state legislature

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State Politics: Hotbed of Sleaze, Booze, Scandal

ABC investigation finds no shortage of sleaze at state level

(Newser) - You hear a lot more about the sleaze in Congress and governors' mansions than the sleaze at the state legislator level, but that's not because of a lack of low-down behavior, an ABC News investigation finds. Five grad students sent to cover a national convention of state legislators in Louisville,...

Gun Rights Gain Under Obama
 Gun Rights Gain Under Obama 
analysis
Jul 12, 2010 5:18 PM CDT

Gun Rights Gain Under Obama

Fear of backlash keeps Dems timid on 2nd amendment

(Newser) - Gun-rights advocates who feared that the Obama presidency would mean the end of the Second Amendment have instead found the political climate surprisingly friendly, the Washington Independent reports. The Supreme Court and state legislatures alike have awarded victories to pro-gun forces, and federal lawmakers are wary of rocking the boat....

State Lawmaker Views Porn on Senate Floor

 State Lawmaker 
 Views Porn on 
 Senate Floor 
Caught on Tape
May 4, 2010 10:17 AM CDT

State Lawmaker Views Porn on Senate Floor

For like 2 seconds, but still

(Newser) - Legislative sessions are really boring affairs, so who could blame state Sen. Mike Bennett of Florida if, during an abortion debate, he decided to sneak a peak at some naked ta-tas? In this video, Sunshine State News catches Bennett doing just that, while another senator drones, “I'm against this...

Thousands Protest Arizona Immigration Law

'We are human,' reads marcher signs

(Newser) - Some 2,500 people marched to the state capitol yesterday to protest Arizona's new immigration law, with one speaker warning that the controversial bill has "awakened a 21st century civil rights battle." It was the third day of protest against the law, which is the first in the...

Okla. Aims at Gay Protection, Strips Religion, Race Instead

Hate-crimes bill cites wrong statute

(Newser) - New protection for homosexuals in federal hate-crimes laws so irked Oklahoma legislators that the state senate recently passed a measure aimed at allowing local authorities to choose not to share information with the feds on crimes the state doesn’t view as hate crimes—and “sexual orientation or gender...

Utah Politician Admits Nude Hot Tub Romp With Minor

Paid her $150K to hush in 25-year-old incident

(Newser) - Utah's House GOP majority leader said late yesterday that he paid a woman $150,000 to keep silent about going nude "hot-tubbing" with her when she was a minor a quarter-century ago. In a shocking statement on the House floor, Kevin Garn, 55, said he paid her to keep...

Obama's Unpopularity Hands GOP Chance to Redraw Map

Targeting state legislatures will let Republicans control redistricting

(Newser) - President Obama's unpopularity could end up hurting the Democrats for more than a decade thanks to congressional redistricting, writes Karl Rove. Lines will be redrawn in many areas based on the US Census results, and with the GOP likely to gain plenty of seats in state legislatures this fall, it'll...

Special Interests Write Laws, States Fill In Blanks
Special Interests Write Laws, States Fill In Blanks
Sausage Making Report
Feb 16, 2010 11:05 AM CST

Special Interests Write Laws, States Fill In Blanks

Bill templating an increasingly common practice

(Newser) - There’s a decent chance your state lawmakers aren’t writing the bills they’re sponsoring—they’re pulling them off the Internet and filling in the blanks. Bill templates are becoming an increasingly common way for special interests from both sides of the political spectrum to influence local legislatures,...

Populism Swings Left as Oregon Votes to Tax the Rich

Voters hit corporations, to, in state referendum

(Newser) - Don't be too quick to extrapolate from the Massachusetts election that the country's populist surge swings to the right: Oregon voters yesterday approved tax hikes for corporations and the rich. The referendum, which reversed more than two decades of Oregon voters shooting down tax increases, came as the cash-strapped state...

States Roll Out Bans on Texting While Driving

23 states mull laws against practice already banned in 19

(Newser) - Alarmed by the dangers of driving while text messaging, legislatures in 23 states are considering outlawing the practice, which 19 states already ban. Lawmakers “often get involved because there's a high-profile accident that had to do with texting,” an expert tells USA Today . “Also, because everybody has...

NJ Legislature OKs Medical Marijuana

Bill heads to outgoing Gov. Corzine, who's promised to sign

(Newser) - The state legislature today approved a bill that would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow chronically ill patients access to marijuana for medical reasons. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine supports the legislation and could sign it before leaving office next week, making it law. The bill allows patients with...

NY State of Mind Almost as Bad as Calif.'s
NY State of Mind Almost as Bad as Calif.'s
OPINION
Nov 30, 2009 1:43 PM CST

NY State of Mind Almost as Bad as Calif.'s

Both states' revenues, budgets, legislatures create cause for alarm

(Newser) - Don’t look now, New Yorkers, but your state government is sinking to California-like depths of lousiness. New York’s 2010 budgetary fitness ranks below that of 33 other states in Pew’s latest ranking, trailing the likes of Louisiana, Alaska, and South Carolina. And that’s unlikely to improve,...

Kennedy Successor May Come Soon
Kennedy Successor May Come Soon
Sep 16, 2009 4:06 PM CDT

Kennedy Successor May Come Soon

Massachusetts Dems say they've got the votes in both houses

(Newser) - It's possible that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will be able to name a senator to fill Ted Kennedy's seat sometime next week, the Boston Globe reports. Proponents of the plan say they've now got enough votes, barely, in both state chambers to pull it off. The situation is diciest in...

Calif. Gay Rights Group Delays Push for Marriage

(Newser) - One of California's biggest and most influential gay rights groups says it will delay a ballot push to overcome the state's ban on same-sex marriage until 2012, the Los Angeles Times reports. Equality California, which led the failed effort to defeat Prop 8 in November, says there is too little...

Alaska's Legislature Overrides Palin Stimulus Veto

Legislature barely hits rare 75% consensus

(Newser) - Alaska’s legislature voted yesterday to override Sarah Palin’s veto of $28 million in stimulus cash to defray energy costs, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Such an override requires the support of 75% of votes; the measure passed by a hair. “Instead of being the last state in...

Calif. Senator to Sue Schwarzenegger Over Budget Cuts

(Newser) - The leader of California's Senate says he'll take Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to court for using line-item vetoes to slash another $500 million from the budget deal he was sent last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Democrat Darrell Steinberg accuses Schwarzenegger of overstepping his authority by making the cuts. "...

Sneak Attack on Electoral College Gains Ground
Sneak Attack on Electoral College Gains Ground
OPINION
Jul 17, 2009 1:42 PM CDT

Sneak Attack on Electoral College Gains Ground

(Newser) - Opponents of the Electoral College are making progress on an end run around the institution with the goal of setting up a system that would decide the presidential election solely on the popular vote, Tara Ross writes for the Weekly Standard. “Formally eliminating the Electoral College through a constitutional...

Top 5 States of Confusion
 Top 5 States of Confusion 
OPINION
Jul 3, 2009 12:14 PM CDT

Top 5 States of Confusion

(Newser) - It’s not easy being an elected official in a time of crisis, but a select few governors are having a particularly tough time. And some of them are even trying to get reelected. Politico looks at the 5 worst-off states:
  • California: No surprise here. The state's issuing of IOUs
...

Spitzer: I Love New York Senate Mayhem
Spitzer: I Love New York  Senate Mayhem
OPINION
Jun 11, 2009 9:25 AM CDT

Spitzer: I Love New York Senate Mayhem

(Newser) - Madness has descended on Albany, NY. When two Democrats switched sides at the last minute, the Democrats literally locked the Republicans out of the state senate, followed by name calling, court action, and threats to hold a session in an empty field. And that’s actually an improvement, writes Eliot...

Calif. Voters Torpedo Budget Crisis Measures

Defeat leaves Governator facing massive service cuts

(Newser) - Californian voters soundly rejected five ballot measures that would keep the hard-hit state economically solvent until the end of the year, on a turnout of little more than 10%. The vote against extended tax increases and capped spending is a sharp rebuke to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators who...

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