Latest Legislation News
Californians won't weigh 'involuntary servitude' amendment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will not consider amending its constitution to eliminate indentured servitude as a possible punishment for crime after Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration predicted that it could cost the state billions of dollars to pay minimum wage to prison inmates. ...
McConnell warns Dems of fallout for reviving Biden bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell threatened Thursday to derail a bill designed to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States if Democrats revive their stalled package of energy and economic initiatives. The rejuvenation of the Democratic...
NC governor signs bill that keeps hemp industry lawful
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed legislation on Thursday that keeps the state's burgeoning hemp industry operating lawfully. The General Assembly had given final approval Wednesday to language that would make hemp products for industrial use and others...
Ducey signs bill directing $335M to build border fence
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Thursday that directs $335 million in state cash to construct virtual or physical fencing along the border with Mexico, part of a $564 million border security funding package that is the most ever spent by the state. The...
Veto likely again ahead for bill making NC sheriffs aid ICE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation requiring North Carolina’s sheriffs to assist federal agents who are seeking a jail inmate whom they believe is in the country unlawfully neared final General Assembly approval Thursday with House backing. The Senate bill is a response by...
NC legislature advances budget agreement closer to governor
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature advanced its proposed state budget adjustments in bipartisan fashion Thursday, each chamber voting separately by comfortable margins for a plan that would spend or salt away billions more without added tax cuts. ...
High court: Arizona can enforce genetic issue abortion ban
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed enforcement of a 2021 Arizona law that lets prosecutors bring felony charges against doctors who knowingly terminate pregnancies solely because the fetuses have a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome. The decision comes...
Inslee prohibits Patrol from aiding abortion investigations
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee has issued a directive instructing the Washington State Patrol to not cooperate with out-of-state abortion investigations, a preemptive move in case states where abortion is banned or significantly restricted seek to investigate whether their residents have...
Abortion ruling prompts variety of reactions from states
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies. Some Republican-led...
To avoid blackouts, California may tap fossil fuel plants
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Looking to avoid power blackouts, California may turn to the one energy source it's otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels. A sweeping energy proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom's office would put the state in the business of buying power to ensure...
