Are human-smuggling cartels at the US border earning $500…
"To be clear - human smuggling operations are lining the pockets of transnational criminals. They are not humanitarian endeavors.
Category Archives: US Governors
Lawmakers wrap up session in a blur of bills, questions
The Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its work at midnight Sunday with the familiar last-minute flurry of votes and political machinations but surrounded by question marks, as Gov. Mark Dayton threatened to veto major tax and spending bills. The ramifications of the latest round of gridlock at the Capitol could be huge, as the failure to enact a bill syncing Minnesota's tax code with sweeping federal changes would create a massively complex tax filing season next year and hit hundreds of thousands of Minnesota families and some businesses with tax increases.
Appeals court: pardons render resentencing hearing moot
A federal appeals court says a man who received two partial pardons from Virginia governors is not entitled to further judicial review. Travion Blount was initially sentenced to six life terms for his role in a 2006 Norfolk house-party robbery he committed when he was 15 years old.
Florida’s expensive race for governor highlights lax laws
In this April 6, 2018, file photo, Adam Putnam, Republican gubernatorial candidate makes a campaign stop at Kimmins Contracting in Tampa, Fla. Florida's wide-open race for governor won't be decided for another six months, but it's already triggered a wave of expensive television ad buys from groups taking advantage of gray areas in the state's campaign finance laws.
Deval Patrick tells Bentley graduates to – seek purpose, not prestige’
The state's first and only black chief executive spoke to students, faculty, and parents in Waltham, encouraging students to not rest on their laurels in life. Said Patrick: ''Sitting back and doing no harm is not enough even in normal times.
The Latest: Legislature pushes ahead without Dayton’s OK
Lawmakers have until midnight Sunday to pass bills. But Republican leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton have struggled to compromise on a tax bill and some additional government spending, including emergency funding for public schools that Dayton deems necessary.
MN Legislature Pushes Ahead Without Dayton’s OK
The Minnesota Legislature is headed for a messy and potentially inconclusive ending. Lawmakers have until midnight Sunday to pass bills.
Minnesota lawmakers’ work on long to-do list with time short
Minnesota lawmakers settled in for a long weekend Saturday as Republican party leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton continued searching for a compromise on a long list of priorities they set out to meet this year. Efforts to curb opioid abuse, regulation changes to senior care facilities amid reports of rampant abuse, conformity to the federal tax overhaul, funding public schools and securing schools are at the forefront of negations.
The latest political back and forth, on both sides of the aisle, as…
Politico has two fascinating new articles about on-going political debates and maneuvering surrounding the FIRST STEP Act. That proposal, as reported here, received a 25-5 vote in favor in the House Judiciary Committee ten days ago, and it seems to be the top federal criminal justice reform bill with a real chance to get to the desk of Prez Trump in the coming months.
Minnesota lawmakers’ to-do list is long but time is short
Minnesota lawmakers are in the homestretch, facing a lengthy to-do list and less than two days to finish their work. Republican leaders who control the House and Senate say they may move fast to pass a $28 million bill for school security upgrades as negations continue with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton on a host of priorities.
Dayton orders flags flown at half-staff for victims of the attack in Santa Fe, Texas
In accordance with a proclamation issued Friday by President Donald Trump, Gov. Mark Dayton directed all United States flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in Minnesota.
Senators tout $3 million grant for opioid treatment center
West Virginia's two U.S. senators have announced federal approval of nearly $3 million for a new substance abuse treatment center in Ohio County. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced the grant to Heart 2 Heart.
Leetonia cuts court clerk hours
Council Wednesday night agreed to change the mayor's court clerk to an as needed position, determined by the mayor. The move is in response to former magistrate Kathleen Bartlett resigning after being appointed by Gov. John Kasich to the Seventh District Court of Appeals, making the clerk position not needed unless the magistrate position is filled.
Humane Society: Ban retail stores from selling puppies. They’re unfit
Throughout the nation, Americans are taking a stand against cruel puppy mills by supporting efforts to prohibit puppy mill operators from selling dogs in pet stores. Recently, Maryland became the second state in the nation to ban the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores when Gov. Larry Hogan signed bipartisan legislation to protect dogs and the state's consumers.
Must-do for Florida’s midterm candidates: A stop in Puerto Rico. Or three.
Holding political office in Florida increasingly requires trekking to Puerto Rico, the former home of a growing number of Florida residents. More than a million Puerto Ricans already lived in the state before the hurricane, and another 56,000 joined them in the first six months after Maria.
Legislation would make attack aboard train federal crime
U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and John Hoeven of North Dakota marked the anniversary of the shooting of an Amtrak conductor in suburban Chicago with the introduction of legislation that would make such an attack a federal crime. On Wednesday, the Democrat Duckworth and the Republican Hoeven introduced the Passenger Rail Crew Protection Parity Act that calls for those suspected of assaulting or intimidating rail crewmembers to be charged under federal law.
Gov. Cuomo announces more money for ‘holistic approach’ to fight MS-13 on Long Island
Back in January, President Trump gave his State of the Union and mentioned the threat of Central American gang MS-13, which has spread inside the U.S. thanks to lax immigration policies. At the time, there was some pushback from mystery-hacking victim Joy Reid who went on MSNBC to say, "he makes it sound like the biggest issue in the United States, the biggest threat is MS-13, a gang nobody that doesn't watch Fox News has ever heard of."
How we pick lieutenant governors is going off the rails
For years, the governor and lieutenant governor campaigned for office separately, which occasionally led to the odd situation of different parties holding the offices, instead of the lieutenant governor being a junior governor and part of the governor's team. In the 2012 general election, 56 percent of voters approved a constitutional referendum to allow the lieutenant governor to be elected on the same ticket as the governor.
7 governors sign letter backing Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
USA. President Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office and toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, as he heads to Walter Reed National Medical Center to visit with first lady Melania Trump who is recovering from a kidney procedure. COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and a group of fellow governors are backing President Donald Trump's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing what they called Trump's "transformative efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula."
Minnesota Legislature tests governor’s resolve with tax bill
Republicans who control the Minnesota Legislature are testing Gov. Mark Dayton's resolve with a bill that syncs Minnesota taxes with the federal overhaul. The House passed the bill Tuesday on a 78-50 vote despite the Democratic governor's promise that he would block that legislation until lawmakers provide emergency funding for public schools.