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CA: California governor rejects PG&E compensation, bankruptcy deal
In a sharp rebuke to the embattled utility, California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected PG&E’s plan to compensate wildfire victims and exit bankruptcy, leaving the fate of the utility in doubt. The Democrat, in a letter to PG&E Chief Executive Bill Johnson, declared that the company’s proposal doesn’t position it “to provide safe, reliable and affordable service.”
NY: New York governor proposes gun ban for out-of-state offenders
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to bar people convicted of violent crimes in other states from obtaining a gun license in New York. State law currently bans individuals from receiving a gun license if they commit certain misdemeanors that are deemed “serious offenses” — but only if they committed the offense in New York.
WI: Judge orders Wisconsin to purge 200K voters from rolls
A judge ordered Wisconsin to remove hundreds of thousands of people from the state’s voter rolls because they may have moved. The case is being closely watched because of the state’s critical role in next year’s presidential race.
MA: A slow, cautious slog toward opening a safe injection site in Massachusetts
In 2017, the Massachusetts Medical Society voted overwhelmingly to support a concept that it acknowledged was “counterintuitive”: opening a center where people can inject illegal drugs under medical supervision. Nearly three years later, no safe injection site has come close to opening in Massachusetts, or anywhere in the United States, despite the endorsement of public health experts.
SD: Oglala Sioux Tribe lifts ban of South Dakota governor from Pine Ridge reservation
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, is once again allowed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council had banned Noem over support for two bills aimed at Keystone XL pipeline protesters.
OK: Food Desert: Oklahoma City wants to require convenience stores to sell fresh food
Oklahoma City will hold a hearing this week on a plan requiring new retailers in a poor area to designate at least 500 square feet of space to fresh food. The measure is expected to pass. Forcing dollar stores to change is one tactic local governments around the country are using to address the lack of access to fresh fruit, vegetables and meat in “food deserts.”
VT: Vermont health care spending projected to exceed 3.5% growth target
Vermont is projected to exceed targets for health care spending in 2020, indicating the state’s reform efforts may not be working as planned. The estimates for spending next year go above the 3.5% growth rate target.
MS: Mississippi abortion ban ruled unconstitutional but governor vows to fight
Mississippi’s outgoing governor vowed to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortion at 15 weeks. “We will sustain our efforts to fight for America’s unborn children,” Republican Phil Bryant wrote on Twitter.
IN: Indiana resisting marijuana trend of neighboring states
Indiana’s Republican Statehouse leaders are firmly against taking any steps toward following neighboring states in legalizing marijuana use during the upcoming legislative session.
GA: Trial to start in Georgia’s first-ever public records case
It’s rare for a public official — in Georgia or elsewhere — to face criminal charges for obstructing the public’s right to know. But a former press secretary to ex-Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, Jenna Garland, is set to have her day in court.
SC: South Carolina House Speaker proposes end to ‘open enrollment’ in tech colleges
Some future South Carolina technical college students may be required to meet academic criteria before taking credit-earning classes. That’s if a bill sponsored by Speaker Jay Lucas and state Rep. Rita Allison, both Republicans, passes. Currently, the state’s technical colleges are “open enrollment.”
NV: Nevada marijuana testing labs call on state to reduce records, discipline bad actors
An association of marijuana testing labs is calling on Nevada to release unredacted data from its seed-to-sale tracking system amid assertions that certain unidentified labs are inflating THC content readings and giving fewer samples a failing grade in an apparent attempt to attract more business.
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