(AJC) — A constitutional amendment that would exempt police officers, firefighters and teachers from paying city property taxes is on a proposed “wish list” Atlanta will deliver to the Georgia General Assembly. The amendment will be familiar, as it initially was passed out of the state Senate by Kasim Reed when he was a senator […]
(Crain’s) — A Democratic state senator from Buffalo has conceded defeat to his Republican opponent, ensuring the GOP of at least half of the seats in the narrowly divided upper chamber come January. If one of the two Republican challengers in the remaining undecided Senate races emerges with a victory, as appears likely, the party […]
(Chicago Sun Times) — The Illinois House on Tuesday narrowly rejected legislation that that would legalize the medicinal use of marijuana. The measure pushed by Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) reached 58 votes — two shy of the 60 needed to pass the House — before members began deserting the apparently doomed bill, leaving the “yes” […]
(AP) — Illinois lawmakers are taking a new look at more gambling as a way to reduce the state’s massive budget deficit. Lawmakers have talked for years about adding new casinos or putting slot machines at racetracks, but the proposals have always fallen apart. But with Illinois facing a roughly $15 billion deficit, the issue […]
(AJC) — Georgia House Democrats elected state Rep. Stacey Abrams as their minority leader Wednesday, making her the first woman and the first black to lead a caucus in the state Legislature. The 36-year-old Atlanta lawyer will be up against an empowered Republican majority. House Republicans added three seats in last week’s election. Since then, three […]
(Chicago Sun Times) — Democrats were poised to retain their majorities in the Illinois House and Senate on Tuesday night, though they appeared on track to lose several seats to Republicans. Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) was at risk of losing his party’s three-fifths, veto-proof majority, in part because a Downstate incumbent was losing. Sen. […]
(NYT) — State lawmakers narrowly approved the latest in a series of emergency budget bills on Monday night, temporarily averting a government shutdown that officials said would be catastrophic for New Yorkers. After days of bitter public debate in which Gov. David A. Patersonand state lawmakers each sought to pre-emptively cast blame for a potential shutdown, the […]
(Student Operated Press) — Would you vote to make Andrew M. Cuomo New York`s governor? Well, probably, if you`re a Democrat, maybe if you`re an independent, and maybe not if you`re a Republican. I often but not always vote Democratic, but I`m thinking maybe not. Here`s why. The first thing the popular state attorney general […]
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) — Top Georgia lawmakers billed the state for travel and expenses on more than one out of every four days while the General Assembly was out of session in 2008, 2009 and the first few months of 2010, according to data obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through the Open Records Act. Overall, lawmakers […]