#state-assembly

#state-assembly

To address the affordability crisis, we must be proactive and bold in building more affordable housing, lowering skyrocketing health care costs, and enacting universal childcare.

Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty by the Ethics Committee on a litany of charges, most notably for funneling $5 million in COVID relief funds to her congressional campaign.

In New York, taxes on racing, gaming and wagering activities principally support schools and education. The racing and gaming industries support tens of thousands of jobs across the state, support agriculture in the state, and generate significant economic activity.

This bill is intended to address a narrow set of high-cost, resource-intensive requests that can delay agencies' ability to respond to other records requests. The goal is to ensure that agencies can continue to respond to all requests in a timely manner.

Republican supporters of the SAVE America Act describe the law as a commonsense measure to prevent voter fraud, yet it represents a blatant defiance of common sense and a fraudulent seizure of ballot access.

The last three months have been tumultuous in the district. The community was divided by a surprise move in January to add ethnic studies to the high school curriculum, a class that Chinese and Jewish families felt was discriminatory. When new board member Rowena Chiu said publicly she felt bullied by other "woke" school board members for questioning the class, all hell broke loose.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made clear that he wants to quickly integrate AI into everything the military does and is demanding that AI companies give the government unrestricted access to their technologies. Anthropic refused to give the Pentagon unfettered access to its AI model, saying it would not allow its model to be used for the mass surveillance of Americans or the development of weapons that fire without human involvement.

House File 2487 would require the universities to identify any general ed course requirements that 'include diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory-related content' by the fall 2028 semester. The legislation says the Board of Regents 'in its discretion shall direct an institution to eliminate such a course or course requirement.' The bill doesn't define DEI or CRT.

Organizational filibustering refers to strategies that delay and obstruct efforts to pursue social justice in systems. These additions can stretch out the process of implementation of diversity strategic plans or multicultural programs for years. Change agents can become battle-fatigued and give up their efforts. They can also become so disheartened that they leave a group or organization altogether.

The governor's proposal guts long-standing protections for crash victims and benefits insurance companies at the expense of people harmed by negligent drivers. It would result in more denied claims, less accountability for dangerous driving, and increased blame placed on victims. It will shift financial responsibility from those responsible back onto victims. It does not prevent crashes, improve street safety or guarantee lower insurance premiums. Similar reforms in other states did not reduce insurance costs. Instead, injured pedestrians and cyclists will pay the price.

If passed and signed into law, the bill would replace the student regent with a ninth one appointed by the governor. In addition, seven new nonvoting member seats would be established: three for students, two for state senators and two for state representatives. The proposed legislation also details several new policies and programs the board would be required to establish and would give members of the state's General Assembly the ability to override board and university expenditures through a joint resolution.

The interchamber tensions between Democrats are becoming a regular feature of funding fights in the second Trump term. Lawmakers, strategists and voters alike exploded in anger last March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of colleagues allowed a spending package to move forward amid the Elon Musk-led DOGE assault on federal agencies. In November, tempers again flared when a handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to end a record 43-day shutdown.

Portland's transition to a new form of government last January brought new practices and procedures for the City Council. Among the largest changes, impacting both the Council and members of the public, was the introduction of eight policy committees. The committees, which considered topics including transportation, climate, finance, homelessness, and public safety, were intended to provide a focused venue for councilors to introduce legislation and hold conversations on specific topics, as well as to hear public testimony.

If you live in Illinois, you pay a greater percentage of your income in taxes than almost anyone of any income stratus anywhere in the country. That's not right,

Freshly sworn into office, Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger appointed 27 new members to three university boards Saturday, effectively reshaping governance at the University of Virginia, George Mason University and Virginia Military Institute. Spanberger's wave of appointments comes after state Democrats blocked numerous picks advanced by former Republican governor Glenn Youngkin, who stocked university boards with GOP megadonors and various conservative figures, including former lawmakers and officials.

Lawmakers described routine death threats, armed protesters in galleries, and explicit fears for spouses and children. Several said the June 2025 assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband fundamentally changed how they assess the risks of staying in office. Case in point: Connecticut State Rep. Corey Paris, 34, reported death threats and calls for violence against him and his family last year after he posted on social media encouraging people to share information on ICE activity.

It found that during that period, 19 insurers based in Florida or surrounding regions funneled billions of dollars in fees to holding companies and other affiliates that were not "fair and reasonable," as defined by various industry rules. The insurers were not identified in the study. The study showed that insurers paid investors $680 million in dividends and accepted $951 million in capital contributions from affiliates, clouding regulators' abilities to determine insurers' actual financial health.

Age has long been a point of debate in American politics, but it becomes especially controversial when lawmakers remain in office well beyond traditional retirement years. As the nation grapples with issues like healthcare, technology, and economic change, questions naturally arise about how age, generation status, and experience influence leadership at the highest levels of government. For some voters, longevity in office represents wisdom; for others, it raises concerns about representation and outdated reasoning.