Gov. Kasich Urges Reduced Medical Licensing Boards OHIO Gov. John Kasich (R) and lawmakers are working on a plan to consolidate the Buckeye State’s multiple medical licensing boards. Legislation currently under consideration in the General Assembly would reduce the number of medical-licensure...

LA Seeking Private Help for Roads Transportation officials in LOUSIANA said last week they will for the first time seek help from private firms in fast tracking road congestion mitigation projects in the Pelican State. The work would take place along Interstate 10 in the Baton Rouge area, one of the...

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) said he is evaluating options for treatment for prostate cancer. Dayton revealed last month he had the disease after he collapsed while giving his annual State of the State address to lawmakers. Dayton said he is weighing both surgery and radiation therapies and will make...

Some GOP governors have expressed disappointment at the changes to the Affordable Care Act proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said governors had asked House lawmakers to work with them on changes, but that the bill put forth “doesn’t include...

Citing data showing that people living in manufactured homes in Ohio are far more likely to die in a fire than those living in other dwellings, Gov. John Kasich (R) is urging lawmakers to give the Buckeye State direct oversight of the industry. That oversight currently is the responsibility of the industry...

Nine more states last week joined the newly-created U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition to uphold the tenets of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, an international coalition aimed at combatting the impacts of global climate change. The coalition was formed by Gov. Jerry Brown of California, Jay Inslee...

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) has asked the Trump administration for a Medicaid waiver that would allow the Bluegrass State to require able-bodied adults without dependents to work at least 20 hours a week to qualify for coverage. The request is an amendment from one made previously that would have...

With Congress preparing to hold hearings to weigh reforming the Affordable Care Act, a small bipartisan group of governors has put together its own list of suggestions for lawmakers to consider. Led by Ohio Gov. John Kasich a Republican, and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, the list of...

Most GOP governors chose to tread lightly in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program last week. The program, implemented by former President Barack Obama in 2012, grants temporary legal immigration status to unauthorized immigrants...

A trio of GOP governors have issued plans to combat ongoing opioid abuse epidemics in their states. Last week, the West Virginia Senate Health Committee reviewed but did not take action on SB 273 , legislation sponsored by Gov. Jim Justice (R) that would take several actions to deal with the issue...

Decrying a lack of federal action, several Northeastern governors have formed a multi-state partnership to address gun violence. The “States for Gun Safety” coalition is the brainchild of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who was joined by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Gov. Dannel...

Saying he is frustrated with federal inaction, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) issued an executive order last week that will create a state office tasked with helping immigrants find jobs, health care and education. Ohio was built by immigrants and to continue building we need new people from wherever...

DUCEY DECRIES ‘RECKLESS’ CALLS TO ABOLISH ICE In an op-ed in USA Today last week, ARIZONA Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said calls from a growing number of Democratic officials to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency were “reckless” and “misguided.”...

WALKER DECLARES NATIVE LANGUAGE EMERGENCY Saying the government must support the “revitalization” of native languages, ALASKA Gov. Bill Walker (I) issued Administrative Order 300 last week calling for indigenous place names to be shown on public signs and directing the state Department...

Breaking with his GOP colleagues, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) issued an executive order intended to keep people with mental health issues from obtaining guns in the Buckeye State. “There’s gaps in our system,” Kasich said in signing EO 2018-11K. “By closing gaps in the gun...

DESANTIS WINS FL RECOUNT A machine recount in FLORIDA has confirmed that Republican Ron DeSantis won the Sunshine State’s highly charged gubernatorial race. The final margin of 34,000 votes was enough to avoid an automatic hand recount. But Democrat Andrew Gillum has not conceded and may go...

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...

DESANTIS WANTS MAJOR CHANGE TO FL MEDICAL WEED LAW Saying he wants to see people “be able to have their suffering relieved,” FLORIDA Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) urged Sunshine State lawmakers to allow medical marijuana patients to smoke their weed if they so choose. If lawmakers do not go along...

NEWSOM WANTS TO STEP UP CA POT ENFORCEMENT Citing a lack of cohesive enforcement to stamp out CALIFORNIA’s illegal marijuana market, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced expanded efforts by the state National Guard to work with federal officials to target black market dealers, including illegal drug...

EVERS SEEKS ROLLBACK OF WALKER-ERA WI WORK LAWS The budget proposed by WISCONSIN Gov. Tony Evers (D) would roll back several employment laws implemented under former Gov. Scott Walker (R), including a repeal of the state’s so-called “right-to-work” law that bars union shops from...

LAMONT REVISES CT SCHOOL SERVICES MEASURE CONNECTICUT Gov. Ned Lamont (D) recast a proposal to create a state commission tasked with encouraging Constitution State schools to cut costs by sharing more essential services. Many critics said SB 874 as originally worded would force school districts to...

Saying that “Maine people value their privacy, online and off,” Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed one of the toughest data privacy measures in the nation last week. Under SB 275 , which Mills signed last Thursday, Pine Tree State Internet providers will be prohibited from using, selling,...

NEWSOM SIGNS OFF ON CA CLEAN DRINKING WATER FUND CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 200 , legislation that authorizes the use of $130 million in funds initially targeted for greenhouse gas reduction to instead pay for a clean drinking water program. The funds, which will be drawn on over the...

In the wake of the nation’s latest (as of this writing) mass shooting, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) proposed a package of reforms to his state’s gun regulations. The hard part will be not having them instantly shot down by his fellow Republicans that control the Buckeye State Legislature. ...

Calling it “a step in the right direction," California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said the state would closely monitor the NCAA’s decision to move toward allowing college athletes to profit from the use of their likeness, image or name. The move is a response to first-in-the-nation...