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SC: South Carolina gets green light on Medicaid work requirements
South Carolina got the green light from the federal government to require some Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer in order to qualify for their health care benefits. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said the state has been granted two waivers allowing work requirements. Proposed waivers in Arkansas and Kentucky are being challenged in court.
CA: Hundreds of California voters are being registered with the wrong party
At least 600 Californians, including lifelong Republicans and Democrats, have had their voter registration unexpectedly changed, and several county elections officials are pinning much of the blame on the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
WA: Washington adopts some of nation’s toughest overtime rules
Washington state is adopting some of the nation’s most aggressive overtime rules, restoring protections for hundreds of thousands of salaried workers and taking what supporters say is a crucial step toward rebuilding the middle class.
MI: Michigan pot producers are energy hogs, report finds
Usage will only grow as more states like Michigan legalize the recreational and medical marijuana industries.
CT: Connecticut isn’t raising much money from a plastic bag tax
A shift in consumer behavior — combined with a decision by major supermarkets to eliminate plastic bags from their stores — means Connecticut now expects to raise only $7 million from a 10-cent fee on single-use plastic bags, just a quarter of the earlier projection.
US: U.S. water chief praises Colorado River deal, sees challenges
States in the U.S. West that have agreed to begin taking less water next month from the drought-stricken Colorado River got praise and a push for more action from the nation’s top water official.
WI: Wisconsin county’s resolution that sought to prosecute reporters began at the top
A Wisconsin county’s resolution that sought to dictate, under threat of prosecution, what media can report about a controversial water-quality study had its origins in the elected leaders of two of the three rural counties where the study is being conducted, records show.
CO: Noncitizens voting measure makes Colorado’s 2020 ballot
A ballot measure meant to ensure that local communities don’t allow non-citizens to vote in their elections qualified for the 2020 ballot, but even if passed, it wouldn’t apply to dozens of Colorado’s largest cities.
NJ: New Jersey measure to tighten vaccine exemptions advances
Anti-vaccine activists poured into the New Jersey statehouse to oppose a measure that would make it harder to get exemptions from the state’s mandatory childhood vaccine requirements. But it was not enough to sway the Senate Health Committee, which voted 6-4 to forward the measure to the full Senate for debate.
GA: Georgia takes step toward transparency in senior care homes
For years, Georgians have been largely in the dark about the quality of care in the state’s assisted living communities and personal care homes. Now, the Georgia Department of Community Health will require hundreds of the facilities to display state inspection reports and complaint investigations directly on their websites.
LA: Blocking the official revenue estimate stalls ferry and coastal projects in Louisiana
For the second time in as many years, conservatives in the Louisiana Legislature refused to certify how much money is available to spend for the upcoming fiscal year. The move sidelines funding for ferries in New Orleans, a coastal restoration and storm project in Plaquemines Parish, as well as a payment for the land-based casino in New Orleans.
NC: North Carolina AG opposes deal to pay for move, preservation of Confederate statute
Add North Carolina’s attorney general to the list of those who don’t think the UNC System should give $2.5 million to the N.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans to preserve and display the Silent Sam Confederate monument.
AL: Republicans send fundraising mailers to Alabama voters that resemble Census forms
A political fundraising letter calling itself a “2019 Congressional District Census” recently landed in Alabama mailboxes, asking voters to fill out a survey and donate money to help re-elect President Donald Trump. The mailer comes in an envelope marked “DO NOT DESTROY OFFICIAL DOCUMENT.”
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