Elin Johnson

Hawaii’s Lieutenant governor said Monday that talks to end a protest over the construction of a 14th observatory atop a sacred Hawaiian mountain are at an impasse, and he’s not sure a compromise will ever be reached. Lt. Governor Josh Green offered that grim assessment after... Read More

Controversy continues to roil Alaska, a week after the state legislature failed to overturn $444 million in budget cuts by Governor Mike Dunleavy. The latest dispute, resolved only Wednesday, concerned the location for a special session of the legislature that Dunleavy initially called solely to determine... Read More

WASHINGTON - The New Democrat Coalition has endorsed a proposal by Representative Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., to establish enhanced standards of care for people detained at the U.S. border by Customs and Border Patrol. Ruiz’s bill, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody... Read More

WASHINGTON - Representatives Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., have added their names to the growing list of members of Congress who are pushing bills that tackle predatory student loan practices. Reps. Lee and DeLauro have introduced a new bill that will protect college students... Read More

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed the state's new spending plan this week, a plan that closes the $3.7 billion deficit he inherited when he took office in January without raising taxes. “For years, instability in the state’s finances has resulted in slow growth and volatility in... Read More

In our new series, Freshmen Get it Done, The Well News will be highlighting legislative accomplishments by freshman Members of Congress from both parties. *** Representatives Mike Levin, D-Calif., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., are pressing Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to reveal the agency’s plan to... Read More

In our new series, Freshmen Get it Done, The Well News will be highlighting legislative accomplishments by freshman Members of Congress from both parties. *** WASHINGTON - Representative Angie Craig, D-Minn., has proposed legislation that would ban former Members of Congress from lobbying after they leave... Read More

In our new series, Freshmen Get it Done, The Well News will be highlighting legislative accomplishments by freshman Members of Congress from both parties. *** WASHINGTON - A bill sponsored by freshman Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., to provide funding for carbon monoxide detectors in all... Read More

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed several pieces of legislation this past week, including bills that expand patient access to medical marijuana, ensure the health benefits and compensation to 9/11 responders, and prohibit utilities from cutting the power off on residents who rely on life-saving medical... Read More

A bill with bipartisan support in the Wisconsin legislature could expand the eligibility for loan forgiveness for participants in a program aimed at growing the number of minority teachers in the state. Assembly Bill 51 has already received the unanimous support of the state Assembly’s Colleges... Read More

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy cut $444 million from the state’s operating budget  last week, a move he said was critical to moving closer to a balanced budget without raising taxes or reducing the annual Permanent Fund dividend paid to every Alaskan. The move touched off a... Read More

California lawmakers have advanced legislation allowing college athletes in the state to earn compensation for the use of their name, image or likeness, despite a thinly-veiled warning from the NCAA that such a move could keep those athletes out of the association’s championships. On Tuesday, the... Read More

WASHINGTON - Wednesday night the Democrats took the upper hand over Republicans 14-7 at the annual Congressional baseball game for charity. The game was an opportunity for spry members of Congress to show their innate athleticism, proving there is nothing more enjoyable than mediocre baseball. The... Read More

With only days left in Oregon’s legislative session, a Democrat-backed climate bill is dead, and the awol Republican state senators who helped kill it now appear to be considering what to demand before they agree to return. Last week 11 Republican state senators bolted out of... Read More

San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes Tuesday, a move some say will help curb underage use, but that others say will only make it harder for adults to purchase an alternative to regular cigarettes. City supervisors voted... Read More

WASHINGTON - A House Judiciary subcommittee held the first congressional hearing in more than a decade on whether the federal government should consider compensating the descendants of slaves in the United States. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who became the sponsor of a measure to study... Read More

WASHINGTON - Now this isn’t fake news. The Bad News Babes of the DC press corps defeated the ladies of Congress 10-3 Wednesday night at the eleventh annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game. The Babes, captained by Mikayla Bouchard of The New York Times and Emmarie Huetteman... Read More

Oregon is a step closer to becoming the second state in the nation, after California, to adopt a sweeping cap-and-trade-program. The bill passed the state House with a 36-24 vote on Monday after six hours of debate, and has been sent on to the state Senate,... Read More

WASHINGTON -  President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has no plans to fire Kellyanne Conway after an independent federal agency recommended that she be removed from her job after she repeatedly used her official position for political purposes. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said this week they plan to introduce legislation to cancel student loan debt for nearly 42 million borrowers. “For far too many students and families, the cost of higher education has meant daunting... Read More

WASHINGTON - State officials told the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Tuesday that questionable practices by the servicers of student loans are saddling a generation with enormous debt that if left unchecked could stifle economic growth across the nation. Concerns about the ballooning of student... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Attorneys General from ten states including New York and California filed a lawsuit this week to stop the proposed merger between telecommunications companies T-Mobile and Sprint. In a federal complaint filed in New York on Tuesday, the attorneys general allege any merger between... Read More