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Top State Stories 4/15
FL: Florida governor signs measure that bans most abortions after 15 weeks
With no exceptions for rape or incest, most abortions in Florida will be banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida now has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.
ME: Maine tribes win historic victory in the legislature
A tribal sovereignty measure took a historic step forward when the Maine House initially approved it in a vote that nevertheless fell short of the margin needed to survive a potential veto from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. The bill would give tribes authority over natural resources, land acquisition, criminal justice and taxes.
NJ: New Jersey legal weed sales can begin April 21, state says
New Jersey legal weed sales can begin April 21, state officials announced. The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission said it will issue licenses to seven medical marijuana dispensaries, officially known as alternative treatment centers, to sell recreational marijuana.
DE: Delaware legislature approves 12 weeks paid leave
A bill that would create 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for most Delawareans cleared its final legislative hurdles. Democratic Gov. John Carney is expected to sign it, which would make Delaware the 10th state with paid family medical leave.
GA: Georgia governor signs bill protecting farmers from lawsuits filed by neighbors
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law giving Georgia farmers layers of protection against nuisance lawsuits from neighbors. Critics say the legislation restricts the legal rights of nearby landowners harmed by agricultural companies, including other farmers.
MO: Missouri’s ‘parents bill of rights’ follows national strategy
Joining a national movement, the Missouri General Assembly is considering a raft of bills intended to give parents more say over what happens in the classroom. Among the goals, Republican supporters say, are increased transparency in curriculum and ways for parents to challenge teaching materials they consider inappropriate or harmful.
OH: Ohio Supreme Court rejects Republicans’ 4th set of state legislative maps
The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a fourth set of state legislative maps under the state constitution’s new anti-gerrymandering requirements, giving the Republican-controlled Ohio Redistricting Commission until May 6 to come up with new ones.
MA: Massachusetts will write off M in overpaid state, federal benefits
The administration of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, said that it will write off as uncollectable about $475 million in overpaid state and federal insurance benefits, a move that will wipe away repayment bills for 133,000 residents.
CA: California says asymptomatic people exposed to COVID don’t need to quarantine
California is no longer recommending a five-day quarantine period for people who are exposed to the coronavirus but remain asymptomatic. Doing so, officials say, would relieve the burden for employers and institutions to keep otherwise healthy people at home following exposure.
NY: Funding for weatherization program greatly expanded in New York
Thousands of western New York homeowners are now eligible for federal help in protecting their properties from the ravages of the region’s notorious winters due to the infrastructure law Congress passed. New York state will receive more than $289 million this year under the Weatherization Assistance Program.
PA: Pennsylvania will freeze tuition at state universities for 4th straight year
For the fourth straight year, in-state students who attend universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education will not face an increase in tuition under a recommendation approved by its board of governors.
KY: Kentucky lawmakers killed bill to hand libraries over to politicians. Then they revived it.
Just a day after it seemed to perish in the Kentucky House, lawmakers revived a controversial bill that would allow local politicians to take control of county libraries.
HI: How Hawaii’s land-use regulations are helping drive up housing prices
It’s a long-standing complaint among homebuilders in Hawaii: land-use regulations contribute enormously to building costs, they say, driving up the price of housing. Now, researchers at the University of Hawaii have attempted to measure that effect.
MS: Mississippi governor again proclaims Confederate Heritage Month
Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is defending his decision to again name April as Confederate Heritage Month, nearly two years after he signed a law retiring the last state flag in the U.S. that featured a Confederate battle emblem. The Republican governor signed a proclamation without fanfare.
WI: Voting trends have all but killed competition in Wisconsin’s congressional elections
The growth of safe congressional districts in Wisconsin has been driven less by gerrymandering and more by shifts in how people vote: the decline of ticket-splitting, the rise in party-line voting and the plummeting fortunes of the Democratic Party in the state’s more rural regions.
SC: South Carolina judge to decide validity of firing squad, electric chair in 1st execution in 11 years
A circuit judge will decide whether South Carolina’s two methods for putting someone to death—firing squad or the electric chair—are constitutional.
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