odato

One of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top appointees is leaving his administration to become the first executive director of the state commission policing lobbying, legislative activities and the conduct of state officials. Inspector General Ellen Biben will assume the leadership of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics by the end of this month, Chairwoman Janet DiFiore said.

OH: State seeks to close group homes

By Catherine Candisky

The state wants to shut 19 group homes for troubled youth operated by a Dublin company after an investigation revealed teens were drinking alcohol and smoking pot, popping pills from an unlocked medicine cabinet, and youngsters and staff were bitten by fleas from a dead raccoon.

OH: Panel sends list of PUCO nominees to Kasich

By Alan Johnson

A current and a former state lawmaker and a veteran state utility employee are finalists for a spot on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

OH: Impose windfall tax on 'fracking,' group says

By Alan Johnson

As " fracking" for natural gas and oil sweeps Ohio, the state should benefit from a windfall-profit tax and landowners should be protected by a bill of rights, a liberal policy group recommended yesterday.

OH: Langenderfer out of GOP primary for Ohio house seat

By Mark Gokavi

XENIA — Saying it "wasn't my time" and not being able to raise the financial or political capital needed, attorney John Langenderfer dropped out of the Republican March 6 primary for the 73rd District seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.

OH: Only 3 of 16 districts competitive in new map

By William Hershey

Montgomery and Greene counties are part of something unusual in Ohio — a competitive U.S. House district.

OK: Early filing date presents challenges for Oklahoma legislators

By Staff

In the course of ensuring that our military men and women abroad have the chance to vote, Oklahoma policymakers may have significantly altered what gets accomplished — or not — during the 2012 legislative session that begins next week.

OR: Rally demands education reform

By Stefanie Knowlton

Students of color and those still learning English continue to drop out in greater numbers than their peers, advocates for those groups said Thursday at the state Capitol.

OR: 'Penn State' bill introduced in House Education Committee

By Janie Har

Oregon's House Education Committee will hear a proposal today to expand the kinds of people required to report child abuse, adding higher education employees and youth volunteers to the list.

OR: After Penn State, Oregon legislators consider expanding the child abuse reporting law

By Michelle Cole

Oregon State University officials knew the law was murky about which campus employees are mandatory reporters of child abuse.

OR: Ore. bill would require coaches to report abuse

By The Associated Press

In the wake of a child sex abuse scandal that rocked Penn State University, lawmakers in Oregon are considering a new requirement for coaches and other university employees to report child abuse to authorities.

OR: Governor backs bill siding with Facebook

By Queenie Wong

The state moved closer this week to providing companies such as Facebook assurance they won't face higher property taxes in enterprise zones.

OR: Komen should put health before politics

By Carol McAlice Currie

Is this what Susan would have done? In what many hope will be a short-lived stroke of shortsightedness, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization announced recently that it no longer would share a sliver of its flush funding with Planned Parenthood.

OR: Oregon Legislature on track to authorize three new marine reserves

By Scott Learn

Oregon's Legislature appears poised to add three no-fishing marine reserves off the coast, designating what amounts to 38-square-miles of ocean wilderness despite continued concerns from fishing groups.

RI: Taveras -- Without help from retirees and tax-exempts, Providence will be 'forced into bankruptcy'

By Tom Mooney

Mayor Angel Taveras declared war on city retirees and tax-exempt institutions on Thursday to force them to "come to the table" and share in the sacrifice to keep the capital city of Providence afloat.

RI: Advocates gather to support bill to let people stay in foreclosed homes

By Randal Edgar

About 50 people gathered Thursday at the State House rotunda to voice support for a bill that would allow people to live in foreclosed homes until they are sold.

RI: Chafee seeks automatic raises for his top directors

By Katherine Gregg

Governor Chafee, citing "fairness,'' wants state agency directors, whose salaries ranged last year from $94,769 to $156,876, to get raises anytime the state's unionized employees get one.

SD: SD senators kill bill on foreign law application

By The Associated Press

The state Senate Judiciary Committee will not advance a bill to regulate the use of foreign law in South Dakota courts.

SD: SD bill to regulate abortion-service ads killed

By The Associated Press

A measure seeking to bar false advertising by pregnancy help centers that discourage abortions was rejected Thursday by a South Dakota House panel after abortion rights advocates and abortion opponents accused each other of misleading women.

SD: Daugaard -- Vote on program could harm development

By The Associated Press

South Dakota's efforts to attract new companies and help existing ones expand could be hurt by the public vote scheduled for November on a new business grant program, Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Thursday.

SD: Lawmakers to speak at Democratic Forum

By Staff

State legislators will discuss a proposal to eliminate the rights of public employees to collectively bargain and the governor's education plan today during the Democratic Forum in Sioux Falls.

SD: Daugaard -- Don't kill business development fund

By Peter Harriman

Gov. Dennis Daugaard and South Dakota legislative leaders, in three separate news conferences Thursday, celebrated Bel Brands USA's decision to build a new $100 million cheese manufacturing plant in Brookings that could ultimately employ 400 people.

TN: TN GOP urges more early voting locations

By Brian Wilson

State and local Republicans expressed concern Thursday that residents of Bellevue and Belle Meade don't have any early voting locations, but the Davidson County Election Commission made no commitment to give them one.

TN: TN GOP lawmakers building support for health-care session

By The Associated Press

Republican lawmakers are building support for a plan to wait until the end of the year to take action on state requirements set by President Barack Obama's federal health care law.

TN: TN lawmakers discuss reducing sales tax

By The Associated Press

The Republican sponsor of a proposal to reduce the sales tax on groceries in Tennessee said Wednesday he's open to working with Democrats who have a similar measure if it would help the legislation's passage.

TN: Planned Parenthood sues Tennessee Health Department over funding loss

By Sara Patterson

Claiming they've been singled out for providing abortions to women, Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region is suing the state Department of Health to regain about $150,000 in grant contracts for HIV prevention and syphilis elimination dropped by the state in December.

TN: Governor Bill Haslam hints at second Chattanooga Amazon facility

By Mike Pare

New Amazon distribution centers such as the one in Chattanooga will vault Tennessee to the top three among states in terms of the Internet retailer's footprint, officials said Thursday. And Amazon officials, who gave Gov. Bill Haslam his first look at the 1 million-square-foot Chattanooga center, hinted that the online retailer's presence could grow in Hamilton County.

TX: Message of a new crop of Republican candidates -- It's not just about cuts

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune

Two years ago, the Republican primary was teeming with angry conservatives stirred up by federal fiscal policy. Not all of them were Tea Party members, but all of them seemed to get labeled that way. Whatever the description, their effect on last year's legislative session was clear.

US: Gallup -- More states trended Republican in 2011

By Michael A. Memoli

The number of states with a clear Republican advantage doubled in 2011, part of a larger trend of states shifting into the GOP column, according to new Gallup data.

UT: Usurping local control

By Staff

The battle over whether states have authority to dictate to local governments was effectively settled in 1868. That was the year Iowa Supreme Court Justice John Dillon wrote an opinion that has become known as Dillon's Rule. Simply put, local governments enjoy powers only as state legislatures decide to grant them.

UT: Graffiti bill fails in Utah Senate; hackers warn they are still watching

By Shara Park

A group calling itself Anonymous says it has all kinds of information from the Salt Lake City Police Department's website www.slpd.com. But someone claiming to be responsible says the public has nothing to fear.

VA: 'Conscience' adoption bill wins initial OK in Virginia

By David Sherfinski

The Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would protect state-licensed private adoption agencies from placing children with families if the placement conflicts with the agency's religious beliefs.

VA: Virginia expected to lift one-per-month limit on handgun purchases

By Laura Vozzella

Virginia is poised to lift a 19-year-old limit on handgun purchases, with the Republican-controlled state Senate expected to do away with the one-gun-per-month cap in a final vote Friday.

VA: One abortion curb fails, another advances

By Wesley P. Hester and Jim Nolan

Social conservatives emboldened by Republican gains in the General Assembly in November suffered a major setback Thursday when a Senate committee deadlocked on a bill to prohibit women from having an abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy. But today, the House of Delegates appears ready to pass a bill to defund state-paid abortions for low-income women expecting a child with "gross and totally incapacitating physical deformity or mental deficiency" after the chamber advanced the measure Thursday.

VA: Bill advances to give leeway to private adoption agencies

By Wesley P. Hester

A bill to protect a private adoption agency's right to refuse placement based on religious beliefs has advanced to its final reading in the House of Delegates today, where it is all but certain to pass.

VA: Full Senate to take up one-gun-a-month repeal

By Jim Nolan

The Virginia Senate is poised to pass legislation today to lift the state's 18-year-old restriction on purchasing more than one handgun a month.

VA: Offshore wind farm farther away, closer to reality

By Scott Harper

Prospects for wind turbines churning out clean energy off the mid-Atlantic coast got brighter Thursday when federal officials unveiled safe areas where energy companies might build wind farms off Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.

VA: Pre-abortion ultrasound -- Too invasive?

By Julian Walker

In a week dominated by abortion debate, foes of ultrasound legislation say that an overlooked aspect of the proposed law is how invasive it will be. Determining gestational age early in a pregnancy often requires an internal probe rather than a scan over the stomach.

VT: Vermont Senate passes environmental enforcement bill

By The Associated Press

The Vermont Senate on Thursday passed a bill aimed at opening state environmental enforcement actions to more involvement by citizens aggrieved by polluters.

VT: Vermont House endorses mental health reform

By Nancy Remsen

After years of talk without reaching consensus, the Vermont House took the first step Thursday toward revamping the state's mental health system and replacing the now-closed state psychiatric hospital.

VT: Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee hears warrant testimony Feb. 3, 2012 | Comments

By Mike Donoghue

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee got a peek Thursday at search warrants for two of the state's highest-profile homicide cases in the last 32 years as they grappled with trying to ensure public accountability for court-ordered searches.

WA: National forces likely to lead on gay-marriage referendum effort

By Lornet Turnbull

With same-sex marriage virtually assured in Washington state, opponents seeking to undo it are looking ahead to summer and fall, and to a campaign they say will draw on the resources of national organizations that have waged and won these kinds of fights.

WA: House GOP's budget spends $580M more on education

By Brad Shannon

House Republicans offered a "fund education first" budget Thursday, highlighting what they depicted as $580 million more for K-12 public schools than Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget would allocate.

WA: Looks like liquor prices to go up, over fees from Initiative 1183

By Melisa Alison

One month before distributors start selling liquor to restaurants and bars in Washington, 15 companies have applied for licenses to distribute the spirits — and their discussions with distilleries indicate prices on liquor in Washington may climb.

WA: National forces likely to lead on gay-marriage referendum effort

By Lornet Turnbull

WA: Ballot challenge is certain for state's gay-marriage bill

By Rachel La Corte, The Associated Press

Washington state is likely to become the seventh state to legalize same-sex within the next two weeks, but opponents have already promised a ballot challenge would halt any summertime weddings.

WA: State seeks bill to require reporting of abuse

By Stephanie Kim

Reacting to recent alleged child-abuse cases, including the Penn State scandal, Washington state lawmakers are considering legislation that would expand the pool of people required to report suspected abuse to authorities.

WA: 'Sunshine' recommendations for public disclosure pass committee

By Alexis Krell

Recommendations of the "sunshine" panel, which reviews the state's public disclosure exemptions, are one step closer to becoming law.

WA: Gregoire's oil fee lacks traction in Legislature

By The Associated Press

Gov. Chris Gregoire's plan to get transportation revenue through a fee on oil is unlikely to pass the Legislature.

WA: Legislators drop proposed $1.50 fee on barrel of oil

By Mike Lindblom

Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal to impose a $1.50 charge on every barrel of oil refined in Washington state has hit a dead end.

WA: GOP claims to spare K-12

By Brad Shannon

House Republicans offered a "fund education first" budget Thursday, highlighting what they depicted as $580 million more for K-12 public schools than Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget would allocate.

WA: Lawmakers working to increase statewide litter penalties

By Justin Runquist

Hans Zeiger sees too much garbage every day.

WA: Marijuana reclassification bill passes committee vote in the Senate

By Justin Runquist

A bill demanding the federal government loosen up marijuana restrictions moved forward in the state Senate Thursday afternoon.

WI: Recall cash spigot now wide open

By Staff

It's difficult to write about the levels of money now being pumped into Wisconsin's electoral process without using terms like "jaw-dropping" and "eye-popping." It's a wonder we can still recognize ourselves in the mirror, with all these contortions.

WI: Democrat Cullen bows out of governor's race

By The Associated Press

Democratic state Sen. Tim Cullen bowed out of the governor's race today, saying he can't raise the money to compete with better-known opponents and he has no desire to participate in what he said was going to be a "political war.

WI: Walker to speak at Florida event

By The Associated Press

Gov. Scott Walker is scheduled to speak next week at a Florida event hosted by the conservative James Madison Institute.

WI: Republican candidate for Senate Mark Neumann received stimulus money

By Scott Bauer, The Associated Press

The leading Tea Party-backed Republican candidate running for Wisconsin's open U.S. Senate seat who also has been a longtime critic of a federal stimulus program received more than $80,000 in stimulus grants for his own solar energy company.

WV: Legislators must deal with Lincoln County

By Staff

On May 8, Democratic voters in Lincoln County face the prospect of nominating disgraced former assessor Jerry Weaver — who pleaded guilty in 2005 of vote-buying from the 1990s to 2004 — for the post of sheriff.

WV: State Supreme Court candidate plans $1 million campaign loan

By Ry Rivard

Democratic Supreme Court Candidate Tish Chafin will loan her campaign $1 million, she told supporters Thursday.

WY: Wyoming- Free speech not stifled in abortion case

By Ben Neary, The Associated Press

The state of Wyoming denied that its previous policy governing the display of materials in a tunnel leading to the state Capitol blocked an anti-abortion group from exercising its constitutionally protected free speech.

Visit the Stateline.org Politics Page