The PENNSYLVANIA Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a moratorium on executions imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in February. The court did not say when it will hear the case (PHILADELPHIACBSLOCAL.COM). * UTAH Gov. Gary Herbert (R) said he would again veto a bill (SB 256) currently under consideration...

Faced with an ongoing epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and state Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine issued what is essentially a statewide prescription that allows pharmacies to dispense the anti-overdose drug naloxone to anyone asking for it regardless of whether they...

Wolf Battling Cancer PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) revealed last month he is suffering from prostate cancer. Wolf, 67, did not specify what his treatment plan would be but said it would not include chemotherapy. “What I’m going through is treatable and will actually not ... interfere...

Wolfe Boosts State Wages PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolfe (D) issued an executive order ( EO 2016-02 ) raising the minimum wage to $10.15 per hour for state government employees and private sector employees working on state contracts. Wolfe said raising the wage would achieve efficiency and cost savings...

Bentley Impeachment Effort Moves Forward As expected, Rep. Ed Henry (R) filed articles of impeachment against ALABAMA Gov. Robert Bentley (R) last week. Those articles accuse the governor of, among several things, “willful neglect of duty,” “corruption in office,” “incompetency”...

Gov. Cuomo, Lawmakers Reach Cancer Screening Deal NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and lawmakers reached a deal before the end of session last week to expand access to breast cancer screening by ordering Empire State hospitals to expand hours when mammograms are offered and requiring health insurance...

Christie Denies Role in Trump Tax Deal NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) denied any involvement in a 2011 tax settlement deal between Garden State officials and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump that allowed his Atlantic City casino to pay only a fraction of the millions of dollars in taxes it...

Gov. Wolf Urges Passing of PA Opioid Measures Citing “a public health crisis the likes of which we have not before seen,” PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) addressed a rare joint session of the legislature last week to urge them to take action on several pending bills aimed at addressing...

Wolf Pitches Job Protection Plan PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said new businesses that accept state grants to start their companies must be held accountable for the jobs they say they will create. Wolf’s budget proposal includes a three-point plan that would require companies to return their...

Martinez Vetoes Slew of Bipartisan NM Bills NEW MEXICO Gov. Susana Martinez (R) surprised lawmakers in both parties last week by vetoing without explanation at least nine Senate-sponsored bills, most of which had wide bipartisan support. The vetoes came on the heels of the Senate overriding her veto...

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...

HOGAN PROPOSES MD SENTENCING LEGISLATION Responding to what he called “out of control” violent crime in Baltimore, MARYLAND , Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he plans to introduce a major package of anti-crime legislation when lawmakers reconvene next year. That package would include a so-called...

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has declared the Keystone State’s ongoing opioid abuse crisis to be a statewide health emergency. Pennsylvania’s drug overdose rate is twice the national average. Wolf’s declaration allows state officials to temporarily override 13 current rules...

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...

The ongoing controversy over family separations at the U.S. border with Mexico has spurred a bipartisan group of governors to pull back or reject outright President Trump’s request to send National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. Democrats Andrew Cuomo of New York, Gina Raimondo of...

Countering a growing trend among retailers toward accepting only credit cards or other forms of electronic payment, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed legislation last week requiring brick-and-mortar retail operations to accept cash and imposing potentially big fines on those that don’t go...

COOPER SIGNS NC GUN ORDER NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy Cooper (D) issued an executive directive ordering that state Bureau of Investigation and other state agencies to take more action against gun violence. The order directs the BOI to conduct more threat assessment training for local police and provide...

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...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, both Democrats, said they will work together to develop a consistent regulatory framework for recreational marijuana use in their respective states. The governors said they believed they could find common ground on issues like age restrictions...

Cuomo Threatens NYC Utility NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) threatened to revoke the license of a utility that provides gas to New York City and Long Island unless it begins providing natural gas to new customers on Long Island. Cuomo also vowed to take legal action against the utility National Grid...