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Editor’s Picks From Around the Web
SC: South Carolina House votes to ban abortions at 20 weeks
The South Carolina House has passed a ban on abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy despite objections from some women and Democrats because the measure leaves out exemptions for rape, incest and severe fetal abnormalities.
LA: Louisiana on schedule to give Common Core tests despite resistance
State Superintendent of Education John White said Louisiana and federal laws and rules require the state to proceed with plans to give Common Core tests next month, and schools and districts that avoid them will get a “zero” school performance rating. Fourteen of Louisiana’s 69 school districts have approved resolutions seeking relief from any penalties for schools and districts where students avoid the assessments.
CA: Woman with leukemia sues California for right to die at home
A bill introduced in Sacramento would establish the right of a mentally competent, terminally ill patient to obtain physician assistance in dying. But similar measures have been defeated in the past, and the patients and their lawyers say they’re not willing to wait for the legislative process to play out.
FL: Legislative leaders, governor fight over Florida stadium money
A three-way fight that has Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s administration going “round and round” with legislative leaders is brewing as a budget panel prepares to vote on a pot of money for improvements to professional sports stadiums.
DE: Delaware bill allows experimental meds for terminal patients
A state legislator is proposing a bill to allow terminally ill people to use experimental drugs not fully approved by the FDA.
NC: North Carolina forecasts budget surplus for fiscal year that begins July 1
Legislators head into budget talks with a surplus – estimated at about $540 million – for new budget priorities in the coming fiscal year, according to an analysis from the legislature’s fiscal staff.
NH: Governor presents budget with 6.4 percent growth over two years
New Hampshire Health and Human Services programs account for about two-thirds of growth in a two-year budget plan Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan presented to lawmakers.But the tax and fee increases she proposed to pay for her spending plan will not fly in the Republican-controlled House and Senate, their leaders said after her speech.
TX: Report: Politics influenced UT admissions; university president misled inquiry
University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers used his authority to get “must have” applicants admitted to the state’s flagship school and misled lawyers looking into influence peddling in the admissions process in the undergraduate college and UT’s top-ranked law school, according to an independent investigation obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
AR: House panel endorses hair braiding bill
An Arkansas House committee has endorsed a bill that would make African-style hair braiders exempt from state cosmetology laws. Braiders say required cosmetology courses don’t cover their craft and can cost up to $20,000. They face fines if they practice without a license.
OK: Oklahoma budget hole twice as big as previously estimated
Oklahoma’s budget hole, caused in part by an oil industry decline, has doubled to more than $600 million, meaning deeper cuts to state government may be needed, state officials said.
UT: Utah governor: I would not marry a gay couple
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said that he would not officiate at the marriage of a same-sex couple based on his personal beliefs, although he has not been asked to do so.
MD: Maryland joins East Coast task force focused on heroin trafficking
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced the state has joined an East Coast task force focused on stopping the flow of inexpensive heroin across state lines.
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