State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- News
State Supreme Court to Decide if Washington Will Allow Charter Schools
Washington state’s Supreme Court will determine whether charter schools will be allowed in the state. A hearing is scheduled in October. The charter school law, approved by Washington state voters in 2012, allows for about 40 charter schools to open during the next five years. This fall, the private school First Place will be the…Mary Tillotson -
- News
Iowa Not Sure How Many People Got Extra Unemployment Benefits by Accident
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bureaucrats at Iowa Workforce Development admit they don’t know how many people were paid extra unemployment benefits in March, nor can they say whether any of the overpayments were handed back to the state. Exactly 85 people contacted the agency to report receiving extra unemployment benefits, so IWD officials claim the…Paul Brennan -
- Opinion
How New York’s New Gun Control Law Is Working Out (Hint: Not Great)
Which state has the largest National Rifle Association chapter in the nation? No, it’s not Texas. As a matter of fact, it’s not located anywhere near the Wild West or the south. The answer is New York. In just one year, the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association saw its membership almost double –…Genevieve Wood -
- News
California to Triple Tax Credits to Hollywood
In an effort to revive a struggling entertainment industry, California Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislative leaders announced a five-year expansion to the state’s film and television tax credit program. According to the Los Angeles Times, the governor approved a bipartisan plan to raise the annual allocated tax credits to $330 million, over three times the…Alex Anderson -
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Bobby Jindal Suit Says Obama ‘Scheme’ Forced Common Core Education Standards on Louisiana, Other States
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal today sued the Obama administration over Common Core, contending that federal officials unlawfully coerced Louisiana and other states into adopting the increasingly unpopular national education standards. “The federal government has hijacked and destroyed the Common Core initiative,” Jindal said in a prepared statement. The lawsuit, filed this morning by the Republican governor…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
What Happened to Chicago’s Crime Rate When Illinois Relaxed Gun Control Laws
Kelsey Lucas -
- News
In Wisconsin, Democrats Launched Investigation of Conservatives
MADISON, Wis. – Conservative targets of a Democrat-launched John Doe investigation have described the secret probe as a witch hunt. That might not be a big enough descriptor, based on records released Friday by a federal appeals court as part of a massive document dump. Attorneys for conservative activist Eric O’Keefe and the Wisconsin Club…M.D. Kittle -
- News
California Requires Insurers to Cover Abortion Services
A California state regulatory agency has issued a health care directive requiring health insurers to cover the costs of elective abortions, according to the Associated Press. Last week, California’s Department of Managed Health Care informed seven insurance companies that they must comply with the Knox Keene Act, a state provision passed in 1975 that guarantees…Alex Anderson -
- Opinion
There Is No California Comeback
News media from coast to coast are celebrating a “California comeback” after a near-decade-long Golden State economic collapse. But even this latest recovery may be much more fragile than has been reported, and the state’s structural defects still imperil the left-coast economy. Certainly there are reasons for optimism. Tax collections were way up last year,…Stephen Moore -
- Opinion
No Joke: Florida City Makes It Illegal to Wear Your Pants Too Low
Do we really need to make this illegal? A city in Florida passed an ordinance “prohibiting pants more than two inches below the waistline,” according to Fox News’ Orlando affiliate. Those who keep their pants slung a little too low face a “penalty of up to a $500 fine or up to 60 days in…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Florida Police Department to Begin Using Body-Mounted Cameras
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sarasota police officers will begin wearing body-mounted cameras later this year in an effort to increase police transparency. That’s a topic of heightened national interest in the wake of the Ferguson, Mo., police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. But rather than resist the accountability measure, the Sarasota Police Department…William Patrick -
- News
Teachers in Kansas Voted to Leave Their Union. A Year Later, ‘Things Are Going Pretty Well’
OSAWATOMIE, Kan. — More than a year after teachers in the Deerfield, Kan., school district voted to leave their union, leaders say the doom-and-gloom predictions from the state’s largest teachers union haven’t come to pass. “Things are going pretty well, actually,” said Doug Crandall, a teacher who also is president of the newly revived Deerfield Educators…Travis Perry -
- Opinion
7 Harmful Side Effects Pot Legalization Has Caused in Colorado
There is more bad news out of Colorado regarding the negative impact of marijuana legalization. As I reported a few weeks ago, some professors published a peer-reviewed article on the negative social costs to outright legalization. I noted that although overall traffic fatalities in Colorado have gone down since 2007, they went up by 100…Cully Stimson -
- News
Administrative Costs on the Rise in Tennessee Schools
NASHVILLE — About a quarter of Tennessee’s public school districts, 33 in all, spend more on administrative costs — such as principals and school directors — than the statewide average of 10.5 percent, according to a new comptrollers’ report. The report, written by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Offices of Research and Education Accountability, examined the 2012-13 school…Chris Butler -
- Opinion
Texas District Attorney Gins Up Charges Against Rick Perry
As a character noted in Tom Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” a prosecutor could convince a grand jury to indict anything, even a ham sandwich. And while Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn’t a ham sandwich, he might as well be. Last Friday, a Texas grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Perry that even…Andrew Kloster -
- News
‘Thunderstruck?’: Missouri Governor Helped Ferguson Get Surplus Military Equipment
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who yesterday said he was “thunderstruck” to learn how militarized police in Ferguson had become, signed off as recently as January on statewide participation in a Pentagon program providing local police departments with surplus equipment. In authorizing Ferguson police and other local law enforcement agencies to apply for firearms and other equipment, Nixon…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Missouri Governor Says Local Police ‘Clearly’ Tried to ‘Besmirch’ Michael Brown
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said local police were “clearly attempting to besmirch” Michael Brown by releasing images of the 18-year-old strong-arming a man during a robbery shortly before he was fatally shot Saturday by a town officer. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Democratic governor said the decision had “an incendiary effect,” making the situation in Ferguson…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Rick Perry Responds to Indictment: ‘I Stood Up for the Rule of Law in Texas’
Gov. Rick Perry said today on “Fox News Sunday” that he would “make exactly the same decision” that led to a grand jury indictment Friday. Speaking to the felony charges and potential 100 years in prison he could face, the Texas Republican said he’s “certainly taking it very seriously,” but added, “I stood up for the…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Would You Volunteer to Pay for Solar Energy? It’s Happening in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—If you don’t use solar power, then you won’t have to pay for it. That’s what the Florida Public Service Commission, the state electric utility regulatory body, decided last week when it approved Florida Power and Light’s new solar energy pilot program by a vote of 4-1. The plan will expand customer access to solar power in…William Patrick -
- News
Indiana Man Thought He Was Covered Under Obamacare … Until He Needed to Visit Dentist
An Indiana man who purchased health insurance through Obamacare’s federal exchange says he was assured he had dental coverage. When he needed care, though, he learned that his insurance provider wouldn’t cover the work. Now, he’s warning others they could also be getting misleading information. “You might be very surprised you’re not covered when you…Philip Wegmann