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NY: Abuse victim’s 3 billboards called for stronger laws. Then the state showed up.
When Kat Sullivan rented a billboard last year in upstate New York to call for stronger protections against child sex abusers, she believed she was engaging in the democratic process, using her own time and money to make her voice as an abuse survivor heard.
MI: Michigan Republicans sue to block redistricting commission
Republicans sued to block the creation of Michigan’s new, voter-approved redistricting commission, challenging eligibility guidelines that prohibit politicians and others from serving on the panel.
OH: Ohio governor signs bill legalizing CBD, hemp: What happens next?
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed Ohio’s hemp legalization bill, Senate Bill 57, into law, taking effect immediately and freeing all embargoes on CBD inventory. The law immediately moves hemp-derived cannabidiol off Ohio’s controlled substances list and allows hemp-derived CBD to flow into the state.
ND: North Dakota landowners sue state over underground land law
A state law that bars owners from seeking compensation over the contamination of salt water by oil mining will be challenged in a lawsuit. The oil industry requested the state law to limit exposure to liability if salt water, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is pumped back into the ground.
NE: There’s a push to make Nebraska a top 3 state to live in
Nebraska by 2030 should make itself a top 3 state to live in, add 25,000 more jobs, attract 43,000 young adults and increase per capita annual income by $15,000. Those are among the goals set by Blueprint Nebraska, a 14-month effort to tackle the state’s challenges and improve the lives of people across the state.
AK: Feds award nearly M to combat rural Alaska violence
Rural Alaska Native villages are receiving almost $5 million from the U.S. Justice Department to combat numerous public safety problems, including no law enforcement presence in some communities.
WI: Wisconsin GOP signals it will seek governor’s approval for new election maps
Wisconsin Republican lawmakers say they are not developing plans to draw new election maps without seeking the approval of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. They made the comments shortly after a conservative lawyer said he’d heard discussion of attempting to leave the governor out of the process.
MN: Minnesota program boosts funding for scarce public housing
Critics accuse officials in Minnesota’s largest city of selling out low-income residents of public housing through a new program that seeks revenue from private investors. But the program will pay for apartment renovations in Minneapolis and not change control of the dwellings.
GA, SC: Georgia, South Carolina commit more money to joint port
Georgia and South Carolina committed an additional $1.29 million toward developing a port terminal on the Savannah River that would be jointly operated by the neighboring states. The states have spent more than $19 million on the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal, a fraction of the project’s total estimated cost of $5 billion.
IL: New Illinois law ratchets up fines for drivers who don’t move over for emergency vehicles
Drivers in Illinois who don’t slow down or move over for emergency vehicles on the side of the road will face heftier fines under a measure Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law that was prompted by the deaths of two state police troopers in roadside collisions earlier this year.
CO: Colorado proposes new controls on oil and gas industry
Colorado health officials have proposed a ratcheting of controls on the oil and gas industry to reduce air pollution — aiming to comply with federal ozone limits, obey lawmakers who ordered a cleanup and sync the state with efforts to adapt to climate change.
HI: Hawaii governor withdraws emergency proclamation over telescope protesters
Hawaii Democratic Gov. David Ige rescinded the emergency proclamation for Mauna Kea, saying there are no immediate plans to move Thirty Meter Telescope construction equipment up the mountain, which Native Hawaiian protesters consider sacred. He also announced that his administration is extending the deadline for construction to start for two years, until Sept. 26, 2021.
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