|
Overriding a veto by their Governor, the Conneticut Legislature has strengthened its Citizen's Election system of public financing of elections that was first instituted in 2005. Responding to a bad decision by a federal appeals court, the Legislature has fixed the system and increased the public...
|
State governments are finally taking action to address the catastrophic damage caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Office of the Attorney General of Alabama has filed before a U.S. District Court a complaint against British Petroleum for what it described as the largest marine oil...
|
As pundits attempt to digest what Colorado's primary on Tuesday night means for incumbents and insurgents alike, there is one thing everyone can agree on: voting by mail saved counties much-needed money while boosting turnout.
|
|
Legislation to end the practice of prison-based gerrymandering in New York, included within the 2011 state budget, passed both the Senate and Assembly last week. Once Gov. Patterson approves the budget package, the bill will go into effect in time for next year's redistricting efforts.
|
Arizona continues to focus on catering to its rightwing ideological zealots rather than addressing its devastating revenue and economic crisis. The most recent example is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer calling the legislature into special session to revise Proposition 108, a controversial ballot...
|
Amid a tightening circle of immigration enforcement by the federal government, officials are quietly halting deportations of some student activists organizing in favor of the federal DREAM Act.
|
|
A recent GritTV segment featured Connecticut’s enactment of a law (HB 1570) to protect the civil rights of ex-prisoners and reduce recidivism (repeat offenses) by prohibiting inquiries into the criminal backgrounds of people applying for jobs with the state until an applicant is determined...
|
When state governments make it nearly impossible to raise taxes to pay their bills, their creditors apparently get very nervous and increase their costs to borrow money. Both Arizona and California have seen their bond ratings downgraded -- and their borrowing costs likely increasing -- with...
|
This week, the U.S. Senate finally overcame a filibuster by conservative Senators to move emergency Medicaid funding through the first half of 2011 and provide key funding for education jobs. This action is critical for state budgets and will protect both medical services and education programs in...
|
|
Even as officials announce that the oil leak has finally been capped, residents of the Gulf Coast have only just begun what is sure to be a long, difficult period of renewal following April’s Deepwater Horizon disaster. The catastrophe has wreaked havoc upon communities and businesses along the...
|
Health care nullification forces scored a symbolic victory in Missouri Tuesday as voters supported a ballot initiative to block the individual mandate portion of the federal health care law. But it was a primary electorate dominated by GOP primary voters -- and the real story is how isolated this...
|
When big bank speculation crashed the economy, millions were driven into unemployment. But, according to a new study by two leading economists,
the combination of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) loans to
banks, loosening of the money supply, and federal stimulus funds for
states and...
|
