State News

State Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, introduced four House bills that would expand the allowable uses for on-demand ballot printing and clarify statutory language that was missed when implementing Michigan’s Proposal 2 of 2022. HB 6052 would allow clerks to use on-demand ballot printing for same-day registration voters in a clerk’s office or in election day voting centers. It would also allow on-demand ballot printing for ballots printed in a language other than English so that clerks could avoid having to pre-print large numbers of non-English ballots.

Arizonans have passed a law that would allow both commercial and residential property owners to be eligible for a tax refund if they can provide proof that the city failed to enforce public nuisance laws affecting their property. At 90% of precincts participating, 58.6% of voters approved Prop. 312. This proposition has received a national audience as one of the laws encouraging law enforcement to criminalize homelessness put forth following the 2023 ruling by SCOTUS striking down protections for homeless individuals.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and nearly 20 business groups from four states want the Biden administration to start handing out money from the CHIPS Act immediately. In a letter, the groups from Ohio, New York, Oregon and New Mexico want the money distributed now. Intel has said the money is critical to its plan for the ongoing development of its massive manufacturing facility in central Ohio that could lead to 3,000 direct jobs and thousands of other related jobs.

A teacher at Minnesota Connections Academy, an online public school, sent an email to eighth grade Language Arts students saying he wondered how he “could possibly come to school” following last week’s election of President Donald Trump. “It’s the fact that it’s pushing an agenda. The Democrats are saying that it’s not happening, but it very clearly is,” Antonio Pici, a law enforcement officer and veteran, shared with Alpha News.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly said she plans to ask for more than $4 billion in new state spending on the state’s schools, which was termed an “additional $3 billion” in the upcoming 2025-27 biennial budget. The figures are just a request at this point before Gov. Tony Evers offers his proposal and then legislative budget writers in the Republican-led legislature begin their process.

As President-elect Donald Trump is making cabinet picks and Congress orients its new members, Virginia is gearing up for its next elections. One week after election day, campaign announcements for 2025 are popping up across the commonwealth. Virginia is one of just a handful of states that holds major elections in off years, so while special elections to replace state Sens. John McGuire, R-Goochland, and Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun – both elected to Congress last week – are the most immediate, they’re just the beginning of the political contests Virginians will see in 2025.

A Georgia Democrat who was recruited to run for state office in a rural district revealed on Tuesday that the state party had specific criteria for the selection of its delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He explained that as a "white male heterosexual," he did not fit these criteria. Jack Zibluck explained in a column published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that made the observations about the party's delegate selection process when he was nominated to serve as an alternative delegate at the RNC during his campaign against State Representative Mike Cameron (R-Rossville) to represent Georgia's First district. Zibluck ultimately received less than 20 percent of the vote.

The Biden U.S. State Department announced on Thursday the agency's transition to the Trump administration will be coordinated by Stephen Mull, a former longtime State Department official who most recently served as the lead coordinator for the Iran nuclear deal reached under former President Barack Obama, and who is now the provost for the University of Virginia (UVA). State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed Mull was appointed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lead the agency's transition in a press conference. He told reporters the agency views a "peaceful transition of power" as an "essential part of our democracy that is vital to our nation's security."

Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan on Monday urged other "disgruntled" Republicans who opposed President-elect Donald Trump to give the incoming administration "a chance" in the wake Trump's electoral landslide and popular vote mandate. Duncan, who is facing expulsion from the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) over his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential election, made his remarks during a Monday interview with WABE.

As local Republicans celebrate President Donald Trump’s historic reelection to the White House on Nov. 5, Minnesota workplaces, schools, and local leaders have responded by creating safe spaces and mourning. “We have been through a Trump presidency before and we made it through,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a somber video posted to X. “We will make it through again.”

With thoughts focused on the holiday season, small business owners in Ohio continue to struggle with finding employees. But that’s not the only issue.

Senator-elect Dave McCormick (R-Penn.) announced Monday that he plans to attend the freshman Senator orientation on Tuesday, despite the lack of an invitation from Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY). “Looking forward to joining the Senate freshman class of 2025 for orientation this week!” McCormick wrote on X. “I’m honored to represent the people of Pennsylvania, and will fight hard to make sure their voices are heard in Washington. Let’s get to work!”

A federal court upheld four female high school track athletes’ challenge to a Connecticut policy allowing male participation in female sports. U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Chatigny, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, ruled in favor of allowing the athletes’ case against the Connecticut Association of Schools to proceed, rejecting the request of state officials to dismiss it.

The Georgia man who pleaded guilty to making multiple death threats to Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA-14) was reportedly sentenced on Friday to supervised released and five months of confinement, which will be credited against his time spent in custody while his case was determined, meaning no additional prison sentence was imposed. Sean Patrick Cirillo was sentenced to three years of supervised release and five months, credited against the time he already spent in federal custody, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in its Friday reporting of the sentencing. Law360 confirmed no additional prison sentence was imposed beyond the five months Cirillo already spent in custody.

A federal court upheld four female high school track athletes’ challenge to a Connecticut policy allowing male participation in female sports. U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Chatigny, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, ruled in favor of allowing the athletes’ case against the Connecticut Association of Schools to proceed, rejecting the request of state officials to dismiss it.