Gregoire warns Washington state agencies of deeper cuts
Rattled by global economic uncertainty, Gov. Chris Gregoire has asked state agency leaders and front-line workers to start getting ready for budget cuts as deep as 10 percent, or $1.7 billion, in January – in case state revenue plunges again. | 08/09/11 13:05:46 By - Brad Shannon
'Impeach Obama,' tea party group tells Texas Rep. Burgess
During a meeting with a Texas tea party group, U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess was told they were unhappy that he supported the landmark deal that raised the country's debt ceiling by $2 trillion while cutting more than that in public spending. When one attendee suggested that the House push for impeachment proceedings against President Barack Obama to obstruct the president from pushing his agenda, Burgess was receptive. | 08/09/11 07:39:58 By - Aman Batheja
S.C. groups ask Justice Dept. to block voter ID law
A coalition of six S.C. groups, including the ACLU and the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, moved Friday to halt a new state law that requires voters to present a picture ID to cast a ballot at the polls. | 08/08/11 07:41:46 By - Gina Smith
In California's redrawn political districts, white voters will dominate
Most of California's legislators and congressional representatives will be elected over the next decade from districts dominated by white voters, the state's new political maps show. | 08/08/11 06:42:39 By - Jim Sanders
Washington Sen. Murray wants veterans' suicides tracked nationally
Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Wednesday encouraged state governments to start tallying veteran suicides, as her state already does. Her goal is to quantify an under-reported number that could help health agencies improve their outreach to service members who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. | 08/05/11 07:44:44 By - Adam Ashton
Perry's prayer rally goes too far, critics say
Gov. Rick Perry has never been hesitant about proclaiming his deep devotion to God and the lifelong "walk of faith" that has carried him from his boyhood on a West Texas tenant farm to the state's highest office. Even some of his sharpest critics don't dispute the sincerity of Perry's beliefs. But they say the Republican governor has gone too far with his leadership role in behalf of The Response, a seven-hour gathering of prayer and fasting expected to draw about 8,000 participants to Houston's Reliant Stadium on Saturday. | 08/05/11 07:38:33 By - Dave Montgomery
International House of Prayer aids Perry's 'The Response' rally
One day from kickoff, critics are increasingly piling on Texas Gov. Rick Perry for a big NFL stadium prayer rally set for Saturday in Houston. The rally is called "The Response." A spin through its website indicates heavy influence by the International House of Prayer, which draws thousands of young people from all over the world to Kansas City. | 08/05/11 07:20:48 By - Donald Bradley
Poll: Romney leads GOP race in Florida, voters upset with Obama
Most Floridians say President Barack Obama doesn't deserve a second term following an emotional debate over the national debt ceiling, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday. The survey also showed Mitt Romney leading the pack of GOP presidential candidates in Florida. | 08/05/11 07:07:15 By - Michael C. Bender
Murkowski learned of Fuglvog's plea deal 3 months after it was made
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday that she had no idea for three months that her fisheries adviser had signed a plea deal with federal prosecutors in which he'd admitted illegal fishing and agreed to nearly a year in federal prison. But Murkowski said she still kept him on the job for a month after he told her of his crime in June. | 08/05/11 06:47:22 By - Sean Cockerham
Gov. Perry's prayer day event is nonpolitical, organizers say
Organizers of Saturday's daylong Houston prayer service initiated by Gov. Rick Perry say it will be devoid of politics, but the event will nevertheless put a spotlight on Christian voters and social conservatives who intend to be a potent force in the 2012 presidential election. | 08/04/11 07:37:24 By - Dave Montgomery
Murkowski fails to answer questions about fisheries aide Fuglvog
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday continued to refuse to answer questions about her top fisheries advisor Arne Fuglvog, who faces nearly a year in prison after he admitted lying about illegally catching at least $100,000 worth of sablefish. Murkowski has repeatedly declined to answer any questions about Fuglvog, including when she learned Fuglvog was under criminal investigation and whether she knew he admitted his crime to federal prosecutors four months ago. | 08/04/11 06:34:44 By - Sean Cockerham and Richard Mauer
Michigan group wants to appeal Kansas abortion rules injunction
An out-of-state group of physicians opposed to abortion is trying to nudge its way into the legal battle over new Kansas rules for abortion clinics. The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists wants to intervene in the lawsuit and appeal the federal court ruling that temporarily blocked Kansas from imposing new licensing rules for abortion providers. | 08/03/11 07:18:51 By - Brad Cooper
California asked to investigate group running identity-fraud ad
The state attorney general and California's campaign watchdog agency have been asked to investigate a new labor-backed group telling voters that signing initiative petitions increases risk of identity fraud. Californians Against Identity Theft's 60-second radio ad, which is airing on stations in Sacramento and Southern California, urges listeners not to sign initiative petitions. | 08/03/11 06:52:11 By - Torey Van Oot
Murkowski aide Fuglvog resigns, agrees to plea deal for falsifying records
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's fisheries aide has resigned and faces prison time after admitting to breaking commercial fisheries laws. Arne Fuglvog, who has long played an influential role in Alaska fisheries politics, will be sentenced to 10 months in jail if a judge agrees to his plea deal on the charge of falsifying fishing records. The deal also includes $150,000 in fines and an admission of guilt. | 08/03/11 06:34:06 By - Casey Grove and Sean Cockerham
Florida, key 2012 battleground, shows split on debt ceiling
Florida's U.S. senators parted ways on the debt ceiling Tuesday, a split that serves as an indicator of just how hard fought the 2012 election cycle is likely to be in a crucial battleground state. | 08/03/11 06:22:14 By - Erika Bolstad
Judge blocks Kansas' Planned Parenthood de-funding plan
What flies with the Kansas Legislature doesn't always fly in federal court. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten issued a preliminary injunction Monday that blocks Kansas from stripping federal family-planning funds from Planned Parenthood. He ordered the state to start distributing the money to the agency. | 08/02/11 07:22:13 By - Brad Cooper
California lawmaker questions state's unspent stimulus funds
With deadlines approaching to spend more than $250 million in federal stimulus funds, some California officials fear much of the money might never reach Main Street California. If the money isn't spent by early next spring, the federal government could demand a refund. | 08/02/11 06:54:14 By - Paresh Dave
Federal spending cuts may hit California farm subsidies, high-speed rail
There are about 866,000 Californians who are paying for college with federal Pell grants. This week, they should count themselves lucky. California, overall, will take a special whack in the budget-cutting to come, if for no other reason than it currently soaks up so many federal dollars. The federal government spent $345 billion in California in 2009, and that will shrink. | 08/02/11 06:49:15 By - Michael Doyle
Rick Perry's political rise fueled by Texas' wealthiest
En route to becoming Texas' longest-serving governor, Rick Perry has forged a network of reliable big-money donors who could help fuel a Perry presidential bid and would be in position to exert expanded influence on the national stage if another Texan lands in the White House. | 08/01/11 07:35:50 By - Dave Montgomery
Matthew Perry, federal judge and civil rights pioneer, dead at 89
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Perry, a towering civil rights figure who used intellect, hard work and courage to end segregation in South Carolina and usher in a more just society, was found dead at his home on Sunday. He would have turned 90 this week. | 08/01/11 07:30:21 By - Dawn Hinshaw
Kentucky Gov. Beshear says Obama wasn't snubbed during visit
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said Thursday that he did not mislead the public when he said a scheduling conflict prevented him from appearing with President Barack Obama at Fort Campbell in May. Beshear was criticized by many for appearing to snub the president and the troops Obama was honoring who were involved in the killing of Osama Bin Laden. | 07/29/11 07:06:26 By - Beth Musgrave
California will move presidential primary to June
Tired of presidential candidates treating California like an ATM, raising vast sums of money here but spending it in states where campaigns cost less and matter more, state officials four years ago agreed to hold the 2008 primary in February. Now, Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign legislation moving next year's presidential primary back to June, consolidating it with the statewide primary election. | 07/29/11 06:37:12 By - David Siders
Without debt deal, 7,300 S.C. workers could face furloughs
South Carolina will consider furloughing more than 7,000 state workers whose salaries are paid by the federal government if a deal to increase the federal debt ceiling is not reached by next week. | 07/28/11 12:18:30 By - Gina Smith
S.C. Lt. Gov. Ard says he won't resign
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Ken Ard, facing a state grand jury investigation into his admitted ethics violations, showed up for work Tuesday to say he will not resign — quieting whispers of back-door maneuvering to succeed the embattled Florence Republican as the state’s second-highest-ranking elected official. | 07/27/11 07:30:32 By - Adam Beam
N.C. House overrides abortion bill veto
By a single vote, the North Carolina House on Tuesday overrode the governor's veto of a bill intended to discourage abortions by requiring women to wait 24 hours, receive counseling and be shown an ultrasound before the operation can take place. | 07/27/11 07:27:33 By - Craig Jarvis and Lynn Bonner
Jerry Brown picks Goodwin Liu for California Supreme Court
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday nominated UC Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu to the California Supreme Court, two months after Republican opposition forced Liu to withdraw his nomination to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. | 07/27/11 06:52:59 By - David Siders
Florida Rep. Rivera faces federal probe over casino contract
Federal investigators have opened a second criminal probe of U.S. Rep. David Rivera, examining undisclosed payments from a Miami gambling enterprise to a company tied to the Republican congressman, The Miami Herald has learned. | 07/22/11 06:51:15 By - Scott Hiaasen and Marc Caputo
Lawmakers want VA to pressure state on veterans homes
California lawmakers are now trying to use federal dollars as leverage to open long-stalled veterans' homes in Fresno and Redding. In a lobbying bank shot, House members want Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to pressure California about opening the Central Valley homes. Shinseki certainly has clout, if he chooses to use it. | 07/21/11 11:11:15 By - Michael Doyle
S.C. Lt. Gov. Ard to face grand jury
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said Wednesday that he will ask the state grand jury to investigate allegations of illegal use of campaign money by Lt. Gov. Ken Ard. The decision to have the state grand jury investigate a sitting state constitutional officer is historic. After the governor, the lieutenant governor is the second-ranking official in the state. | 07/21/11 07:34:01 By - John Monk and Adam Beam
Obama's remarks on corporate plane tax breaks spark anger in Kansas
About 100 people, including Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, gathered in an aircraft engine shop Wednesday to protest President Obama’s recent comments about tax breaks for corporate planes. During ongoing battles over the budget and the federal debt ceiling, the president has cited corporate aircraft as an area where he wants to repeal tax breaks to generate more revenue for government. | 07/21/11 07:17:25 By - Dion Lefler
Florida rejects child-abuse prevention funds tied to health care law
Florida lawmakers have rejected more than $50 million in federal child-abuse prevention money. The grants were tied to the Obama administration’s health care reform package, which many lawmakers oppose on philosophical grounds. | 07/21/11 07:10:11 By - Carol Marbin Miller
Revisions hit congressional maps in North Carolina
What began as an adjustment involving five N.C. counties on Tuesday turned into a congressional map that jumbles districts across the state and pits four Democrats against other incumbents. Republican lawmakers had promised a ripple effect when they began redrawing their 2-week-old map. | 07/20/11 12:23:25 By - Jim Morrill and Craig Jarvis
Charlotte mayor lobbies DNC for $55M in convention funds
Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Anthony Foxx said he's confident the city will get $55 million in security funds for the Democratic National Convention, but the impasse in Congress over the debt ceiling concerns him. Foxx and the mayor of Tampa, which is hosting the Republican National Convention, were in Washington, D.C., last week lobbying Congress for the money. | 07/20/11 07:25:23 By - Steve Harrison
San Francisco circumcision ban vote may be derailed by new bill
San Francisco could not ban circumcision of children under new state legislation proposed this month in the California Assembly. The Bill would apply to any city or county government but was introduced in response to a San Francisco ballot measure designed to prohibit child circumcision there. | 07/20/11 06:45:38 By - Jim Sanders
Anonymous election flier in Georgia race condemned for racist caricatures
An anonymous flier purporting to endorse a number of candidates in Tuesday’s election in Macon, Georgia, is drawing widespread condemnation for its tone and racist caricatures. | 07/19/11 12:49:00 By - Jim Gaines
Perry plays coy about presidential run
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Monday highlighted themes that he would likely unleash in a campaign against President Barack Obama, but he offered no firm clues on when — or if — he plans to climb into a race for the White House. | 07/19/11 07:21:15 By - Dave Montgomery
DeMint urges S.C. GOP donors to 'keep the powder dry'
S.C. Republicans have given the least money to presidential candidates — a scant $105,000 — of any of the five early primary states, according to the Federal Election Commission. | 07/19/11 07:13:37 By - Adam Beam
GOP ads go after Kentucky Gov. Beshear
Kentucky's race for governor heated up Monday as the state Republican Party ripped Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear for use of state aircraft and Beshear's re-election campaign aired two new TV ads touting his record on the economy. | 07/19/11 06:51:31 By - Jack Brammer
Partisan group launches anti-Capps ad
An anonymously funded ad volley Monday targeting Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, kicked off what's likely to be one of California's most hotly contested 2012 campaigns. | 07/19/11 06:27:31 By - Michael Doyle
Brownback's tax incentives to draw people to rural Kansas questioned
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is trolling for people, but with bait that may not work. Trying to rebuild rural Kansas, the Brownback administration is offering income tax breaks and student loan subsidies to lure people into areas with dwindling populations. | 07/18/11 07:15:57 By - Brad Cooper
Texas spending kept rising for years with Perry as governor
Gov. Rick Perry's political stock has soared in recent months as he has traveled the country touting a decade of fiscal restraint in Texas under his leadership. Yet before the budget he signed last month, the Texas budget had consistently grown during Perry's time as governor, with total spending rising faster than inflation and population growth, state data show. | 07/18/11 06:19:18 By - Aman Batheja
More late-term abortion restrictions will become Missouri law
New restrictions on late-term abortions in Missouri will become law Aug. 28 without Gov. Jay Nixon’s signature. Nixon, a Democrat, announced Thursday that he will not veto legislation passed earlier this year by the General Assembly, but he would not formally sign it either. | 07/15/11 06:53:18 By - Jason Noble
Kentucky Republican files complaint over homeless voter registration
Bill Johnson, Republican candidate for secretary of state in Kentucky, filed an ethics complaint Thursday against Secretary of State Elaine Walker and the State Board of Elections over voter registration of homeless people. | 07/15/11 06:45:37 By - Jack Brammer
Teaching gay history becomes law in California
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation requiring public schools to teach students about the contributions of gay and lesbian people, making California the first state to adopt such a measure. The legislation requires instruction in the social sciences to include the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, as well as people with disabilities and members of other cultural groups. | 07/15/11 06:27:20 By - David Siders
House GOP proposes deep cuts to highway, transit funding
A six-year transportation funding bill that Republicans in the House of Representatives outlined Thursday would sharply cut highway and transit funding and seek to curb Amtrak and high-speed rail projects that the Obama administration supports. | 07/07/11 17:14:36 By - Daniel Lippman and Curtis Tate
1,500 new laws will affect day-to-day life in Texas
Maybe you won't notice until you buy a scratch-off lottery ticket, decide to go fishing without a pole, sign your child up for a driver's education class or have a loved one in a nursing home or hospice on a hot day. But those are among the times Texans will see and feel the impact of the work that state lawmakers did -- and Gov. Rick Perry signed off on -- during the 82nd Legislature this year. | 07/06/11 12:13:21 By - Anna M. Tinsley
California state budget gives 1% tax break
It might be time to buy that Tiffany necklace, Sony plasma TV or Winnebago you've been hankering for. Starting Friday, California shoppers will pay 1% less for taxable goods, meaning potentially hundreds of dollars of savings on big-ticket items | 07/01/11 13:16:01 By - Kurtis Alexander
Florida Rep. Wilson steps in for jailed Navy photographer
A South Florida congresswoman is going to bat for a U.S. military war veteran from her district who is in a Miami lockup on a passport fraud charge and fears deportation to his mother’s native Bahamas. | 07/01/11 12:51:17 By - Carol Rosenberg
Rising star in Idaho GOP charged with truck theft, DUI
Idaho Senate Caucus Chairman John McGee was released from the jail on a $5,000 bond after a short 10-minute hearing Monday afternoon. The 38-year-old Republican was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with a felony truck theft and misdemeanor DUI after police found him in the backseat of an SUV — towing a 20-foot trailer — that witnesses say he initially tried to drive off in. | 06/20/11 21:23:25 By - Kathleen Kreller
In Kentucky's governor's race, religion isn't an issue
All three campaigns in this year's race for governor and lieutenant governor say none should try to make an issue of any opponent's religious affiliation. They also say their campaign would denounce any person or group that tries to make religious affiliation an issue in the race. | 06/20/11 13:07:24 By - Jack Brammer
Fla. Gov. Scott is sued by teachers' union
The Florida Education Associate announced today it has filed a class action lawsuit against Gov. Rick Scott and other trustess of the state retirement plan for unconstitutionally imposing a 3 percent pay cut on teachers to balance the budget. | 06/20/11 11:56:02 By - Mary Ellen Klas
Missouri Gov. Nixon vetoes voter-ID bill
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Friday vetoed legislation that would have required voters to show photo identification at the polls and allowed some ballots to be cast before Election Day. In his formal veto message, Nixon said the bill would disenfranchise voters who don’t have access to a photo ID or the documents necessary to obtain one, such as a birth certificate. | 06/20/11 07:23:15 By - Jason Noble
Poll: Romney is favored by California Republicans
California Republicans favor presidential candidate Mitt Romney by a comfortable margin over other Republicans, a Field Poll released today shows. When stacked up against 11 other announced or potential Republican candidates, Romney is the first choice of an eye-catching 25 percent of GOP voters in the state. | 06/20/11 06:52:20 By - Michael Doyle
John Edwards wins stay in sex tape case
John Edwards has been spared from having to sit down with attorneys for his former campaign aide next week, when he was scheduled to respond to questions under oath about an alleged sex tape with his mistress. | 06/17/11 07:23:32 By - Anne Blythe
Holder, McConnell at odds over Kentucky terror suspects
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Thursday night strongly defended plans to keep two accused terrorists in the United States to stand trial in federal court. His position puts him at odds with Kentucky politicians and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who want the two Iraqi-born Bowling Green residents to be moved to a detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. | 06/17/11 07:10:30 By - Halimah Abdullah
Circumcision ban ballot measure called anti-Semitic
A San Francisco ballot measure to ban circumcision is spurring charges of anti-Semitism while galvanizing faith leaders and politicians who believe the initiative threatens religious freedom. The initiative, which qualified for the San Francisco ballot in May, has drawn national attention. The measure would make circumcision illegal for boys under 18. | 06/17/11 06:40:29 By - Jennifer Garza
Fla. Gov Scott suspends drug testing for state workers
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has suspended his executive order requiring state agencies to conduct drug screenings of job candidates and random drug tests of current employees, according to a memo issued by his office. | 06/16/11 14:11:04 By - Katie Sanders
As Missouri River rises, Brownback calls for flood control study
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday called for a 9/11-type federal commission to study flood-control policy along the Missouri River — as muddy, rising water swirled only a few feet away. | 06/16/11 07:16:55 By - Dave Helling
'Sopranos' comment sparks fight on California Assembly floor
A fight broke out Wednesday on the Assembly floor as Assemblyman Warren Furutani confronted Assemblyman Don Wagner over comments deemed offensive. The two members jawed angrily in each other's faces before Furutani, D-Gardena, appeared to give Wagner a shove, prompting several colleagues to separate them in the final minutes of the day's budget session. | 06/16/11 06:57:04 By - Kevin Yamamura
Palin emails highlight Alaska Gov. Parnell's loyalty to her
Sean Parnell’s role as a faithful Sarah Palin loyalist is underscored in the Palin emails released last week, which show him feeding her information about a critic, praying for her and defending the oil tax increase he’s now trying to roll back. Parnell, now Alaska’s governor, was always publicly supportive of Palin when he was her lieutenant governor. | 06/16/11 06:50:07 By - Sean Cockerham
House farm spending bill hits California growers, poor
California farmers and the poor get nicked in a slimmed-down farm spending bill whose expected approval this week foreshadows harder choices to come. | 06/15/11 18:31:23 By - Michael Doyle
Texas Senate passes 'sanctuary cities' bill
Embracing one of Gov. Rick Perry's top priorities, the Texas Senate voted 19-12 on party lines early Wednesday to pass a so-called sanctuary city bill despite impassioned warnings from the chamber's Hispanics that the bill will breed discrimination and make Texas "an unwelcoming place." | 06/15/11 07:27:34 By - Dave Montgomery
Texas police oppose 'sanctuary cities' bill
The largest law enforcement agencies in Texas joined forces with Hispanic leaders Monday in opposing a so-called sanctuary cities bill that supporters say is a needed tool against illegal immigration. The emotion-charged bill, which Gov. Rick Rick Perry has designated as a top priority, would let law officers ask about immigration status when they arrest or detain someone. | 06/14/11 07:31:09 By - Dave Montgomery
Job growth is theme of Obama's N.C. visit
President Barack Obama visited the Triangle on Monday with some of the nation's leading corporate executives in tow, pledging to find ways to accelerate job growth in an economy where high unemployment continues to be a drag on the recovery. | 06/14/11 07:19:29 By - Rob Christensen
About one month of Palin's emails missing from documents
Nearly a month of former Gov. Sarah Palin's emails are missing from the documents released to media organizations last week, a gap that raises questions about what other emails might also be missing from what's being nationally reported as her record as Alaska governor. | 06/14/11 06:37:15 By - Sean Cockerham
Administration, Delta farmers oppose bill to halt river restoration
A controversial bill blocking restoration of the San Joaquin River would "ignore universally accepted" science and "hasten the decline of numerous species," a top Obama administration official declared Monday. | 06/13/11 18:10:20 By - Michael Doyle
Texas light bulb bill would skirt federal plan
Texas could soon be in a position to turn the lights off on a federal plan to phase out certain light bulbs. State lawmakers have passed a bill that allows Texans to skirt federal efforts to promote more efficient light bulbs, which ultimately pushes the swirled, compact fluorescent bulbs over the 100-watt incandescent bulbs many grew up with. | 06/13/11 07:36:13 By - Anna M. Tinsley
Obama's visit highlights N.C. political battleground
When President Barack Obama flies into North Carolina's Triangle area today, he will enter a state that has shifted from reliably Republican in national politics to one of the newest presidential battleground states. The Obama visit is not overtly political, and he is expected to focus on job training and economic issues when he visits Cree, the LED lighting manufacturing company in Durham. | 06/13/11 07:21:11 By - Rob Christensen
Bob Dole drops by his Kansas hometown
The long lines of well-wishers were here again. So were the Dole for President T-shirts and the striking red, white and blue “America’s Choice” campaign buttons. This time, though, Bob Dole was back not to launch another presidential campaign but to hang out for a few days in his old hometown. | 06/13/11 07:14:33 By - Steve Kraske
Gay California couple challenges federal marriage act
It was not the proudest moment of their married life. When Brenda and Lynda Ziviello-Howell found themselves in financial trouble earlier this year, they filed for joint bankruptcy as spouses. Not so fast, said the U.S. Trustee, the federal agency that oversees such cases. Just like that, the Ziviello-Howells found themselves in the thick of an ongoing battle over the legal rights of gay married couples. | 06/13/11 06:44:43 By - Cynthia Hubert
Isakson quietly goes about his senatorial business
Sen. Johnny Isakson isn't one of those flashy types of Washington lawmakers who regularly spar with the gaggle of reporters clogging the halls on Capitol Hill or pontificate for the major network news cameras after press conferences | 06/10/11 19:13:14 By - Halimah Abdullah
Vote on Lejeune contamination expected this month
Sen. Richard Burr expects his legislation to help victims of Camp Lejeune's water contamination will get a vote in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee this month. | 06/10/11 15:30:12 By - Barbara Barrett
Perry 2012 bid speculation fueled by Gingrich shake-ups
Speculation that Gov. Rick Perry might run for president reached a fever pitch Thursday when several key aides to Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign quit, including two key former members of Perry's political team. Perry's spokesman, Mark Miner, said the turnover in Gingrich's campaign doesn't signal a shift in Perry's position, which is that he's still thinking about a run for president. | 06/10/11 07:12:32 By - Aman Batheja
S.C. Gov. Haley gets mixed reviews in poll
A new poll finds S.C. voters evenly divided on Gov. Nikki Haley’s performance as governor but still willing to elect her again if they went back to the polls today. Forty-two percent approve of Haley’s job performance thus far while 41 percent disapprove, and 17 percent are undecided, according to the survey of 741 S.C. voters by Public Policy Polling. | 06/10/11 07:06:26 By - Gina Smith
With John Edwards indicted, U.S. Attorney Holding likely to step down
George E.B. Holding, the top federal prosecutor in Raleigh, N.C., since 2006, is expected to resign today. Holding's departure is not a surprise after the indictment last week of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards on campaign finance violations. Holding, a Republican, was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina under former President George W. Bush. | 06/10/11 06:58:17 By - J. Andrew Curliss
Administration, farmers hold talks on river restoration
The Obama administration is quietly negotiating with a handful of California farmers who say San Joaquin River restoration efforts damage their land east of Los Banos. | 06/08/11 17:40:17 By - Michael Doyle
Romney leads S.C. poll for GOP nomination
A new poll affirms former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as South Carolina’s early favorite for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling quizzed 1,000 South Carolinians who usually vote in GOP primaries and found Romney leading with 27 percent support. The poll’s margin of error is 3.1 percent. | 06/08/11 07:40:11 By - Gina Smith
Perry invited U.S. governors to 'prayer and fasting' event
Just a few weeks after urging Texans to pray for rain in response to severe drought conditions and wildfires, Gov. Rick Perry announced Monday that he was helping organize a "prayer and fasting" event in Houston and inviting the nation's other governors to attend. | 06/07/11 07:36:30 By - Aman Batheja
Sarah Palin's emails to be released by Alaska on Friday
The state of Alaska on Monday announced the time and place for release of 24,199 pages of Sarah Palin's emails as Friday morning in Juneau. The long-delayed release will be available to media organizations and others paying for paper copies. But Juneau Sen. Dennis Egan is pushing for the state to also ship public review copies to Anchorage and Fairbanks. | 06/07/11 06:39:14 By - Sean Cockerham
Jim DeMint wants labor board's Boeing documents
Sen. Jim DeMint filed a Freedom of Information Act request Monday seeking communications that the federal labor agency may have had with union and Obama administration officials tied to Boeing's bid to open an aircraft plant in South Carolina. | 06/06/11 19:12:18 By - James Rosen
Is California's high-speed rail plan another 'bridge to nowhere?'
The plan for high-speed rail in California is to start on the Fresno side of the San Joaquin River, between Bakersfield and Chowchilla, and go until the money runs out. The Central Valley, for many reasons, is a practical place to begin. However, the initial tracks, through towns like Wasco and Madera, are conspicuously far from where most people live and the location has become a political and public relations challenge. | 06/06/11 07:02:22 By - David Siders
Palin losing favor with Alaskans
Former Gov. Sarah Palin's bus touring around the Lower 48 had a big image of the state of Alaska, and she's constantly talking up her home state. But back home, her main initiatives as governor continue to be under attack from fellow Republicans and her poll numbers aren't looking good. | 06/06/11 06:49:43 By - Sean Cockerham
Alaska policy forces two scientists off beluga recovery team
A Parnell administration rule that requires Alaska state scientists to adhere to official policy and not the principles of independent science when they work outside their agencies continues to fuel debate more than a month after two biologists were removed from a federal beluga whale recovery team. | 06/06/11 06:41:30 By - Richard Mauer
John Edwards indictment might come today
Today is likely a decision day for John Edwards. Edwards' legal team was gathered in the Triangle late Thursday, apparently in the final stages of negotiations over a plea deal or indictment. | 06/03/11 08:17:24 By - J. Andrew Curliss and Joseph Neff
California lawmakers won't get paid without budget deal, controller says
California's controller told lawmakers Thursday that he won't pay them if a budget deal isn't reached by midmonth, while Gov. Jerry Brown said talks are at a critical point. | 06/03/11 06:52:28 By - David Siders
Administration opposes bill to scuttle San Joaquin River restoration
California officials and the Obama administration on Thursday strongly objected to a politically divisive bill that blocks San Joaquin River restoration efforts, casting the bill's long-term prospects into doubt. | 06/02/11 16:38:33 By - Michael Doyle
Texas Sen. Cornyn says Perry would be good presidential candidate
Even though Gov. Rick Perry has spent more than a year talking about what's wrong with the federal government, he would likely have better than average odds if he makes a run for the White House. "I think he'd have a good story to tell ... about the Texas success story and the Texas model," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday. | 06/02/11 07:40:22 By - Anna M. Tinsley
S.C. immigration bill would require businesses to use E-verify program
Proposed changes to South Carolina’s immigration laws would require all businesses to check their workers’ legal status by using a federal database, a move that is receiving little resistance from the business community. The changes are being considered in the 11th hour of the legislative session after the U.S. Supreme Court last week issued an opinion on a similar law in Arizona. | 06/02/11 07:35:37 By - Noelle Phillips
U.S. Attorney Holding to leave after John Edwards case
The top federal prosecutor for the eastern third of North Carolina is expected to be replaced upon conclusion of the investigation of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, whose actions are under review by a grand jury. George E.B. Holding, a Republican, has been the U.S. attorney in Raleigh since his appointment by President George W. Bush in 2006. | 06/02/11 07:25:26 By - J. Andrew Curliss
California lawmakers quietly shelve bills that police their behavior
Numerous bills to crack down on California lawmakers have been shelved quietly by the Legislature in recent weeks. Casualties included proposals to bar middle-of-the-night legislative sessions, to restrict lawmakers from receiving pay for serving on state boards within four years of leaving office, and to require annual disclosure by public officials of their pay, benefits, travel and other compensation. | 06/02/11 06:52:46 By - Jim Sanders
Welfare drug testing signed into law by Fla. Gov. Scott
Floridians must submit urine, blood or hair samples for drug testing before receiving cash benefits from the state under a bill Gov. Rick Scott signed into law Tuesday. The new law fulfills a campaign pledge from Scott, but has raised legal questions. The ACLU of Florida has signaled it might sue over the law. | 06/01/11 07:04:12 By - Michael C. Bender
Fla. Gov. Scott bashed Obama's stimulus but kept $370 million of it in budget
Florida Gov. Rick Scott campaigned against President Obama's "failed stimulus" program — yet the freshman politician kept nearly $370 million of the federal cash in the Florida budget he signed last week. | 06/01/11 06:49:44 By - Marc Caputo
Wal-Mart, big-box retailers face new hurdle in California
Wal-Mart and other big-box retailers once again are threatened by legislation that would make them clear an extra step before breaking ground on new locations. California's Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that forces cities and counties to review an economic impact report before approving or rejecting big-box retail projects. | 06/01/11 06:38:42 By - Paresh Dave
Campaign finance laws at heart of John Edwards case
Federal prosecutors and John Edwards' lawyers argued in secret for months over how campaign finance law deals with gifts and third-party payments. This area of the law would be at the core of a prosecution of the former North Carolina senator and two-time presidential candidate. The two-year probe could turn into criminal charges this week unless there is a plea deal. | 05/31/11 07:28:21 By - J. Andrew Curliss
Bill Clements, first GOP governor of Texas, is dead
Not content to be the millionaire founder of a worldwide oil-drilling company, Bill Clements sought to transfer his success in the business world into a successful career in politics. In his first try for office, in 1978, he won the governorship of the nation's third-largest state. | 05/30/11 19:07:08 By - Terrence Stutz
Amazon tax break deal approved by S.C. state Senate
A deal reached early today paves the way for online retailer Amazon to open a distribution center employing 2,000 people in South Carolina. The state Senate agreed shortly after midnight to give the company a sales tax exemption it wants for the project, ending a two-day talkathon that opponents launched to stall the measure. | 05/27/11 07:27:41 By - Tim Flach
Gov. Scott's $615 million budget veto hits Florida's most vulnerable
At a campaign-style event that banned some Democrats, Republican Gov. Rick Scott fashioned himself into Florida’s new veto king Thursday when he axed $615 million from the state budget before signing it. In his speech, Scott omitted many of the serious-sounding programs he cut: homeless veterans, meals for poor seniors, a council for deafness, a children’s hospital, cancer research, public radio, whooping-cough vaccines for poor mothers, or aid for the paralyzed. | 05/27/11 07:00:01 By - Marc Caputo and Aaron Sharockman
California bill limiting political gifts dies in state Senate committee
A California Senate committee on Thursday quietly killed a bill that would have stopped the flow of thousands of dollars' worth of gifts to state lawmakers and other elected officials. The bill would have prohibited lobbyists or the interests employing them from giving elected officials or their family members tickets to sporting events and concerts, gift cards, spa treatments, or golf, skiing or fishing trips. | 05/27/11 06:43:00 By - Dan Smith
Poll: Florida's Scott is nation's least-liked governor
Gov. Rick Scott is one of the least popular governors in America, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll that shows 57 percent of Florida voters disapprove of his job performance. | 05/26/11 06:58:07 By - Marc Caputo
Obama will head back to North Carolina in June
President Barack Obama will return to North Carolina in two weeks, when he is scheduled to visit the Triangle area — Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill — for a discussion about how the government can promote economic growth in the private sector. | 05/25/11 14:59:12 By - Barbara Barrett
Perry signs sonogram before abortion bill into Texas law
As Gov. Rick Perry touted Texas' new law that requires women seeking abortions to have a sonogram, a national abortion-rights group worked to prepare a legal challenge to what they call one of the most restrictive laws in the country. | 05/25/11 07:42:30 By - Anna M. Tinsley
S.C. House approves immigration crackdown bill
Those suspected of being in the country illegally soon may have to prove they are U.S. citizens, at least in South Carolina. S.C. House members approved an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigrants by a 69-43 vote. | 05/25/11 07:32:02 By - Gina Smith
Report: Justice Dept. to seek indictment against John Edwards
The U.S. Justice Department has given prosecutors the go-ahead to seek an indictment against former U.S. Sen. and two-time presidential candidate John Edwards, according to reports from ABC and NBC. | 05/25/11 07:24:53 By -
Justice Dept. won't reimburse ex.-Alaska Rep. Weyhrauch
Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that former Alaska Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch is not entitled to have the government reimburse $663,000 in legal fees he spent fighting corruption charges that eventually were dismissed. | 05/25/11 06:40:52 By - Richard Mauer
Alaska officials want more time to release Sarah Palin's emails
The state of Alaska says it needs more time to produce emails Sarah Palin sent as governor and that were requested under the public records act more than two years ago as she was running for vice president. | 05/25/11 06:37:37 By - Sean Cockerham
Texas Democrats unite to fight 'sanctuary cities' bill
The Texas Senate's 12 Democrats formed a united front against a revived "sanctuary cities" bill Monday as Hispanic leaders argued that it would lead to racial profiling and undercut relations between law enforcement and Latino communities. | 05/24/11 14:54:05 By - Dave Montgomery
Much of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley's agenda is stalled by state Senate
Lawmakers are likely to get an “incomplete” on the end-of-session report cards that Gov. Nikki Haley gives them for acting on her first-year legislative agenda. | 05/24/11 07:38:22 By - John O'Connor
'R word' to be removed from S.C. state laws
What advocates for those with mental disabilities refer to as “the R word” is about to excised from South Carolina's state law. So is this an outbreak of political correctness in South Carolina? | 05/20/11 12:44:37 By - Joey Holleman
S.C. tea party has a tough week
The Columbia Tea Party went from Donald Trump to jilted chump after the celebrity businessman canceled his appearance at Thursday’s State House rally, and state legislators approved tax breaks and spending that the group opposed. | 05/20/11 12:21:38 By - John O'Connor
Romney takes jabs at Obama, praises Perry in Texas appearance
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney dropped in at a barbecue restaurant on Thursday, taking jabs at President Obama for his economic and healthcare policies and newly espoused stance on a Palestinian state. Romney also heaped praised on Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whom commentator Rush Limbaugh has been advancing as a candidate for president in 2012. | 05/20/11 07:39:44 By - Scott Nishimura
Kentucky gives Ark Encounter park $43 million tax break
A controversial Bible-themed amusement park received approval Thursday for up to $43 million in state tax incentives over a 10-year period. The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority unanimously approved the tax credit for the Ark Encounter project. | 05/20/11 07:19:48 By - Beth Musgrave
Sanctuary cities bill halted by Texas Senate panel
Republican-led efforts to ban so-called sanctuary cities, which critics say provide safe haven to illegal immigrants across Texas, suffered what many considered a fatal blow Wednesday. | 05/19/11 07:38:36 By - Aman Batheja
Despite Limbaugh's support, Perry still says 'no' to presidential run
Despite his insistence that he's content to stay in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry is attracting more and more buzz as a potential presidential candidate, talk that could shift into hyperdrive after conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh proclaimed Wednesday that Perry has the "potential to light this up." | 05/19/11 07:34:11 By - Dave Montgomery
S.C. House approves Amazon tax break deal
After a dramatic turnaround Wednesday in the South Carolina House, the battle to win a prized tax incentive to lure Amazon.com moves to the state Senate, where the online retailer’s support has not been tested. | 05/19/11 07:27:55 By - Clif LeBlanc
Bill seeks more judges for federal bench in California, Arizona
Overworked federal judges in the Central Valley and Arizona would get reinforcements under a bill reintroduced this week by senators who hope for better luck this time. | 05/18/11 18:12:48 By - Michael Doyle
Perry for president? Rush Limbaugh thinks so
You can expect the revived talk of a Rick Perry for president campaign to shift into hyperdrive now that Rush Limbaugh is declaring the Texas governor the best hope Republicans have to bring life to a lackluster presidential field. | 05/18/11 14:54:52 By - John Gravois
California health care bill would initiate single-payer reform
The national debate over health care can be summed up in a bill being debated in Sacramento, California. Supporters of Senate Bill 810 say the legislation would be the only way to provide medical coverage for every Californian. Opponents deride the measure as socialized medicine. | 05/18/11 11:48:10 By - Yesenia Amaro
N.C. gay marriage foes rally for constitutional ban
North Carolina supporters of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage came to Raleigh on Tuesday with new confidence that the Republican-controlled legislature, eager to take on social issues, will back their cause. | 05/18/11 07:31:35 By - Eden Stiffman and Lynn Bonner
S.C. illegal immigration bill moves to state House floor
A controversial bill that tasks police officers with determining the immigration status of people they stop is heading to the South Carolina House floor, where Republicans have made its passage a priority. | 05/18/11 07:28:31 By - Gina Smith
Tea party is going to Kansas City for rally
A coalition of national tea party groups is planning a weekend political rally at The Woodlands racetrack in Kansas City this fall. The Freedom Jamboree will begin Sept. 30 and organizers said the event will include speeches, music and fireworks. The event will climax with a presidential straw poll on Oct. 1. | 05/18/11 07:13:05 By - Dave Helling
Little national arts funding trickles into San Joaquin Valley
The National Endowment for the Arts on Tuesday bestowed millions of dollars on assorted artists, musicians and storytellers, but left little for the San Joaquin Valley. | 05/17/11 17:23:05 By - Michael Doyle
Gov. Jerry Brown tries to tackle California's 'wall of debt'
With state revenues rising, Gov. Jerry Brown reframed his call for tax extensions Monday, saying they are still necessary to help the state whittle down an accumulated "wall of debt." | 05/17/11 06:42:06 By - Kevin Yamamura
Schwarzenegger fathered child with longtime household staff member
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, separated after she learned he had fathered a child more than a decade ago — before his first run for office — with a longtime member of their household staff. | 05/17/11 06:37:44 By - Mark Z. Barabak and Victoria Kim
Democratic Party pays $85,000 for Kentucky Gov. Beshear's plane use
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear used a state plane in April to take his family to the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament in Houston, but the state Democratic Party picked up the $6,105 tab for the flight. Since Beshear became governor in December 2008, he has made much use of state aircraft for political and non-governmental purposes — but not at state expense. | 05/16/11 07:08:15 By - Jack Brammer and John Cheves
California lawmakers sit on sidelines during redistricting
California's 53 House members seem to be simmering on the sidelines as an independent commission draws the new map that will determine their political futures. | 05/13/11 17:49:56 By - Michael Doyle
California Latinos hope Gov. Brown will sign farm, immigration bills
Latino leaders who went to bat for Jerry Brown in last year's campaign are now counting on the governor to help them pass bills supporting farm workers and illegal immigrants. | 05/13/11 06:46:20 By - Jim Sanders
Fracking chemical disclosure bill passes Texas House
The Texas House gave tentative approval Wednesday to a bill requiring natural gas drillers to publicly disclose the chemicals they use in the controversial practice known as hydraulic fracturing. | 05/12/11 07:32:06 By - Aman Batheja
GOP lawmakers resume bid to sink San Joaquin River restoration plan
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday resumed their controversial efforts to repeal a San Joaquin River restoration plan and curtail fish and wildlife protections. | 05/11/11 18:10:37 By - Michael Doyle
N.C. lawmakers seek more abortion limits
North Carolina is doing an about-face on abortion policy, with a slate of proposals that seek to limit abortions under consideration in the legislature. A House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote today on a package of changes that abortion-rights opponents have pushed for years. | 05/11/11 07:34:14 By - Lynn Bonner
Analyst's report slams California's high-speed rail plan
The California Legislative Analyst's Office on Tuesday recommended that the state's proposed high-speed rail system start in Los Angeles or the Bay Area – not in the Central Valley. The recommendation was part of a blistering report that found a host of faults with the project. | 05/11/11 06:53:50 By - John Ellis
Former Palin aide Bailey calls ethics complaint 'baseless'
The lawyer for former Sarah Palin aide and author Frank Bailey said Tuesday that Bailey is fully cooperating with the state's investigation into how he put together his upcoming "expose" of Palin. | 05/11/11 06:38:33 By - Sean Cockerham
'Sanctuary cities' bill passes in Texas House
After hours of emotional debate, the Republican-led Texas House voted 100-47 on Monday night to give preliminary approval to legislation that would ban so-called sanctuary cities that critics contend are havens for illegal immigrants. | 05/10/11 07:33:11 By - Dave Montgomery
Diplomats will 'Experience America' in Alaska this summer
Dozens of diplomats from around the world will be headed to Alaska this summer as part of a four-day trip to showcase this country's uniquely American places. | 05/10/11 06:42:30 By - Erika Bolstad
Ex-Sarah Palin aide and author Bailey faces ethics complaint over email use
The Alaska attorney general's office says it's investigating a charge that former Sarah Palin aide Frank Bailey wrongfully used state emails as the basis for his coming book slamming the ex-governor. | 05/10/11 06:35:24 By - Sean Cockerham
Critics call Kansas Gov. Brownback's agenda a 'power grab'
Kansas' new governor, Sam Brownback, is facing early criticism for what’s called an unprecedented effort to consolidate authority within the executive branch. Critics, including some of Brownback's fellow Republicans, cite examples from the former U.S. senator’s first months in office in which he's brought independent agencies under his control — or at least tried. | 05/09/11 07:21:53 By - Steve Kraske
Grumpy Republicans await Obama in visit to Texas
President Barack Obama may be visiting Texas on Tuesday, with stops in El Paso and a fundraiser in Austin, but he won't be feeling the love — at least not from a growing chorus of unhappy GOP lawmakers who see the administration's refusal to designate the wildfire-battered state a disaster area the latest slap in the face to the very Republican Lone Star State. | 05/09/11 06:27:46 By - Maria Recio
Welfare drug test bill heads to Fla. Gov. Scott
Applying for welfare benefits in Florida? Soon you’ll need to get drug tested. A measure requiring the tests passed the Senate on Thursday and is headed to Gov. Rick Scott, who called it one of his legislative priorities. | 05/06/11 07:06:02 By - Jodie Tillman
'Dream Act' approved by California Assembly
llegal immigrants could receive college financial aid under legislation approved Thursday by the California Assembly and apparently destined for the desk of a new Democratic governor who supports the concept. California could add fuel to the national debate over illegal immigrants' rights by signing into law the "Dream Act" measure, Assembly Bill 130. | 05/06/11 06:49:24 By - Jim Sanders
Kansas' adult business restrictions bill may be dead
In a vote that could foreshadow campaign postcards of 2012, Kansas state senators Wednesday almost certainly killed a bill designed to drive sexually oriented businesses out of business. By a vote of 22-17, the senators opted not to pull the “Community Defense Act” out of a committee that had voted down an identical measure earlier this year. | 05/05/11 07:07:01 By - Dion Lefler
South Carolina natural resources chief calls some lawmakers 'jackasses'
Calling some lawmakers "self-serving jackasses," South Carolina's natural resources chief told conservationists Tuesday they must work harder to gain the attention of legislators at the State House. | 05/04/11 13:21:36 By - Sammy Fretwell
Sonogram before abortion bill moves to Texas House
As Texas senators gave final approval Tuesday to a bill requiring doctors to conduct sonograms before performing abortions, moving it closer to the governor's desk, a new fight is ramping up over another abortion-related bill. | 05/04/11 07:40:54 By - Anna M. Tinsley
S.C. lawmakers want generic drugs for cancer, HIV treatment for Medicaid patients
South Carolina state senators voted Tuesday to require the state’s poorest residents to first try generic drugs to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and mental illness if a generic is available. If the generic drugs are not effective, their doctor then could prescribe a name-brand drug. | 05/04/11 07:33:03 By - Gina Smith
Sarah Palin targets water issues during speech at California college
Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin touched on everything from the nation's mounting debt to Valley water issues during a 35-minute speech and fundraiser Sunday at West Hills College. Her speech came just a few hours before news broke that Osama bin Laden was dead. | 05/02/11 12:07:47 By - Tracy Correa
John Edwards sex tape testimony to be heard in private
Superior Court Judge Carl Fox Friday agreed to unseal attorneys' motions in the John Edwards sex tape case but declined to unseal any portion of Edwards' testimony in the case. | 04/29/11 13:38:59 By - Jesse James DeConto
Sarah Palin to speak at California college's arena opening
The new Golden Eagle Arena at West Hills College in Lemoore wanted to make its first event a headline-grabbing affair. So they invited Sarah Palin to speak. The event is sponsored by the West Hills College Foundation, which said it is paying $115,000 to have her appear. | 04/29/11 11:49:27 By - Lewis Griswold
Texas lawmaker still questions Obama's birth certificate
President Barack Obama released a copy of his long-form birth certificate this morning in hopes of quelling critics like Donald Trump who question whether the president was actually born in Hawaii. Texas state Rep. Leo Berman remains skeptical. | 04/29/11 07:47:17 By - Aman Batheja
S.C. Amazon vote reflects a shift in strategy
The S.C. House’s rejection of a five-year sales tax break for Amazon.com — which cost the Midlands 1,249 jobs — represents a sea change in the way the state of South Carolina approaches job recruitment and could hamper those efforts in the future, some recruiters and experts say. | 04/29/11 07:42:35 By - Jeff Wilkinson
Charlotte's preparations for Democratic National Convention to ramp up
Preparations for next year's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., will ramp up next month with local staff hirings and the expected arrival of the party's convention organizers. | 04/29/11 07:36:14 By - Jim Morrill
Puppy mill compromise is now Missouri law
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Wednesday signed into law not one but two bills addressing dog breeding and the state’s rampant problem with puppy mills. Only one, however, will have the force of law. | 04/29/11 07:25:36 By - Jason Noble
Fla. Gov. Scott's anti-union bill rejected by state senators
Florida Gov. Rick Scott paid a rare, personal visit to the offices of four Republican senators Wednesday in a last-minute attempt to rescue an anti-union bill that appeared destined for defeat. | 04/29/11 07:18:09 By - Mary Ellen Klas
N.C. Republicans want state legislation against "foreign" law in courts
A group of Republican legislators is backing a measure that would make it illegal for judges to consider "foreign law" when making rulings in North Carolina's courts. Primary sponsor Rep. George Cleveland said he is concerned that Shariah law could gain a foothold in American communities with sizable Muslim populations. | 04/28/11 12:48:06 By -
Women lead fight against S.C. immigration bills
As dusk settled across the State House grounds on a recent Wednesday night, scores of people opposed to South Carolina's latest immigration bill gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil. As the S.C. General Assembly has considered the bill during the past year, the opposition to it has been steady and strong. And it has been driven by women. | 04/25/11 07:33:35 By - Noelle Phillips
Evangelist Franklin Graham says Trump 'may be right'
Franklin Graham gave his blessing Sunday to possible Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying he likes what the billionaire is saying and that Trump could end up being his preferred candidate. | 04/25/11 07:26:06 By - Tim Funk
Poll: Palin, Miller are out of favor with Alaskans
A poll released this week by Dittman Research suggests Alaskans have had it with Joe Miller, aren't crazy about Sarah Palin and are pretty happy with the congressional delegation, especially Lisa Murkowski. | 04/25/11 06:38:44 By - David Hulen
McCain visits rebels in Libya, urges formal U.S. recognition
Calling his visit here, "one of the most exciting and inspiring days of my life" Republican Sen. John McCain called for the U.S. to formally recognize the transitional — yet largely unknown — rebel council here. | 04/22/11 17:29:30 By - Nancy A. Youssef
California lawmakers seek to exempt water projects from key law
Central Valley water projects would be exempt from a key environmental law under a controversial measure introduced by rural California lawmakers. | 04/19/11 18:21:16 By - Michael Doyle
Politics likely to become harder for Idaho Democrats
Even with an equal partisan split on the Redistricting Commission in Idaho that will remap legislative districts for 2012-2020, Democrats have the most to lose. | 04/18/11 12:33:34 By - Dan Popkey
Ron Paul's son Robert considering a congressional run
First it was just Ron Paul, an obstetrician-gynecologist and libertarian-leaning Republican who was elected to the U.S. House more than 20 years ago. Then he was joined by his son, Rand, a Republican ophthalmologist, who became a darling of the Tea Party movement. Now a third Paul -- Robert, a doctor who runs a family medical practice and lives in Fort Worth -- is mulling a congressional bid of his own. | 04/15/11 07:38:13 By - Anna M. Tinsley
N.C. lawmakers take up Planned Parenthood fight
A week after funding for Planned Parenthood was a key sticking point in the congressional negotiations to avoid a federal government shutdown, Republican leaders in North Carolina are seeking to bar the state from granting any money to the organization. | 04/15/11 07:32:01 By - Michael Biesecker
Fetal-pain abortion bans up for consideration in several states
Kansas joined an exclusive club when it became only the second state to ban late-term abortions because of fetal pain. But not for long. The Idaho governor signed a similar bill Thursday, and more like it are advancing in Oklahoma and a dozen other states. | 04/15/11 07:21:48 By - Brad Cooper
Florida's immigration bill has lawmakers walking a political tightrope
For evidence of the political minefield that is immigration reform, look no further than the Florida Senate. On one side is Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who is looking to attract tea-party conservatives to his Republican bid for U.S. Senate. On the other side are the state’s powerful Hispanic caucus and some of the biggest special interests in Florida: the Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Catholic Conference, farmers and other agricultural interests. | 04/15/11 07:03:45 By - Patricia Mazzei
California lawmakers lose taxpayer-funded car perk
California legislators no longer will receive a car, gas and maintenance paid largely by taxpayers. The state's independent compensation commission voted Thursday to replace the existing program in December with a $300 monthly allowance to defray legislators' costs of driving their personal vehicles. | 04/15/11 06:51:32 By - Jim Sanders and Torey Van Oot
BP promises investment in Alaska if oil tax break passes
BP's top Alaska official seconded the earlier pledge of Conoco Phillips to invest $5 billion on the North Slope if the governor's oil tax cuts pass, then promised even more but said he couldn't be specific. The question of what the major oil companies will do in return for billions of dollars in tax savings has been one of the critical issues hanging up Gov. Sean Parnell's efforts to reduce state taxes when oil prices are high. | 04/15/11 06:40:54 By - Richard Mauer
California officials to study how Texas lawmakers work
Gov. Rick Perry wants to show California how business is done in Texas. That's why he and other lawmakers plan to welcome a delegation of California officials on Thursday. As the GOP-led Texas Legislature faces a multibillion-dollar deficit and struggles to craft a balanced budget, Perry touts the state's success in job creation, its lack of income tax and its ability to refrain from raising taxes. | 04/14/11 07:28:10 By - Anna M. Tinsley
Puppy mill law modification bill goes to Missouri Gov. Nixon
Missouri lawmakers on Wednesday rolled back voter-approved restrictions on state dog breeders and passed new rules that supporters say will target puppy mills without harming legitimate breeders. The legislation now goes to Gov. Jay Nixon, who declined to say whether he would sign it. | 04/14/11 07:08:10 By - Jason Noble
Florida Gov. Scott closes deal to sell his urgent care business
Two weeks after insisting he was "not involved in that company," Florida Gov. Rick Scott finalized a deal Wednesday to sell Solantic Inc., the Jacksonville chain of urgent care clinics he founded. | 04/14/11 06:50:28 By - Michael C. Bender
EPA appeals panel is accused of thwarting Arctic drilling
Saying the Environmental Protection Agency's air-permitting process has "run amok," House Republicans on Wednesday debated legislation that would make it easier for companies such as Shell to get permission to drill offshore in the Arctic region. | 04/13/11 16:30:27 By - Erika Bolstad
S.C. Gov. Haley signs on-the-record voting into law
With music thumping and about 200 supporters gathered round, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law Tuesday her signature piece of legislation, requiring lawmakers to cast more on-the-record votes. The Lexington County Republican made her political name by calling for more openness and transparency in government, including more on-the-record voting by legislators. | 04/13/11 07:25:36 By - Gina Smith
Florida Gov. Scott urged to sue over BP Gulf oil spill
The rosy scene bothered Tampa attorney Steve Yerrid. There was Gov. Rick Scott on Monday, happily announcing a $30 million marketing and tourism grant from BP for seven Panhandle counties, thanking a BP senior executive at his side for "stepping up." | 04/13/11 07:05:04 By - Katie Sanders
Jerry Brown is proud to be 'Governor Moonbeam'
California Gov. Jerry Brown, reflecting on his advanced age and decades-old nickname, said on the 100th day of his third term that he is still the "moonbeam" governor he was before. Brown, last governor from 1975 to 1983, said the title "implies something different, something unexpected." | 04/13/11 06:49:08 By - David Siders
Limiting 'open carry' of guns on California lawmakers' agenda
California state lawmakers seeking to revive two controversial gun bills made progress Tuesday, as an Assembly committee approved proposals targeting the "open carry" protest movement and requiring records on long gun sales. | 04/13/11 06:41:18 By - Torey Van Oot
Alaska state lawmakers look for new office space
Alaska legislators are pursuing a plan for constructing a new office building in downtown Anchorage for themselves and their staffers. It's at a site next to City Hall that's used for parking as well as Dark Horse Coffee and Alaska's Gourmet Subs. | 04/13/11 06:34:09 By - Sean Cockerham
Coming federal budget cuts will have impact throughout California
California firefighters, college students and the children of prison inmates will be doing their part to reduce the federal deficit, whether they like it or not. All told, hundreds of federal programs will be cut in a wide-ranging package intended to save $38.5 billion. One by one, the cuts bring home the abstract political exercise that has captivated Capitol Hill. | 04/12/11 18:07:11 By - Michael Doyle
Ethics complaint filed against Florida Gov. Rick Scott
A Clearwater, Florida, activist has filed an ethics complaint accusing Gov. Rick Scott of using his office to benefit the chain of walk-in clinics he founded. David Plyer based his complaint on a report that Scott’s health care policies — drug testing state workers, switching Medicaid patients to private HMOs and shrinking public health clinics — could benefit Solantic Corp., a chain of 32 urgent-care centers in Florida. | 04/12/11 07:10:44 By - Michael C. Bender
Death of political consultant Kam Kuwata stuns California Democrats
The body of highly regarded Democratic political consultant Kam Kuwata was found in his Southern California condominium Monday, sending shock waves that reached all the way to Capitol Hill. Kuwata was 57, a wily and good-humored operator who helped some of California's most well-known politicians win election time and time again. | 04/12/11 06:57:50 By - Michael Doyle
Complaint: City is racist for favoring single-family homes
An Illinois landlord filed a second complaint in February with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, alleging that the city of Belleville's denial of his intention to rent out a mobile home constitutes racism in that it denied access to low-income housing, thereby keeping out minority residents. | 04/11/11 18:09:52 By - Laura Girresch
Texas lawmakers considering Sharia law ban
Texas lawmakers are considering whether to ban state courts from considering foreign religious or cultural laws, such as the Islamic law of Sharia. Texas is among several states -- including Alaska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Tennessee -- considering bans on the recognition of foreign laws, according to the Institute for U.S. Law. | 04/11/11 07:38:24 By - Anna M. Tinsley
S.C. Democrats call anti-union legislation a 'political ploy'
Gov. Nikki Haley and the Republican-controlled Legislature are working with increasing fervor to ensure that South Carolina — long an anti-union state — is a place where businesses can set up and grow without fear of organized labor. Some Democrats and union leaders say the focus this year on anti-union legislation is a political ploy to distract South Carolinians from the real problems plaguing the state. | 04/11/11 07:26:16 By - Gina Smith
N.C. bill aims to cap workers' compensation
When a coalition of business groups led by the powerful N.C. Chamber launched an assault on workers' compensation benefits six years ago, trial lawyers and organized labor turned back the attack with a grass-roots lobbying effort. This year the business groups are taking another run at the system they love to hate with the help of a not-so-secret weapon — both the state Senate and House are controlled by Republicans for the first time in more than a century. | 04/11/11 07:16:14 By - David Ranii
Remember the 'bridge to nowhere'? We're still paying for it
Alaska legislators have signed off on another $1.4 million in federal money to pay planners of the controversial Knik Arm bridge, which would connect Anchorage to mostly undeveloped land. Supporters estimate the bridge will cost about $700 million. Critics ridiculed it as a "bridge to nowhere" when Congress provided initial money to help pay for it. | 04/10/11 17:00:28 By - Sean Cockerham
California lawmakers told they can't carry guns in capitol
Assembly Chief Sergeant-at-Arms Ronald Pane had given permission to four legislators to carry concealed weapons in the state's capitol, where weapons are prohibited in most circumstances. As soon as news of the permission broke, however, the speaker of the assembly ordered that the permits be revoked. | 04/09/11 12:01:20 By - Torey Van Oot
Florida drug database a 'go,' despite Gov. Scott's objection
Killing the database before it started was a top priority of Gov. Rick Scott and Republican House Speaker Dean Cannon, who say it would be an invasion of privacy and won’t help solve the state’s prescription drug abuse epidemic. But with the program mandated by statute, there is little opponents can do to stop it. The state's attorney general and the Republican president of the state senate back the database. | 04/09/11 11:20:42 By - Janet Zink
Carolina lawmakers debate rights of gun owners to 'be prepared'
Even if he could carry a concealed handgun into places like a restaurant or church, Jeff Barbee doesn't expect to use it. He'd just feel safer, packing his .45-caliber semi-automatic gun underneath a coat or shirt. The number of those places may soon expand dramatically in the Carolinas — if legislators in both states are successful pushing through a host of bills designed to ease gun laws. | 04/08/11 07:25:31 By - David Perlmutt
Mississippi Gov. Barbour talks presidential politics in Florida
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a likely Republican presidential candidate, made a trip to the most important swing state’s Capitol, but he wouldn’t answer the most important question on the minds of political insiders. Should Florida be punished for having an early primary? | 04/08/11 07:04:39 By - Marc Caputo
Florida lawmakers seek expansion of online school courses
More students could learn from a laptop in their bedroom rather than a whiteboard in a brick-and-mortar classroom under a pair of proposals in the Florida Legislature that would dramatically expand virtual school. The most immediate change: Starting next year, students entering high school would have to take at least one online course to graduate. | 04/08/11 07:01:03 By - Patricia Mazzei
Conoco CEO Mulva says oil tax break would spark investment in Alaska
The head of Conoco Phillips responded to critics of Alaska Governor Sean Parnell's oil tax break Thursday, pledging to increase investments by up to $5 billion in existing North Slope fields if the new tax rules take effect. | 04/08/11 06:39:23 By - Richard Mauer
Mississippi Gov. Barbour vetoes auto insurance requirement bill
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has vetoed a bill the Legislature passed that would have required motorists to have auto insurance before they could get a car tag. Mississippi has one of the highest rates in the nation of uninsured motorists, an estimated 28 percent compared with the national average of 16 percent. | 04/07/11 11:28:03 By - Geoff Pender
Fund diversion from Texas veterans lottery program raises questions
Beginning in 2009, Texans could start buying scratch-off lottery tickets that did something unusual amid all the convenience store offerings -- support a specific program. The $2 Veterans Cash game supports the Fund for Veterans' Assistance, which issues grants to nonprofits around the state to provide counseling, transportation, housing and child care for veterans and their families. But the budget crisis has arrived even to the Veterans Cash scratch-off game. | 04/07/11 07:33:59 By - Chris Vaughn
Oil prices give Alaska $3.4 billion revenue surplus
Alaska is rolling in money from the high oil prices, with the revenue department on Wednesday projecting a state surplus of $3.4 billion. The news comes as the Legislature prepares to decide how much it wants to spend on construction and maintenance projects in the coming year. Lawmakers had already planned a big budget, but this could inspire even more projects. | 04/07/11 06:42:43 By - Sean Cockerham
Alaska state lawmakers pass two bills in 78 days
Twelve days remain before Alaska's legislative session ends for the year and just two bills have passed, one of which is a set of guidelines for how to best handle the state flag. | 04/06/11 06:35:32 By - Sean Cockerham
Texas may allow hunting of feral hogs, wolves from helicopters
Hunters moved closer Monday to being able to use helicopters to kill feral hogs that are damaging the Texas landscape. With no discussion, Texas House members voted 137-9 to give preliminary approval to a bill that would let people hunt feral hogs and wolves from a helicopter. | 04/05/11 07:40:48 By - Anna M. Tinsley
TransCanada VP says Alaska bill may violate gas pipeline license
TransCanada Corp. on Monday disputed the legality of a bill that's a first step toward dumping the Alaska-subsidized natural gas pipeline project. TransCanada Vice President Tony Palmer said it appears to violate the license the state gave his firm under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act. | 04/05/11 06:40:44 By - Sean Cockerham
Coastal lawmakers say ports tax should be used for ports
All six House members from South Carolina, in a rare display of bipartisan unity, have joined lawmakers from other coastal states in demanding that the federal government stop using harbor maintenance taxes for unrelated needs. | 04/04/11 21:38:11 By - James Rosen
Texas bill would prohibit texting, tweeting by elected officials during meetings
A Texas state lawmaker wants elected officials paying attention to the public during government meetings -- not texting, tweeting, Facebooking or e-mailing. State Rep. Todd Hunter has a bill that would make it illegal for any elected official to transmit an electronic message during such a meeting. | 04/04/11 07:34:36 By - Anna M. Tinsley
California may reconsider car perk for lawmakers
California is the only state that provides lawmakers with a car, gas and maintenance paid largely by taxpayers. The perk has withstood the recessionary economy and several rounds of budget-cutting, including $11.2 billion in measures the Legislature approved and Gov. Jerry Brown signed in March. | 04/04/11 06:43:42 By - Jim Sanders
Texas college students debate guns on campus bill
Peter Salas is a self-described gun-rights supporter whose family has a hunting tradition, but he opposes concealed handguns on college campuses. Clayton Smith, 21, went to federal court two years ago to win the right to stage "empty holster" protests on campus in support of gun rights. The disparate views reflect the divide among college students as Texas lawmakers continue to tinker with legislation that would allow students to carry guns. | 04/01/11 07:40:31 By - Diane Smith
Alaska House votes to undo Palin-era oil profits tax
The Alaska House of Representatives voted Thursday night for a massive rollback of the oil profits tax that the lawmakers put in place four years ago. The House vote was an attempt to torpedo one of the biggest legacies of Sarah Palin's time as governor. Gov. Sean Parnell supported the oil tax when he was her lieutenant governor but is now leading the effort to weaken it. | 04/01/11 06:39:51 By - Sean Cockerham
To keep guns out of Mexico, Texas lawmakers propose checkpoint
Some Texas lawmakers, tired of cash and guns illegally making their way into Mexico and fueling violence in the northern part of the country, say they think they know how to help. They are proposing southbound checkpoints where Texas law enforcers can stop vehicles about to cross the border and look for guns, cash and drugs. | 03/31/11 07:30:29 By - Anna M. Tinsley
Alaska lawmaker's Sharia law proposal called divisive
Palmer Republican Rep. Carl Gatto has set off a political firestorm with a bill aimed at stopping what he deems as the potential of Islamic religious law — Sharia — trumping the U.S. Constitution in Alaska courts. Gatto doesn't have examples of Alaska courts imposing Islamic Sharia law but said his bill is determined to make sure that it doesn't happen. | 03/31/11 06:35:19 By - Sean Cockerham
Kansas cracks down on metal dealers after thefts
To cut down on metal theft and the damage it does to utilities and other businesses, the state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to require scrap dealers to register with their local government and keep detailed records on customers. | 03/30/11 13:13:50 By - Dion Lefler
Voter I.D. bill set to become law in Kansas
Kansans will have to show a photo ID to vote beginning next year. But new voters won't have to prove their citizenship to register until 2013 under a bill the House passed 111-11 and sent to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law. | 03/30/11 13:03:15 By - Todd Fertig and Brad Cooper
Texas bill seeks moratorium on executions
Clarence Brandley spent 10 years on Death Row for the slaying of a 16-year-old girl, a crime he didn't commit. Now, more than two decades after being cleared, the former custodian hopes to convince Texas lawmakers that it's time to abolish the death penalty in Texas — or least impose a moratorium on executions. Texas has executed more inmates than any other state — 446 since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. | 03/30/11 07:40:59 By - Dave Montgomery
S.C. bill would further loosen gun laws
Legislation weaving its way through the House of Representatives would increase the number of places that legal gun owners can carry their guns to include restaurants, day-care centers and churches. | 03/30/11 07:30:45 By - Gina Smith
N.C. bill would double solar power requirements
Solar energy is proving so successful in North Carolina that industry advocates want to double the amount of sun-powered electricity that is required by state law. | 03/30/11 07:25:11 By - John Murawski
Kansas 'fetal pain' abortion bill goes to Gov. Brownback
A bill to strictly limit abortions after 22 weeks based on disputed research that fetuses can feel pain is on its way to Gov. Sam Brownback, who has indicated he will sign it into law. | 03/30/11 07:09:19 By - Todd Fertig
Green energy law will increase rates for Californians, utilities say
California consumers could see sharp electricity rate increases under sweeping new legislation that would require them to ramp up their energy supplies from wind, solar and other green sources, local utilities said. The state Assembly approved a measure requiring power companies to obtain up to 33 percent of their energy supplies from green sources, up sharply from the current 20 percent. The state Senate already has passed the bill. But utilities say they face steep cost increases to comply with the measure. | 03/30/11 06:47:29 By - Rick Daysog
Alaska state lawmakers aren't buying oil tax reduction plan
Senate leaders said Tuesday the governor has failed to sell his plan to cut oil taxes by billions of dollars, and they're not interested in taking the gamble that it's going to lead to more drilling. | 03/30/11 06:34:59 By - Sean Cockerham
Florida lawmakers look to privatize prisons
In what could signal a massive private takeover of public prisons, the Florida Senate quietly slipped language into its newly proposed budget Monday that seeks to give corporations the chance to run correctional facilities and probation services in 18 counties | 03/29/11 07:11:04 By - Marc Caputo
Alaska's oil tax reduction plan moves ahead in state House
The effort to cut Alaska's oil-production tax is gaining speed in the state House, with a vote possible as soon as this week, even as the debate rages over whether it's a good bet to lower taxes by billions of dollars to encourage more drilling. | 03/29/11 06:41:51 By - Sean Cockerham
Mississippi Gov. Barbour had hand in early release of convicted killer
The Sun Herald has learned that Gov. Haley Barbour helped in the early release of convicted killer Joseph Goff, whose release today after serving eight years of a 20-year sentence has drawn outrage from law enforcement and the community. | 03/25/11 12:45:42 By - Geoff Pender and Margaret Baker
Oil tax cuts from Alaska Gov. Parnell stuck in state Senate
Gov. Sean Parnell's attempt to slash Alaska oil taxes appears to be going nowhere in the state Senate with less than a month before lawmakers adjourn for the year. | 03/25/11 06:30:16 By - Sean Cockerham
Mayor says he had nothing to do with 'porn convention' in Illinois
An anonymous flier accused Mayor Gail Mitchell of allowing a sex convention in town last weekend, but the mayor said he had no say in the private event. The "Beat Me in St. Louis" event at the Fountains at Fairview was for people exploring or practicing bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism in sexual relationships. | 03/24/11 11:58:11 By -
Alaska nominee says sex outside of marriage should be illegal
Gov. Sean Parnell's appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage. Haase, picked by Parnell for one of three public seats on the Alaska Judicial Council, said that he wouldn't let his personal beliefs influence which candidates he'd approve for judgeships. | 03/24/11 11:47:30 By - Richard Mauer
Voter ID bill passes in Texas state House
After more than 11 hours of debate, the Texas House voted 101-48 late Wednesday for a bill requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls, increasing the likelihood that the measure will take effect in time for the 2012 elections. | 03/24/11 07:31:16 By - Aman Batheja
N.C. Republican lawmakers move to shrink state's environmental agency
There is a move in North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature to downsize and make more business-friendly the state's leading environmental agency, a move that has set off alarms among environmentalists. | 03/24/11 07:16:49 By - Rob Christensen
Kansas illegal immigration bill may be dead
A major immigration bill similar to a controversial Arizona law suffered a potentially fatal blow Wednesday when the Kansas House refused to consider the measure. The House voted 84-40 to kill a last-ditch effort to bypass a committee where the bill had been bottled up by opponents for a couple of weeks. | 03/24/11 07:07:49 By - Brad Cooper
A year later, still no cure for politics in health care
Dr. David Cull, a prominent vascular surgeon in Greenville, S.C., had invented a small valve system that, if it works, could spare 300,000 dialysis patients across the country enormous suffering and save U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. But Cull’s hometown senator, Jim DeMint, would not write a letter supporting the surgeon’s application for a federal grant under the landmark health care bill that President Barack Obama signed into law a year ago today. | 03/23/11 07:32:50 By - James Rosen
Kansas lawmakers take action on illegal immigration bills
In Kansas, it's been a tough year for illegal immigrants. The difference has mainly been the election of Kris Kobach, one of the nation's most prominent proponents of tough immigration laws, as Kansas secretary of state. The Legislature has three major bills on the docket based on the belief that illegal immigration is harming the state's economy, burdening its universities and tainting its elections. | 03/23/11 07:12:28 By - Brent D. Wistrom and Dion Lefler
Florida lawmakers file glut of abortion bills
Between a conservative Legislature and a more conservative governor, there’s a concentrated effort this year to tighten Florida’s abortion laws. From reviving a measure to require a woman to receive an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion to a blanket ban that would pose a legal challenge to Roe v. Wade, at least 18 bills are filed. | 03/23/11 06:56:09 By - Janet Zink
Texas' voter ID bill stalled by Democrats
Texas Republican supporters of a high-priority voter identification bill sought to regroup from an embarrassing setback Monday after Democrats forced the measure from the House floor on a point of order. | 03/22/11 07:36:25 By - Dave Montgomery
S.C. Gov. Haley has appointed 26 campaign donors to posts
Of the 59 people whom Gov. Nikki Haley thus far has appointed to state boards or commissions, 26 donated to her campaign, according to state campaign finance records. Those 26 — who account for 44 percent of Haley’s appointments — gave at least $74,703 to her campaign for governor. | 03/22/11 07:20:42 By - John O'Connor
Most Republican presidential hopefuls skip California GOP convention
For just a moment during California's state Republican Party convention this past weekend, hundreds of GOP delegates felt the excitement of the presidential race gearing up nationwide. But, the just-concluded convention laid out the state's already humble role in presidential politics by drawing only two long-shot potential candidates — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. | 03/21/11 06:41:02 By - Jack Chang
Texas lawmaker's bill protects evolution nonbelievers from discrimination
An Arlington lawmaker has filed a bill aimed at protecting Texas college professors and students from discrimination because they question evolution. | 03/18/11 07:41:34 By - Aman Batheja
Kansas lawmakers considering four abortion bills
Tiffany Campbell and her husband were excited about their 2006 pregnancy. But after discovering that the twins in her womb had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome — one baby was receiving too much blood and one too little — they decided to abort one because of the slight hope that the other would then survive. The decision was excruciating, Campbell told the Kansas Senate’s Judiciary Committee on Thursday. | 03/18/11 07:27:03 By - Samantha Foster
Missouri's long-term unemployed will lose benefits
Thousands of Missourians currently collecting unemployment benefits will be booted off the rolls in coming weeks after the state Senate failed Thursday to approve an extension. | 03/18/11 07:20:59 By - Jason Noble
Alaska lawmakers get increase to office allowances
Three weeks ago, Alaska's Legislature doubled the office allowance for its members, and on Thursday, a House member who didn't want the extra $8,000 said he learned he must take it anyway. | 03/18/11 06:47:57 By - Richard Mauer
Partisan split widens on California high-speed rail plan
California's high-speed rail plan is fast turning into a partisan affair on Capitol Hill, further complicating its prospects. The accelerating partisanship came into view again Thursday, when 19 House lawmakers revived a high-speed rail caucus. Tellingly, every caucus member is a Democrat. | 03/17/11 17:39:28 By - Michael Doyle
N.C. lawmaker wants state to produce its own currency
Cautioning that the federal dollars in your wallet could soon be little more than green paper backed by broken promises, state Rep. Glen Bradley wants North Carolina to issue its own legal tender backed by silver and gold. | 03/17/11 10:08:02 By - Michael Biesecker
Texas House approves handguns on college campuses bill
After an emotional 51/2-hour hearing, the Texas House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee voted 5-3 Wednesday night to advance legislation to allow concealed handguns on college and university campuses. | 03/17/11 07:37:11 By - Dave Montgomery
S.C. Lt. Gov. Ard charged with 92 ethics violations
South Carolina ethics investigators have charged Lt. Gov. Ken Ard with 69 counts of spending campaign money for his personal use and 23 counts of failing to disclose campaign expenses. | 03/17/11 07:30:33 By - John O'Connor
Kansas Senate kills bill denying immigrants' children in-state tuition
A Kansas Senate committee on Wednesday killed a bill to deny eligibility for in-state tuition to children of undocumented immigrants at Kansas universities, colleges and trade schools. | 03/17/11 07:08:48 By - Dion Lefler
Ex-Murkowski rival Joe Miller to hit paid speaking circuit
Unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller is following in the footsteps of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and signing on to an agency to arrange paid speaking engagements for him. | 03/17/11 06:47:28 By - Sean Cockerham
Honey producers vote down tax plan
Honey producers have soured on a proposed plan to tax themselves for additional research and advertising, revealing a split within an industry that faces foreign competition and some inhuman foes. | 03/16/11 15:21:00 By - Michael Doyle
Ban on corporal punishment in Texas schools faces House hearing
A House committee heard pleas Tuesday to ban corporal punishment in Texas schools, with critics denouncing the disciplinary tool as a legalized form of child abuse that leaves lasting emotional scars. | 03/16/11 07:40:50 By - Dave Montgomery
Texas puppy mills bill concerns dog, cat breeders
Responsible dog and cat breeders in Texas could be put out of business by a bill aimed at shutting down so-called puppy mills, critics of the measure charged at a hearing in Austin on Tuesday. | 03/16/11 07:37:34 By - Aman Batheja
Kansas lawmaker apologizes for comment about shooting illegal immigrants
Kansas state Rep. Virgil Peck issued an apology Tuesday for comments that he made about shooting illegal immigrants. Peck made the comment Monday during a committee meeting grappling with how to deal with controlling the wild hog population. Peck said, “if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works, maybe we have found a (solution) to our illegal immigration problem.” | 03/16/11 07:16:40 By - Brad Cooper
Teacher pay and tenure reform bill moves forward in Florida
Opponents tried one last time — and failed — to make changes to a bill that would dramatically reform the way public school teachers are evaluated, paid and hired. Now the fast-track legislation is one step away from the desk of Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has indicated he will sign it. | 03/16/11 07:00:33 By - Patricia Mazzei
Texas considers soda tax to ease budget woes
Picking up a six-pack of soft drinks could soon cost Texans more. A penny per ounce more, to be exact. State Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, is proposing increasing the taxes on sodas -- both regular and diet, and energy drinks too -- to raise money for the state and cut down on obesity in children and adults. | 03/15/11 07:42:30 By - Anna M. Tinsley
S.C. lawmakers reject Haley's plan for state employees insurance fees
South Carolina lawmakers Monday rejected Gov. Nikki Haley’s proposal that the state cut its budget by requiring state employees to pick up the added cost of their health insurance. They also balked at her suggestion that the state eliminate $1 million from its budget earmarked for the 2012 presidential primary. | 03/15/11 07:35:30 By - John O'Connor
Kansas lawmakers put brakes on immigration bill
Kansas lawmakers dealt a setback Monday to a plan that would clamp down on illegal immigration in a way that’s similar to a controversial Arizona law. Described by critics as “grossly broad,” the measure would require police to check the legal status of those they suspect might be in the United States illegally. | 03/15/11 07:17:29 By - Brad Cooper
Florida lawmakers fight to keep prescription drug monitoring database
State senators drew battle lines over Florida’s planned prescription drug monitoring database Monday, criticizing House leaders and Gov. Rick Scott for wanting to kill the program before it starts. | 03/15/11 07:03:34 By - Janet Zink
Ban on Sharia law proposed in Missouri
Missouri Reps. Paul Curtman and Don Wells agree there’s no evidence that state courts are judging cases based on Islamic principles or foreign laws. But that’s not stopping them from sponsoring legislation to ban the practice. | 03/14/11 07:20:00 By - Jason Noble
Is 2011 the year for Republican governors?
It may be a bigger threat to President Barack Obama than Romney, Palin or Gingrich — a crew by the name of Christie, Scott and Walker that is slashing budgets, undercutting the new health care law and picking fights with unions. | 03/14/11 07:02:25 By - Alex Leary and Michael C. Bender
Some funds for California's disabled saved from budget ax
Like hundreds of people this winter fighting budget cuts, Steve Doherty trekked to California's state Capitol on a recent Monday to argue his case. With Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature grappling with a $26.6 billion deficit, budget cuts have targeted programs including in-home supportive services, higher education and facilities for developmentally disabled people. | 03/14/11 06:51:02 By - Jack Chang
Wisconsin Gov. Walker signs bill limiting public unions' rights
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Friday signed into law a bill that sharply curbs collective bargaining for most public employees, handing organized labor a setback while giving his opponents a major political issue. | 03/11/11 14:06:16 By - Ryan Haggerty and Michael Muskal
Kansas voter ID bill an 'unfunded mandate,' opponents say
A proposed voter ID bill could be costly for Kansas and would make it more difficult to register to vote, opponents said Thursday. | 03/11/11 07:14:53 By - Todd Fertig
Florida Republicans ready to take on unions
With a national wind at their back and a Republican majority in their grip, the Florida Legislature is going after unions. House and Senate lawmakers have taken up three bills that would weaken the teacher’s labor organization, restrict the political clout of all public unions, and reduce the benefits of all state workers. | 03/11/11 06:56:01 By - Mary Ellen Klas and Katie Sanders
Two Republican lawmakers target Sharia law in Florida
Two Republican legislators want to make sure Florida courts aren’t tainted by what one of them calls foreign “shenanigans:” Muslim Sharia law or legal codes from other nations. Neither Sen. Alan Hays nor Rep. Larry Metz, though, could name a Florida case where international law or Islamic law has caused a problem in a state court. | 03/10/11 07:06:10 By - Marc Caputo
Oil tax proposal might cost Alaska millions in revenue
By changing the calculation of oil taxes from a monthly to an annual basis, Gov. Sean Parnell's new oil tax bill would cost Alaska between $100 million and $200 million a year, Revenue Commissioner Bryan Butcher told a Senate committee Wednesday. | 03/10/11 06:40:27 By - Richard Mauer
N.C. unlikely to join health care law challenge
An aggressive campaign by North Carolina Republicans and their allies to override Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of a bill that would have the Tar Heel state join the legal challenge to the federal health care law appears to have fallen short of its goal. | 03/09/11 07:24:55 By - Rob Christensen and Lynn Bonner
Alaska Gov. Parnell's oil tax plan takes beating from lawmakers
Gov. Sean Parnell's proposed oil tax cut came in for more bipartisan criticism Tuesday, with a Republican senator saying it gives away at least $2 billion a year with nothing guaranteed in return, and several House Democrats saying it's even worse than that for Alaska. The oil-tax measure dominated back-to-back morning news conferences by the opposition House Democratic caucus and the bipartisan Senate majority coalition. | 03/09/11 06:35:02 By - Richard Mauer
Texas lawmakers look to limit TSA scans, pat-downs at airports
A bipartisan group of more than 20 state lawmakers have signed on in support of measures to ban the TSA from using controversial screening procedures in Texas airports. One of the bills would ban "body imaging scanning equipment" from being installed or operated in any airport in Texas. | 03/08/11 07:36:09 By - Aman Batheja and Andrea Ahles
Huckabee says S.C. is a 'must win' for GOP presidential run
Republican Mike Huckabee said Monday that if he decides to run for his party’s nomination for president again in 2012, he knows he has to win South Carolina. Since 1980, every GOP candidate who went on to win his party’s nomination has first won the S.C. Republican primary. | 03/08/11 07:23:40 By - Gina Smith
California Republicans claim budget impasse with Gov. Brown
Gov. Jerry Brown's prospects of reaching a budget deal by his deadline this week dimmed markedly Monday when a quintet of Republicans with whom he'd been negotiating declared an impasse. The GOP senators for the first time released a list of demands and said the Democratic governor and his legislative allies were unable to fulfill them. | 03/08/11 06:47:55 By - David Siders
Florida Rep. Hastings accused of sexual harassment
A former female employee who worked for Rep. Alcee Hastings filed a sexual harassment lawsuit on Monday against the Florida Democratic congressman. | 03/07/11 14:53:31 By - Lesley Clark
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