Home
»
State Net | Capitol Journal
»
All Tags
»
Michigan
»
Massachusetts
State Net | Capitol Journal
State Net | Capital Journal
Get this RSS feed
Home
Blog
Forum
Files
Tags
Tags
Arizona
Bird’s eye view
Budget & Taxes
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Governors
Hot Issues
Illinois
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Missouri
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Politics & leadership
Spotlight Story
Texas
Virginia
Tagged Content List
Blog Post:
States Look at Eliminating Lower Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers
Mary Peck
Forty-three states currently allow restaurant operators to pay employees who receive tips, such as waiters and bartenders, less than the state minimum wage, with the minimum hourly rate for such tipped workers set by the federal government at $2.13. This year 12 states introduced legislation requiring...
on
10 Aug 2018
Blog Post:
Governors in Brief - September 17 2018
Mary Peck
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...
on
14 Sep 2018
Blog Post:
Lawsuits Forcing States to Spend Millions on Hep C Treatment
Mary Peck
A federal judge in Indiana ruled this month that denying or delaying treatment of prison inmates infected with hepatitis C constituted cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. A similar ruling last year in Florida and settlements in Colorado and Massachusetts...
on
28 Sep 2018
Blog Post:
Governors in Brief - October 15 2018
Mary Peck
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...
on
12 Oct 2018
Blog Post:
Baker Remains Most Popular Governor
Mary Peck
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...
on
12 Oct 2018
Blog Post:
Mixed Results for Closely Watched Ballot Measures
Mary Peck
Marijuana legalization was one of the most prevalent issues on state ballots on Nov. 6. And with the approval of one of those measures, Proposal 1 , on a 54-46 vote, Michigan became the first state in the Midwest to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But voters in another Midwestern state, North...
on
9 Nov 2018
Blog Post:
Democrats Gain in State Elections
Mary Peck
Buoyed by the votes of suburban women and independents, Democrats gained hard-won ground in the nation’s statehouses in Tuesday’s midterm election. Democrats won seven governorships and six legislative chambers previously held by Republicans. They also took outright control of...
on
9 Nov 2018
Blog Post:
Voters, Courts Slowly Taking Redistricting Power from Lawmakers
Mary Peck
While Congressional and state legislative races drew most of the attention on Election Day, those races were hardly the only critical issues voters would decide. Missouri, Colorado and Michigan became the latest states to endorse independent commissions or other bipartisan or nonpartisan means...
on
16 Nov 2018
Blog Post:
Business - January 14 2019
Mary Peck
MI Governor Issues Executive Order 2019-10 MICHIGAN Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issues Executive Order 2019-10 , which bars state agencies and departments from asking job applicants about previous salary history until a conditional offer of employment is made. The directive also prohibits retrieval...
on
11 Jan 2019
Blog Post:
Budgets in Brief - March 11 2019
Mary Peck
MN GOV PROPOSES $1.3B IN BORROWING MINNESOTA Gov. Tim Walz (D) has proposed borrowing nearly $1.3 billion to provide more affordable housing, fix buildings on college campuses and repair transportation infrastructure. Although parts of the governor’s plan have broad appeal, the state’s...
on
8 Mar 2019
Blog Post:
Soda Taxes Stalled in States
Mary Peck
In his budget address in late February, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) called for a tax increase on sodas and other sugary drinks. Soda tax legislation has also been introduced this year in California, Massachusetts New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures...
on
3 May 2019
Blog Post:
Governors in Brief - May 13 2019
Mary Peck
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...
on
10 May 2019
Blog Post:
State Lawmakers Stepping Up Fight Against Insurance Fraud
Mary Peck
By some accounts, insurance fraud has reached epidemic proportions, costing insurance companies and their policyholders tens of billions of dollars each year. State lawmakers have taken several measures in recent years to combat the problem, but this year they’re stepping up their efforts even...
on
10 May 2019
Blog Post:
States Taking Action to Ensure Complete 2020 Census Count
Mary Peck
Although the decennial census is a federal responsibility, with states having so much to gain from an accurate tally, 30 have established committees - either through legislation or executive order - to ensure their populations are fully counted, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures...
on
17 May 2019
Blog Post:
Over Half of States Have Passed Private-Sector Data Security Laws
Mary Peck
As of the start of this year, at least 25 states had passed laws requiring businesses that handle personal data to implement security procedures to protect that information from unauthorized access, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking...
on
31 May 2019
Blog Post:
Most States Considering Drug Price Control Measures
Mary Peck
At least 40 states have introduced legislation in 2019 aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs, according to LexisNexis State Net ’s legislative tracking system. Fifteen of those states have enacted such measures.
on
14 Jun 2019
Blog Post:
Local Governments Shine Light on Public Surveillance
Mary Peck
In May the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco approved an ordinance banning the use of facial recognition technology by all city departments. It’s the only major U.S. city to have taken such action against the emerging technology. But the measure is part of a larger and...
on
12 Jul 2019
Blog Post:
Biometric Data Privacy Bills Considered in Over Half of States
Mary Peck
At least 26 states have introduced bills this session dealing with the collection and use of biometric information, such as fingerprints, speech patterns or gait, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures and LexisNexis State Net. Three of those states - Arkansas, New York...
on
2 Aug 2019
Blog Post:
Balance Billing Measures Introduced in 32 States in 2019
Mary Peck
Legislation dealing with medical balance billing - the charging of patients by healthcare providers for services not fully covered at the providers’ rate by the patients’ insurance - has been introduced in 32 states this year, according to analysis by LexisNexis State Net . Seven of those...
on
9 Aug 2019
Blog Post:
Governors in Brief - September 16 2019
Mary Peck
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...
on
13 Sep 2019
Blog Post:
States Save for Inevitable Rainy Day
Mary Peck
Many states have learned lessons from the Great Recession of 2007-09 and are better prepared for the next economic downturn, according to findings by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and other analysts. “Rainy day funds are growing as a share of state budgets,”...
on
20 Sep 2019
Blog Post:
Governors in Brief - October 4 2019
Mary Peck
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...
on
4 Oct 2019
Blog Post:
Handful of States Ban Vaping
Mary Peck
As of Oct. 15, governors or public health agencies in seven states had imposed temporary bans on the sale of vaping products, four of which had been at least partially blocked by legal challenges, according to Time . At least five states have also introduced bills this year aimed at banning flavored...
on
8 Nov 2019
Blog Post:
States Weigh More Bans on Vaping
Mary Peck
As public health officials confront an outbreak of lung injuries linked to vaping from e-cigarettes, a patchwork of state and local responses have cropped up in lieu of federal regulation. But with a developing and not yet fully understood problem, and with several e-cigarette bans in a handful...
on
8 Nov 2019
Blog Post:
With Feds Distracted, States Will Have Much to Ponder in 2020
Mary Peck
It’s the holiday season, and if most voters are thinking about politics at all they are probably pondering more about how to get through family festivities without a major blowup over differing political philosophies than they are about next year’s legislative agendas. But rest assured...
on
22 Nov 2019
1
2
3