State AG Pulse | The Laboratories of Democracy
The Michigan Constitution allows voters to initiate ballot measures to change or propose new laws. These citizen initiatives are made outside of the Legislature, enabling ordinary voters to create policy through the ballot. ...more
Lawmakers introduce tools to ease pressure from SGMA and infrastructure demands on public agency revenue powers - Adopted in 1996, Proposition 218 (and later Proposition 26 in 2010) amended the California Constitution to...more
Where is the Governor’s Supplemental Budget? With legislators racing toward the first and second bill deadline on March 22, the Walz Administration spent the week behind closed doors putting the finishing touches on its...more
Cannabis as Schedule I Substance Violates State’s Constitution - On September 14, 2022, Clark County District Judge Joe Hardy Jr. ruled that the Nevada Board of Pharmacy’s classification of cannabis as a Schedule I...more
On May 13, 2022, the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County held that SB 826, the law requiring companies with headquarters in California to have a prescribed number of women on their boards of directors, is...more
They say Thursday is the new Friday, and the State Senate took the sentiment to heart yesterday, quickly convening, dispensing with procedural business, and adjourning into a three day weekend. The House Rules Chairman...more
As Holland & Knight has previously reported, California courts have consistently enforced state housing laws that preempt land use and planning decisions by local governments. (See previous Holland & Knight alerts, "Court of...more
Both chambers gaveled in for the third week of the legislative session, despite a massive snowstorm that dumped historic levels of snow across most of Iowa and the Des Moines metro. While the emphasis this week was...more
Update: On Monday, January 25, the Governor introduced another bill, SSB1065, which establishes a student first scholarship program for certain pupils attending nonpublic schools. The legislature did not meet on Monday in...more
During this upcoming election, New Jersey residents will have an opportunity to vote on amending the New Jersey state constitution to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults 21 years and older. While many are...more
Of the twelve statewide ballot propositions certified to appear on the ballot for the upcoming election on November 3, 2020, two seek to amend the taxation of real property in California. Before diving into the proposed...more
We are now in the second year of the California legislature's biennium. Under the Constitution, any bill introduced during the first year of the biennium of the legislative session that has not been passed by the house of...more
Legislative activity increased this week as bill introductions continued and committees began to vote on bills. Constitutional Amendment (H140) - Rep. Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) was joined by fellow lawmakers Rep....more
Employers in Michigan have been on a roller coaster ride over the last several months regarding new paid sick leave and minimum wage requirements. In the fall of 2018, the Michigan Legislature adopted paid sick leave and...more
Coloradoans continue to see fights over oil and gas development in the news. Following last month’s Colorado Supreme Court decision in COGCC v. Martinez, mineral owners in the Wildgrass neighborhood of Broomfield, Colorado,...more
Recently, Colorado voters rejected Proposition 112, which would have changed Colorado law to require 2,500-foot setbacks between new oil and gas development and homes or other (vaguely described) “vulnerable areas.” It has...more
It appears as though the “millionaire’s tax” is back in play in Massachusetts. On Friday, January 18, Massachusetts State Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) and Representative James O’Day (D-Worcester) filed legislation that...more
As a constitutional body that meets once every 20 years, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission is garnering significant attention in the lead-up to the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. ...more
The California state legislature on August 30, 2018 approved SB 826, a bill which, if signed into law by the state governor, will require public companies headquartered in California to have a minimum number of female...more
The 2018 Short Session of the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned in late June and can boast something that many Short Sessions cannot: that it was genuinely short. What else made it memorable? An unusual...more
In a recent 5-2 decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court struck down a proposal, dubbed the “millionaire’s tax,” which sought to impose higher income taxes on Massachusetts residents who make $1 million or more per...more
In February of 2017, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens signed Senate Bill 19, which was intended to make Missouri the 28th right-to-work state in the United States. Senate Bill 19 was scheduled to take effect on August 28,...more
In 2014, the United States Congress enacted the American Savings Promotion Act, P.L. 113–251 (DEC. 18, 2014) permitting financial institutions to offer savings accounts, with the added feature of offering chances to win...more
We are officially over the hump as yesterday marked the halfway point of the 2018 Legislative Session. With only 29 legislative days remaining, look for the pace to pick up both in committee and in their respective chambers...more
San Francisco electorate will vote on a new 1.7% or 3.5% tax on commercial rentals in June 2018. It is estimated that about $65 million annually would be collected from the commercial real estate industry under the Housing...more