The monthly costs for the thrifty plan for a family of four participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is increasing by 31% over the last three years.
The United States Department of Agriculture stated the food stamp benefit amounts are based every year upon the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan.
Read the full story
The right to serve as law enforcement shouldn’t belong solely to U.S. citizens, but also to individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, according to Senate Bill 69.
The legislation passed the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate.
Read the full story
Arizona Congressman David Schweikert is introducing legislation on Friday that would loosen regulations on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program to allow for places of worship to get more protection.
The House bill dubbed the “Warranting of Religious Spaces to Handle Increased Protection (WORSHIP) Act” would allow an increase from 50% to 75% to use the grant funds for personnel-related expenses and allow the hiring of “public safety personnel” to be permitted under the grant as part of “covered expenses.”
Read the full story
Ohio schools spent nearly 15% more per student in 2020 than in 2002, while enrollment, the number of teachers and teacher pay dropped.
According to a new report from the Reason Foundation released Thursday morning, the bulk of the inflation-adjusted increase covered employee benefits, specifically teacher pension debt.
The Reason Foundation’s Education Spending Across 50 States showed Ohio’s inflation-adjusted education revenue grew from $14,008 per student in 2002 to $16,064 per student in 2020. That increase keeps it well below the national average, ranking 38th in the country.
Read the full story
The Biden administration’s choice for zero-emissions operations in America’s ports was boosted Wednesday with the opening of applications for $3 billion from taxpayers in the Clean Ports Program.
Equipment and infrastructure needs can be met that “reduce mobile source emissions at U.S. ports,” a release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says. EPA Administrator Michael Regan was in Wilmington, N.C., alongside Gov. Roy Cooper, whose administration he previously worked in, to make the announcement.
Read the full story
A new report from the Common Sense Institute of Arizona determines that spending on homelessness in the Grand Canyon State is roughly $1 billion.
The think tank analyzed data from both the public and private sectors to see how much was going toward the issue, and the vast majority of the spending, $678-807 million, was directed toward Maricopa County in recent years.
Read the full story
by Carly Moran Michigan plans to send $219 million in tax credits back to taxpayers over the next few weeks, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced. Whitmer said a supplemental Working Families Tax Credit will be sent to Michigan families who already received a 2022 tax year Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit for Working Families. The checks should arrive over the next few weeks. Once sent, qualified Michigan households will have received an average of $550 each, totaling more than $219 million statewide. “With the Working Families Tax Credit check now making its way into the mailboxes of Michiganders, many families will feel a great sense of relief,” Whitmer said. The Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit is a tax benefit for those below a certain income level. Since 2022, it represents a 30% match of the federal income tax credit. “My team is working hard to ensure that 700,000 Michigan households receive their supplemental checks while simultaneously processing tax returns,” State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. “These checks are being sent in batches due to seasonal mailing demands. We anticipate this mailing will be completed in the next few weeks and ask eligible taxpayers to be patient as we work as…
Read the full story
More than 15,000 new concealed handgun licenses were issued in Ohio in 2023, even though the state stopped requiring concealed carry permits.
Attorney General Dave Yost on Friday issued the state’s annual report on concealed handgun licensing that showed a total of 90,582 permits were issued last year.
Read the full story
Wisconsin’s Republican U.S. Senator says he’s not looking to become the next Republican leader, but he’s not ruling it out either.
Sen. Ron Johnson told News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber he is focused right now on organizing the search for someone to replace Mitch McConnell when McConnell leaves Senate leadership in November.
Read the full story
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Thursday that will publicly release grand jury documents, including those related to the late Jeffery Epstein.
Before his death in a Florida prison cell, Epstein stood accused of running a massive child sex trafficking ring.
Read the full story
Pennsylvania will receive hundreds of millions of dollars to plug defunct oil and gas wells that may pose health and environmental threats.
And now, the state’s existing program is getting more scrutiny for how it prioritizes projects and uses that money.
Read the full story
Arizona Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego submitted his petition to get on the Democratic primary ballot on Monday morning.
Gallego, who’s a congressman representing Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, touted that his campaign did not use paid canvassers, and only “grassroots” efforts to get 14,186 signatures, which is more than double the 6,556 minimum.
Read the full story
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday said the border crisis is a “a Joe Biden invasion. This is a Biden invasion.”
He met with Gov. Greg Abbott in Eagle Pass, Texas, to tour a new military base established through Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star. “What they showed me is nothing less than incredible. This is a military operation. This is like a war,” he said.
Read the full story
Newly released federal data showed that inflation continues to rise in the U.S.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its Personal Consumption Expenditures marker Thursday, showed inflation rose 0.2% in January, more than many experts had previously expected.
Read the full story
Ohio high school and junior high students could get more opportunities to earn college credits at little to no cost, and more high school teachers could teach those classes under a proposal in the Legislature.
A new bill that passed the Senate and hasn’t had any committee hearings in the House would enact several recommendations State Auditor Keith Faber made in a 2021 report, including allowing students to sign up for the program semester by semester.
Read the full story
Builders in Ohio will deal with nearly 15,000 fewer regulatory restrictions Friday when new building, mechanical and plumbing rules go into effect.
The Ohio Board of Building Standards recently adopted rule changes showing a significant reduction in regulations and the actual number of words on the code. Overall, more than 610,000 words were eliminated.
Read the full story
A Montana think tank and special interest groups have filed an amicus brief in the state supreme court case known as Held v. Montana.
The coalition is asking the Montana Supreme Court to overrule a lower court’s decision that struck down recent changes to state environmental permitting laws and said 16 minors had standing to sue over Montana’s contribution to climate change.
Read the full story
An Alliance for American Manufacturing report called for tariffs to protect the U.S. electric vehicle market from an “extinction-level event” caused by Chinese competitors.
The report follows Chinese EV maker BYD, the world’s largest EV maker, releasing a $14,000 EV in February that could “demolish” domestic EVs, often $40,000 more expensive.
Read the full story
A bill that would put term limits on Florida county commissioners passed a key hurdle in the Senate Committee Rules on Monday.
Senate Bill 438 is sponsored by state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill. It would introduce term limits for county commissioners and would require certain counties to hold a referendum election to ask voters if they approve or disapprove of term limits in their county.
Read the full story
Connecticut Republicans have unveiled a slate of proposals aimed at addressing rising electricity costs in the state, which they say are putting the squeeze on energy consumers.
The package of proposed policy changes, calls for setting limits on Power Purchase Agreements by utilities so that no contract can be for more than 100% over the wholesale electric market price while providing relief to ratepayers by tapping into $190 million in unspent pandemic-related federal funds to pay down rate increases.
Read the full story
Expansion in the way Wisconsin prepares new teachers has passed the state Assembly and awaits a decision from second-term Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
His decision has yet to be signaled.
Read the full story
The black bear harvest declined to a 10-year low, according to state data, despite a dramatic spike in interest among hunters during that same time.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced that 2,920 bears were killed in the 2023 seasons, an 8% drop from the 3,171 bears taken in 2022. The recent high came in 2019 when 4,650 bears were killed by hunters, but most of the last decade has seen 3,100-3,700 bears taken every year.
Read the full story
The state of Ohio believes new technology that detects slow traffic and warns drivers will create a safer highway system.
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to install new warning systems at 13 highway sites in and around major urban areas identified as high-congestion, high-crash sites.
Read the full story
The Federal Communications Commission has reinstated a policy that mandates broadcasters file a document that lists the race and gender of its employees.
U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09) said the policy was not followed while Donald Trump was president of the United States.
Read the full story
Existing home sales increased 3.1% in January, but year-over-year sales fell.
Existing home sales were up 3.1% from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million in January. Year-over-year, sales declined 1.7% (down from 4.07 million in January 2023), according to the National Association of Realtors.
Read the full story
Although Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs could end up making the final call of the legislation, making some fentanyl-related deaths a felony murder charge is one step closer to becoming law in Arizona.
The bill passed the Senate 18-10-2, with Democratic Sens. Christine Marsh and Catherine Miranda voting in favor of the legislation on Thursday.
Read the full story
Ohio Democratic lawmakers want the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted after news reports questioned the administration’s actions after the House Bill 6 scandal came to light.
At a Thursday news conference, State House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said the suggestion is that the administration did nothing when possibly criminal activity came to light.
Read the full story
Americans are less satisfied in a range of areas since President Joe Biden took office, according to a new poll.
Gallup released the polling data Thursday, part of its annual “State of the Union” from American respondents.
Read the full story
With rumblings that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, plans to table and not even hold an impeachment hearing to try Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Republican senators are demanding that the U.S. Constitution be followed and a trial be held.
Mayorkas was the first sitting cabinet member to be impeached in U.S. history when the Republican-led House did so February 13. He was impeached on two counts: willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust.
Read the full story
Bills to ban ranked-choice voting are causing passionate debate over a method to cast ballots that some say is fairer and some say is confusing and could lower voter turnout.
Ranked-choice voting allows people to rank the candidates, with “one” being their favorite. The votes are tallied in rounds. After the first round, the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated. The voter’s second preference is then added to the tally. The process continues until a winner is determined.
Read the full story
After several years of rapidly increasing spending and tax collections, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has proposed a budget that would spend nearly $10 billion less next year.
That includes $52.6 billion in spending with $25.4 billion from the state and $19.8 billion from federal funds.
Read the full story
An Ohio policy groups wants state lawmakers to unlock competition in the brewing industry and let craft brewers compete on a level playing field.
The Buckeye Institute calls the state’s alcohol franchise law anti-competitive and favors distributors over small craft brewers.
Read the full story
A bill aimed at lowering gas prices by allowing more types of gasoline to be sold in Arizona passed the Arizona State Senate on Thursday.
In Maricopa County, environmental regulations allow for only two blends of gas to be sold to consumers, one winter blend and one summer blend, referred to as Cleaner Burning Gasoline, according to a news release.
Read the full story
Private employers across the state will pay $67 million less in workers’ compensation premiums after the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation board voted Friday morning to lower rates for the sixth straight year.
The 7% rate cut follows a 3.9% reduction for public employers that went into effect Jan. 1. The new private employer rate takes effect July 1.
Read the full story
Days before Tuesday’s primary election, more than 700,000 Michiganders have already cast a ballot thanks to new voting laws.
More than 18,000 votes were cast in the first three days of in-person early voting statewide over the holiday weekend.
Read the full story
Treating drug addiction is two-fold: one part is law enforcement reducing the supply and another is getting addicts the help they need to recover.
Such is what legislators heard during a House Republican Policy Committee on Thursday as Pennsylvania continues to deal with an opioid crisis that outpaces the rest of the country.
Read the full story
As Ohio’s March 19 primary begins today with early in-person voting, state senators are moving ahead with election-related legislation to stop foreign campaign contributions.
Senate Bills 215 and 137 are planned to go before the chamber’s General Government Committee.
Read the full story
Denver’s public school system has been taking in as many as 250 new students a week since the new year, which it attributes to the increase in the number of migrants arriving in the city.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero called the situation an “unprecedented challenge” in a message to the community posted on the district’s website. The district said the influx of new students will cost an additional $837,000 “to support additional needs across the system.”
Read the full story
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee did not include a grocery tax holiday in this year’s budget proposal, but a proposed bill would begin allowing counties and municipalities to cut or remove grocery tax.
Senate Bill 2520 was set to be heard Tuesday in the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Revenue Subcommittee but was instead delayed two weeks to March 5.
Read the full story
Donald Trump (R) has raised the most money from Pennsylvania state of all presidential candidates, with $2.14 million raised since the start of the campaign cycle. Trump raised $502,595 in the fourth quarter of 2023. Joe Biden (D) has raised the next most from Pennsylvania, with $1.5 million since the start of the campaign and $943,704 in the fourth quarter.
Twenty-three notable presidential candidates, including those who have dropped out of the race, raised a total of $6 million from Pennsylvania donors between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023. Thirty-five notable candidates raised $47.6 million in Pennsylvania during the 2020 election cycle, while 25 raised $25 million during the 2016 election cycle.
Read the full story
Foreign-owned social media platforms such as TikTok could face a big change in the Sunshine State if a bill currently being advanced by the Florida Senate gets signed into law.
Senate Bill 1448 is sponsored by state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, and would add transparency for social media platforms operating in Florida that are owned by foreign adversaries.
Read the full story
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Sidney Powell, a lawyer aligned with former President Donald Trump who challenged the 2020 presidential election results in Michigan.
The nation’s top court included no comment with the Tuesday rejection.
Read the full story
Detroit placed the U.S. on wheels but if Motor City wants to go electric it faces fierce global competition.
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD outsold Tesla in the fourth quarter of 2023. The foreign automaker said it produced more than 3 million new energy vehicles in 2023 compared to Tesla’s 1.8 million.
Read the full story
A Congressional watchdog said Friday that it was again unable to determine if the federal government’s consolidated financial statements were reliable.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, which is Congress’s research arm, said it was hampered by “serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense,” problems in accounting for transactions between federal agencies, weaknesses in the process for preparing the statements and inadequate support for the cost of loan programs from the Small Business Administration and Department of Education.
Read the full story
Republican presidential primary voters will head to the polls in South Carolina on Saturday to choose their pick for president.
Former president Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in polls over Nikki Haley, the state’s former governor who later served as a United Nations ambassador.
Read the full story
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs will once again have a cottage food bill on her desk this year, and she seems bound to sign it this time around.
House Bill 2042, sponsored by State Rep. Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, passed the House of Representatives unanimously on Thursday, and it was then transmitted to the State Senate for a vote.
Read the full story
The Arizona House Rules Committee is scheduled to discuss legislation on Monday that would prevent cities from decreasing funding to their local police departments.
Rep. David Marshall, R-Snowflake, is the sponsor of House Bill 2120, and it has already passed the House Military Affairs & Public Safety committee in an 8-7 party-line vote this past Monday.
Read the full story
Nearly 400 transit programs across the state will share more than $100 million in taxpayer funds for various projects to support public transportation.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced $106 million for 383 different projects through seven grant programs focusing on workforce mobility, senior citizens, special needs transportation, rural transit and busing.
Read the full story
Transit ridership has seen a significant decline across the U.S. since the beginning of COVID-19. Although now rising slowly, transit agencies are still seeing a 22% drop from peak pre-COVID ridership.
Overall weekly ridership went from 196.3 million the week of Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2020 to 152.7 million the week of Feb. 4-10, 2024. That’s according to reports from the American Public Transportation Association.
Read the full story
Domestic oil production in the U.S. reached a new record in November of 2023, hitting 13.31 million barrels per day, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The previous record was 13.25 million barrels per day. That was set in September 2023.
Read the full story