Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has created a task force charged with devising a plan for taking on $14 billion in unfunded liabilities for municipal employee pensions and retiree health care. Snyder named 23 people to the group, which is expected to have suggestions ready for review by springtime. Wolverine...

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) unveiled a seven-part plan last week to implement strict new statewide water quality standards. Inspired by a significant issue with lead contamination in the water supply for the city of Flint, the new Wolverine State standards would exceed those set by the federal Lead...

SNYDER SIGNS MI POLICE MICONDUCT LAW Looking to prevent police agencies from hiding misconduct that leads to terminations, MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed legislation last week that requires law enforcement agencies to keep records of the circumstances surrounding an officer’s firing. An...

RAUNER SIGNS TWO IL ANTI-HARASSMENT BILLS : ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signed two measures last week aimed at curbing sexual harassment in the Prairie State statehouse. The measures require all lawmakers, lobbyists and state employees to undergo sexual harassment training every year, beginning...

With just weeks to go before applications are due, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed off on emergency rules that, among many things, allow medical cannabis dispensaries to stay open after the Dec. 15 deadline without affecting their chances of getting a mandatory state license. Dispensaries which...

NORTHAM ISSUES VA NON-DISCRIMNATION ORDER : New VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) issued a trio of executive orders, including one that bars state agencies under Executive Branch control from discrimination “based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity...

MARTINEZ SIGNS NM ELDERLY OVERSIGHT OVERHAUL: NEW MEXICO Gov. Susana Martinez (R) signed SB 19 , legislation that overhauls the Land of Enchantment’s system for guardianship and conservatorship of the elderly by mandating open court records, more oversight and audits. (ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL) ...

WALKER SIGNS AK RAPE KIT BILL Saying the Last Frontier has over 3,500 untested rape kits awaiting processing, ALASKA Gov. Bill Walker (I) signed a bill that requires local police to report to the state annually the number of untested sexual assault kits that remain pending. The new law also requires...

ME, KY, MS GOVS FILE WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION BRIEF MAINE Gov. Paul LePage (R), KENTUCKY Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and MISSISSIPPI Gov. Phil Bryant (R) join the attorneys general of 13 other states in an Aug. 23 brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that companies can fire workers based on their sexual...

SNYDER SIGNS ‘BAN THE BOX’ ORDER MICHIGAN Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed Executive Order 2018-4 , which directs some state agencies to no longer ask job applicants about any criminal history in the initial application process. The so-called “ban the box” measure applies to the...

Baker Opposes MA Nurse Staffing Mandates MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said a recent report by the state Health Policy Commission has convinced him to vote no on Question 1 , a ballot measure that would require strict nurse-to-patient ratios in Bay State hospitals. Baker cited cost estimates...

For the seventh quarter in a row, polling by Morning Consult shows that the ten most popular governors in America are all Republicans. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker topped the list with a 70 percent approval rating, followed closely by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, at 67 percent. That pair has topped...

WALKER LIKELY TO SIGN WI GOP POWER GRAB BILLS Outgoing WISCONSIN Gov. Scott Walker (R) signaled his intention to sign a package of bills passed by lawmakers in the lame duck session that are widely interpreted as a move by majority Republicans to limit the power of Gov.-elect Tony Evers (D). In a...

Four governors – two outgoing, two newly-sworn in – issued executive orders barring discrimination against LGBTQ state employees. Before leaving office in December, then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) issued an order barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in...

Saying “we need to be laser-focused on cleaning up water in our state,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) announced a reorganization of the Wolverine State’s Department of Environmental Quality, which drew intense criticism over its handling of the water crisis in Flint. Under...

HOLCOMB SIGNS INDIANA HATE CRIME BILL Saying that his state has “made progress and taken a strong stand against targeted violence,” INDIANA Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed a measure last week that for the first time gives the Hoosier State a hate crimes law. GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, WYOMING...

MI GOV SIGNS STREAMLINED MEDICAL WEED OVERSIGHT BILL MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed legislation ( SB 203 ) that requires only those with 10 percent or more of an ownership stake in a medical marijuana business to undergo the state’s background check process. Previous law required...

WHITMER VOWS VETO OF MI INSURANCE OVERHAUL Saying the legislation “creates more problems than it solves,” MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she would veto a bill (SB 1) approved in the Senate that would fundamentally change auto insurance in the Wolverine State. (See Hot Issues in...

SISOLAK SIGNS SWEEPING HEALTH MEASURES NEVADA Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed two significant health care measures last week: AB 170 , which codifies into Silver State law a prohibition on health insurers from denying patient coverage due to pre-existing health conditions, and AB 469 , so-called “balance...

Saying it would guarantee “a better auto insurance system for everyone,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed SB 1 , a sweeping overhaul of the Wolverine State’s auto insurance laws. One of the most significant changes contained in the measure is a tenet that allows drivers...

PRITZKER ISSUES IL TRANSGENDER STUDENT EO ILLINOIS Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) issued Executive Order 19-11 , aimed at protecting the Prairie State’s transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students. The governor’s directive creates a new 25-member working group tasked with ensuring...

VA GOV VOWS END TO LAWSUITS AGAINST PATIENTS VIRGINIA Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said he would work with University of Virginia James Ryan to end the widespread practice of aggressively pursuing former patients for unpaid medical bills. A recent investigation by Kaiser Health News revealed that that UVA...

Calling the rise in vaping-related illnesses “a frightening public health phenomenon,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) proposed legislation to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the Empire State. “Common sense says if you do not know what you are smoking, don’t smoke...

Amid a growing number of vaping-related deaths and serious illnesses, Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California, both Democrats, launched efforts last week to ban the products. The actions come days after the Trump administration announced plans to impose a federal ban on the...

WA GOV ORDERS VAPING BAN Citing a rising number of illnesses and deaths linked to e-tobacco use, WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said he will ask the state board of health to adopt emergency rules enacting a statewide ban on flavored vaping products. At least four other states – MICHIGAN, NEW...