Double Down edition

My deepest apologies for the prolonged hiatus. My summer exploded a little in June. Important parts of my life fell by the wayside for a bit. There may or may not be a goldfish dead of neglect involved.

(There's not.)

But state politics halted for nary a second, and much well-deserved attention was received by 

• Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis

• New voting laws in North Carolina

• Two state legislative recall elections in Colorado

... among other things.

Courtesy of the good folks at Atlas, here's some of the statehouse hotness you might have missed this week, because maybe there's some other stuff going on, and you've been busy.

• "Stand-your-ground" in schools? Lawmakers in Indiana are considering expanding the state’s “castle doctrine” law that allows people to stand their ground and use deadly force if they perceive a threat to themselves, their property or another person.
• New Mexico's Secretary of Human Services claims "there has never been and is not now any significant evidence of hunger" in the state, so New Mexico shouldn't “just expand every government food program in existence.” (Not so) fun fact: The non-profit group Feeding America ranked New Mexico as the second worst state in the country for child hunger and general food insecurity.
• In Virginia, that zany fellow who ended up in the LG slot on the Republican ticket this fall gets just a little more...interesting every day. Earlier this week, E.W. Jackson claimed that non-Christians “are engaged in some sort of false religion,” and next week he's holding a fundraiser with former Congressman Allen West. Now reports have surfaced that a woman filed a restraining order against Jackson in 2006 after he allegedly threatened her. Wouldn't it be just great if he presided over the state Senate and were a heartbeat away from the Governor's mansion? 
• Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's NERD Fund, which is sustained by the generosity of undisclosed, unknown private donors, is paying for the condo of Detroit emergency manager Kevin Orr, who already draws a $275,000 taxpayer-funded salary. Fun fact: NERD Fund is already under scrutiny because of its role in funding Gov. Snyder's operations, including the salary of Snyder adviser Rich Baird, who helped recruit Orr to serve as emergency manager.

And here's a groovy blast from the past: Once upon a time (in 2011), Arizona's Governor tried (unsuccessfully) to oust the head of the Independent Redistricting Commission, the panel created by a 2000 state constitutional amendment tasked with redrawing congressional and legislative district lines every ten years, when the Commission produced districts insufficiently favorable to Republicans. Gov. Brewer's attempt at gerrymandering-by-coup failed under court challenge, and the new maps went into effect for the 2012 elections -- resulting in Arizona's congressional delegation transforming from 5R/3D to 4R/5D. 

So Republicans are trying to rig the game again -- this time through a court challenge claiming the Independent Redistricting Commission's mandate to draw congressional district lines undermines the state legislature's authority as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution. 

Weird, the Arizona GOP didn't seem to have an issue with the IRC's authority when it produced maps in 2001 that gave Republicans six of eight seats in the 2002 election...

So much action! And with the Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania legislatures all in session, be on the lookout for scads more fun in the near future!

For the Week of September 27, 2013 GROUPS    The National Association of State Budget Officers will hold its Fall Meeting September 26-28 in Alexandria, Virginia.  The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) will hold its Annual Retreat September 29 - October 1 in Lanai City, Hawaii.  ALASKA The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will hold a public hearing September 23 to discuss proposed rule amendments to hydraulic fracturing rules.  CALIFORNIA The Air Resources Board will hold a public hearing September 26 to discuss amendments to the Consumer Products Rule addressing Aerosol Coating Products.  GEORGIA The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet September 25-27 to view Georgia's "50 Years of Economic Development" presentation with Governor Nathan Deal (R) and hear remarks by Chairman Ron Stephens (R) and Chairman Frank Ginn (R).  MARYLAND The Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission will meet September 25 to discuss the assessment of risks associated with drilling.  MASSACHUSETTS The Joint Labor and Workforce Committee will hold a hearing September 24 to discuss H.B. 1739 and S.B. 900, which require all employers in the state to give their employees paid sick time.  NEW HAMPSHIRE The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee will hold a subcommittee work session September 24 to discuss H.B. 286, which addresses broadband expansion and prohibits municipalities from being retail providers of broadband services.  NEW MEXICO The Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee will meet September 23 and 24 to discuss replacing the state gross receipts tax with a sales tax.  OHIO The House Health and Aging Committee met September 25 to discuss H.B. 139, which provides that a physician assistant who is under the supervision, control and direction of a doctor or a podiatrist may admit a patient to a hospital.  PENNSYLVANIA The General Assembly reconvened September 23.  The House State Government Committee met September 25 to discuss a number of bills related to public records access.

Bogus Journey edition

This week seems like a good time to sprinkle in some looks back at some loose ends I've left danging in other emails over the past few months. So consider this a sequel of sorts. Statehouse Action Returns. Reloaded. The Actioning. 2 1/2. The New Batch. The Statehouse Strikes Back. 2 Statehouse 2 Action. You get the idea. 

• Because it's been a whole year since the last one of any note, the gods of legislative drama have proclaimed, "LET THERE BE RECALL!" This year's hot recall action will be in Colorado, where a bunch of folks totally pissed about the state's new gun control laws have initiated the first legislative recall election in the state's history. The targeted lawmaker is Senate President John Morse, who helped lead the push for the passage of measures that ban ammunition magazines containing more than 15 rounds and require background checks for private gun sales.  However, unlike the historic legislative recall elections in Wisconsin of the past two years, this one is purely symbolic. The Wisconsin recalls always had the potential to (and did, briefly) give Democrats a majority in the Senate; if Sen. Morse is ousted, the chamber will still have a Democratic Senate President-- Democrats have a five-seat majority. 

• Speaking of Wisconsin, once upon a time, the GOP-controlled legislature passed a voter ID bill that was later nullified by state courts. GOP state Rep. Jeff Stone thinks he's found a way around the courts' issues with the requirement, though: Just humiliate the poors! Seriously, his bill requires folks who try to vote but don't have a photo ID to sign an affidavit saying they're too poor to get one. And as if this weren't enough rottenness for one piece of legislation, the bill also paves the way for corporate and increased lobbyist contributions in state elections. 

• A Connecticut bill to legalize mixed martial arts (think UFC) finally passed both chambers of the legislature and awaits the Governor's signature. If this bill becomes law, New York will be the only state in the nation in which the sport remains illegal. 

• Two new so-called "right to work" bills are receiving committee hearings in Ohio, but that doesn't mean they're going anywhere. Just last month, Republican leadership in the state Senate killed similar measures quite swiftly. 

Three new states join the sine die list. Kind of. 

• In Texas, the legislative session is only sort of over. After last week's adjournment, Gov. Perry immediately called lawmakers back to deal with court-mandated redrawing of state legislative districts (last year's elections were held on interim, court-drawn maps). 

• In Oklahoma, the GOP-led legislature has sent the Governor an income tax cut, a budget including increased funding for child welfare and mental health programs, and a $45 million appropriation from the state's Rainy Day Fund to cover tornado recovery. Statehouse Republicans once again failed to grant raises to public employees, and Democrats worry that the new tax cuts disproportionately benefit the wealthy. 

• In Missouri, legislators' work has functionally been over for a couple of weeks, but now the session has officially adjourned. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is expected to veto several of the GOP-led legislature's bills, so it's hard to say exactly what will come out of this session in the end. Gov. Nixon has already vetoed a bill that would have cut the state's corporate tax rate in half without providing for any revenue increases. He's also vetoed an anti-Sharia/foreign law bill, citing not constitutionality concerns, but rather difficulties it may present to those who want to adopt from overseas. Other bills that may be on the receiving end of Gov. Nixon's veto pen include one making it harder for some public employee unions to deduct members’ dues from their paychecks and another restricting the use of abortion-inducing drugs. The Governor has until July 14 to sign, veto, or allow to become law without his signature all remaining bills. Lawmakers will convene again in September to try to override Gov. Nixon's vetoes. Oh, and the legislature totally promises to study expanding Medicaid while they're on summer break. 

• In Arizona, statehouse Republicans finally blinked in the face of Gov. Jan Brewer's executed threat of vetoing every bill that crossed her desk until the legislature voted on her plan to expand Medicaid. 

Meanwhile, North Carolina's new GOP majorities deserve some followup attention. BREAKING: They're still being terrible. 

• They're awfully close to repealing the Racial Justice Act, a law that allows convicted killers to avoid the death penalty if they can demonstrate that court decisions were tainted by racial bias. 
• A bill that would allow private employers to refuse to cover abortion in health insurance plans easily passed the House and is awaiting a Senate committee hearing. A controversial provision that would have allowed insurers to opt out of contraception coverage was deleted.  
• Legislation requiring that sex ed instruction include teaching young women that abortions lead to subsequent premature births has passed the Senate and is awaiting a hearing in a House committee. 
• On the upside, legislation requiring minors to obtain written parental permission before receiving birth control, STD treatment, mental illness, or substance abuse treatment seems to be languishing in a House committee. 

Legislator of the Week honors go to Alabama state Senator Shadrack McGill. I mean, his name is Shadrack. Also, his wife took to her husband's Facebook page to warn all the ladies sending her husband sexy messages and pictures on "our face books" to please stop, because they're just like women who dress slutty in church. Or something. Anyway, that's not even the best part. Sen. McGill defended his wife by saying that her post came in response to incidents like the one where two strippers showed up at his home in the middle of the night. Democracy!

I really can't imagine a better note to end on than that. Less sexy stuff below.

For the Week of June 5, 2013 The following 22 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, WASHINGTON and WISCONSIN

GROUPS    The Republican Attorneys General Association will hold its Summer National Meeting June 8-11 in Mackinac Island, Michigan. Connie Campanella at cc@stateside.com CALIFORNIA The Air Resources Board will hold a public workshop June 3 to discuss potential changes to the cap on greenhouse gas emissions and market-based compliance mechanisms.  The Senate Committee on Health will meet June 5 to discuss A.B. 209, which requires the State Department of Health Care Services to develop and implement a plan to monitor, evaluate and improve the quality, accessibility and utilization of health care and dental services provided through Medi-Cal managed care.  CONNECTICUT The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn sine die June 5. LOUISIANA The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die June 6.  MASSACHUSETTS The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture met June 3 to discuss H.B. 808, which addresses the labeling of genetically modified foods.  The Joint Committee on Public Health met June 4 to discuss H.B. 1992, which prohibits the manufacture, sale or distribution of any child care product containing bisphenol-A (BPA). MICHIGAN The House Tax Policy Committee will meet June 5 consider two measures, H.B. 4202 and H.B. 4203, which apply the state sales tax to purchases made over the Internet.

NEVADA The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die June 3. NEW HAMPSHIRE The Senate will vote on its version of the FY 2014-2015 budget June 6.  NEW YORK The Senate Education Committee will meet June 6 to discuss S.B. 5509, which directs the Commissioner of Education to establish an online learning committee to make recommendations for the establishment of a statewide online and blended learning program.

Achtung Baby! edition

So Congress names post offices, and state legislatures ... well, they do other stuff.

LIke adjourn! Joining the sine die list this week are:

• Alabama: Legislators decided that loosening campaign finance restrictions on corporate campaign contributions would be a good idea if they also increased transparency at the same time. The GOP majorities also passed an education scheme that funnels taxpayer money to private and religious schools, and they loosened restrictions on guns. 

• Iowa: Not to diminish the EPIC ACHIEVEMENT of post office naming or anything, but it seems having a House with a GOP majority and a Senate with Democratic majority can actually result in a lot of stuff getting done. The divided legislature had to go into extra innings to do it, but lawmakers expanded Medicaid and passed a bipartisan tax-relief plan. The extended session wasn't without its fair share of drama -- an early dust-up over proposed abortion restrictions was described as "an ideological train wreck in the House Republican caucus" -- but the legislature, in the end, took care of the business of governing their state. 

• Minnesota: The Democrats seemed eager to capitalize on the legislative majorities they won in last fall's elections as they pushed through several agenda items, including same-sex marriage, no-excuse in-person early voting, and allowing in-home daycare and healthcare workers to unionize. They also raised the cigarette tax and increased taxes on top earners to fund education and job-creation initiatives while closing a budget hole. However, bills aimed at raising the state's minimum wage and tightening gun restrictions ultimately failed.  

Meanwhile, in states still toiling away at the business of governing, 

• In Virginia, Steve Martin is standing by some pretty terrible things he said. No, not that Steve Martin. State Sen. Stephen Martin, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican LG nomination earlier this month, doubled down on remarks he made last week alleging that Planned Parenthood has caused more deaths among African Americans than the Klu Klux Klan. He is, however, totally sorry that he falsely claimed that the KKK was created by the Democratic Party. He said it himself: "My integrity is important and I always strive to be accurate." In related news, irony is on life support in the Commonwealth.

• In Arizona last week, some folks freaked out because an atheist Representative gave the opening, ah, "prayer" for the House Session one day by sharing some thoughts on his "secular humanist tradition," and a fellow legislator sought to somehow compensate by offering an extra prayer as "repentance" for this godless heathen of a colleague's transgression the day before. Additionally, Gov. Jan Brewer is sticking to her guns when it comes to her threat to veto everything that comes across her desk until the legislature agrees to expand Medicaid... Or Until the End of the World, whichever comes first, I guess. 

• The Texas legislature passed a bill allowing the state to administer drug tests to folks seeking unemployment benefits, and Gov. Perry will surely sign it into law. A similar measure targeting welfare recipients failed. 

• A Democratic Senator in Michigan has introduced a bill that would end the state's ban on same-sex marriage. It's So Cruel, but with a legislature dominated by the GOP and a Republican occupying the Governor's mansion, this measure may well go nowhere.

Bill of the Week: Lawmakers in Kansas are addressing a growing threat within our armed forces. No, they're not taking action on rampant sexual assault within the ranks. Rather, they're concerned that soldiers lack sufficient access to rifle scopes bearing Bible verses. The state Senate has already passed a resolution addressing this alleged discrimination against Christians, and the House is rushing to not be out-religioned by their colleagues in the upper chamber.

• Also in Kansas, a Republican Senator has shown himself to be something of a logic Acrobat. Sen. Melcher fears that a rather popular proposal to cut the state's tax on groceries is actually an insidious form of "social engineering." He believes that reducing the grocery tax would cause people to buy fewer non-edible goods because they'd spend all their money on that low-tax food, and also that people would eat more. So according to Sen. Melcher, low taxes = more fatties. Democracy!  

Legislator of the Week Runner-up: A Kentucky state Representative might have been thinking about riding her wild horses before she was pulled over for driving 109 miles per hour. She says she won't contest the ticket, though, because no One is above the law.

Legislator of the Week: This week's winner is a Republican from Nebraska who serves in the state's unicameral, ostensibly nonpartisan state Legislature. Senator Kintner sat down for an interview with a local reporter this week, and he shared his views on women. Apparently, we move In Mysterious Ways. 

Biggest mystery? Women. No one understands them. They don't even understand themselves. Books and books and books have been written about it, and no one understands it.
Men are very easy to understand. Very basic, very simple.

Maybe that explains

I was single for 47 years. I was good at it.

Also, Sen. Kintner's approach to his diet sounds rather... aerobic. 

There's not much about food that escapes me. I like to eat.

I'm sorry about the running gag. OK, half sorry. At least a third sorry. Here's some gag-free stuff.

For the Week of May 29, 2013 The following 22 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OREGON, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, WASHINGTON and WISCONSIN

GROUPS The Republican State Leadership Committee will hold its Future Majority Project Summit May 29-30 in Austin, Texas. The National Conference of State Legislatures will hold its Executive Committee and LSCC May 30-June 1 in Boston, Massachusetts.  The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee will hold its Southern Leadership Conference June 2-3 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  LOUISIANA The Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing May 30 to discuss proposed amendments to its hydraulic fracturing rules.  MICHIGAN The House Tax Policy Committee will meet May 29 to discuss H.B. 4234, which exempts from the sales tax the agreed upon value of motor vehicles used as part payment of the purchase price of another titled motor vehicle.

MISSISSIPPI Patricia Willis won the special election held on May 28 for House District 95. Special elections in Mississippi are nonpartisan. MISSOURI The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn sine die May 30.  NEW HAMPSHIRE The Department of Environmental Services will hold a public hearing May 30 to discuss proposed revisions to the fuel specifications provisions of the state air regulations.  NEW YORK The Senate Environmental Conservation Committee will meet May 30 to discuss S.B. 4709, which prohibits the manufacture, sale or distribution of business transaction paper containing bisphenol A (BPA).    OHIO The House Public Utilities Committee will meet May 29 to discuss H.B. 136, which authorizes the Third Frontier Commission to award grants related to the establishment and operation of data centers and the development of a high speed fiber optic network in the state.  OREGON The House Consumer Protection and Government Efficiency Committee will hold a work session May 28 to vote on S.B. 683, which prohibits practitioners from limiting referrals of patients to health care entities in which the practitioner has a financial interest or employment relationship.  SOUTH CAROLINA The House Sales and Income Tax Subcommittee will meet May 29 to discuss H.B. 3116, which taxes services at the rate of 6%. TEXAS The Legislature will adjourn sine die and convene a special session May 27.

An Ounce of Convention is Worth a Pound of Cure edition

Virginia politics enjoyed a big weekend as the state GOP's nominating convention produced some surprising results. Virtual unknown E.W. Jackson emerged from repeated rounds of balloting as the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor. The party's nominee for Attorney General, on the other hand, was almost a foregone conclusion after Cuccinelli endorsed state Sen. Mark Obenshain before balloting began. Jackson's inflammatory statements have been generating headlines, and since the outcome of the LG race will determine which party has effective majority control of the state Senate for the next two years, this candidate and this contest deserve a great deal of scrutiny. 

But let's not neglect the Republican AG nominee. From Jim Gilmore to Mark Earley to Jerry Kilgore to Bob McDonnell to Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia Attorneys General have a tendency to run for Governor. As the son of a U.S. Senate candidate, there's no reason to think Sen. Obenshain's ambition is any less lofty. 

So who is this Obenshain guy? Since state legislators are kind of my thing, I thought I'd take a look at some of the bills he's sponsored over the course of his Senate tenure. His legislation that would require women to report miscarriages to the police has received some scrutiny, but there's so much more to Sen. Obenshain than that. 

• Sen. Obenshain is a major force behind recent voter suppression efforts in the Commonwealth. He sponsored the new law that requires all voters to present a form of identification with a photo in order to cast a ballot. I guess he decided that the restrictive voter ID law he championed last year didn't go far enough. He previously sponsored legislation that required valid voter ID to contain both a photo and a signature.

• Sen. Obenshain sponsored Virginia's new law that permits certain college student groups to discriminate based on religion, sexual orientation, or personal beliefs. 

• Sen. Obenshain has a long history of attacking women's reproductive rights. He tried to ban abortion at 20 weeks, and he attempted to prohibit insurance obtained under Obamacare from covering abortions: He tried to require physicians to anesthetize the fetus for pregnancies terminated after the first trimester. He also tried to grant 'personhood' to zygotes, embryos, fetuses, et cetera. 

• Sen. Obenshain tried to repeal Virginia's corporate income tax.

• Sen. Obenshain attempted to force political parties to bear the costs of primary elections, a move which would place great pressure on Virginia's parties to select candidates through the kind of conventions that led to his AG nomination. (He introduced this bill long before the Virginia GOP announced it would ditch the primary and nominate its 2013 candidates via convention.)

Obenshain and Cuccinelli are cut from the same cloth. It's a good bet that four years of Obenshain would look a lot like a continuation of Cuccinelli's tenure as AG.

In Sine Die news, 

• Arkansas lawmakers formally wrapped up their legislative session last week. The newly-minted Republican majorities had quite a busy few months, during which they took every opportunity to flex their conservative muscles. Right-wing agenda items that met with success this session included voter ID and extreme abortion bans. They also managed to expand Medicaid, if in a sorta weird way. Next year's fiscal session may be a tad more tame, but a good bit of havoc can be wreaked with purse strings, too, so we shall see. 

And in other news, 

• Minnesota lawmakers went ahead and passed that bill that opens absentee voting to all those eligible.

• Vermont has become the first state to legalize so-called "assisted suicide" through legislative action. The bill makes it legal for doctors to prescribe lethal doses of a medication to a terminally ill patient (who must request and administer it themselves). 

• A Utah state Senator is messing with Texas (by competing with them for Beretta, which is threatening to bolt Maryland because of its new gun control laws).

• A bold North Carolina lawmaker is taking a stand against "Sharia law ... infiltrat[ing] other cultures" by pushing an anti-foreign law bill. And he's hardly alone in his mission; Missouri passed its own anti-foreign law bill this year. Didn't you miss creeping Sharia? I know I did.

Bill of the Week: Honors go to an especially bold Utah law that was just blocked by a federal court. The law, passed and signed earlier this year, prevents some federal officials (specifically, Bureau of Land Management rangers and Forest Service officers) from enforcing state, local, or federally assimilated laws anywhere in Utah. Nullification is alive and well in the states; more on that to come in future editions.

Other, less sexy stuff below.

For the Week of May 22, 2013 The following 27 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, WASHINGTON and WISCONSIN

GROUPS    The Democratic Governors Association will hold its Spring Policy Conference May 22-23 in National Harbor, Maryland. The United States Conference of Mayors will hold its Mayors Innovation Summit May 22-24 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ALABAMA The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die May 20.  ARIZONA The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die May 23.   CALIFORNIA The Air Resources Board will hold a public workshop May 20 to discuss amendments to the zero emission vehicle rules and the plug-in hybrid test procedures. Comments will also be accepted.  The Senate Committee on Appropriations will hold a meeting May 22 to discuss S.B. 622, which levies a tax on bottled sweetened beverages.  ILLINOIS Youth Voting bill HB 226 was sent to the governor. This bill allows a citizen who is 17 years of age and who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general election to be deemed competent to execute and attest to any voter registration forms.  IOWA The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die May 20.

MINNESOTA  The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die May 20.  NEVADA Conduct of Elections bill AB 48 was read a second time in the Senate. This bill makes several changes to election law in Nevada. Among other provision, this bill makes it a category B felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 20 years for knowingly voting under another person's name or voting when not qualified to vote.  NEW JERSEY The Senate Transportation Committee will meet May 20 to hear testimony on S.B. 2531, which replaces the motor fuels tax with a vehicle miles traveled tax for passenger vehicles.  NEW YORK The Senate Health and Welfare Committee will meet May 21 to discuss S.B. 1987, which prohibits smoking on the grounds of general hospitals and residential health care facilities. Omnibus bill SB 5446 was referred to the Senate Elections Committee. This bill relates to voting rights expansion, voter registration on election day, expansion of the use of and requirements for absentee voting, creation of a real-time state-wide voter registration database, special ballots for election employees, etc. NORTH CAROLINA Conduct of Elections bill HB 311 was referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary. This bill would repeal the literacy test for voters.     OREGON The Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education will hold a public hearing May 20 to discuss S.B. 666, which allows a virtual public charter school to receive funding for supplemental online courses.  The House Business and Transportation Committee will hold a work session May 21 to vote on H.B. 2950, which allows employees to take family leave in the event of the death of a family member.  Voter Registration bill HB 3521 is scheduled to be heard May 22 by the House Rules Committee at 3:00 p.m. This bill directs the secretary to register to vote each non-registered person who is qualified to vote and to notify such individuals how to cancel registration and how to adopt or change political party affiliation. This bill directs qualified voter registration agencies to provide the secretary of state with age, residence, and citizenship data and digital signature of each person who meets qualifications set by the secretary of state. This bill increases the maximum number of electors in a precinct from 5,000 to 10,000.  SOUTH CAROLINA The House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee will hold a hearing May 23 to discuss S.B. 148, which allows authorities to place a preemptive security freeze on protected consumers' credit reports.

Vote or Sine Die edition

While I was at the beach, some more legislatures wrapped up their sessions. What havoc did they wreak? Well, let's see...

• Florida: With GOP supermajorities busted for the first time since... well, a while, a general air of cooperation seemed to prevail in this year's legislature. Public education got more funding, and public workers and teachers got raises, but the still heavily-GOP chambers failed to expand Medicaid. (Fun fact: One of my law school colleagues ended up getting himself elected to the Florida House. He threw some extremely serious parties back in the day.)

• Hawaii: Although efforts to raise the minimum wage failed in the final hours bill negotiations, the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature passed legislation to start a new loan program for solar panels and other green energy equipment and advanced a constitutional amendment for state-funded preschool. They even passed a bill requiring superPACs to disclose their top three donors in campaign ads. 

• North Dakota: In a nutshell, the legislature ensured that little kids will get milk at snacktime, possibly from a shared cow, and speeding fines will remain wicked cheap. Oh, and they did everything they could think of to make obtaining a safe, legal abortion nearly impossible in their state (court challenges are already getting under way). 

• Colorado: These folks were busy. They taxed and regulated recreational pot, and they provided for increased mental health resources, They approved same-sex civil unions, passed gun-control laws,  and established same-day voter registration and a comprehensive vote-by mail system.

In other voting news, 

• Alabama is on its way to lopping a week off the length of time during which folks can register to vote. 

• Legalizing same-sex marriage was pretty cool, but Minnesota also is on its way to passing a measure to allow voters to cast in-person absentee ballots without giving a reason. 

• Not wanting to be shown up by the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the Delaware legislature is following its passage of a same-sex marriage bill with a measure that would allow Election Day and online voter registration.

• In New Jersey, Gov. Christie vetoed a bill that would have created a 15-day early voting period. 

• An Oregon measure that would result in the automatic registration of eligible voters continues to inch forward.

And even though it's not over until June, I kind of wish North Carolina's legislative session would wrap up. They're moving all kinds of nonsense through there (local reports indicate that ALEC still holds a lot of sway in the state, despite past controversy). For example,

• A bill (that passed committee just this morning and is headed to the House floor) allowing private employers to refuse to cover contraception in health insurance plans.
• A bill requiring that sex ed instruction include teaching young women that abortions lead to subsequent premature births.
• A bill requiring minors to obtain written parental permission before receiving birth control, STD treatment, mental illness, or substance abuse treatment. 
• A bill ending the requirement that utility companies use solar and other alternative energy sources, because climate change is a myth and who needs the Outer Banks anyway, right? 

And now, because YOLO (You Only Legislate Once), my Bill of the Week is actually a pair of measures moving in New York and Connecticut to legalize mixed martial arts (UFC and the like) in those states. If these bills pass, MMA will be legal in all fifty states.  In case you're into that. (Don't judge.)

Less sexy stuff below.

For the Week of May 15, 2013 The following 29 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, VERMONT, WASHINGTON and WISCONSIN. GROUPS    Women in Government will hold its Annual Western Regional Conference May 16-18 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The National Association of Medicaid Directors will host its Spring Membership Meeting May 19-21 in Westminster, Colorado.  ALABAMA Voter ID bill SB 81 was indefinitely postponed.  This bill would allow a qualified voter to sign an affidavit affirming his or her identity if the elector does not have valid photo identification. Existing Alabama law would require voters to show valid photo ID to vote in person, effective in the first statewide primary in 2014.  ALASKA The Department of Environmental Conservation will hold a public hearing May 16 to discuss proposed amendments to the state air quality control rules.  CALIFORNIA The Senate Appropriations Committee met May 13 to discuss S.B. 700, which requires a retail establishment to collect a charge of $0.05 for each single-use carryout bag provided to a customer.  The Department of Conservation will hold a public workshop May 16 to discuss the development of draft hydraulic fracturing rules.  DELAWARE The Board of Pharmacy will hold a hearing May 15 to discuss proposed amendments to the definition of compounding.  FLORIDA Omnibus bill HB 7013 was sent to the governor. Among several other provisions, this bill allows the supervisor of elections to offer early voting before the official early voting period, at the supervisor's discretion, on the 15th, 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th, or 2nd day before a state or federal election, for at least 6 hours but not more than 12 hours per day at each site, up to a maximum of 14 days of early voting. Early voting currently begins on the 10th day before an election and ends on the third day before Election Day.  ILLINOIS Youth Voting bill HB 105 was scheduled to be heard May 14. This bill requires public universities to send students an email on voter registration during even-numbered general election years. The bill establishes requirements concerning the content of the message and when it should be sent. The bill requires the Board of Higher Education to issue a notice to each public institution of higher learning of the requirements concerning the electronic message in August of each even-numbered year during which a general election is held. This bill amends the Board of Higher Education Act. The bill provides that the Board of Higher Education shall include specified information concerning college voter registration on its Internet website.  LOUISIANA Voter Registration bill HB 341 passed the House as amended. Among many provisions, this bill provides for the voluntary registration of entities that conduct voter registration drives; provides that eligibility of applicants who submit applications through voter registration agencies must be processed like voter registration cards delivered by mail, "which procedures include an initial verification mailing."  MASSACHUSETTS The Joint Committee on Public Health will hold a hearing May 14 to discuss H.B. 2081, which provides for the establishment and operation of a cancer drug repository program.  MONTANA The Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing May 16 to discuss proposed amendments to a hazardous waste rule.  NEVADA The Assembly Taxation Committee met May 14 to consider A.B. 498, which creates the Nevada Entertainment and Admissions Tax and imposes it on admission to any place of amusement, sport, recreation or other entertainment where an admission charge is collected. Voter Registration bill AB 440 was heard May 14 by the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections at 9:00 a.m. This bill extends the period in which a person may register to vote for primary, primary city, general and general city elections until the last day of early voting for those elections, which is the Friday before the election. This bill also allows a person to register to vote by computer after the fifth Sunday before the election. Additionally, this bill extends the period in which a person may register to vote for all elections except otherwise specified recall and special elections until the fourth day before the election. These changes take effect onJanuary 1, 2014  NEW JERSEY The Pension and Health Benefits Review Commission will meet May 17 to consider S.B. 792, which requires health insurers to cover comprehensive ultrasound breast screenings, if a mammogram demonstrates certain dense breast tissue, and also requires mammogram reports to contain information on breast density.  SOUTH CAROLINA The House Judiciary Committee will meet May 14 to consider H.B. 3514, which places limitations on the use of unmanned aircraft by law enforcement agencies. WASHINGTON The Legislature convened a special session May 13.  WYOMING The Joint Judiciary Interim Committee met May 13 to discuss a draft measure to create a uniform schedule of misdemeanors in the state.