Editor’s Picks From Around the Web

MN: Minnesota teacher tenure vote stalled by questions of cost

startribune.com

A vote by the Republican-controlled House on a bill to change layoff procedures for Minnesota teachers was called off after Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration issued a report saying the move would cost taxpayers $895,000 over the next two years.

WI: Wisconsin Senate approves right-to-work bill

madison.com

The Wisconsin Senate has approved a contentious right-to-work bill along party lines, after about 2,000 protesters showed outside the state Capitol.

ME: Governor opposes Maine senior housing project

pressherald.com

Republican Gov. Paul LePage and the head of the Maine State Housing Authority oppose a bipartisan effort that would build 1,000 units of senior housing across Maine. LePage said a coalition of 159 organizations and companies backing the project “inflates” the need for affordable senior housing.

GA: Senate votes to prohibit Georgia cities from banning plastic bags

ajc.com

Plastic bag lovers, rejoice: the Peach State is no California. The Georgia Senate voted to prohibit cities and towns from banning plastic bags, saying it would be too expensive and “confusing” for local retailers to worry about.

MO: Tom Schweich, candidate for Missouri governor, dies in apparent suicide

stltoday.com

Tom Schweich, Missouri’s Republican state auditor and a leading contender for the governor’s office in next year’s election, died Thursday after apparently shooting himself at home. The subject of an interview he had scheduled for later in the day, according to Schweich’s comments to the Post-Dispatch, was his belief that a top state GOP official had spread false information about him.

MS: Mississippi House passes bill to phase out state income tax

sunherald.com

The Mississippi House has passed a measure that could phase out the state’s personal income tax over the next 15 years if the economy grows.

DC: Republicans warn District of Columbia to think twice about legalizing marijuana

nytimes.com

Some Congressional Republicans said they would increase their efforts to prevent District residents from possessing small amounts of marijuana, which became legal Thursday, and warned that the city would face numerous investigations and hearings should the mayor continue her practice of telling the politicians to please find something else to worry about.

MD: Maryland delegate pushes bill to restore voting rights for felons

washingtonpost.com

The bill would remove the obstacles that are in the way of an estimated 40,000 ex-offenders in Maryland who want to vote.

CA: California bill would require drug companies to disclose profits, production costs

capradio.org

A Democratic Assembly member’s bill would require that production costs associated with medications priced more than ,000 a year be reported to California. He says drug prices are too high.

OH: Would boosting Ohio’s sales tax drive shoppers to the Internet?

cleveland.com

Republican Gov. John Kasich is pushing Ohio to shift from an income tax and rely more on consumption taxes. But a sales tax hike raises the possibility of costing the state revenue.

NV: Companies, individuals make $1.7 billion from Nevada no-bid contracts

lasvegassun.com

On 2,305 occasions in the past four years, Nevada skipped its usual competitive bidding process when awarding state contracts to private companies for equipment, supplies and services.

NM: House passes right-to-work bill on 37-30 vote

abqjournal.com

A bruising political battle over whether to add New Mexico to the list of states with right-to-work laws is moving on to the Senate after the House voted 37-30 to approve the change in state labor laws.

AR: Bill to abolish death penalty goes forward

arkansasonline.com

The last execution in Arkansas was in 2005. Opponents of the death penalty dismissed its efficacy as a deterrent, arguing that murderers don’t think about the consequences of their actions when they take lives.