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KS Supreme Court Rules The KANSAS Supreme Court rules that women in the Sunflower State have a constitutional right to obtain an abortion. Justices ruled that both the state and U.S. constitutions support that right. Opponents vowed to seek to amend the state constitution to block abortion in the...

Since 2013, 31 states have raised their gas taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures . Four states - Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio and Virginia - have done so this year. And Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin could be next. Gas tax hikes are the natural go-to for transportation...

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...

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...

The survey has been done and unless you live in Washington, your state just doesn’t measure up. That’s the word anyway from U .S. News and World Report , which recently released its assessment of the best and worst states to live in. Based on a number of different factors, they dubbed the...

Federal Court Rules on KY Law A federal court rules that a 2018 KENTUCKY law that effectively banned abortions after the 15 th week of pregnancy is unconstitutional. State officials say they would appeal the ruling (LOUISVILLE COURIER JOURNAL). ND Governor Signs HB 1050 NORTH DAKOTA Gov. Doug...

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) were among those who appeared at a hearing on Election Security held by the U.S. Committee on House Administration this month. Over two years after Russian hackers targeted U.S. voting systems in the...

Although the decennial census is required by the U.S. Constitution, it’s not a topic that makes the heart go pit-a-pat. After doing a TV episode on a census issue, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin observed that the very word “census” put the audience asleep. Nonetheless, the 2020 census...

AL House and Senate Endorse SB 73 The ALABAMA House and Senate endorse SB 73 , a measure that would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from employing contractual “gag clauses” to forbid pharmacists from telling customers if they can save money by buying a prescription out-of-pocket with...

CA Assembly Endorses AB 5 The CALIFORNIA Assembly endorses AB 5 , a bill that could require employers to officially recognize hundreds of thousands of so-called “gig” workers as employees. Under the bill, employers seeking to avoid having such workers considered employees would have to...

BILL BLOCKING BIRTH DATES FROM VOTER LISTS ADVANCES IN RI A bill ( HB 5925 ) approved by RHODE ISLAND’s House Judiciary Committee would enshrine into law Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea’s (D) current policy of excluding full birth dates from voter lists released to the public. Gorbea...

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...

At least 28 states have considered legislation this session addressing reciprocity with other states in occupational licensing, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking system . Such measures have been enacted in half of those states, including Arizona, where Gov. Doug Ducey (R...

If a hair stylist learns their craft and is licensed in Las Vegas and then moves across the state line to Arizona, does what they learned in Vegas stay in Vegas? Probably not. But their ability to work might. Or at least it used to. Presumably, the importance of sanitization of combs and the best...

AL Governor Signs SB 236 ALABAMA Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signs SB 236 , which will create a commission to study the effects of medical marijuana and renew a current state law that allows cannabis oil to be used for treating seizure disorders in children (WHNT [HUNTSVILLE]). FL Governor Signs HB 487...

BAKER URGES PATIENCE WITH MA WIND POWER In an address to the wind power industry, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said the Bay State has a responsibility to get it right and to position the offshore wind industry for long-term success. Baker said the two things he hears the most about the state’s...

When San Francisco-based Lyft driver Roosevelt Thomas recently got a message from the company urging him to sign a petition opposing California Assembly Bill 5 – which would turn rideshare drivers from independent contractors into employees – he knew right away he wouldn’t sign it....

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved waivers allowing the imposition of work requirements for Medicaid enrollees in nine states, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. Approved waivers have been blocked by legal challenges in two states - Arkansas and Kentucky...

President Trump has given up on the idea of getting a citizenship question included in the 2020 Census. But the fight to keep undocumented immigrants from being counted in the congressional apportionment process isn’t over for the state of Alabama. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) and state...

North Carolina Governor vetoes HB 370 NORTH CAROLINA Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoes HB 370 , which would have required sheriffs in the state to closely cooperate with federal immigration enforcement or face removal from office (CNN). Birminghan Mayor Announces New Program BIRMINGHAM Mayor Randall...

WA LEG SUES INSLEE The WASHINGTON Legislature filed suit against Gov. Jay Inslee (D), arguing the governor had violated the Evergreen State Constitution when he issued several partial vetoes of the 2019-21 transportation budget. Inslee acknowledged the unusual nature of the vetoes in his veto message...

The attorneys general of every state but Alabama and California have officially launched an antitrust investigation of Google. Standing on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court along with officials from 11 other states and the District of Columbia last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)...

Oklahoma Judge Issues Temporary Injunction An OKLAHOMA judge issues a temporary injunction against an impending state law that would make it a felony for doctors to perform medically induced abortions without informing patients that such an abortion may be reversible, a practice that critics say is...

Eight states have enacted some version of the Data Security Model Law adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in 2017, according to the National Law Review. Three of the states did so in 2018, with the other five enacting measures this year. At least two other states have...

The impending California Consumer Privacy Act and other state data privacy laws have done more than motivate companies to rethink how they manage consumer data; it also has many organizations thinking more than ever about how they manage their cyber insurance coverage. Once considered a niche product...