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Arkansas Reviews Child Welfare In the wake of a state lawmaker’s admission he “re-homed” his two adopted daughters with a man who later sexually assaulted them, ARKANSAS Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) last week ordered a review of the state’s child welfare system. He said his office...

OR Declares Drought Emergency Citing an ongoing lack of rainfall and snowpack, OREGON Gov. Kate Brown (D) declared a drought emergency in three southern and central Beaver State counties. Similar declarations have been made by governors in CALIFORNIA and WASHINGTON (HUFFINGTON POST). Drought Task...

CA Gov Wants Plan for Climate Change CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) sent an open letter last week to the 17 Republican presidential aspirants asking them to lay out a detailed plan for combatting climate change. “Longer fire seasons, extreme weather and severe droughts aren’t on the horizon...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said he is in favor of keeping his state’s “private option” Medicaid enrollment – which served as a model for similar expansions in Iowa and Indiana among other states – but only with some significant changes. In a speech to special advisory...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) announced execution dates for eight condemned inmates, setting in motion what will be the first executions in the Razorback State since 2005. Legal challenges and difficulty in obtaining the drugs used in the lethal injection process have prevented the state from carrying...

Dayton bashes poachers In the wake of the arrest of three men found to illegally have more than 3,000 pounds of snapping turtle meat, hundreds of turtle shells and 23 live turtles, MINNESOTA Gov. Mark Dayton (D) said he is considering renewing his efforts to get Gopher State lawmakers to increase...

LGBT Protection in LA LOUISIANA Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards (D) said he will issue an executive order to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender state employees and government contractors from discrimination. His planned directive would protect those workers from firing, discrimination and...

Edwards Issues LGBT Order LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) issued Executive Order No. JBE 2016-11 , which protects LGBT state employees and contractors from being fired, discriminated against or harassed based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. The order exempts religious organizations...

Markell Announces DE Technology Effort Saying “Our aim has always been, under corporate law, to harness the benefits of new technologies while limiting the risk for businesses,” DELAWARE Gov. Jack Markell (D) announced a state initiative last week to support the technology that is the...

Christie Signs Opioid EO Sticking to his vow to address the state’s rising opioid abuse epidemic, NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) issued Executive Order No. 219, which declares opioid abuse to be a public health crisis and creates a state task force charged with “developing and executing...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) has proposed several reforms to the Razorback State’s hybrid Medicaid plan, including lowering the program’s eligibility to 100 percent of the federal poverty level – down from 138 percent – and requiring some recipients to work. Arkansas...

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...

RAIMONDO ORDERS RI PLASTICS TASK FORCE Responding to the failure of several legislative efforts to mitigate the impact of plastic waste on the environment, RHODE ISLAND Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) issued Executive Order 18-06 , which will create the “Task Force to Tackle Plastics,” which will...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) has proposed a consolidation of executive branch agencies that if implemented would shrink the number of those agencies from 42 to 15. Hutchinson said the plan would improve “the delivery of services to Arkansas taxpayers by breaking silos within state government...

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...

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...

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...

DESANTIS ORDERS PROBE INTO FL SEX TRAFFICKING CASE FLORIDA Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last week ordered a state criminal probe into the actions of Palm Beach sheriff Ric Bradshaw and former Palm Beach state attorney Barry Krischer for their handling of the 2008 underage sex trafficking case involving millionaire...

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) unveiled a plan to expand Medicaid in the Peach State, on the condition that new recipients pay monthly premiums and spend at least 80 hours a month working, volunteering, training or attending school. The expansion would be open to uninsured adults who earn no more than the...