Topic: National Conference of State Legislatures
All Content
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Online sales tax bill hits a potential firewall
A bill aimed at collecting sales tax for online goods has cleared the Senate. However, the House will prove to be a problem as many see the bill as a tax increase – something many Republicans pledged they would not do.
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Pot smokers can be fired, Colorado court rules
Pot smokers can be fired even if it was used for medical purposes and off duty. While marijuana use is legal in Colorado, appeals court says pot smokers can still be fired because the drug is still barred by federal law.
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Colorado court rules marijuana smokers may be fired
Medical and recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, but federal law says employers can lawfully fire workers who test positive for the drug, ruled a Colorado appeals court Thursday.
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Coastal Carolina dorm shooting raises question: Should coeds pack heat?
A shooting Tuesday at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., left one student dead. Although campus shootings are rare, the incident rekindles a debate on whether to permit guns on campus.
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Will your state taxes go up? How legislatures are leaning.
As red states get redder and blue states bluer, state taxes could head in opposite directions. Some states are trying to eliminate income taxes, others are raising them.
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New laws on New Year's Day, from gay marriage to ‘Caylee’s Law’
While much attention has been paid to the ‘fiscal cliff’ and the federal legislation behind it, thousands of new state laws took effect more quietly at the start of 2013.
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Ballot measures: What message did America send on Election Day? (+video)
American voters rejected ballot measures at a higher rate than usual – suggesting voter fatigue – but two big liberal social issues - legalizing marijuana and same-sex marriage - made historic headway.
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State legislatures: why Republican wave of 2010 is here to stay
Election 2012 is not expected to be a repeat of the historic 2010 Republican sweep, but recent redistricting might have helped the GOP cement its ascendancy for a few more years.
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Illegal immigration: why eyes will be on Maryland this Election Day
Maryland's in-state tuition referendum is the only big-ticket illegal-immigration issue before voters this Election Day. How Maryland goes could influence other states – and Congress.
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Focus
Election 2012: Ballot initiatives reflect nation's moodThe 174 propositions on state ballots point to evolving opinions on marijuana, same-sex marriage, health care, and more. Do the initiatives show the power of direct democracy or lack of legislative leadership?
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In looming federalism fight, three states say feds can't 'unmarry' gay couples
Vermont, New York, and Connecticut argue in a US court of appeals brief that it’s states, not the federal government, that license official relationships, including gay marriages.
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Arizona: Did Supreme Court take the steam out of states' immigration activism?
A majority of Americans want to see their states adopt immigration laws similar to Arizona’s. But the Supreme Court’s decision Monday may give state legislators more wiggle room to avoid the subject.
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Job interviewer asks for Facebook password. Should you give it?
Some companies now ask for Facebook and social media passwords so they can check out job applicants. One state is banning the practice, and at least 10 others are weighing similar bans.
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Sandusky child sex abuse scandal raises questions about state laws
In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal at Penn State, many states are reexamining their laws requiring people to report suspected abuse.
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Bath salts: Gruesome Miami attack adds to drug's bizarre history
Reports suggest that synthetic drugs euphemistically named 'bath salts' might be behind a notorious recent Miami attack. Police are well aware of curious cases involving the drug.
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Amanda Clayton, lottery winner, defends food stamps. Michigan disagrees.
Amanda Clayton made headlines for acknowledging that she still received $200 in monthly food assistance after winning $1 million in Michigan lottery money. Legislation could now pass.
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With 2012, state laws kick in on everything from immigration to shark fins
State legislatures passed close to 40,000 new laws in 2011, and a number of those measures take effect on Jan. 1. On some issues, like immigration, state laws are taking markedly different stands.
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A fix on the horizon for the online sales tax mess
The new measure would allow states to require online retailers to collect sales taxes on all purchases, as long as the states first agree to simplify their sales tax rules. Remarkably, the idea has broad support in the business community and may actually pass.
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Public pensions must be on the table
With the cost of retirement plans soaring, public employees need to do their part in balancing state budgets.
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Rick Perry's HPV vaccine problem
Rick Perry is in a political bind over ordering girls to receive injections to protect against a sexually transmitted disease. The controversy is of special interest to tea party and social conservatives.
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Why North Carolina vote to ban gay marriage might help Obama
North Carolina's Republican House could have put the gay-marriage ban on the November ballot, when it might have boosted the vote for President Obama's Republican challenger. Instead, the House scheduled it for May.
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When can you eavesdrop on police? Chicago case exposes legal gray area.
Illinois state law prohibits secretly recording conversations with police – or anyone else. But a woman was acquitted of the charges because she said she was exposing criminal behavior.
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States' bottom line improves, but can the good news last?
States' 2011 budgets are heading in the right direction as tax revenue increases, new indicators report. But with federal support waning and local demand on programs like Medicaid up, will the good news last?
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Texas and the government are chummier than you'd think
Though Texas has lost its fair share of jobs in the private sector, it's added a huge number of government jobs
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Washington deadlocked? States lead in cutting deficits
New Jersey, Ohio, and others have tackled tough budget deficits. They're addressing deficits by cutting spending, not hiking taxes, and looking at the long term.
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