Going for the Gold edition

The Olympic excitement may be winding down in Sochi, but the action in state legislatures continues to heat up. (Also like Sochi, I guess.)

• Speaking of warming... A lawmaker in Utah has introduced a bill that would limit the state's authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. Not only does Rep. Jerry Anderson feel that the greenhouse gas is a "natural component[] of the atmosphere" and consequently couldn't possibly be a pollutant, but he also thinks we actually need more of it. Rep. Anderson fears that we're actually 'short of carbon dioxide for the needs of plants,' since concentrations of the gas were far higher 'at the time of the dinosaurs, and they did quite well.' 
• Fun fact! The dinosaurs died. 
• Fun fact 2! Rep. Anderson is a retired science teacher. Maybe he taught... chemistry...? 

• Short track: Just a few hours ago, the Ohio House (39 D/60 R) finally pushed through the state's most recent attempt at voter suppression. Senate Bill 238 -- which passed on party-line votes in both the House and the Senate (10 D/23 R) -- will shorten the early voting period to eliminate the "golden week," during which voters can register and cast ballots at the same time. The House also passed Senate Bill 205, which ends the practice of local election boards sending out unsolicited absentee ballot applications. Both bills will almost certainly be signed into law by Gov. Kasich.

• Medicaid expansion slalom: While lawmakers in the GOP-controlled New Hampshire state Senate (11 D/13 R) are moving towards an agreement on Medicaid expansion with the the Democratic House (217 D/178 R) and governor, lawmakers in Arkansas are fighting to reauthorize the "private option" expansion that the GOP-controlled legislature already supported last year. Without supermajority support in both chambers (the holdup is in the House [48 D/51 R/1 G]), funding for state's private option to Medicaid expansion will get yanked, and over 100,000 low-income Arkansans would lose their newly-attained coverage.
• Fun fact! While Arkansas requires three-fourths of both legislative chambers to approve all appropriations, a simple majority can override a gubernatorial veto.

• Cross-country bigotry: Even as a Kansas state Senate Republican single-handedly killed that state's bill to allow businesses to refuse service to same-sex couples, the Arizona Senate (13 D/17 R) passed a similar bill on a party-line vote. A Tennessee lawmaker abandoned his own same-sex couple service refusal legislation on Tuesday.

• Men's and women's doubles: On Monday, the Indiana state Senate (13 D/37 R) passed HJR 3, the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. However, because of some changes to the measure and procedural quirks, the amendment is ineligible to appear on the ballot before 2016, and only then after it re-passes both chambers of the legislature in its current form. 

• District line-drawing: The Indiana state Senate has yet to schedule a committee hearing on legislation that would take redistricting out of the legislature's hands and deliver it to a bipartisan commission. (The bill passed the House in late January.) Surely Arnold Schwarzenegger's support of the measure -- though tepid -- will propel it forward.

• Choice stealing: Lawmakers in Alabama are pushing a raft of anti-choice legislation, including one bill that would prohibit abortions after about six weeks and another that would make felons out of doctors performing abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. Yet another would increase the waiting period between seeing a doctor and the performance of the procedure from 24 to 48 hours.

• Tank tanking: A state legislator in New Hampshire has introduced a bill that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from obtaining -- even for free -- "military style equipment" for police use. 
• Related: The Keene police department has a tank. (Have you been to Keene? This is terrifying.)

For the Week of February 19, 2014   The following 38 state legislatures are meeting actively this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARKANSAS, ARIZONA,CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, COLORADO, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, UTAH, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN and WYOMING. Also meeting:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO. GROUPS The National Governors Association will hold their Annual Winter Meeting February 21-24, in Washington, DC.  The Republican Governors Association will hold their Annual Winter Meeting February 21-23, in Washington, DC.  The Democratic Governors Association will hold the Taste of America Gala February 22 at The Mayflower Hotel, in Washington, DC.  The Republican Attorneys General Association will hold their Annual Winter National Meeting February 23-24 at The Capitol Hill Club & Park Hyatt, in Washington, DC. The Democratic Attorneys General Association will hold a Pre-NAAG Reception & Dinner February 23, in Washington, DC. CALIFORNIA The Energy Commission held a public hearing February 18 to discuss proposed amendments to the Appliance Efficiency Regulations. The Commission is establishing efficiency standards, test procedures, labeling requirements and other regulations for a variety of appliances that consume a significant amount of energy or water.  The Senate Agriculture Committee met February 18 to discuss A.B. 1414, which pertains to labeling on egg cartons. CONNECTICUT The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security met February 18 to discuss the licensing of hookah lounges.  The Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employees met February 18 to discuss H.B. 5069, which would require employers to pay a fee for each employee that receives wages below a standard rate, and S.B. 32, which would increase the minimum wage.  The Joint Committee on Environment will meet February 20 to discuss H.B. 5117, which relates to the definition of "clean alternative fuel" when used as a motor vehicle fuel.

LOUISIANA The House and Senate Committees on Transportation, Highways and Public Works met jointly February 17 to consider Design-Build as a construction method for major transportation projects throughout the state.  MARYLAND The House Environmental Matters Committee will meet February 21 to discuss H.B. 718, which would create a $0.05 disposable plastic bag fee for customers.  MISSOURI The Senate General Laws Committee held a hearing February 18 to discuss S.B. 750 which protects employees from being required to disclose their user names or passwords for social networking accounts.  NORTH CAROLINA The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mining and Energy Commission met February 18. The Commission is tasked with developing and implementing a regulatory program for the management of oil and gas exploration and development activities.  SOUTH DAKOTA The House Education Committee will hold a hearing February 19 to consider H.B. 1214, which requires the Department of Education to provide for an independent study and analysis of the potential financial, fiscal and economic impacts of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards to be completed.   TENNESSEE The House Finance, Ways and Means Committee will meet February 19 on H.B. 1743, which encourages the acquisition of energy efficient and alternative fuel state vehicles.  VIRGINIA The Senate Courts of Justice Committee held a hearing February 17 to consider H.B. 17, which specifies that a provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service must disclose a record or other information pertaining to a customer, including real-time location data, to an investigative or law enforcement officer when issued an administrative subpoena during a criminal investigation.

via Stateside Associates, Project Vote. 

Head Over Heels edition

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I love statehouse action

And maybe you do, too!

Or maybe not. Maybe you didn't open the email. Maybe you got bored at 'Violets.'

But if you like your love notes scribbled on the back of floor calendars and your sweet nothings in Joint Resolution form, you've come to the right place! 

• You give love a bad name: Colorado state Senator Bernie Herpin doesn't seem to care who was shot through the heart (or elsewhere) in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting -- or at least he didn't seem to at a Wednesday hearing on a bill to overturn the state's new ban on magazines of 15 rounds or more. Sen. Herpin, elected in last summer in an ultra-low turnout recall election, claimed that it might have been "a good thing" that the theater shooter had a 100-round magazine when he opened fire and murdered 12 people.

• Let them eat chocolates! Or maybe Maine Gov. Paul LePage thought the kids could stand to lose a few. On Tuesday, the state Senate overrode Gov. LePage's veto of a bill that would require schools in low-income communities to run summer nutrition programs for students who qualify for free or reduced lunches. (He probably thinks those kids should be working, not eating.)

• Love in the time of elections: On Wednesday, a federal judge struck down Kentucky's constitutional ban on recognizing same-sex marriages legally performed in other states. Will this become an election issue as Democrats seek to hold on to their majority in the state House (54 D/46 R)? A recent poll found that 55% of voters in the state oppose same-sex marriage -- down 10% from a PPP poll from last spring. If opinions are shifting this quickly on the issue, it could cut either way in the fall.

• Love is a battlefield: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is publicly backing a state Senate bill that would do away with all permits and training currently required to carry a firearm. Anyone not forbidden by law from possessing a gun would be able to carry one, concealed or openly, without a lick of training or experience. Oh, and they could carry their guns into bars, too. Killer idea.

• Can't buy me love: Republicans in the Michigan legislature have shocked no one by scoffing at the notion of raising the state's $7.40/hour minimum wage. Voters may, however, get decide for themselves on a hike to $9.50/hour via a ballot measure this fall... which may also boost turnout as Democrats work to take back the the state House (50 D/59 R/1 I).

• Commitment issues: Despite the fact that both chambers of the Missouri legislature have significant GOP majorities, famous birther and House Speaker Tim Jones is struggling to consolidate Republican support for his pet issue in this year's session: putting a so-called "right to work" measure on the ballot this fall (passing legislation is a non-starter -- Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is sure to veto it). Republican members' view range from "is it worth the bloody battle?" to "I might as well not run." Speaker Jones' own Speaker Pro Tem isn't with him, citing a desire to "focus on the areas where there is more agreement and we can carry a message together as a party." 

• Paradise by the dashboard light: Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee are in the final days of a two-year organization campaign, and state Republicans are going all-in to attack... the company. Volkswagen has opted to stay neutral as the plant's workers seek to form a union, prompting everyone from GOP Gov. Bill Haslam and Sen. Bob Corker to Grover Norquist to Republican state lawmakers to attack the carmaker. GOP legislators are accusing Volkswagen of actively promoting the unionization campaign (because that makes sense... wait, no.) and are threatening to block the kinds of tax incentives for future expansion that have benefited the job-creating, tax base-strengthening, economy-boosting plant over the past three years.

• Lust for life: Looks like death row inmates in Wyoming won't be facing down a firing squad, after all. Executionees in Missouri, however, might still get their chance. Meanwhile, Washington's governor has declared a moratorium on the death penalty. 

• Choice in the matter: Ohio Republicans are still trying to get rid of the state's "golden week," that magical span of time in which folks can register to vote and cast their ballot on the same day. The most recent attempt passed a House committee on Tuesday. 

For the Week of February 12, 2014   The following 41 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARKANSAS, ARIZONA,CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, COLORADO, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, UTAH, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN and WYOMING. Also meeting:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO

GROUPS    The National Association of Secretaries of State will hold their Annual Winter Conference February 12-15 at The JW Marriott, in Washington, D.C.  The National Association of State Election Directors will hold their Annual Winter Meeting February 13-15 at The JW Marriott, in Washington, D.C.  ARKANSAS    The State Legislature convened a 30-day Fiscal Session on February 10.   CALIFORNIA  Same Day Registration bill AB 843 was filed with the Chief Clerk. This bill would additionally require that a registrant provide proof of residency in order for a conditional voter registration to be deemed effective. Driver's license, student ID, tribal ID, or signed oaths from a fellow registered voter are considered sufficient proof of residency. COLORADO    The House Judiciary Committee met February 11 to discuss H.B. 1127, which addresses credit report use.  FLORIDA    The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee met February 10 during an interim committee week to discuss S.B. 638, which would prohibit organizations that have broken charitable-solicitation laws in other states from a presence in the state.  GEORGIA Voter Registration bill HB 942 was first read in the House. This bill would provide online voter registration through the secretary of state's Web site. An applicant would be able to register to vote online by executing a computerized mark in the signature field or on and after July 1, 2015, submitting an electronic copy of his or her signature. HAWAII The House Labor and Public Employment Committee met February 11 to discuss several measures concerning raising the minimum wage.  MARYLAND The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will meet February 12 to discuss the expungement of court and criminal records and to what extent an employer can utilize a criminal record in the hiring decision making process.  The Senate Finance Committee will meet February 13 to discuss several measures concerning raising the minimum wage.

NEW HAMPSHIRE The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee met February 11 to discuss H.B. 1220, which would mandate 10% ethanol levels in gasoline.   The House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee held a hearing February 11 to discuss H.B. 1403, which would raise the state's minimum wage to $9.00 over the next two years.  NEW MEXICO The House Voter and Elections Committee met February 11 to discuss H.J.R. 9, which proposes a constitutional amendment to increases the state's base minimum wage of $7.50 per hour based on yearly inflation.  OREGON The Senate Health Care and Human Services Committee met February 11 to discuss S.B. 1543, which prohibits employers from reducing a full-time employee's hours for the sole purpose of preventing the employee's eligibility for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.  TENNESSEE The House Consumer and Human Resources Committee will meet February 12 to discuss H.B. 1694, which would increase minimum wage for employees to $8.25 per hour if they are not offered health benefits through their employer.  WYOMING Governor Matt Mead (R) delivered his State of the State address on February 10.   The State Legislature convened February 10 for a Budget Session.

via Stateside Associates, Project Vote. 

Batsignal edition

It's that bat-time of week again...

Oregon and Connecticut have joined the fray of statehouses in session at the moment. Next week, Wyoming will begin churning legislative fodder for our perusal (and, admittedly, potential entertainment). Of these chambers, however, only the Oregon Senate (16 D/14 R) is remotely competitive this fall.

But there's a veritable rogue's gallery of legislatures already compelling us to tune in! 

• Reruns already? In Colorado, Republicans are trying to undo the same-day voter registration law Democratic majorities passed through the legislature last year. GOPers claim they're concerned about "fraud." Yet somehow, same-day voter registration seems to be working out just fine in states like Maine, Idaho, Minnesota, Wyoming, and Wisconsin... and those are only the states that have been doing it for over 20 years. New Hampshire, Montana, Iowa, Connecticut, and California haven't had their same-day voter registration laws on the books for quite as long, but they seem to have avoided anarchy or monarchy or whatever whatever it is Colorado Republicans are so paranoid about. Maybe it's all that legal pot...

• Speaking of substances... Lawmakers in Georgia are debating measures that would allow bars more "freedom" when St. Patrick's Day falls on or near a Sunday. (By the by, I prefer my "freedom" neat.)

• Holy constitutional convention! Georgia has also just become the first state to pass a resolution calling for a Convention of the States... Because if it allows Obamacare to be constitutional, it clearly needs to be fixed, or something. And direct election of Senators is just so hackneyed. Yawn. 

• THIS is the weapon of the enemy. Kansas lawmakers rewrote their gun laws last year to make them some of the most... permissive in the country. In fact, the state enacted what's believed to be the first law in the nation banning the use of tax dollars on "publicity or propaganda" on gun issues. But now some legislators want to go a little further and strip cities and counties of any authority to regulate guns. 

• Holy time warp! Nixon impeached? Missouri Republicans must be nostalgic for headlines from 40 years ago. Republican Rep. Mike Moon plans to file an article of impeachment against Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon over his alleged failure to set special elections quickly enough to satisfy the lawmaker's tastes. Rep. Moon isn't alone in his retro craze -- last fall, another Republican lawmaker threatened to file articles of impeachment over Gov. Nixon's decision to allow same-sex couples legally married outside of the Show-Me State to file joint tax returns.

• Holy hand slap! It's amazing that Missouri lawmakers will have any time at all for impeachment proceedings, what with all the time they're spending with things like establishing the high-five as the official state greeting. 

• A shocking twist! I can't believe I'm the only one who was surprised that Maine Gov. Paul LePage's State of the State address last night wasn't just a dramatic reading of his enemies list. The GOP governor, up for reelection this year, declined to further push his child-labor proposals when he discussed economic development. He did, however, find common ground with Democratic majorities in the legislature when he discussed the state's drug epidemic, which probably means supporters of marijuana legalization should focus their efforts elsewhere for the time being.

• Tune in next week! An Indiana Senate committee will hold a hearing on the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage next Monday, February 10. The ban passed the state House last week.

For the Week of February 5, 2014 The following 38 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, COLORADO, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, UTAH, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA and WISCONSIN. Also meeting:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO

GROUPS The National Association of State Energy Officials holds its 2014 Energy Outlook Conference February 4-7 at The Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners will hold its Winter Committee Meetings February 9-12 at The Renaissance Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C.  The National Association of Secretaries of State will hold its Winter Conference February 12-15 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. CONNECTICUT The General Assembly is scheduled to convene its 2014 Legislative Session February 5.   Governor Dannel P. Malloy (D) will deliver his State of the State address February 5.   COLORADO The House Health, Insurance and Environment Committee will meet February 6 to discuss H.B. 1134, which concerns the registration of health care insurance navigators and H.B. 1126, which provides that a patient must be notified of their breast tissue classification.  GEORGIA The Human Relations and Aging Committee met February 3 to vote on H.B. 290, which would allow employees to use sick leave for the care of immediate family members.  A special run-off election was held February 4 for House Districts 2 and 22. House District 2 was vacated by Jay Neal (R) and House District 22 was vacated by Calvin Hill (R). Both seats remained in Republican hands. HAWAII The Senate Committee on Energy and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection met February 4 to discuss S.B. 2932, which establishes energy storage portfolio standards and the reduction of fossil fuel usage.   The Senate Technology and the Arts and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committees will meet February 6 to discuss S.B. 2474, which establishes the Hawaii Cybersecurity, Economic, Education and Infrastructure Security Council within the Office of Information Technology.  MAINE The Senate Judiciary Committee met February 4 to discuss L.D. 1660, which pertains to patent trolls.   MARYLAND The House Ways and Means Committee will meet February 5 to discuss H.B. 76 which prohibits the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and H.B. 117, which convenes a panel to discuss alternative education assessments.   The Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee will meet February 5 to discuss S.B. 251, which will ban the use of trans-fats in prepared food at public schools and universities.

NEW HAMPSHIRE The House Environment and Agriculture Committee held executive sessions February 4 to make recommendations on multiple bills which will exempt products made in the state from federal regulations as long as they remain in the state. The Committee also held an executive session on H.B. 1287, which requires mandatory deposits on beverage containers. OREGON The Legislature convened its 2014 Legislative Session February 3.  SOUTH CAROLINA The Senate Agricultural Subcommittee will meet February 6 to discuss H.B. 3987, which would increase the standards for labeling seafood products sold in the state.  TENNESSEE Governor Bill Haslam (R) delivered his State of the State Address February 3.  The Insurance and Banking Committee met February 4 to discuss H.B. 937, which would allow the state to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and H.B. 1265, which would require health insurance policies to cover screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

via Stateside Associates, Project Vote. 

If I Had A Gavel edition

Gavel-banging season continues in statehouses across the country. Utah joined the legislative fray this week, and now 36 sessions are in full swing.

As November elections creep ever closer, let's check in on some of the sexier statehouses.

• The battle for the Kentucky House (54 D/46 R) is officially under way as the filing deadline came and went on Tuesday. Only 45 of the 100 seats will be contested this fall, and Democrats are pleased that several of their members in the increasingly conservative western part of the state will be unchallenged in November. Republicans are optimistic about their chances to win control of the state House for first time since 1921, but Democrats think the GOP fell short of fielding the candidates necessary to flip the chamber.

• A Michigan House (50 D/59 R/1 I) committee has passed a lazy oppo researcher bill (as I like to think of it, anyway). The measure would require all candidates for office to reveal any felony convictions from the previous decade when they file to run.

• Minnesota Democrats are accusing the state Republican Party of failing to report spending in 2012 state Senate (39 D/28 R) campaigns. Last year, the GOP accused the DFL of improperly coordinating with Senate candidates, a matter settled in December with a fine. Republicans are hoping to erode Democrats' majorities in the state House (73 D/61 R) and Senate this fall.

Elsewhere...

• Now that the Utah legislature is in session, the state AG is asking lawmakers to slow their roll on reactionary bills -- both pro- and anti-equality -- that could muddy the legal waters around an eventual SCOTUS ruling on the constitutionality of the state's ban on same-sex marriage. 

• Speaking of marriage equality, a Republican lawmaker in Oklahoma has reacted to a court decision overturning that state's same-sex marriage ban by introducing a bill that could ban all marriages. Clever. (Not.)

• In the event that marriage remains legal in Oklahoma, another lawmaker has introduced a bill to make ending marriages more difficult. The measure would impose a six-month waiting period on couples seeking a divorce. 

Fun fact: Oklahoma imposes no waiting period on gun purchases.

• Department of loose threads: And while we're still on the subject, last week I announced that HJR3, the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Indiana, had just been maneuvered to the House (31 D/69 R) floor by Speaker Brian Bosma's scheming. As predicted, the measure passed the House, but only after language banning all civil unions was stripped from it. Now the measure must pass the state Senate (13 D/37 R). 

• Theme-spotting: "Ban the box" bills are popping up all over the place this session. Versions of the measure, which would ban questions about criminal background on job applications and help ex-offenders find employment, have surfaced in Delaware, Nebraska, Virginia, and New Jersey. According to the National Employment Law Project, nine states (CA, CO, CT, HI, MA, MD, MN, NM, RI) already have "ban the box" laws (and IL has an administrative order).

• Olympic fever: The Olympics are almost upon us, so this seems like a great time to point out that Dick "Foz" Fosbury, the Olympic track and field champion who basically invented the modern, backwards high jump (the Fosbury Flop!) is running for the Idaho House of Representatives (13 D/56 R) as a Democrat. 

Headline writers and sports metaphor junkies, rejoice!

And because it all comes back home in the end...

• In Virginia, the final recount results boosted Democrat Lynwood Lewis's lead in the SD06 special election from nine votes to 11. Lewis's swearing-in gave each party 20 members in the state Senate, but Democrats have an effective majority in most matters with Democratic LG Ralph Northam presiding. 
• History lesson: Back in 2011, when the shoe was on the other foot, Republicans refused to enter into any kind of power-sharing agreement, despite existing precedent. Shady GOP antics (remember the re-redistricting Senate GOPers rammed through while a Democratic lawmaker and civil rights leader attended Obama's second inauguration?) followed. 
• And the inevitable response: This recent GOP-set precedent emboldened Democrats to take the authority to which they were entitled as they reorganized the chamber yesterday.

For the Week of January 29, 2014 The following 36 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, DELAWARE, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, UTAH, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA and WISCONSIN. Also meeting:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO

GROUPS The National Conference of State Legislatures will hold its Executive Committee and LSCC January 30-February 1 at The Omni Hotel in Austin, Texas.  ARIZONA The House Committee on Energy, Environment and Natural Resources held a public hearing January 27 to discuss H.B. 2226, regarding changes to the vehicle emissions inspection program.  DELAWARE The House Economic Development, Banking, Insurance and Commerce Committee met January 28 to discuss S.B. 6, which increases minimum wage to $8.25 per hour.  The House Economic Development, Banking, Insurance and Commerce Committee will meet January 29 to discuss H.B. 60, which relates to the direct shipment of wine in the state.  GEORGIA The Human Relations and Aging Committee met January 27 to discuss H.B. 290, which allows employees to use sick leave for the care of immediate family members.  INDIANA The Courts and Criminal Code Committee met January 27 to discuss H.B. 1248, which would make any material, compound, mixture or preparation containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine a schedule III controlled substance.  MARYLAND The House Ways and Means Committee met January 28 to discuss H.B. 63, which provides a tax exemption for the purchase of college textbooks.

MASSACHUSETTS Governor Deval Patrick (D) delivered his State of the Commonwealth Address January 28.  NEW HAMPSHIRE The House Environment and Agriculture Committee met January 28 to discuss multiple bills addressing an exemption from FDA labeling standards if the product is produced and remains in the state.  The House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee held a hearing January 28 to discuss H.B. 1592, which requires the state to pay prevailing wages on state-funded public works projects.  TEXAS  A runoff election was held January 28 for House District 50, which was vacated by Mark Strama (D). Democrat Celia Israel won with 59% of the vote. Her victory gives the Texas legislature two out members for the first time. WISCONSIN The Senate Health and Human Services Committee met January 29 to discuss A.B. 445, which requires a person to present identification before a pharmacist may dispense a schedule II or III controlled substance.

via Stateside Associates, Project Vote. 

Consequences Have Elections edition

Another week, another bunch of lawmakers doing their lawmaking. Thirty-five legislatures are now in session (also, D.C. and Puerto Rico). Over the coming months, that number will rise to 46 (Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Texas have no sessions scheduled for this year). 

But if you're looking for a really important number, try 86. Of the 98 partisan legislative chambers in the country, that's how many will have elections this fall (Nebraska is unicameral and ostensibly nonpartisan, so it doesn't count). Some will elect entire chambers. Others will elect chunks of their state Senates. Notwithstanding those coming up against term limits, the vast majority of the legislators meeting in state capitals across the country right now are facing reelection in November.

While this may not phase lawmakers with lopsided majorities (say, Alabama, Hawaii, Massachusetts or Wyoming, for instance), it's fair to say a lot of them are taking those elections into account as they go about the business of governing.

So how's that working out so far in some of the more competitive chambers?

• In Minnesota, state Republicans are itching to take back the House (73 D/61 R) and Senate (39 D/28 R) majorities they historically snatched from Democrats in 2010, only to see them flip back in 2012. Controversy surrounding House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt won't be of much help to them, though. After a gun-related dispute associated with his attempt to purchase a Ford Bronco in Montana, as well as his perceived failure as a fiscal conservative, GOP leaders in his home district planned a vote of "no confidence" in him on Tuesday. They cancelled at the last minute after the Minority Leader showed up at the meeting to defend himself. (Minnesotans are so polite.)

• Arizona Senate: After the state's Independent Redistricting Commission drew equitable new legislative maps in 2011, Democrats made significant gains in the 2012 elections; now winning a majority in the state Senate (13 D/17 R) seems within striking distance over the next cycle or two. So, in the waning hours of last year's legislative session, state Republicans rammed through a restrictive elections bill. Opponents organized and effectively halted the implementation of the bill by placing it on the 2014 ballot as a referendum. Now Republicans are considering an end-run around the referendum: HB 2196 would repeal the law and cancel the November referendum. Legislators then plan to reintroduce parts of the old law as new bills so that, if reenacted, citizens would have to launch an entirely new petition drive (or drives) to halt the measure(s) and put them back on the ballot.

• Also in the Arizona House (23 D/36 R), one Republican thinks the state is helping too many kids afford college, because who needs an educated workforce, anyway? 

• Democrats in the Washington Senate (23 D/23 R/2 MCC) hope to move from their weird tie/power sharing/effective minority situation to an outright majority this fall. The state enjoyed a great deal of progressive attention last November as SeaTac voted to raise its minimum wage, so now a GOP state Senator is pushing legislation that would prohibit all future attempts by localities to pass minimum wage measures. Even if it passes the Senate, though, the measure will likely die in the state House (55 D/43 R).

• In Kentucky, House (54 D/46 R) Democrats may have a shot at getting a felons voting rights measure through the state Senate (14 D/23 R/1 I) this year. 

Stay tuned for news from Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond as sessions unfold!

Elsewhere...

• While the Indiana legislature is not considered especially competitive by most folks, Democrats did hold a majority in the state House as recently as 2010. Since Republicans took over, the state has created one of the biggest school voucher programs in the country, passed a so-called "right to work" law, and otherwise just generally been terrible for progressive interests. Now GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma is leading the charge on a constitutional same-sex marriage ban. After realizing the measure (HJR 3) would likely fail in one committee, the Speaker simply shunted it to another. The amendment just passed the Elections and Apportionment Committee earlier this evening and will go before the full House, which is expected to pass it. If the amendment also passes the Senate, it will go before voters this fall.

• There was another special election in Virginia yesterday. Democrat Jennifer Wexton won Attorney General Mark Herring's state Senate seat rather handily. If Democrat Lynwood Lewis can hold on to his tiny lead in the SD06 race (recount next week), Democrats will have effective majority control of the state Senate.

• Legal pot in Oklahoma? It could happen. Theoretically. 
• Also in Oklahoma, one Republican is so worried that the courts will strike down the state's same-sex marriage ban that he wants to pass another one just like it, you know, as backup. 

• States all over the country have pretty much run out of one of the drugs in the classic death row cocktail, so some lawmakers are going old school when it comes to killing people in the name of the law. Virginia legislators are mulling bringing back the electric chair full-time. A Missouri lawmaker thinks firing squads are a totally humane way to execute folks, which was shocking when a Wyoming lawmaker said pretty much the same thing last week, but now I guess is old hat. 
• Meanwhile, after the state became the first to use a new lethal injection drug combo (with apparently horrifying results), some legislative Democrats in Ohio are pushing measures to abolish the death penalty or to require the governor to be personally present during future executions.

• Death penalty too heavy? Well, if you're still in Ohio, you might be able to get some insanely strong beer (21% ABV!) in the not-so-distant future...
• ...which maybe you can drink in Colorado while you party until last call at 7 a.m.

For the Week of January 22, 2014 The following 35 state legislatures are actively meeting this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, DELAWARE, GEORGIA, HAWAII, IDAHO, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA and WISCONSIN. Also meeting:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO

GROUPS The United States Conference of Mayors will hold its Winter Meeting January 22-24 in Washington, D.C.  The Democratic Attorneys General Association will hold its Winter Policy Conference at The Loews Portofino Hotel January 23-25 in Orlando, Florida. ALASKA The Legislature convened the 2014 Legislative Session January 21.          ALABAMA The House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will hold a hearing January 22 to hear H.B. 49 relating to water conservation and drought prevention.              DELAWARE The House Economic Development, Banking, Insurance, Commerce Committee will meet January 22 to discuss S.B. 6, which increases minimum wage to $8.25 per hour.  Governor Jack Markell (D) will deliver his State of the State Address January 23.  HAWAII Governor Neil Abercrombie (D) delivered his State of the State Address January 21.   INDIANA The Senate Local Government Committee will meet January 22 to discuss SB 353 which establishes an interim study committee to review and study education legislation.  The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee will meet January 24 to discuss SJ0009, which relates to the right to hunt, fish and harvest.  LOUISIANA The House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice and Senate Committee on Judiciary B met January 21 to discuss the feasibility and practicality of authorizing Internet gaming in Louisiana.    MARYLAND    The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee will meet January 22 to discuss S.B. 30, which limits the collection of student data in higher education.  Governor Martin O'Malley (D) will deliver his State of the State addressJanuary 22.  MASSACHUSETTS The Joint Committee on Transportation will meet January 22 to discuss H.B. 3369 which allows the operation of autonomous vehicles on state roads for the purpose of technological testing.  MISSOURI Governor Jay Nixon (D) delivered his State of the State address January 21.  The Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee met January 21 to discuss S.B. 518, which expands the Medicaid managed care program statewide.  NEW HAMPSHIRE The House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee met January 21 to discuss HB 1405, which prohibits an employer from using an employee's credit history in employment decisions.  The House Commerce and Consumers Affair Committee will meet January 23 to discuss HB 1288, which requires bottled water to label its source.

NEW YORK The Assembly Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee met January 21 to discuss A.B. 2648, which creates the "New York Safe Child Care Act," an act to ban unsafe toys from day care centers.  OKLAHOMA The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will meet January 22 to hear SSP 26, a study to propose ways to reduce the risk of death and disease among smokers by considering policies that encourage smokers to switch from cigarettes to other tobacco products that pose less risk. The Committee will also discuss HSP 3083, a study to investigate appropriate regulation of vapor and other emerging nicotine products. RHODE ISLAND A special primary election was held January 21 for Lisa Baldelli-Hunt's (D) former seat in House District 49 as a result of her resignation. It was pretty much the general, though, because the winner will be the only candidate on the ballot in the 2/25 general special. SOUTH CAROLINA Governor Nikki Haley (R) will deliver her State of the State Address January 22.  WASHINGTON The House Committee on Technology and Economic Development met January 21 to discuss HB 2183, which creates goals for energy independence.  An executive session will be held January 22 for H.B. 2133, which addresses student personal identifiable data and issues of privacy.

via Stateside Associates, Project Vote.