Latest State legislature News
Analysis: Mississippi unlikely to ease its election laws
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators imposed no new limits on the election process during their recently ended session, but this state already had some of the strictest voting laws in the U.S. Widespread early voting? Not in Mississippi. This state has a...
"Right to counsel" law advancing through Legislature
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A "right to counsel" measure that is getting closer to approval by the Legislature would make Washington the first state to ensure that low-income tenants have legal representation when faced with an eviction. The bill has passed both the Senate...
Analysis: Louisiana lawmakers plan return to old tax debates
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Talk of “tax reform” has returned to the Louisiana Capitol, with the House and Senate’s Republican leaders making it their central push for the two-month legislative session starting Monday. But reform means different things to different people, and reaching a...
Alabama senators want Confederate tax to fund Black history
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two Alabama state senators say they want to divert part of a statewide property tax tied to the legacy of the Confederacy to preserve and promote Black history in the state. Alabama imposed the tax to fund pensions for Confederate soldiers and...
Anti-Islamic ex-lawmaker named Oklahoma GOP chairman
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A former state representative with a reputation for anti-Islamic rhetoric has been elected as chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party. Former state Rep. John Bennett won a first-ballot victory at the party convention Saturday at the Oklahoma City...
Las Vegas pushes to become first to ban ornamental grass
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A desert city built on a reputation for excess and indulgence wants to become a model for restraint and conservation with a first-in-the-nation policy banning grass that nobody walks on. Las Vegas-area water officials have spent two decades trying to...
Proposal allowing ATVs on Alaska roads draws safety concerns
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A proposal by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration to allow off-road vehicles on Alaska roads has raised safety concerns and enforcement questions. Currently, state law only allows people to drive off-road vehicles across roads and not on...
Hawaii Tourism Authority bill advances to full Senate
HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Two state Senate committees have voted to advance a House bill that would reconfigure how the aerospace industry is managed in Hawaii with amendments that some argue limit the duties and resources of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The bill was...
Montana faith groups, advocates show LGBTQ support
KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — Shortly after the deadly 2016 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Courtney VonLindern, who is gay and non-binary, was walking through downtown Missoula in a state of dejection when they spotted a pride flag displayed in the window of the United...
Indiana lawmakers planning on return for redistricting votes
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers won’t be done for the year when their regular legislative session ends later this month. Legislative leaders are laying the groundwork for a return by all 150 lawmakers to Indianapolis months from now to approve new congressional...
