Elin Johnson

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

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