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KY: Should Kentucky schools teach computer code as a foreign language?
A lawmaker wants to let school districts teach computer programming as a foreign language credit in Kentucky, where nearly a quarter of the state lacks access to broadband Internet.
DE: Delaware eyes digital driver’s licenses
Delaware wants to be the first state to offer virtual driver’s licenses to users through a secure smartphone app.
GA: Georgia lawmakers unveil $1 billion transportation plan
The House Republican leaders’ plan would raise about $1 billion a year, and for the first time establish dedicated annual funding for transit.
FL: Florida governor proposes cutting 1,000 state positions
Republican Gov. Rick Scott is recommending the elimination of more than 1,000 state worker positions as part of his $77 billion proposed budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. The spending plan also does not include across-the-board raises or performance bonuses for state employees.
US: States renew fight to stop same-sex marriage
As the nation waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether same-sex marriages should be legal nationwide, Republican state legislators in Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas have introduced bills this year that would prohibit state or local government employees from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, despite federal court rulings declaring bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional in those states.
IA: Lawmakers say 10-cent Iowa gas tax hike likely
If a bipartisan agreement is reached, the money would go toward transportation projects.
OH: Ohio Supreme Court rules pardon doesn’t mean records can be sealed
A pardon from the governor forgives a person for a crime, but that doesn’t mean court records of their misdeeds are automatically sealed from public view, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
LA: Jindal floats higher education fund fix for next year
Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is scrambling to find money to preserve a higher education workforce development fund that was one of the governor’s major state policy initiatives last year. Jindal’s office has said it might be able to dump $30 million in federal funding for hurricane relief into the fund.
MN: Bill targets lottery online game expansion
The House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee passed legislation that would require the lottery to end online scratch-off games as well as ticket sales at gas pumps and ATM machines.
KS: Kansas needs a budget by Feb. 13 to pay bills
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director says Kansas will have difficulty paying its bills if lawmakers do not pass a measure to fix a $279 million budget shortfall by mid-February.
OK: U.S. Supreme Court stays Oklahoma’s scheduled executions
The executions of three killers were put off until the justices could determine whether a drug the state uses is cruel and unusual.
TX: Senate renews effort to keep funds from Planned Parenthood
The proposed Senate budget would change how funding is distributed from the joint federal-state Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program, which provides cancer screenings for uninsured women. Under the revised system, clinics like Planned Parenthood, which specialize in family planning, would be the lowest priority for funding.
MS: Bill would limit attorney general’s power to sue on behalf of state
A Mississippi legislative committee has approved a measure that would require the state attorney general to get approval of a state oversight committee before filing a lawsuit for more than ,000.
NM: Governor wants to go big with highway projects
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is calling for state lawmakers to set aside a hefty chunk of money—potentially $300 million spread over several years—for highway repair and construction projects around New Mexico.
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