state legislature

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After Veto, Arkansas Tries to Save 12-Week Abortion Ban

Override attempt begins in state Senate today

(Newser) - Last week, Arkansas' governor vetoed a ban on abortions after the 20-week mark; the state legislature overrode the veto . Now, Gov. Mike Beebe has vetoed a bill that would ban abortions after just 12 weeks—and once again, lawmakers will today try to override the Democrat's veto; success would...

Right-to-Work Becomes Law in Michigan

Thousands protest in Lansing

(Newser) - It's a huge day for labor in Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a pair of right-to-work bills that make it illegal to require the payment of union dues in order to work, the Detroit Free Press reports. The state's House of Representatives passed the bills earlier today....

Wisconsin Republican: 'Some Girls Rape Easy'

State Rep. Roger Rivard defends dad's advice

(Newser) - A Wisconsin state representative is under fire after relaying his father's advice to a local newspaper: "Some girls rape easy." Republican Roger Rivard is now offering context for the December comments in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel : His father, he says, was warning him against premarital sex—because "...

Michigan Lawmaker Silenced for Saying 'Vagina'

'What language should I use?' wonders Rep. Lisa Brown

(Newser) - You can say it on television, but not in Michigan's Republican-majority House of Representatives. Democratic Rep. Lisa Brown was barred from speaking on the House floor as punishment for saying "vagina" during a debate on abortion rights, the Detroit News reports. "Mr. Speaker, I'm flattered that...

Virginia Lawmaker: 'Sea Level Rise' Is 'Left-Wing Term'

GOP Del. Chris Stolle gets 'liberal' terms excised from study

(Newser) - Virginia lawmakers will study the dangers of sea level rise provided one phrase is never uttered: "sea level rise." Republican state lawmakers agreed to commission a study on the phenomenon as long as "left-wing" terms like "sea level rise" and "climate change" were removed. Democrats,...

NH Lawmaker Ejected for Making Nazi Salute

WWII vet argued for Steve Vaillancourt's expulsion

(Newser) - State police were ordered to remove a Republican lawmaker from New Hampshire's House of Representatives after he shouted "Sieg Heil" and appeared to give a Nazi salute. Rep. Steve Vaillancourt said he was responding to actions of "tyrannical" House Speaker Bill O'Brien, whom he felt had...

Next Target of Distracted Driving: Lapdogs

Rhode Island legislator cracks down on distracted driving

(Newser) - There's a new target in the war on distracted driving: lapdogs. A Rhode Island legislator is sponsoring a bill that would ban drivers from letting their canine companions perch on their laps, reports the Wall Street Journal . The bill, which could saddle violators with a $125 fine, would make...

Colbert Looks for GOP&#39;s Obama
 Colbert Looks for GOP's Obama 
Feb 29, 2012 8:51 AM CST

Colbert Looks for GOP's Obama

He thinks Bob Morris and Kyle Jones have the right stuff

(Newser) - Last night was Stephen Colbert's 1,000th show, but he's not looking back. With the GOP presidential race in turmoil, he's looking for the party's future savior, and since Barack Obama made the leap from senator to president in just four years, he figured state legislatures...

Indiana Dems Go AWOL to Slow Labor Bill

Anti-union measure would make Indiana right-to-work state

(Newser) - As Indiana Republicans push an anti-union bill at the statehouse, Democrats are fighting tooth and nail—by staying home. Many skipped floor sessions twice yesterday; without 67 members present, the state House can't legally advance its agenda, the New York Times notes. Republicans are trying to make Indiana a...

Lawmaker's 3rd-Grade Kid Writes Him Letter of Protest

'Please put the budget higher, dad'

(Newser) - A North Carolina state lawmaker has received some very personal letters of protest—from his daughter and her third-grade class. GOP Rep. Mike Stone’s daughter asks him to “please put the budget higher, dad” as the state weighs education spending cuts, reports the AP . “Our school doesn’...

Birther Bills Pop Up in More Than a Dozen States

Debate could take center stage during election

(Newser) - Forget the evidence ; ignore the Supreme Court and Michele Bachmann . With some 45% of Republicans believing Barack Obama is foreign-born, more than 12 state legislatures have seen bills requiring candidates to prove citizenship, reports the New York Times . And Oklahoma is poised to make its measure law, calling for even...

Oregon Legislators Rickroll Colleagues
 Oregon 
 Legislators 
 Rickroll 
 Colleagues 
in case you missed it
Apr 16, 2011 6:34 AM CDT

Oregon Legislators Rickroll Colleagues

April Fool's Day prank goes viral

(Newser) - From Oregon, a lesson in April Fool's Day pranks, viral videos ... and bipartisanship: A group of 12 state lawmakers managed to "Rickroll" their colleagues last year, by slipping the lyrics to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" into speeches they made on the House floor....

Indiana House Democrats End Walkout
 Democrats Return to Indiana 
Mar 29, 2011 3:23 AM CDT

Democrats Return to Indiana

State House lawmakers end walkout after almost 6 weeks

(Newser) - Indiana's House Democrats are back after one of the longest legislature walkouts in American history. The lawmakers—who fled to Illinois last month to deny the GOP a quorum on a controversial vote—returned from an absence of nearly six weeks after Republicans agreed to shelve some anti-union measures, the...

States Weigh Delaying Primaries to Save Cash

Some consider switching to caucuses

(Newser) - With money tight, some states may push their presidential primaries later, or even cancel them and hold party-run caucuses instead, skipping out on the race for visitors and media attention. Resigned to the influence of states like New Hampshire and Iowa, some lawmakers are making financial concerns their priority, Politico...

NH Lawmaker: Send Mentally Ill to Siberia

91-year-old Martin Harty supports eugenics, fears overpopulation

(Newser) - A 91-year-old New Hampshire lawmaker said he wished America had its own Siberia to send "defective people" to. Then "the mentally ill, the retarded, people with physical disabilities and drug addictions" could "freeze to death and die and clean up the population,” state representative Martin Harty...

GOP Sparks Fight Over College Kids' Voting Rights

NH, Wisconsin, North Carolina could make it trickier for students to vote

(Newser) - Republican state legislators across the US are stirring up controversy with proposals to tighten voting laws in ways that would affect college kids. The Washington Post points to a particularly heated bill in New Hampshire that would bar out-of-state students from voting in their college towns. Opponents say the efforts,...

Alvin Greene Running for Office Again

But this time for South Carolina rep

(Newser) - Everyone’s favorite mumbling unemployed Senate candidate is jumping back in the political arena, this time running for the more attainable post of South Carolina state representative. Alvin Greene has signed up to run in the special election for state Rep. Cathy Harvin’s seat, paying his $165 entry fee...

A Wave of Democratic State Lawmakers Defecting to GOP

At least 13 have jumped ship so far, and there could be more

(Newser) - Democratic losses didn’t stop on Election Day: Since Nov. 2, at least 13 state lawmakers have switched over to the Republican party, the AP reports. Many of the defections took place in the South, where dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party is high. In some states, like Alabama and Louisiana,...

GOP Cleans Up in State Legislatures

They're well-positioned for redistricting

(Newser) - Republicans picked up about 680 seats in state legislatures Tuesday, giving them their highest number since 1928. They've flipped 19 chambers in all so far—Democrats have flipped none—including both the House and Senate in Alabama, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. For the first time since...

Tomorrow's Real Prize? State Legislatures
Tomorrow's Real Prize?
State Legislatures
analysis
Nov 1, 2010 9:15 AM CDT

Tomorrow's Real Prize? State Legislatures

Forget Congress: It's governorships and state chambers that count

(Newser) - As tomorrow’s election looms, most are focused on which party will control next year’s Congress—but the big prize is really state legislatures, writes Nick Baumann in Mother Jones . A party that gains a “trifecta—control of the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature”—...

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