Month: July 2021
Top State Stories 7/30
US: Biden administration wants states and cities to pay people to get vaccinated nytimes.com The Biden administration is calling on states, territories and local governments to pay $100 to residents who remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus to get their shots. The move comes as concern has grown about rising cases across the country, and the […]
Abortion, Race, Gender: State Republicans Wage Culture Wars
This is part five of Stateline’s 2021 Legislative Review. Not since the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 has there been a year in which states approved so many abortion restrictions. Since January, there have been a record 97 new laws limiting abortion enacted in 19 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research […]
Top State Stories 7/29
US: New CDC guidelines set off rush to reimpose mask mandates apnews.com New guidance from the federal government set off a cascade of mask rules across the nation as cities, states, schools and businesses raced to restore mandates and others pushed back against the guidelines at a time when Americans are exhausted and confused over […]
New State Laws Hamstring Public Health Officials
This is part four of Stateline’s 2021 Legislative Review. Although no one wants to see it happen, some state and local public health officials soon may recommend reinstating mask mandates, imposing curfews, limiting travel and even reclosing schools and businesses. But in numerous states, including many with low vaccination rates and escalating COVID-19 hospitalizations, newly […]
Top State Stories 7/28
CA: California expands Medicaid to older immigrants without legal status latimes.com Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will make low-income Californians 50 and older eligible for Medicaid regardless of immigration status. The move, which goes into affect May 1, 2022, will extend comprehensive benefits to approximately 235,000 residents living in the country illegally. WI: Wisconsin […]
Republican Legislators Curb Authority of County, State Election Officials
This is part three of Stateline’s 2021 Legislative Review. Republican lawmakers this year passed an unprecedented bevy of bills targeting the authority of state and local election officials, a power grab that might allow partisan legislators to overturn future election results by claiming there was fraud. GOP legislators in at least 14 states have enacted […]
Top State Stories 7/27
CA, NY: California and New York City tell workers to get vaccinated or face weekly tests apnews.com California and New York City announced that they will require all government employees to get a coronavirus vaccine or face weekly testing. California’s requirement, which applies to all state workers and millions of public and private sector health […]
Summer of Protest Prompted Spring Flurry of Policing Bills
SEATTLE — When Washington state’s legislative session began earlier this year, racial justice advocates weren’t sure whether the police accountability measures they supported would get much traction. “There was not a single bill at any point that we thought was surefire,” said Sakara Remmu, lead strategist with the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance. But by […]
Top State Stories 7/26
US: States scale back virus reporting right as cases spike apnews.com Several states scaled back their reporting of COVID-19 statistics this month just as cases across the country started to skyrocket, depriving the public of real-time information on outbreaks, cases, hospitalizations and deaths in their communities. NY: Rearrest data muddies New York bail reform debate timesunion.com […]
Legislative Review 2021
Day One: Flush State Budgets States collected more tax revenue over the past year than budget analysts expected when the pandemic hit. Lawmakers used the extra funds to pay for social services, economic stimulus and tax cuts—and are gearing up to spend billions of dollars in COVID-19 aid given directly to states by the American […]
Awash in Cash, State Lawmakers Ask How Long the Boom Will Last
This is part one of Stateline’s 2021 Legislative Review. When legislative sessions ended last year, governors and state lawmakers were braced for a prolonged recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. They’d frozen hiring for government jobs and cut funding for services such as education, expecting tax revenue to plummet along with the economy. But the […]
Top State Stories 7/23
NJ: New Jersey will replace all lead water pipes in the next decade northjersey.com As part of a new law signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, water companies will be allowed to raise rates on New Jersey property owners to pay for the pipe replacements, though it’s possible federal funds could help cover the estimated $2.65 […]