USAPP Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in U.S. state bloggin

Gilson, Christopher

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blogs.lse.ac.ukhttp://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2015/08/08/marylands-mr-nasty-governor-illinois-progressive-legislature-and-alabama-votes-to-defund-medicaid-twice-us-state-blog-round-up-for-1-7-august/New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Credit; Gage Skidmore (CreativeCommons BY SA)Maryland’s ‘Mr. Nasty’ Governor, Illinois’ progressivelegislature, and Alabama votes to defund Medicaid – twice: USstate blog round up for 1 – 7 AugustUSAPP Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in U.S. state blogging. Click here for our weeklyroundup of national blogs. NortheastOn Thursday, Maine Progressives Warehouse has the news that the state’s Supreme Court has ruled against thestate’s Governor, Paul LePage, in a dispute over whether 71 laws sent to the Governor had become law. LePagehad neglected to sign the bills over a disagreement with the Democratic-controlled legislature, and had argued thatthis amounted to his vetoing of the bills.Heading down to New Hampshire, Granite Grok criticizes the state’s United States Senator, Kelly Ayotte for notjoining 44 other Republican Senators in co-sponsoring a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, hurting its chances toproceed to a vote. They say that the decision should have been an easy one for Ayotte.On Wednesday, the Bay State’s Blue Mass Group says that when Governor Deval Patrick left office in January,the state was in good shape, having had ten straight months of job growth and high reserves. They say that newfiscal year numbers show that the incoming administration of Republican, Charlie Baker, did not have a $1 billiondeficit to contend with, despite their claims otherwise, but actually a surplus of $391 million.In Rhode Island this week, RIFuture.org argues that despite Governor Gina Raimondo’s that building a naturalgas energy plant is a good plan for the state, the Ocean State really needs to invest in green jobs, not those thatencourage fracking.In New Jersey this week, PolitickerNJ reports that anew Rutgers-Eagelton poll has shown thatRepublican Governor, Chris Christie has hit a newlow with voters, with a 59 percent now unfavorable,an 11 point increase since April.Last week saw the indictment of 11-termPennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah by afederal grand jury. In light of Fattah’s indictment,PoliticsPA has a brief history of Keystone Staterepresentatives who have resigned – 74 out of a totalof 1,030.South On Monday, Political Maryland wonders howGovernor Larry Hogan has morphed into ‘Mr. Nasty’.They say that in less than nine months Hogan has managed to offend much of the state’s Democratic leadershipby amongst other actions, slashed education aid to Democratic strongholds, killed Baltimore’s rapid rail Red Line,and eliminated $2 million in renovations for an arts center.Heading down to the Old Dominion State, Bearing Drift is pleased that the state has (finally) decided to dig up $10billion worth of uranium and other precious metals in the state, something they claim will be of massive help to theMaryland Governor Larry Hogan Credit: Maryland GovPics (Flickr, CC-BY-2.0)Illinois State Capitol Credit: Patrick Gensel  (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0 )state’s economy.While concern is growing in some quarters over thepossibility of a federal government shutdown in thefall, in North Carolina similar, but local, fears aremuch more pressing. NC Capitol Connection writesthat as legislators enter the first legislative week ofAugust there has been no obvious movement on abudget deal, with the August 14th deadline loomingheavily. They say that there is more than $700million between the state House and Senatebudgets, and that a great deal of work is neededbefore a compromise can be reached.Moving on to the Sunshine State, Saint Peters Bloghas a long analysis of the base map released by theFlorida legislature ahead of next week’s SpecialSession on redistricting. They say that the map changes 22 out of the state’s 27 Congressional districts, with manyvoters likely to find themselves in new districts if the map becomes law.Alabama is currently in the middle of a $250 million budget crisis. Yellowhammer reports on an unusual solutionwhich has been proposed by a state Representative – a tax on adult entertainment. Staying in Alabama,leftinalabama says that the state House had to vote twice in order to defund Medicaid. The bill, which cuts $156million from the state’s Medicaid program did not initially pass, but did after being brought up once more by themajority. The cut will also mean that Alabama will lose around $450 million in federal matching Medicaid funds.Heading west to Texas, Burnt Orange Report has the news on Monday that the Lone Star State’s AttorneyGeneral, Ken Paxton, has been indicted on three felony counts related to securities fraud. They say that Paxtonwas only elected because of low turnout and that the state GOP has become so weak that it can now bedominated by extreme elements which leads to officials like Paxton being elected.MidwestOn Tuesday, in light of the newemissions standards announced byPresident Obama, Plunderbund writesthat Ohio’s last Governor, Ted Stricklandhad previously introduced measureswhich reduced emissions by 31 percentfrom 2005 levels through his renewableenergy portfolio.Moving down to Indiana, Indy Democratblog this week writes that despite itbeing so far away, the state’spresidential primary in May next yearmay be another to watch in the HoosierState, and that there are also at leasttwo hotly-contested Congressional races worth watching.On Thursday, Progress Illinois says that the state’s legislature has been recognized for passing key progressivepolicies this year by the State Innovation Exchange. These include accommodations for pregnant workers,implementing earned sick leave, and modernizing voter registration.This week The Political Environment expresses no surprise whatever that the revelation that the target of the long-running ‘John Doe’ probe in Wisconsin was none other than Governor Scott Walker.Over in the Hawkeye State, Blog for Iowa looks at efforts in the state’s counties to pass ordinances in the face ofstate and federal government inaction. Such efforts include a push for a higher minimum wage and a schoolsuperintendent willing to break the law to help his students by spending more on the school district’s budget.Heading up to North Dakota, Say Anything blog wonders if the state’s US Senator, Heidi Heitkamp is telling thetruth about Native American voter suppression in the state after she expressed support for a Senate bill whichcalls for more polling locations on reservations as well as directing states to mail absentee ballots to voters if theirtribe requests it.West and Pacific On Thursday, New Mexico’s Joe Monahan wonders if the state’s ‘rising star’ Democrats are accident prone after aslew of slip-ups including a Senator who wrongfully reimbursed himself for transport costs and a Congresswomanwho did not declare carpets gifted to her from the government of Azerbaijan.In Idaho this week, Eye on Boise reports that Governor Butch Otter’s office has stated that the state’s computernetwork is ‘constantly under attack’, which has led to the Governor naming a new Cybersecurity Task Force, whichwill strengthen the state’s protections against computer hackers.Moving down to the Golden State, Fox & Hounds writes Tuesday that California voters may finally get to put thebrakes on the state’s $68 billion high speed rail scheme, after a State Senator introduced a bill to put the schemeon the ballot once again.Honolulu Civil Beat says that Governor David Ige has stated that there is little chance that the Aloha State’sprisoners will be coming home from Arizona anytime soon. In fact, Hawaii’s Department of Public Safety plans tosend hundreds of more inmates to a private Arizona facility to make room for updates to a Hawaii prison.Please read our comments policy before commenting .Note:  This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USApp– American Politics and Policy, norof the London School of Economics.Shortened URL for this post: http://bit.ly/1T1wpnOCC BY-NC 3.0 2015 LSE USAPP

Maryland’s ‘Mr. Nasty’ Governor: Illinois’ progressivelegislature: and Alabama votes to defund Medicaid – twice: US state blog round up for 1 – 7 August

Maryland’s ‘Mr. Nasty’ Governor: Illinois’ progressivelegislature: and Alabama votes to defund Medicaid – twice: US state blog round up for 1 – 7 August

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