The government has put together new rules to guide how U.S. spy agencies buy and use mounds of highly personal information from smartphone apps, automobiles and other connected devices.
The new framework policy, from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, does not require agencies to get a warrant before buying or searching commercially available information, or CAI.
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The property portion of Tennessee’s franchise tax has been repealed and businesses will be eligible for a rebate of up to three years of those taxes.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law Friday. The rebate could cost the state up to $1.6 billion.
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There’s a warning about what Milwaukee Public Schools could lose if it kicks a charter school out of their buildings.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is out with a new report that explains MPS would be hurting its bottom line by evicting the Carmen Charter School.
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The union representing University of Connecticut police is pushing back on claims officers injured pro-Palestinian protesters when they broke up an encampment last month and arrested more than two dozen people.
The Connecticut Police & Fire Union, which represents UConn police, said the claims about the April 30 encounter made by another union in a letter to school leaders was an “unconscionable attack” on the officers who were just “doing their jobs” by shutting down the “unauthorized” encampment on school grounds.
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Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisors ratified a collective bargaining agreement with its firefighters Tuesday, the first such agreement in the county’s history and one of many popping up across the commonwealth.
“I don’t know when I’ve been happier and prouder to make a motion,” said Board Chairwoman Phyllis Randall, D-At Large. “If I were a crier – and I just might – I would be crying right now.”
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The South Carolina House passed a bill to reform the state’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission, changes that stem from the Ad Hoc Committee to Examine the Judicial Selection and Retention Process House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, assembled.
Proponents say S. 1046 increases transparency and accountability and gives elected officials a greater say in selecting judges.
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will have to settle for school districts establishing respective cellphone policies rather than the state limiting use for students during the school day.
In his State of the State address last month, DeWine called on lawmakers to establish statewide cellphone restrictions. Instead, the legislature passed a bill that would require districts to come up with policies.
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Michigan House Democrats passed budget bills totaling nearly $81 billion – larger than Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recommendation.
Republicans in the minority for the first time in 40 years decried the spending proposals as wasteful as Democrats said the budget would invest in all Michiganders.
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If a push to increase Ohio’s minimum wage fails to make the November ballot, there’s a backup plan in the state Senate.
That plan, though, moves increases more slowly and eventually keeps the tipped wage at half of the non-tipped wage. If the proposed constitutional amendment reaches the ballot and is passed, the tipped- and non-tipped wage would eventually become equal.
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Republican U.S. senators introduced a bill that would ban student loan forgiveness for protestors convicted of a crime while protesting on U.S. college campuses.
The No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act was filed by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., with multiple cosponsors. The bill would prevent any college or university student who is convicted of any offense under federal or state law while protesting at a higher education institution from having their federal student loans forgiven, cancelled, waived or modified.
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State officials say Florida’s tourism marketing organization, Visit Florida, returned only 58 cents for every dollar spent on it in 2023.
The report by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research found that Visit Florida’s public marketing during fiscal years 2019-22 generated a positive 0.58 return on investment.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed off on the state’s fiscal 2025 budget, a spending plan that includes pay raises for public school teachers and state law enforcement officers.
“This budget in particular will help us further promote economic prosperity in communities all across the state, provide Georgia students a quality education, care for the health and wellbeing of our families, and ensure the safety of our neighborhoods,” Kemp, a Republican, said during a Tuesday signing ceremony, according to his prepared remarks. “And because we’ve budgeted conservatively and refused to spend beyond our means, we’re able to invest in these core areas while cutting taxes at the same time.”
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Nearly half of the most popular jobs in Ohio pay the average worker so little employees qualify for government assistance to feed a family of three, a new report based on information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
The findings in the Still working for too little in Ohio report from Policy Matters Ohio also showed that those four occupations employ 476,000 or 8.7% of all workers in the state.
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Six months before Election Day, Milwaukee’s mayor has made a change at the top of his city’s elections commission.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Monday announced Paulina Gutiérrez as the new executive director of Milwaukee’s Election Commission.
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Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer expanding into the illicit drug market, will soon face more restrictions as Pennsylvania tries to combat overdoses and the social ills of drug abuse.
A bill championed by Rep. Carl Metzgar, R-Somerset, would make xylazine possession a felony offense while allowing it for veterinary purposes.
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Three public interest groups are claiming a legal victory of sorts, saying their actions have led to at least a temporary delay in Dominion Energy’s efforts to begin construction on Virginia’s major offshore wind project – but Dominion disagrees.
The Heartland Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and the National Legal and Policy Center have taken action against Dominion several times now regarding the project.
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The Michigan Supreme Court declined to say whether the government can use drones to spy on people without a warrant.
The unanimous Friday ruling follows a 17-year dispute between residents Todd and Heather Maxon and Long Lake township officials who say the 5-acre residential property is being used as an illegal junkyard.
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A Republican-led Senate Special Committee on Investigations focused on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ use of county tax dollars to investigate former President Donald Trump.
The work of the Senate Special Committee on Investigations, created with the passage of Senate Resolution 465, could rank among the most-watched state committees of the year, especially considering its potential impact on this November’s presidential election. The committee’s focus includes allegations that Willis had an affair with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor formerly on the case.
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A group of 17 Congressional Republicans led by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is calling on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide information on “the total number of illegal aliens currently residing within the United States.”
In a letter to Mayorkas, whom they voted to impeach in February, the Republican lawmakers argue, “The American people deserve an exact accounting of the number of illegal aliens residing in the country, especially if the federal government’s policies have caused that number to surge since the previous estimate.”
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Millions of federal taxpayer dollars will be headed toward Arizona for getting rid of lead pipes.
$28.65 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is intended to help “identify and replace” the pipes in the state, as the Environmental Protection Agency considers any quantity of lead in water people drink to be potentially dangerous.
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The Ohio House could take up a bill this week that would force clear language on ballots for potential property tax increases and stop school districts from using individuals to challenge tax assessments.
House Bill 344 could be on the House agenda when it meets Wednesday after it passed the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee on a Republican-majority 10-6 party-line vote.
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Newly released polling data spells bad news for President Joe Biden this election year.
Gallup released new polling data that showed independent voters trust former President Donald Trump more than Biden when it comes to the economy. About 34 percent of independents say they trust Biden to do the right thing for the economy, compared to 45 percent who trust Trump.
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Arizona voters could play a critical role in deciding the state’s border policies in November.
Senate Republicans said earlier this week in a news release that legislation to give local, county, state law enforcement power to arrest people crossing into the United States illegally could be on the ballot as a referral from the Republican majority legislature.
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Pennsylvania remains one of a few states where poll workers don’t process ballots before Election Day.
Supporters of pre-canvassing, as it’s called, believe giving counties more time to open envelopes and prepare ballots for counting will deliver faster results.
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2023 was a record year for domestic natural gas consumption, and its supply wouldn’t have been possible without record U.S. production, led by Texas, according to several reports.
Texas produced the equivalent of one-third of the natural gas consumed last year, with Texas producers breaking multiple records last year, The Center Square reported.
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The Anti-Defamation League gives the University of Virginia an “F” in its Campus Antisemitism Report Card as the pro-Palestinian protesters mark another day of demonstrations on campus.
As anti-Zionism demonstrations continue to creep up on college campuses across the nation, the ADL has been active in keeping score of antisemitic incidents prior to the latest campus uprisings, with the goal to serve students and their families information on the “current state of antisemitism on campus” and how those institutions respond.
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The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs pledged to protect veterans and address any problems identified by federal watchdogs after an Inspector General report raised concerns about the physicians employed by the VA.
Press Secretary Terrence Hayes responded to an inquiry from The Center Square about recent IG reports. The reports in question said that the healthcare wing of the VA was paying doctors to care for veterans even after those doctors had been disqualified for safety reasons.
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The Tennessee Legislature passed a pair of bills intended to fight illegal immigration in the state.
The bill will require the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference to collect and compile the data on the costs related to illegal immigrants in the state who are charged or convicted of a criminal offense. The report will be sent to the governor and both the House and Senate speaker.
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Americans are less confident about the economy, according to a new survey.
Gallup’s recently released economic confidence rating dropped from March to April as inflation remains elevated. Just after the polling was conducted from April 1-22, the federal government released underperforming Gross Domestic Product data.
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The U.S. House passed another a bill to advance domestic energy production, this time in response to cries for help from an indigenous community living in the Alaska North Slope.
The bill’s cosponsor, a Democrat from Alaska, did not vote for her own bill. It passed with the support of five Democrats, including two from Texas who are strong supporters of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry.
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Social media companies in Tennessee will need to verify parental consent before allowing minors to create accounts in the state starting Jan. 1.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill, which along with age verification and parental consent, requires social media companies to allow parents access to monitor the account with privacy settings, daily time restrictions and creating breaks where the minor cannot use the social media.
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More than 30 Ohio municipalities will share in nearly $2 million in taxpayer funds in the state’s first effort to reduce the amount of salt used on the roads during the winter.
State officials hope the new program will reduce runoff into streams, rivers and lakes.
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The Pennsylvania Game Commission looks ahead with a new executive director, but recent turmoil has legislators even more skeptical of the agency’s competence.
The commission has its sights set on tightening up policies and working more with the legislature, but critics want deeper changes.
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Wisconsin’s Democrat leadership continued its push for drop boxes as Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a response brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court to allow them.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers filed a brief in early April looking overturn a ruling from 2022 that said ballot drop boxes are not allowed under state law.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin met with Finland President Alexander Stubb, discussing opportunities the commonwealth and the northern European country can strengthen their business relationship.
The two leaders met in the nation’s capital, Helsinki as part of the governor’s economic tour of Europe. Youngkin used the visit to cement an established relationship between Virginia and Finland.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a series of bills aimed at growing the state’s workforce, including measures aimed at making it easier for Georgians to get occupational licenses and job training.
“As our state continues to grow, measures like this will help us stay ahead of the curve and cut red tape,” Kemp said during a bill signing at the Jordan Vocational High School in Columbus.
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The Michigan House approved bills to allow physical therapists to practice in states that have entered a compact.
House Bills 4504 and 4505 aim to enter Michigan into the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, which allows physical therapists to practice physical therapy in states within the compact without having to be licensed in each state.
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Connecticut will end the fiscal year with a record surplus, according to a new report, which is fueling calls by progressive Democrats to roll back the state’s spending controls.
The consensus revenue forecast, released by the Office of Policy and Management and Office of Fiscal Analysis on Monday, shows the state is likely to close out the fiscal year more than $645 million above initial budget projections. That’s a roughly $1 billion surplus through 2026, according to the report.
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The South Carolina Senate passed a measure to exempt feminine care products from the state’s sales tax, a move that could cost the state and local governments millions in tax revenue.
The Senate voted unanimously in favor of H.3563, which now heads to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for consideration. The state House unanimously passed the bill last year.
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Nearly 15 million people living in or entering the country illegally are on an FBI list prohibiting purchase of firearms.
However, the National Instant Criminal Background Check system isn’t required to let immigration authorities know if one of those 14.8 million is an applicant and in America. Legislation is proposed to change it.
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Ohio is handing out $86 million in federal taxpayer money to private investment funds to be passed on to early-stage tech companies that are women- or minority-owned or in underserved areas by venture capital.
The money comes from the federally-funded State Small Business Credit Initiative Venture Capital program, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik says the money helps level the playing field.
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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has issued another warning about the growing prevalence of a veterinary sedative in illicit fentanyl supply.
For years, dealers have been mixing xylazine, a non-opioid tranquilizer approved for animal use, with fentanyl and other drugs to increase potency and profits.
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For “mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders,” actions will have consequences, the North Carolina congresswoman leading a key U.S. House of Representatives committee said Tuesday amid ongoing college campus disruptions.
The war between Israel and Hamas has led to significant demonstrations or encampments on at least four dozen campuses nationwide, a national observer of such activity reports. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., with support of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the Committee on Education and the Workforce she chairs has opened a congressional probe and on May 23 will hear from presidents of Yale and Michigan and the chancellor of UCLA.
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No one is sure if there is an ‘or else’ attached to the statement from UW-Madison leaders to pro-Palestinian protesters who are camping on campus.
Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin issued a statement that says the university is willing to speak with protesters about their demands. But Mnookin said protesters must first dismantle their tents.
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Pennsylvania may soon join the list of states banning employers from pulling job applicants’ credit scores during the hiring process.
The House Labor and Industry Committee recently approved House Bill 2207, which would outlaw the practice in most circumstances – except for jobs in finance or those subject to specific mandates by federal or local law.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation doubling annual paid parental leave for state employees and school personnel, including teachers.
Previously, state employees could take three weeks or 120 hours of paid parental leave during a 12-month “rolling” period following a child’s birth, adoption or foster care placement. However, House Bill 1010 increases the paid leave to six weeks — or 240 hours.
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Floridians with developmental disabilities will benefit from a record level of funding for direct services after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a multi-billion dollar investment from the state.
DeSantis spoke at the Els Center in Jupiter on Monday and announced that as part of the Live Healthy legislation spearheaded by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and his Focus on Florida’s Bright Future Budget that $2.2 billion will be going to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for services through the iBudget waiver.
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Stronger fentanyl-related drug trafficking penalties and a requirement to teach high school students the dangers of fentanyl now wait on the Ohio Senate to move closer to becoming law.
House Bill 322, which passed the House with an 80-13 vote but has yet to be introduced in the Senate, is a direct response to both drug and human trafficking, according to sponsor Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison.
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The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency wants taxpayers to foot its $55 million settlement for improperly taking money.
The agency said Tuesday it will seek Legislative approval of $55 million for a settlement fund related to Saunders v Unemployment Ins. Agency et al. on April 25.
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A new bill would push back on the U.S. Department of Labor’s ability to regulate apprenticeships.
The “Apprenticeship Freedom Act” from House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., was obtained exclusively by The Center Square.
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