Latest State legislature News
Biden taps Georgia's Smyre as Dominican Republic ambassador
ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated a key Georgia state lawmaker to become the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic. State Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Black Democrat from Columbus first elected in 1974, must be confirmed by the Senate before...
Lawmakers OK $55B budget bills; $7.5B in virus relief left
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers who finished passing the state budget Wednesday will next turn to allocating an unprecedented amount of federal COVID-19 rescue funding — money that largely is flexible and can be spent however the state decides. For months,...
South Carolina's Confederate monument protection law upheld
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a state law preventing anyone from moving a Confederate monument or changing the historical name of a street or building without the Legislature's permission is legal. But in the same ruling, ...
Arizona official resigning after secret recording released
PHOENIX (AP) — A recording that emerged of a Republican elected Arizona official criticizing his GOP colleagues for opposing a partisan review of the 2020 election result in Maricopa County led him to announce his resignation just days before the state Senate's review is set for release. ...
2 feuding Vegas-area GOP factions heading for state showdown
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Feuding factions of the Las Vegas-area Republican Party have emerged from separate meetings with slates of officers, but the head of the Nevada GOP said Wednesday that only one set will be seated at a statewide leadership meeting next month. The Clark...
Idaho lawmakers look for ways to nullify vaccine mandates
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho should adopt a health policy that would make vaccine status a private medical record that employees could refuse to make available to employers as a way to thwart President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate, an attorney told lawmakers Wednesday. ...
Elementary school student reading, math proficiency declines
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The proficiency of New Mexico's elementary students in math and reading has dropped significantly amid the pandemic, with only 31% achieving it, according to a review of preliminary academic data made public Wednesday. The drop in math and reading...
Mississippi voting rights case is argued at US appeals court
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The authors of Mississippi's 1890 constitution had racist intent when they stripped voting rights from people convicted of some felonies because they chose crimes they thought were more likely to be committed by Black people, an attorney argued Wednesday in a federal...
COVID case delays contentious redistricting in Oregon
A broken power-sharing deal, the lingering possibility of a Republican walkout and a COVID-19 case are adding greater uncertainty to whether Oregon legislators will successfully redraw the state’s political districts ahead of a tight deadline. Stakes are high as Oregon...
Debate begins on Ohio's critical race theory ban bills
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A debate over teaching the role of racism in American history was highlighted Wednesday as a committee weighed two bills before Ohio legislators that would prohibit such instruction. Teaching that focuses on the effect of racism on society would be...
