For years, pinning down the source of a bill in the Kansas Legislature could be a chore for lawmakers’ constituents. Committees sponsor almost 85% of the proposals, so finding the group or lobbyist responsible could require questioning multiple lawmakers or, in recent years, reviewing YouTube videos of meetings. But this year, the Kansas House is making it a little easier …
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Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy plans to sign legislation passed days ahead of a funding application deadline that aims to increase internet download speeds for rural schools. Under the bill, HB193, schools would be able to get grants to increase download speeds to 100 megabits per second, a four-fold increase over what is currently available in state law, the Anchorage Daily …
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New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay praised New York City’s plan to raise prices on cars and trucks across Manhattan on Monday, calling the move “a victory” for those who take public transit. In an opinion piece titled, “Congestion pricing is a victory for millions of transit riders,” Gay said that if the plan succeeds, it will be …
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Washington’s drive to make the United States a major global lithium producer is being held back by a confusing mix of state regulations that are deterring developers and hampering efforts to break China’s control of the critical minerals sector. Across Texas, Louisiana and other mineral-rich states, it’s unclear who owns the millions of metric tons of lithium locked in salty …
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An aluminum company has singled out northeastern Kentucky as its preferred site for a new aluminum smelter that would bring about 1,000 permanent jobs to an Appalachian region hard hit by the loss of coal and steel production, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. Plans by Century Aluminum Co. to build a smelter that produces dramatically lower emissions will be supported …
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A Minnesota lawmaker wants to make it legal for women to go topless in public after a resident was sentenced to jail for “indecent exposure” related to uncovered breasts. “This to me seems really wrong,” Minnesota House Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura told The Star Tribune regarding the conviction. “Particularly now, as we as a society are thinking differently about gender and …
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A former Georgia insurance commissioner who made a failed Republican run for governor has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud. John W. Oxendine of Johns Creek entered the guilty plea Friday in federal court in Atlanta. The 61-year-old had been indicted in May 2022 on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to commit …
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Prosecutors in three Wisconsin counties declined to pursue felony charges of campaign finance violations against former President Donald Trump’s fundraising committee and a Republican state lawmaker related to an effort to unseat Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. The prosecutors cited conflicts of interest, in some cases because they too are actively involved in their local Republican parties. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission, …
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North Carolina’s highest court declined on Friday to revive a challenge to the decision by Asheville city leaders to remove in 2021 a downtown monument honoring a Civil War-era governor. The state Supreme Court agreed unanimously that it had been appropriate to dismiss legal claims filed by an historic preservation group that had helped raise money to restore the 75-foot …
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West Virginia, which has the highest rate of adult cigarette use in the nation, became the 12th state to ban smoking in vehicles with children present under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Friday. But violators can only be fined up to $25 if they’re pulled over for another offense. Smoking with children present cannot be the …
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