LEGISLATURE

California lawmakers are preparing to return to work for a special session on gas prices.

Florida’s top lawmakers are considering changes to a law to clear the path for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president without giving up his post.

Election wins for abortion rights and Democrats could translate into abortion protections in some states.

Texas legislators are off to the races, filing more than 850 bills on Monday, the first day of filing season for the 88th session, which begins Jan.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Two Republican board members of a rural Arizona county who initially demanded their election director to count midterm ballots by hand are now withdrawing their lawsuit.

Two Republicans who control the board in a rural southeastern Arizona county have decided to withdraw a lawsuit they filed early this week seeking to force their own elections director to hand-count all the ballots cast in-person on Election Day.

A Montana judge has temporarily limited the number of wolves hunters can kill near Yellowstone Park. Each hunter can now only kill five instead of 20.

Illinois voters have approved an amendment to their state constitution that guarantees the right to bargain collectively.

As public debate intensifies over how the state will divvy up billions in new money, community groups that treat children for mental illness fear they’re not a priority.

As public debate intensifies over how the state will divvy up billions in new money, community groups that treat children for mental illness fear they’re not a priority.

There is no doubt that hydrogen will play a key role in our nation's energy future. Texas has a chance to lead the pack.

Republicans in Minnesota were decimated by a Democratic blue wave, conceding full control of the state government to Democrats for the first time in eight years.

Abortion rights supporters won in the four states where access was on the ballot.

The ballot measures came months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion it guaranteed to women.

Voters in reliably red Kentucky rejected a ballot measure aimed at denying any state constitutional protections for abortion while voters in battleground Michigan enshrined abortion rights in their state’s constitution.

Endemic to our state, bluebonnets grow from central Texas’ Blackland Prairie to the Big Bend, thriving in the Edwards Plateau’s arid conditions and often forming expansive carpets in pastures and along highways. Ennis, south of Dallas, is the state’s “Official Bluebonnet City,” and Burnet in the Hill Country is the “Bluebonnet Capital of Texas.” Portrayals of bluebonnets grace Texas galleries and living rooms, none more treasured than the original oil paintings of W.A. Slaughter, 1923-2003, a self-taught as a landscape painter. So, it is fortunate the 1901 Legislature turned down a proposal for the cotton boll to be the state flower, choosing instead Lupinus subcarnosus. Otherwise, historian Jack Maguire’s ode could not have been written: “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland.”In time, other bluebonnet species were identified, so the 1971 Legislature designated the most striking one, Lupinus texensis, in addition to the 1901 choice and “any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded.”

Our official state symbols include Texas’ own unique version of a centuries-old domino game. The online Texas State Historical Association handbook notes two enterprising youngsters invented “42” in 1887, mimicking the card game they were forbidden to play by the culture in their small North Texas community at the time. Four-handed Texas 42, which involves bidding and playing for points, spread by word-of-mouth to family parlors, picnic tables, and backrooms at small town cafes before being exported by Texas soldiers to the front lines of World War II. It was an early favorite in Texas A&M dormitories that housed students from rural areas. The Legislature’s 2011 resolution noted Texas 42 “is a true Lone Star original and a testament to the ingenuity and fun-loving nature of Texans, making it a most fitting symbol for our state.”

The Legislature’s resolution designating the northern mockingbird as Texas’ official state bird states the case in detail. In 1956, the Texas Ornithological Society selected the more striking scissor-tail flycatcher as its official bird. In the 1927 Legislature’s reasoning, northern mockingbirds are full-time residents statewide instead of using Texas as a migratory waystation. Mockingbirds diving after squirrels like wartime fighter pilots is a familiar sight in Texas backyards. Their repertoire of incantations includes numerous chirps, tweets, whistles, and trills, combining mimicry with original notes.

A Kilgore Rangerette drill team’s white felt hat with white leather chin strap is in the Smithsonian Museum. Houston Oiler NFL Coach Bum Phillips sported his outsized Stetson at away games, as did his renegade players when they patronized Gilley’s honky-tonk of the movie Urban Cowboy fame. However, Phillips eschewed his hat for home games in the Astrodome because his “mama” taught him not to wear one indoors. Production moved to Missouri and finally to Texas, where Stetsons are fabricated at Hatco Inc. in Garland. Hatco also mass-produces another huge U.S. brand of cowboy hats, Resistol, worn by Texas Highway Patrol officers.

A Kilgore Rangerette drill team’s white felt hat with white leather chin strap is in the Smithsonian Museum. Houston Oiler NFL Coach Bum Phillips sported his outsized Stetson at away games, as did his renegade players when they patronized Gilley’s honky-tonk of the movie Urban Cowboy fame. However, Phillips eschewed his hat for home games in the Astrodome because his “mama” taught him not to wear one indoors. Production moved to Missouri and finally to Texas, where Stetsons are fabricated at Hatco Inc. in Garland. Hatco also mass-produces another huge U.S. brand of cowboy hats, Resistol, worn by Texas Highway Patrol officers.

Idaho Republicans are confident they will retain statewide elected offices this election. Meanwhile, Democrat Stephen Heidt is running a relatively low-key campaign for governor.

Pennsylvania's high court says officials aren't allowed to count votes from mail-in or absentee ballots that lack accurate, handwritten dates on their return envelopes.

Oregon voters are being asked to decide whether the state should be the first in the nation to amend its constitution to explicitly declare that affordable health care is a fundamental human right.

Kansas voters are being asked to give their legislators greater power to overturn regulations written by state agencies and boards.

In some battleground races, Republicans have voiced confidence that the Legislature will weigh rape and incest exceptions when it reconvenes.

In some battleground state legislative races, Republicans have been making overtures to those who believe the ban as too extreme. They have said they are open to revising the ban to include the exceptions — and even voiced confidence that the Legislature will do so when it reconvenes in January.

Residential treatment centers are meant to be a last resort for children in the state’s care, reserved for those with histories of severe trauma caused by neglect or abuse.

Until 2016, Florida law allowed trial judges to impose a death sentence if a majority of the jurors agreed. But now, anything less than 12-0 means an automatic sentence of life without parole.

This story was originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.

Former President Donald Trump wants the Supreme Court to weigh in on his legal battle against the Justice Department over documents the FBI seized during a search of his Mar-a-Lago home. Scott MacFarlane explains.

Local election officials across the United States are bracing for a wave of confrontations on Election Day in November.

The situation with the poll watcher had gotten so bad that Anne Risku, the election director in North Carolina's Wayne County, had to intervene via speakerphone. “You need to back off!” Risku recalled hollering after the woman wedged herself between a voter and the machine where the voter was trying to cast his ballot at a precinct about 60 miles southeast of Raleigh. The man eventually was able to vote, but the incident was one of several Risku cited from the May primary that made her worry about a wave of newly aggressive poll watchers.

On Friday, a judge in Arizona decided to reject a plea from abortion rights groups to suspend an earlier ruling that banned abortions as they intend to formally appeal the decision.

Years ago, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves claimed to have helped block money to fund water system repairs in the capital city.

Years before he became Mississippi governor, Tate Reeves served as the state's treasurer and had a hand in delaying funds for water system repairs in the capital city of Jackson.

Years before people in Jackson were recently left without running water for several days, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves claimed to have helped block money to fund water system repairs in the capital city. The city’s latest water troubles are far from its first, and they have stemmed from decaying infrastructure beyond one water treatment plant. As Reeves climbed Mississippi's political ladder, he cited his opposition to financially helping the capital as evidence of his fiscal conservatism.

Public school advocates who oppose a massive expansion of Arizona’s private school voucher system have filed enough signatures to block it from taking effect.

Wisconsin Republicans on Wednesday rejected Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' call to allow voters to get a chance to repeal the state's 1849 abortion ban. Evers called Wednesday for a special session of the GOP-controlled Legislature to pass a measure creating a way for voters to repeal the 173-year-old law. It’s the latest move by Evers to put pressure on Republicans over abortion and keep the issue in the spotlight ahead of the election.

Flush with state budget reserves and running for re-election, Gov. DeSantis touted a $1.1 billion package of tax breaks he wants approved next year.

The campaign event, hosted by the Texas Democratic Party, marked the party's second stop for its "Democrats Deliver for Texas" tour.

An Indiana judge won’t hear arguments until next week on a lawsuit seeking to block the state’s abortion ban, leaving that new law set to take effect on Thursday. The special judge overseeing the case issued an order Monday setting a court hearing for Sept. 19, which is four days after the ban’s effective date. Indiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature approved the tighter abortion restrictions during a two-week special legislative session that ended Aug. 5, making it the first state to do so since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated federal abortion protections by overturning Roe v. Wade in June.

A federal judge in Phoenix has blocked enforcement of a new Arizona law restricting the filming of police.

A federal judge on Friday blocked enforcement of a new Arizona law restricting how the public and journalists can film police, agreeing with the American Civil Liberties Union and multiple media organizations who argued it violated the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi issued a preliminary injunction that stops the law from being enforced when it is set to take effect on Sept. 24. The quick decision came after Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the prosecutor and sheriff's office in Maricopa County told the judge they did not plan to defend the law.

Seventeen states that tie their vehicle emission standards to rules established in California must decide whether to follow that state’s strict new rules.

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed initiative petitions for ballot measures in several states that would expand voting access, ensure abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana.

Hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions this year backing proposed ballot initiatives to expand voting access, ensure abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona, Arkansas and Michigan. At the same time, Republican lawmakers in Arkansas and Arizona have placed constitutional amendments on the ballot proposing to make it harder to approve citizen initiatives in the future. The Republican pushback against the initiative process is part of a several-year trend that gained steam as Democratic-aligned groups have increasingly used petitions to force public votes on issues that Republican-led legislatures have opposed.

The utility that oversees California’s last operating nuclear power plant is taking steps to seek federal approval for an extended lifespan, just hours after the Legislature opened a pathway for a run that could last through 2030.

Gun-control advocates could have had another victory in their very successful California legislative session that ended Thursday if not for a risky move supported by Gov. Gavin Newsom that backfired on a bill to impose new limits on carrying concealed weapons after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down old rules. The Legislature passed more than a dozen significant bills on gun limits during the session.

The bill, which would be enacted in the 2024-25 school year if signed by the governor, would require all children to attend one year of kindergarten before they can go to first grade.

New Mexico's governor has signed a new executive order that pledges $10 million to build a clinic that would provide abortions and other pregnancy care.

Republicans and Democrats alike have joined the tax-cutting trend during a midterm election year.

An Arizona judge who ruled that a voter initiative rolling back Republican-backed election law changes and expanding voting access qualified for the ballot revised his decision Friday and said the Free and Fair Elections Act did not make the ballot. The new decision is being appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court, which had ordered Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Mikitish late Thursday to show how he concluded the measure had barely enough signatures. Nearly 238,000 signatures are needed to make the ballot.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is proposing a $600 million annual tax cut, an election year proposal that Republican legislative leaders are rejecting as a “vote-buying ploy.

An Arizona judge is considering whether to allow the state to enforce a near-total ban on abortions that has been blocked for nearly 50 years.

On a state advisory committee, only one member has any experience with wind or solar power. And he’s voiced some eyebrow-raising ideas.

In front of a crowd of students, teachers and legislators, Gov. Doug Ducey signed school voucher legislation, HB 2853, into law.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice scoffed Monday at a suggestion by Democratic lawmakers to let voters decide whether abortion should continue to be allowed in the state. The Republican governor said the state's abortion law falls under the scrutiny of the Legislature and the attorney general. During a legislative special session initiated by Justice last month, majority Republicans failed to pass legislation criminalizing abortion.

Democrats in 1995 enacted lawsuit reforms that limit the amount of damages plaintiffs collect.

Primary elections are being held in six states on Tuesday.

Pennsylvania's Democratic governor is suing the Legislature over a package of proposed constitutional amendments.

The Uvalde City Council joined county commissioners and the Uvalde CISD school board in passing a resolution calling on Governor Greg Abbott to call for a special session to change gun laws.

The Tri-Agency Initiative has identified work-based learning as a strategy for supporting efficient and flexible pathways to earning a high-value credential linked to high-wage, in-demand jobs. As the Tri-Agency Initiative works to enhance work-based learning throughout the state, many school districts have been offering work-based learning opportunities. With the passage of House Bill 3 in the 2019 session, districts receive incentive funding for every student enrolled in a P-TECH program. Each high school offers certifications in industries identified as high-growth and in-demand specifically in the Rio GrandeValley. It is imperative that the Legislature continues to support the expansion of work-based learning programs like P-TECH.

New Mexico’s governor says direct spending by production companies on films, TV series and other media has never been higher in the state, topping $855 million in fiscal year 2022.

Lawmakers also discussed their stances on the issues impacting the region the most in a two-day event hosted by The Texas Tribune.

Physicians and researchers are urging New Mexico legislators to allow the use of psychedelic mushrooms in mental health therapy aimed at overcoming depression, anxiety, psychological trauma and alcoholism.

The Department of Justice is investigating alleged civil rights violations under Operation Lone Star, a multibillion-dollar border initiative announced last year by Gov. Greg Abbott, according to state records obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.

The Justice Department is suing Arizona over a new state law that it says conflicts with federal law.

The law is in direct conflict with a 1993 federal voter registration law and also violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the DOJ.

The Great Salt Lake has hit a new historic low for the second time in less than a year as the ongoing megadrought worsened by climate change continues to shrink the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi. Utah Department of Natural Resources said Monday in a news release the Great Salt Lake dipped Sunday to 4,190.1 feet (1,277.1 meters). Lake levels are expected to keep dropping until fall or winter, the agency said.

Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state.

Wisconsin's conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state, ruling this week that political appointees don't have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor. The court's decision — in the case of a conservative who refused to step down from an environmental policy board for more than a year after his term expired — marks another loss for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers as he faces reelection in November. Republicans have worked to reduce Evers' powers since even before he took office and have refused to confirm many of his appointees.

“If a case is brought in front of our clients, at least, they’ve indicated to us and the media that they’ll look at it,” said David Kallman, a lawyer with the conservative Great Lakes Justice Center. “And if the facts are there, they’ll charge, because the law is the law and it’s in effect.”

Arizona’s Republican attorney general says that a pre-statehood law that bans all abortions is enforceable.

The Supreme Court's decision to end the constitutional right to abortion likely will lead to legal battles as already divided states grapple with the new landscape of abortion access.

Red flag laws likely remain a nonstarter among Republican leaders in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott already faced a conservative backlash after he asked the Legislature to consider them four years ago.

North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s expensive effort to influence the GOP primary and reshape the Legislature with more people who support his spending and policy goals was a mixed bag.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan pitched redirecting more than $100 million in state funding to quickly boost mental health and school safety programs before school starts again next fall.His plan came[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Texas House Speaker pitched redirecting more than $100 million to school safety.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked House leaders to support his push for arming school police officers with bulletproof shields after the Uvalde shooting. House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs.

Ahead of a potential presidential bid, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem handily won the Republican nomination last week for a second term. It's a lesson that Donald Trump, Noem's ally, is learning as he falls short, notably in Georgia, in trying to punish Republicans who have crossed him. In the GOP primary last month, Georgia voters overwhelmingly backed Gov. Brian Kemp, who had rebuffed Trump's lies about widespread fraud during the 2020 election.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is among several top state officials testifying before a grand jury regarding whether former President Donald Trump illegally tried to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, explains the significance of his testimony.

Louisiana's Democratic governor says he'll call the state's Republican-dominated Legislature into special session to draw up new congressional districts.

Louisiana's Democratic governor says he'll call the state's Republican-dominated Legislature into special session to draw up new congressional districts.

An Arizona judge has declined a request by the state Republican Party to block most mail ballots for the 2022 election, preserving the voting method used by the overwhelming majority of voters.

The mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, are again putting the focus on gun control measures such as waiting periods to buy firearms.

The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday threw out a law that gave state legislators increased power to intervene during public health emergencies, agreeing with arguments from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb that the move violated the state constitution. The court’s unanimous decision settles a legal fight that began more than a year ago when Holcomb sued over a law that was a response to his efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The new law gave legislative leaders authority to call the General Assembly into an “emergency session” if the governor declares a statewide emergency.

The New York Legislature has approved a milestone environmental measure designed to tap the brakes on the spread of cryptocurrency mining operations that burn fossil fuels.

Legislative leadership smiled as the GOP governor at times poked fun at the fact he vetoed their priorities

Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders signaled an openness to some gun restrictions after recent mass shootings. But in the last several years, lawmakers have eased gun laws, most notably by passing a permitless carry bill last year.

New York’s political landscape for the next decade is being quickly retooled by a rural judge and out-of-state expert after a court ruled Democrats controlling New York's legislature bungled the job.

Kansas’ highest court has upheld a Republican redistricting law that improves the GOP's chances of flipping the state's only congressional seat held by a Democrat.

A court-appointed expert released a draft of new congressional maps for New York that are more favorable to Republicans than the original gerrymandered political maps drawn by Democrats.

The Supreme Court’s apparent intention to abolish a nationwide right to abortion, spelled out in a draft opinion leaked this week, will not be the final chapter in the nation’s most pitched culture battle.

The Supreme Court’s apparent intention to abolish a nationwide right to abortion, spelled out in a draft opinion leaked this week, will not be the final chapter in the nation’s most pitched culture battle.

Frustrated Indiana conservatives fell short in most primary races in their drive to push the Republican-controlled state Legislature further to the right and saw two of their movement’s leaders lose their reelection bids.

New York’s highest court has rejected new congressional maps that had widely been seen as favoring Democrats.

North Dakota’s longest-serving state senator says he'll resign following a report that he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

Performance reviews of state government are an exercise in separating the operation of government — how things work — from the direction of government — what, in broader terms, government should do. The nuts and bolts on one hand, the vision thing on the other.

Voting rights groups have sued Florida over a congressional map drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis and passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

The Arizona Supreme Court says the state’s voters do not have the right to reject a massive income tax cut approved by the Republican-controlled legislature last year.