state lawmaker

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Lawmaker Sorry for Leaving Loaded Gun in State Capitol

Colleagues accuse Colorado Republican Don Wilson of 'dangerous' behavior

(Newser) - Colorado Rep. Don Wilson will need to be a bit more careful with his guns moving forward. The Republican state lawmaker had to apologize Thursday after leaving a loaded gun in a bathroom at the State Capitol, where it sat on a shelf in a single-occupancy bathroom for about 20...

They Flew In for NCAA Tourney, Got Accused of Being 'Invaders'

Michigan GOP state Rep. Matt Maddock said college basketball players were 'illegal' immigrants

(Newser) - March Madness' Sweet 16 tourney kicked off Thursday, and four teams traveled this week to Detroit in preparation for their weekend games. A Republican lawmaker in Michigan didn't see them as NCAA basketball players, however, when their planes landed Wednesday night, reports FOX 2 . "Happening right now. Three...

Utah Lawmaker Turns Bridge Collapse Into DEI Debate

Gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman criticizes port of Baltimore commissioner, who offers DEI consulting

(Newser) - A GOP lawmaker running for governor of Utah blamed the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In an apparent effort "to boost his gubernatorial campaign," Utah Rep. Phil Lyman took to X on Tuesday to attack Port...

Lawmakers Reject 'Crazy' Bill on Exotic Pets

NH legislation would have made it easier to keep kangaroos, monkeys, skunks

(Newser) - Lawmakers in New Hampshire have voted down a proposal to make the state a bit more like a zoo. The Republican-sponsored House Bill 1325 would've allowed residents to keep animals such as red-tailed kangaroos, small-tailed monkeys, foxes, otters, skunks, and raccoons as pets without the need for a permit...

Baby Pig Tossed Around at Mardi Gras Has a New Home

Louisiana Rep. Lauren Ventrella was 'moved' by story of Earl 'Piglet' Long after incident at parade

(Newser) - A baby pig has found his forever home after being saved by a Good Samaritan who saw it being tossed around at a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. WBRZ reports that Earl "Piglet" Long is now set to "live his best porking life" with Louisiana state Rep....

Lawmaker Hit for Backing Racist Conspiracy Theory

Michigan State Rep. Josh Schriver, who tweeted about great replacement theory, loses staff

(Newser) - A Republican state lawmaker in Michigan lost his committee assignment and staff Monday, days after posting an image of a racist ideology on social media, per the AP . House Speaker Joe Tate, a Democrat who's Black, said he won't allow the House to be a forum for "...

More GOP Leaders Want to Boot Legislator Over Slur-Filled Rant

Footage shows North Dakota lawmaker spewing homophobic, anti-migrant comments at police

(Newser) - Local Republican Party leaders of a North Dakota lawmaker's own district joined calls on Friday for him to step down after his vulgar comments to police earlier this month during his traffic stop and arrest on a charge of drunken driving, the AP reports. In a Facebook statement, the...

Ex-Lawmaker Served 45 Years, Faces Sex Crimes Charges

Former North Dakota state Sen. Ray Holmberg is accused of traveling to Prague for sex with minor

(Newser) - A former longtime North Dakota lawmaker has been indicted on a federal charge alleging he traveled to Prague with the intent to rape a minor. The four-page indictment against former Republican state Sen. Ray Holmberg also charges him with one count of receiving images depicting child sexual abuse. The indictment...

Michigan Moves to Repeal Law Against Cohabitation
Now, Just One State Remains
With Cohabitation Ban
UPDATED
Jul 18, 2023 12:58 PM CDT

Now, Just One State Remains With Cohabitation Ban

Mississippi is the holdout as Michigan moves 'into the current century'

(Newser) - Unmarried couples are now free to cohabitate in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation repealing a 1931 law that banned unmarried couples from living together, with penalties of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, per the Michigan Advance . Though it's been a long...

Pol Predicts 'Violence From Dads Like Me' on All-Gender Bathrooms

Illinois state Sen. Neil Anderson: I'd 'beat the living piss' out of men in unisex bathrooms with my child

(Newser) - An Illinois lawmaker is making headlines for his reaction to a bill that would greenlight mixed-gender bathrooms in his state. On Thursday, Illinois senators debated HB 1286 , which would allow for the creation of public multi-occupancy restrooms that individuals of any gender can use. Per the Washington Post , these bathrooms...

Lawmaker in Texas Resigns Before He Can Be Expelled

GOP Rep. Bryan Slaton is accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with a 19-year-old

(Newser) - A Republican Texas state lawmaker resigned Monday ahead of an expected vote to expel him after an investigation found he had inappropriate sexual conduct with a 19-year-old intern, per the AP . The resignation letter of Rep. Bryan Slaton, 45, did not address the allegations. “I look forward to spending...

Rep Who Spoke Up for Trans Rights Faces Expulsion

GOP has frozen Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr from speaking after 'blood on their hands' remark

(Newser) - Montana Republican leaders will vote Wednesday on censuring or expelling lawmaker Zooey Zephyr, a transgender state representative who's been silenced in the House since last week after telling colleagues that if they voted for a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children, they'd "have blood...

GOP Lawmaker Rants Against 'Demon' Transgender People

Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby got pushback from both Dems, Republicans after 'mutant' remarks

(Newser) - On Monday, a legislative hearing was held in Florida over the Safety in Private Spaces Act , which would bar anyone from using a restroom if it didn't match the sex they'd been assigned at birth. Comments from one particular lawmaker, however, stunned colleagues on both sides of the...

Here's What Didn't Get Tennessee Lawmakers Fired

GOP leaders have blocked attempts to punish their members

(Newser) - The Tennessee House chamber where Republicans expressed outrage this week at a breach in decorum was filled daily, for years, by the sound of their colleague ringing a cowbell to mask the lack of applause. A lawmaker's office chair was urinated on by a fellow Republican, a reporter who...

Tennessee Dems Face Expulsion for Gun Reform Chants

Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson accused of 'disorderly behavior'

(Newser) - Three Democrats in Tennessee are on the verge of being ousted from the state House after leading protesters in chants in support of gun control. Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson approached the podium between bills on Thursday without being recognized to speak, USA Today reports. Using a...

Texas Lawmaker Investigated After All Staffers Resign

They allege State Rep. Jolanda Jones was demanding and 'physically threatening'

(Newser) - Texas State. Rep. Jolanda "Jo" Jones is facing an investigation after her entire staff resigned Thursday, levying a host of allegations against the freshman Democrat. In a leaked resignation letter, Chief of Staff Kory Haywood, Legislative Director Catherine Mouer, and District Director Yesenia Wences describe an "abusive and...

Lawmaker: 'You Can't Detain Me.' Cop: Well, Actually...

Police: Oklahoma Rep. Dean Davis wouldn't leave bar, claimed his arrest was unconstitutional

(Newser) - What's going on in Oklahoma? Earlier this month, a police captain there arrested on suspicion of DUI asked, in vain, for the officer who'd pulled him over to turn off his bodycam . Now, another incident in which more cops from the Sooner State faced a similarly confrontational dilemma...

After Vote on School Discipline: 'It's 1880 in Here'

Bill in Oklahoma House on barring corporal punishment against disabled students fails

(Newser) - It was a close vote in the Oklahoma state House this week, but a measure to bar teachers and staff from using corporal punishment against kids with disabilities failed. Despite GOP Rep. John Talley's best efforts to advance HB1028, which would've kept educators from hitting, spanking, paddling, or...

Lawmaker Censured for 'Despicable' Child Abuse Remark

Alaska Rep. David Eastman suggested at hearing there may be a cost 'benefit' if child dies from abuse

(Newser) - Very few people would try to find some sort of silver lining in cases where a child died from abuse. Rep. David Eastman is apparently one of those people, however, and he's now taking flak for his comments made earlier this week in that vein. Per the Anchorage Daily ...

Lawmaker's Transgender Son Dies by Suicide

Kentucky legislator says difficulty finding acceptance led to mental illness

(Newser) - A Kentucky state senator said Tuesday that her transgender son, a trans rights advocate on whom "a lack of acceptance took a toll," has died by suicide. He was 24. Democratic Sen. Karen Berg said her son Henry Berg-Brousseau "long struggled with mental illness, not because he...

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