California saw its biggest increase in registered lobbyists last session since at least 2011, when a change in the law caused the number to more than double. The increase in lobbyists means there’s now at least one lobbyist for every staff member, compared to two staffers per lobbyist back in 1995, the earliest data available from the Secretary of State’s …
Could updated building codes reduce risks from future storms? "The General Assembly and the North Carolina Home Builders Association have rewritten laws and rewritten the code that affect how a home is built and inspected," Wooten said. The North Carolina Home Builders Association exerts huge influence on both the Building Code Council and the Republican-controlled state legislature, which has blocked …
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Early childhood education in Illinois would be administered by a separate state agency, combining disparate services that bind parents in red tape, under a proposal Gov. “This transition won’t happen overnight, but the work must begin now.” Pritzker signed an executive order “to get this process started so that we can have better coordinated state funded programs, …
For the fourth time in five years, the California Legislature rejected a bill to allow its staff to unionize, parting with other West Coast states that have approved similar legislation to try to improve workplace conditions and offset power imbalances between politicians and their legislative staff. It’s doing what’s right.” For decades, legislative employees have not received the same right …
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott followed through on his threat and vetoed Friday the new state budget’s line item providing for legislative staff pay. “Texans don’t run from a legislative fight, and they don’t walk away from unfinished business,” Abbott said in Friday’s veto message. “Funding should not be provided for those who quit their job early, leaving …
