USApp Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in U.S. state blogging

Gilson, Christopher

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Boardwalk at Night Outside the Tropicana Casino – Atlantic City, NJ Credit: Chris Goldberg (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-2.0)New Jersey considers gambling expansion, NebraskaGovernor pushes for death penalty, while Idahosaves for a rainy day: US state blog round up for 30May – 5 Juneblogs.lse.ac.uk /usappblog/2015/06/06/new-jersey-considers-gambling-expansion-nebraska-governor-pushes-for-death-penalty-while-idaho-saves-for-a-rainy-day-us-state-blog-round-up-for-30-may-5-june/USApp Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in U.S. state blogging. Click here for ourweekly roundup of national blogs. NortheastThis week, New Hampshire’s Granite Grok looks at whether the state’s Democratic Governor, MaggieHassan, is really a champion for women’s’ rights after she stated that she would veto a ‘ConstitutionalCarry’ Senate bill which would allow open carry in the state. They argue that by vetoing the bill, whichwould which would make the concealed carry pistol-revolver license optional, Hassan would beundermining women’s independence.In the Green Mountain State this week, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law which wouldlegalize same-day voter registration. VTDigger says that Vermont is now the 14th state to adopt such apolicy, which goes into effect in 2017, and that is may help bring several thousand more Vermonters tothe polls at the next election.In Connecticut this week, My Left Nutmeg wonders whether the state legislature will pass a campaignbefore the legislative session runs out. The state Senate bill would force the disclosure of “dark money”from outside groups coming into the state and would also cap the amount a state central party canspend on a candidate at $250,000.Headingover totheEmpireState,State ofPoliticsreportsthatNewYork’sDemocratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo has stated that he wants to strengthen rent controls in the state.There is increasing concern over the number of affordable housing units being lost due to the currentrent regulations.Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana credit: Gage Skidmore (CC-BY-SA-2.0)Atlantic City in New Jersey is currently the only place where gambling is allowed in the state.PolitickerNJ says this week that state lawmakers are making the case for expanding gambling to otherparts of the state. They write that three Democratic Assembly members have proposed a constitutionalamendment which would put the expansion of gambling on the ballot as early as this year. If themeasure is approved, then three new gaming halls would likely be built in North Jersey.In the Keystone State this week, PoliticsPA writes that Governor Tom Wolf’s office has announced thatthe state’s Department of Insurance has written to the Federal Department of Health and HumanServices to request the creation of a state-based health insurance marketplaces. They say that this isa necessary step to protect nearly 400,000 state residents who get health insurance via Obamacare,who may lose it if the Supreme Court rules against tax credits for the program’s federal exchanges.SouthThe Supreme Court will be soon giving its decision on same-sex marriage throughout the country, withmany commentators predicting that it will uphold it. North Carolina’s NC Policy Watch says that thestate’s Lieutenant Governor, Dan Forrest, stated this week that the Old North State would have tochange the basics of state marriage laws as a reaction to same sex marriage. As has already occurredin Alabama, the change would mean that the state would register marriages after they’ve beenwitnessed by a private party rather than having state officials issue marriage licenses.Heading south to Florida, Saint Peters blog has five questions for this week’s special session of thestate legislature. These include questions on tax cuts, whether any major healthcare reforms will pass,and if Governor Rick Scott will be able to salvage any of his 2015 legislative priorities which have beenso-far eclipsed by the fight over healthcare in the legislature.Is Alabama uptight? According to Yellowhammer, a new study has found that the state is the secondmost ‘uptight’ (after Mississippi) using measures such as religiosity, corporal punishment and thepercentage of the population that is foreign. One interesting finding of the study is that those stateswhich have more natural disasters tend to be more uptight compared to ‘safer’ states.On Wednesday, FreakOutNation carries the worrying story of a black family in Mississippi who facedarrest for cheering their daughter’s high school graduation. They say that a school Superintendentasked the family to leave after they called out to their daughter, and then later filed disturbing the peacecharges against the family.This week LouisianaVoice bemoans thereaction of the state’sInspector General,Stephen Street, to acomplaint that GOPGovernor BobbyJindal had used hisoffice’s taxpayer-funded website toissue a press releasecritical of SenatorRand Paul, who isrunning for president.They say that Streetissued a less than scathing report on the matter, advising Governor Jindal to issue similar statementsby non-publically funded means in the future.Heading west to the Lone Star State, Daily Kos reports that the Texas business community is at warwith the state legislature over the expansion of Medicaid in the state. They write that both GovernorCredit: Bugsy (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0)Greg Abbott and the legislature have stubbornly refused to expand the program, something that statebusinesses find frustrating, given the billions in savings for businesses an expansion would entail.Midwest On Tuesday, Michigan’s RightMI looks at a proposals that they say would get certain state debts paiddown to pour more resources into the beleaguered city of Detroit. They comment that the state needsto stop passing money into the city, which is the ‘Graveyard of Socialism’.Moving over to Illinois, Progress Illinois says that the state’s legislature has passed a measure whichwould reduce the city’s contribution for five years to its underfunded police and fire pension funds. Thenew measure reduces next year’s payment from $838 to $619 million, and also extends the 90 percentfunding deadline for the city’s pension funds by 15 years to 2055.Missouri’s PoliticMO writes Monday that a new state study has shown that black drivers in the statewere 75 percent more likely to be stopped by police than white drivers, up from 31 percent in 2000.Staying in the Show-Me State, Show Me Progress says that Governor Jay Nixon this week vetoed aright to work bill which would prohibit employers requiring union dues as a condition of employment.On Friday, The Brennan Centre for Justice reports that Kansas Governor, Sam Brownback, has signedinto a law a judicial budget bill which would strip the judiciary’s entire budget if any Kansas court strikesdown a 2014 law which would remove the state Supreme Court’s administrative authority over lowercourts.Last week the Nebraska state legislature overrode Governor Pete Ricketts’ veto of a bill which wouldend the death penalty in the Cornhusker State. Crooks & Liars says that Ricketts has called for a voterreferendum to overturn the repeal, and also that he would execute the ten prisoners on the state’sdeath row anyway. West and PacificOn Thursday, Montana’s The Flint Report says that Obamacare rate hikes could be as high as 34percent in the Treasure State in 2016 compared to this year.Idaho’s Eye on Boisewrites this week thatthe state will havenearly $45 million moreto spend on road andbridge repairs nextyear, due to the 2016transportation bill’s‘surplus eliminator’which providesadditional road workfunding if staterevenues were higherthan expected. Thestate will also be addingnearly $73 million to itsrainy-day account next year because of the extra surplus.Continuing west to Washington state, Strange Bedfellows writes Thursday that pro-gun safetycampaigners in the Evergreen State have state Democrats in their sights after they blocked a vote onthe Extreme Risk Protection Orders Act which would have allowed family members and police topetition the court for orders temporarily keeping firearms from those who post an immediate risk tofamily and society.Moving south to the Golden State, The Federalist looks at what they say is California’s unsustainablecomeback. They say that after a particularly hard recession beginning in late 2007, California is nowenjoying employment growth and budget surpluses. They caution that a high tax take may not indicatea healthy economy, and that the state is facing around $200 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.Staying in California, Capital & Main reports that the state Senate this week passed a wage theft billwhich strengthens a previous measure and helps guarantee that workers do get paid what they areowed by their employers.Heading out to Alaska, Crooks & Liars says this week that 10,000 state workers have received layoffnotices owing to budget maneuvering in the state legislature.Please read our comments policy before commenting .Note:  This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USApp– American Politics andPolicy, nor of the London School of Economics.Shortened URL for this post: http://bit.ly/1KTxj0I

New Jersey considers gambling expansion, NebraskaGovernor pushes for death penalty, while Idahosaves for a rainy day: US state blog round up for 30May – 5 June

New Jersey considers gambling expansion, NebraskaGovernor pushes for death penalty, while Idahosaves for a rainy day: US state blog round up for 30May – 5 June

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