Category: News
Republicans outraise Democrats by 128% in Indiana House races
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns. While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. […]
Mississippi Legislature moving closer on income tax bills, but still far apart
Despite both chambers reworking income tax legislation, Empower Mississippi says the House and Senate have made progress but remain miles apart on the future of income tax in the state. Russ Latino, president of Empower Mississippi, said the chambers have “come closer” in their separate proposals addressing the potential elimination of income tax in the […]
Degree requirement for thousands of Maryland jobs dropped
Seeking qualified applicants who don’t possess a four-year degree to fill Maryland jobs is the focus of a new workforce development program, Gov. Larry Hogan said. The governor announced the launch of the Skilled Through Alternative Routes program on Tuesday, which is designed to recruit individuals who possess the skills needed to perform a state job but […]
Texas warns firms they could lose state contracts for divesting from fossil fuels
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar sent letters to 19 financial firms Wednesday afternoon to determine whether they were violating a new state law that prohibits companies from “boycotting” fossil fuel companies. Senate Bill 13, which went into effect in September, prohibits the state from contracting with or investing in companies that divest from oil, natural gas […]
Maryland lawmakers review more than a dozen abortion bills in legislative cycle
The renewed focus on abortion procedures nearly a half-century after its legalization in the U.S. has come to Maryland as lawmakers on both sides of the issue introduce more than a dozen bills this legislative cycle. House Delegates sitting on the Health and Government Operations Committee held a lengthy four-hour hearing Friday and took testimony […]
Maryland leaders work to suspend gas tax for 30 days
Relief at the gas pumps is the focus of a new endeavor among the state’s top elected officials, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said. The governor announced he is working in unison with Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, and Speaker of the House Adrienne A. Jones, D-Baltimore County, to grant a 30-day suspension of the state’s gas […]
Here are the Indiana education bills that passed in 2022
Though Indiana’s 2022 legislative session lasted just two months, lawmakers managed to pack the calendar with education legislation. Some of the most controversial bills that would have imposed restrictions on teachers and libraries stalled and died. But another bill banning transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports is headed to the desk of Gov. Eric […]
How Indiana’s anti-CRT bill failed even with a GOP supermajority
It seemed like a slam dunk: A proposal for more parental oversight in schools, approved in other Republican-led states, in front of Indiana’s Republican supermajority. Instead, a wide-ranging bill to restrict what teachers could say about race and racism stalled and died last week after vocal opposition from a broad coalition, a series of gaffes […]
Fighting care for transgender kids shifts from a fringe issue to a litmus test for Texas Republicans
Gov. Greg Abbott sparked a national uproar last month when he authorized child-abuse investigations into families that allow transgender kids to receive gender-affirming care. But the political momentum toward the move had been building for months, after the failure at the Legislature of a bill to block such treatments for kids paved the way for […]
Maryland bill to double school safety spending heads to committee
Doubling school safety spending is the focus of a Maryland bill that is in the hands of the Appropriations Committee. House Bill 613, sponsored by Delegate Mike Griffith, R-Harford, would double the state’s appropriation for the Safe Schools Fund to $20 million. The bill will be heard during Tuesday’s 1 p.m. meeting of the Appropriations […]