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Editor’s Picks From Around the Web
US: Patchwork of state rules hampers marijuana business expansion
Marijuana entrepreneurs rushing into the booming market are running headlong into a patchwork of state-by-state regulations that make it hard to transfer expertise, brands and staff— and even profits.
KS: Kansas’ increase in sales tax tarnishes tax-cutting policies
Kansas legislators raised the state’s sales tax to one of the highest rates in the nation but left intact Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature income tax cuts in cobbling together enough revenue to balance the state budget. What isn’t clear is whether they have created long-term fiscal stability.
LA: Louisiana legislators pass $24 billion budget as session ends
Lawmakers closed a projected $1.6 billion budget shortfall to end Louisiana’s biggest budget crisis since the 1980s. The budget has full funding for the state hospitals now under private management around the state, and will give colleges and universities nearly as much money as they sought.
ME: Maine Senate to consider ‘death with dignity’ legislation
A divisive national debate over whether dying patients should have the power to end their lives will sweep into Maine this week when the state Senate considers “death-with-dignity” legislation. The bill is patterned after Vermont’s and would make Maine the sixth state with such a law.
DE: Delaware Legislature passes indoor e-cigarette ban
The Delaware Senate gave final approval to a measure that adds e-cigarette devices to the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act, but would exempt vape shops from the ban. Democratic Gov. Jack Markell has said he would sign it.
OH: Ohio, Michigan, Ontario agree to work to reduce algal blooms in Lake Erie
Ohio, Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario reached an agreement to reduce the amount of phosphorus — a key cause of algal blooms — that enters Lake Erie by 20 percent in five years and 40 percent by 2025. Toxic blooms on the lake forced Toledo to restrict drinking water last summer.
MO: Missouri may not permit renewable energy power line
The Missouri Public Service Commission has signaled it could derail plans to build a multistate transmission line that would deliver wind-generated electricity from Kansas to the East by not granting it eminent domain rights other utilities. The line is proposed to cross Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
NY: Cuomo to order investigation of New York prison break
More than a week after two inmates staged an elaborate prison break, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo will announce a formal investigation by the state inspector general into “all factors” involved in the escape.
TX: No evidence wells caused North Texas quake, state regulators say
After wrapping up a round of testing, Texas regulators say they have found no evidence that injecting oilfield waste into five disposal wells triggered the largest recorded earthquake in North Texas’ history. The Texas Railroad Commission ordered the testing after a team of researchers led by Southern Methodist University concluded that industry activity “most likely” triggered the earthquakes.
AR: Arkansas governor promises state contract scrutiny
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his office will now review all information technology contracts that could cost more than $100,000 before bids are requested. The governor‘s office already is reviewing all new contracts that have possible values of more than $1 million.
WI: One in 11 Wisconsin doctors flunks; It’s not that hard, says past medical board chairman
Nearly one in 11 doctors in Wisconsin are not in compliance with state continuing education requirements, a state audit has found.
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