Thursday, March 26, 2015

I've Gotta Have More Wedding Bells edition

Republicans in statehouses across the country have a fever, and the only prescription is...
fewer wedding bells?

  • Apparently. Lawmakers are pushing discriminatory variations on so-called "Religious Freedom Restoration Acts" in more states than you can shake a bouquet at. 
  • Under the flimsy veil of supposedly protecting "religious freedom," Republicans are passing bills that permit just about anyone to discriminate against just about anyone else.

It basically works like this: If signed into law, most of these measures would allow individuals or corporations or other organizations to discriminate against anyone they please, as long as they claim that doing otherwise "burdens" their "exercise of religion."

  • At their core, these "religious freedom" measures are backlash to (or fear of) courts legalizing same-sex marriage various states. 
    • The bills, like the one Indiana Gov. Mike Pence just signed into law, are broadly worded and could do way more than cover bakers who don't want to provide wedding cakes for same-sex nuptials. 
      • Want to put a "No Gays Allowed" sign in your window? If you feel that letting teh gays spend money in your fine establishment "burdens" your religion, or something, you could probably do that. 
      • Given the language of these measures, you could pretty much discriminate against anyone you'd like, as long as you claim that not being terrible to certain people "burdens" your "free exercise of religion."   

Pence blames the media for the national outrage, telling Hoosiers to "read the bill instead of reading the papers." 
  • Well, a whole mess of law professors at a whole slew of law schools read that bill super closely, and they explained why the new law is actually quite scary. 
    • "Members of the public will then be asked to bear the cost of their employer's, their landlord's, their local shopkeeper's, or a police officer's private religious beliefs."
But now that one Republican governor has signed such a bill into law, others may feel emboldened enough to follow suit. 

Some places to keep an eye on include:


It's a nice day for... more Statehouse Action!


  • Hey little sister, shotgunWisconsin GOP state Sen. Van Wanggaard, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, helpfully let everyone know at a public hearing that he was carrying a gun.
    • The bill being heard? Wanggaard's proposal to let off-duty and retired cops carry firearms on school property. 
      • It's not immediately apparent what effect his proclamation had on the hearing.  

  • I've been away for so long: The GOP-controlled Michigan House has passed a bill that would cut off Family Independence Program public assistance to families of children who fail to meet school attendance requirements. 
    • Because, obviously, punishing an entire family that's already struggling will definitely help. Definitely.  


  • There's nothing fair in this world: One lawmaker in Missouri is so over state things. The Show Me state currently has 28 state symbols, including a state dinosaur (hypsibema missouriense), state dessert (ice cream cone), and state exercise (jumping jacks). GOP Rep. Tom Flanigan has had enough; his one-line bill would cap the number of symbols at the current 28.
    • Such proposals often come from schools, where teachers sometimes use it as a way to educate students about the legislative process. 

  • There's nothing safe in this world: One Republican lawmaker in Michigan valiantly tried to warn his constituents about the dangers his hometown newspaper's new openly gay news editor poses to their "community's values." 
    • State Rep. Gary Glenn took to Twitter and Facebook to proclaim his concern that the recently-promoted Tony Lascari might use his new position of authority to "promote a political agenda." 
      • Rep. Glenn also helpfully pointed out that the county he represents "voted overwhelmingly in favor" of the 2004 anti-same sex marriage amendment ballot measure. Homophobia -- so retro chic!

  • And there's nothing pure in this world: Lawmakers in Georgia are trying to ban environmentally-friendly constructionHouse Bill 255 would effectively prohibit state buildings (including those at public colleges and universities) from using the construction standards known as LEED certification. 
    • The measure is being pushed by the state's timber industry, which complains that the standards discriminate against the use of local wood products. Wood is... good?



The following 40 state legislatures are meeting actively this week: ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSISSIPPI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, VERMONT, WASHINGTON and WISCONSIN.
 
Also meeting: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUAM, PUERTO RICO and UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS.

GROUPS
The International City County Management Association will hold its West Coast Regional Summit March 26-27 in Portland, Oregon. 
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners will hold its Spring Meeting March 28-31 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown and Hyatt Regency and Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
The National Association of State Procurement Officials will hold its How to Market to State Governments Meeting March 29-31 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


HAWAII

The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor met March 24 to discuss H.B. 391, which requires government public works construction contracts greater than $2,000 to provide overtime compensation of no less than one and a half times the basic hourly rate of pay, plus fringe benefits. 

KENTUCKY

The Legislature adjourned sine die March 24

MAINE

The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met March 23 to discuss L.D. 325, L.D. 396 and L.D. 680, which impose a surcharge on single-use carryout plastic bags at point of sale. 

MICHIGAN

The Senate Regulatory Reform Committee will meet March 25 to discuss S.B. 184, which creates regulations for transportation network companies to operate in the state. 

MINNESOTA

The Legislature will have a second committee deadline March 27


NEW JERSEY

The Assembly Budget Committee will meet March 24 and the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will meet March 25 to discuss and receive public testimony regarding the 2016 State Budget. 


PENNSYLVANIA

The Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Board will meet March 26 to discuss proposed rules pertaining to surface activities related to oil and gas well development. 

SOUTH CAROLINA

The Senate Judiciary Committee met March 24 to discuss H.B. 255, which dictates rules for the publishing of arrest and booking records on a website. 

TENNESSEE

The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee met March 24 to discuss S.B. 721, which creates an alternative to workers' compensation coverage for employers. 

WASHINGTON
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will meet March 25 to discuss S.B. 5972, which requires seed suppliers to ensure seed purity and identity. 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Madness of March edition

'Tis the season for brackets and basketball, but don't for a second think that March action is confined to the hardwood.

  • Drive me crazy: Democratic majorities in the Oregon legislature scored a huge victory for voting rights this week as Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 2177 into law. Now all Oregonians will be automatically registered to vote when they get or renew their drivers licenses. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 
Fun fact! Democrats in Minnesota passed a similar automatic voter registration bill in 2009, only to have it vetoed by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty 
    • Meanwhile, Republicans in other states continue working to make voting harder.
      • In New Mexico, the GOP-controlled House passed a voter ID bill this week.
        • ...but with session ending on Saturday, it's unlikely to make its way to a floor vote in the Senate before adjournment. 
    • Republicans in the Nevada Assembly achieved some notoriety this week as a committee debated two voter ID bills
      • Las Vegas Assemblywoman Michele Fiore declared racism over because "we have a black president." It's unclear whether she made this statement before or after referring to one of her colleagues as a "colored man."
      • The ACORN card was played, too, and former Assemblywoman and failed U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle showed up throw around some made-up numbers about supposed voter fraud. Good times all around.

  • Granite state of mind: GOP lawmakers in New Hampshire managed to murder both a bill and a bunch of fourth graders' civic enthusiasm almost simultaneously, so at least they're making government more efficient, I guess.
    • As Mr. Cutting's fourth grade class sat in the House gallery to witness the passage their bill establishing the red-tailed hawk as the official state raptorone state lawmaker decried how the bird "grasps its prey with its talons, then uses its razor-sharp beak to tear it apart" before declaring it a fitting mascot for Planned Parenthood. 
    • Another Republican legislator said he believed it was a bill they "shouldn't have in front of [them]" and bemoaned a slippery slope leading to the establishment of "a state hot dog." 
      • The bill failed, 133 to 160.
Fun fact! Louisiana has an official state meat pie (Natchitoches meat pie).
  • Baby crazy: Never mind that children need qualified parents and safe, loving homes. Michigan House Republicans think they should be stuck in foster or group homes rather than face adoption by teh gays
    • The chamber has passed a bill that would allow faith-based adoption agencies -- that receive state money -- to turn away LGBT couples. The measure is likely to pass the GOP-controlled state Senate, too. 
    • Gov. Rick Snyder has expressed reservations about the measure, but talk is cheap. He wasn't a fan of so-called "right to work" legislation, either -- right up until he signed it into law.

  • Reefer Madness: A GOP lawmaker in Texas wants to legalize pot -- not because he endorses using it, but because God created it, and God's creations shouldn't be banned. 
"There’s a lot of things that God made that are dangerous, but they’re good. He made rattlesnakes and we haven’t criminalized them yet. I don’t advocate playing with them.”  Okay!  


  • The Gods Must Be Crazy: Three GOP state lawmakers in Idaho walked out of the state Senate's opening prayer earlier this month because it was delivered by a Hindu cleric (in both English AND Sanskrit!), who was serving as a guest chaplain. 
    • One of the Republican state senators explained their rudeness by citing worries about "government endorsement" of Hindu. Another declared that "Hindu is a faith with false gods," and she was totally not sorry when an Episcopal bishop, a Catholic official, a UCC pastor, a Buddhist leader, and a rabbi called on her to apologize
I bet the best joke ever starts when all those folks walk into a bar.


  • Perfectly sane: A Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates is retiring to focus on his Alexandria doughnut business. Doughnuts > politics is a matter of opinion, but if you haven't checked out Sugar Shack, you're missing out on some serious holey goodness. Del. Rob Krupicka's NoVA-based seat will remain safely in Democratic hands. 

  • Crazy cat ladies (and men): Both Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina are finding common ground over a proposal to make the bobcat the official state cat. If the measure passes, the bobcat will join the ranks of the Venus flytrap (state carnivorous plant), opossum (state marsupial), and sweet potato (state vegetable) as official symbols of the Tar Heel State.
No one's proposed a state hot dog yet, but it's just a matter of time. 


Also also, you really need to check out this Daily Kos Elections piece explaining how well the GOP gerrymandered the U.S. House, state Houses, and state Senates across the country in 2011. It's data-licious and map-tastic. Also a little depressing.



The following 45 state legislatures are meeting actively this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, VERMONT, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA and WISCONSIN.

Also meeting: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUAM, PUERTO RICO and UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS.

GROUPS
The National Emergency Management Association will hold its Policy and Leadership Forum March 14-18 in Alexandria, Virginia. 

The Environmental Council of the States will hold its Spring Meeting March 16-18 in Washington, D.C. 
The Republican Lieutenant Governors Association will hold its Leadership Dinner March 17 in Washington, D.C. 
The National Lieutenant Governors Association will hold its Federal-State Relations Meeting March 18-20 at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Washington, D.C. 
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation will hold its Leadership Summit March 19-21 in Simi Valley, California. 
ALASKA
The Senate Special Committee on Energy met March 17 to discuss S.B. 57, which addresses the development of state emission standards in accordance with the federal Clean Air Act. The Senate Resources Committee will also discuss this measure March 18.
ARIZONA
The Phoenix Human Relations Committee held a public meeting March 16 to discuss possible action regarding so-called Ban the Box. 

The Senate Finance Committee will meet March 18 to discuss H.B. 2069, which allows the state to reduce the personal income tax if the United States Congress adopts the Marketplace Fairness Act.  
MAINE
The Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs will meet March 18 to discuss a number of measures designed to reform the method by which residents vote, including requirements that a voter must provide proof of identity before casting a vote.


MARYLAND
The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee will met March 17 to hear public testimony on S.B. 718, which establishes the Statewide Information Technology Master Plan. 
MINNESOTA 
The Legislature will have its first committee deadline March 20. 
MONTANA
The House Appropriations Committee met March 16 to discuss H.B. 14, which establishes the Broadband Development Fund to stimulate economic development through improved broadband infrastructure.
NEW MEXICO
The Legislature is expected to adjourn March 21. 

NEW YORK
The Albany Common Council convened March 16 and consider an ordinance amending the living wage section of the City Code. 

TENNESEE
The House Transportation Committee met March 17 to discuss H.B. 616, which allows the use of autonomous vehicles that comply with motor vehicle safety requirements. 
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee will meet March 18 to discuss S.B. 811, which allows terminally ill patients to try investigational drugs, biological products or devices.

VIRGINIA
The Spotsylvania County Planning Commission will meet March 18 to consider removing hours of operation restrictions for drive-through eating and fast food establishments.

WEST VIRGINIA
The General Assembly adjourned its regular session March 14 and are meeting March 16-19 to discuss the budget.


Thursday, March 12, 2015

(Because You're Mine) I Draw The Line edition

First of all, let me get a bit of news out of the way, just in case you haven't heard: I'm back at the DLCC, so state politics is no longer just my hobby/obsession -- it's my actual job again (but still also my hobby/obsession). So henceforth, these missives will be coming on a more regular basis, and (probably) at hours that are less odd. Hooray!

Lately, redistricting has totally been my ring of fire, because 
A. It's a BFD and 
B. It's in the hands of legislators in most states, and
C. There's the New Hotness of Advantage 2020
    • Oh, and there were last week's oral arguments on the Arizona redistricting case. Have you heard of it? It's the one where GOP lawmakers sued because they were angry about the not-completely-gerrymandered-in-their-favor-but-still-Republican-friendly maps, which had been drawn by the voter-created Independent Redistricting Commission. Since the Republicans couldn't bully their way to maps they liked, they decided that the IRC shouldn't exist at all. After all, what good is independent redistricting if it produces competitive districts?
Wait...
      • Anyway, the lawsuit to thwart the will of Arizona voters is the culmination of a saga that began in 2011, when then-Gov. Janet Brewer tried to stop the passage of these not-totally-unfair maps by firing the head of the IRC. The state Supreme Court reinstated her, the maps passed, and the sore losers decided to get litigious. 
    • And let's not forget the action in the Sunshine State. On Wednesday, March 4, the Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the appeal of the (barely) revised congressional districts GOP lawmakers drew after a redistricting lawsuit threw out the original maps last summer. 
      • Will the Court require a fresh set of congressional maps before 2016? Or are proponents of fair redistricting stuck with their hollow victory? Stay tuned!

  • One piece at a timeWisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a so-called "right to work" bill into law on Monday, but this may not be the end of the state GOP's stomp-all-over-working families agenda. 
    • Two Republicans are trying to roll back the law that requires employers to give workers at least one day of rest per week.
      • Being able to work seven days a week will be super helpful, I guess, when Wisconsinites need to compensate for the lower wages that will result from diminished collective bargaining rights.
    • Of course, these latest anti-worker developments are just the latest attacks on middle-class families by Wisconsin Republicans. 
      • Back in 2011, there was the infamous Act 10, which was like a "right to work" trial balloon, in that it only busted public employee unions.
      • Then in 2012, Republican state lawmakers repealed the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, because who needs to enforce their right to equal pay in court? Not ladies, because they should totally be satisfied with the 75 cents they earn to a man's dollar in the Badger State, I guess. 
        • Gov. Scott Walker hoped no one would notice when he signed the bill. I'm betting a whole lot of researchers are noticing so hard these days.

  • The wind changes: But there's good news for working families in New Mexico today. On Tuesday night, Democrats in a Senate committee tabled two "right to work" bills that had already passed the GOP-majority House, effectively killing the legislation this year (session ends on March 21).

  • Any old wind that blows: Despite the fact that Obama won 54% of the vote in Michigan in 2012 (not to mention that Democrats have won the state in every presidential election since 1992), Republicans hold a majority of seats in the congressional delegation, the state House, and the state Senate, because Republicans are really good at gerrymandering. 
      • Fun fact! In both 2012 and 2014, Democrats in state House races actually won more total votes statewide than Republican House candidates... and yet, Democrats remain in the minority. Thanks, gerrymandering!
    • Some Michigan Republicans want to share the gift of gerrymandering with the Electoral College. Last week, four House Republicans introduced a bill that would allocate one electoral vote to the winner in each of the state's congressional districts, and the two remaining votes would be awarded to the statewide vote winner. This system would have given Romney nine of Michigan's 16 electoral votes in 2012, despite the fact that he won only 45% of the vote statewide. 
      • The bill, HB4310, is currently awaiting a hearing in the House Elections Committee. Similar bills have languished in years past, but as Dave Weigel points out in this piece that you should totally read, maybe the second-term Republican governors in these safely gerrymandered states don't have anything left to fear. 

  • Guess things happen that way: This is a busy season for state lawmakers. It's kind of like the holiday rush at the mall, but instead of sweaters and gift cards, we get
Don't ever play with guns
      • Also, the Oklahoma state House has advanced legislation to allow execution by nitrogen hypoxia, an allegedly painless form of asphyxiation that has never been tested as a method of execution for humans. What could go wrong?   
      • Oh, and Alabama is trying to bring back the electric chair, because there's nothing cruel or unusual about zapping a human being with 500 to 2000 (or more) volts for 20 or 30 seconds a few times until they're pretty sure s/he's dead, right?
    • Political hypocrisy (what is truth, anyway?): Wisconsin Republicans didn't seem to have a problem with the state's "John Doe law," a unique statute under which political corruption investigations tend to occur, when it was being used to investigate and indict five state lawmakers in the early 2000s. But now that it's being used to investigate possible illegal coordination between Gov. Scott Walker's gubernatorial campaign and conservative groups, statehouse Republicans are trying to gut it
      • Walker's Republican allies are also working to eviscerate the state's Government Accountability Board, the independent investigative agency that enforces campaign finance, ethics, and election laws, because who needs that, anyway?     
    • Terrible people who run preschools and make laws: Arkansas state Representative Justin Harris seems to have no business doing either of those things, or maybe anything else that involves contact with other human beings. This guy reportedly
      • Abused his power as a committee chair to push through adoptions of three girls,
      • Believed those girls were possessed by demons
      • "Rehomed" two of the girls with a guy who worked at Rep. Harris' state-funded preschool
      • ...a guy who is now in prison for raping one of those girls.
Yeah, there's nothing funny about this.
...but this story did help me realize that I went to college with the current Arkansas House Minority Leader, so that's kind of neat. 

    • No more marriage licenses (no matter how many lines you walk): That bill to get rid of state-issued marriage licenses in Oklahoma actually passed the House, because no one having them is better than teh gays having them, or something. 
And finally, here's some news from the Pine Tree State, because lobster, blueberries, and moose are great things.




The following 46 state legislatures are meeting actively this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VERMONT, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA and WISCONSIN.
Also meeting: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUAM, PUERTO RICO and UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS.


GROUPS 
The National Association of Attorneys General will hold its Southern Region Meeting March 12-13 at the Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama. 

The Democratic Governors Association will hold its Spring Policy Conference March 13-14 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

ALASKA

The House Resources Committee met March 9 to discuss H.B. 92, which requires the labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms. 
CALIFORNIA
The Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee met March 10 to discuss A.B. 96, which prohibits the sale of old ivory. 

FLORIDA

The Senate Community Affairs Committee met March 10 to discuss S.B. 766, which prohibits the capturing of images by unmanned aerial vehicles without consent.  
MAINE

The Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development met March 9 to discuss placing requirements on employers to compensate an employee for accrued sick leave if terminated while out on compensated sick leave. 

MARYLAND

The House Ways and Means Committee met March 10 to discuss H.B. 753, which extends the Film Production Activity Tax Credit until 2019.

NEW JERSEY

The Senate Commerce Committee met March 9 to discuss S.B. 2098, which allows the direct sale of zero emission vehicles by manufacturers to consumers. 

TENNESSEE

The House Civil Justice Committee met March 10 to hear testimony for H.B. 153, which relates to the use of unmanned aerial aircraft to capture images of landowners.
WASHINGTON

The Department of Ecology will hold a hearing March 12 regarding draft water quality standards rules. 


WISCONSIN

The Department of Natural Resources held a public hearing March 11 on proposed amendments to air pollution control rules.