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Natalie Allen

April 26th, 2014

The NYPD’s Twitter campaign backfires, Missouri Governor Nixon may face impeachment, and will the Bible become the state book of Louisiana? – US state blog round up for 19 – 25 April

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Natalie Allen

April 26th, 2014

The NYPD’s Twitter campaign backfires, Missouri Governor Nixon may face impeachment, and will the Bible become the state book of Louisiana? – US state blog round up for 19 – 25 April

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

USApp Assistant Editor, Natalie Allen, and Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, look at the week in U.S. state blogging. Click here for our weekly roundup of national blogs.

Northeast

Starting in New York, after a Siena poll that revealed substantial support for a Working Families Party candidate to the left of Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, Daily Kos writes that Cuomo is, and should be frightened at the prospect of a challenge to his left because on certain issues, he looks more like a Republican than a Democrat. In New York City, Crooks and Liars looks at the New York Police Department’s failed Twitter campaign, in which they asked people to tweet pictures of them with NYPD officers and received a deluge of pictures of police brutality instead. And in Brooklyn, Hit & Run Blog reports that the police have begun ticketing and seizing unlicensed dollar vans, writing that the city’s true issue with the cabs is that they provide an affordable alternative to the New York “taxi cartel.”

Credit: John C Abell and Amarand Agasi  (Creative Commons:  BY-NC-SA 2.0) )
Credit: John C Abell and Amarand Agasi (Creative Commons: BY-NC-SA 2.0) )

In New Jersey, The Volokh Conspiracy examines the case of a woman who claims the state rejected her request for a vanity license plate reading “8THEIST” on the grounds that it was objectionable, while allowing one reading “BAPTIST,” saying that this would be unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination if the facts of the case transpired as reported.

The Political Carnival decries New Hampshire State Representative Will Infantine for arguing against the state’s Paycheck Equity Act on the grounds that women do not deserve as much money as men. The bill was given preliminary approval in a vote of 187-134.

VT Digger reports that the state attorney general sued a predatory lending company on behalf of 1600 Vermonters for a $1 million settlement under legislation passed last year that allows the attorney general to go after third party loan processors. They urge citizens to call the consumer protection division when they hear about loan deals that sound like they are too good to be true.

South

In North Carolina, PoliticusUSA denounces Governor Pat McCrory’s education policies, which have resulted in a state average of 14% of teachers leaving the profession and a drop in enrollment in students entering the teacher education program at the NC State College of Education.

In Georgia, Hit & Run Blog reports that there is much more to the Obamacare enrollment story than the 8 million sign ups would have you believe: half of those that signed up in the Peach State have yet to pay for their newly purchased insurance and are therefore not covered. They write that this is indicative of the uneven experience with the Affordable Care Act across the country, as nearly all those who signed up have paid in other states like California. Staying in Georgia, Roll Call looks at the Republican field for the Senate race to replace retiring Senator Saxby Chambliss, predicting that five out of the seven candidates have a chance of making it to the runoff election in July, but it is unclear who will take on Democrat Michelle Nunn in November.

Outside the Beltway writes that several polls have shown the party flipper Charlie Crist is leading incumbent Rick Scott by 3.3 to 6 points, making Scott one of the most vulnerable Republican governors in the upcoming elections.

In Louisiana, Daily Kos examines State Representative Thomas Carmody’s quickly abandoned proposal to make the Holy Bible the official state book, saying the measure drew ire both from those who felt it violated the separation of church and state and those who felt it trivialized the Bible.

Hit & Run Blog looks at new abortion restrictions that were recently passed in both Mississippi and Oklahoma. They write that the measure in Oklahoma, which requires doctors to follow outdated protocols when prescribing abortion-inducing drugs, seems to have absolutely no reason behind it, other than the fact that it will restrict abortion options. Mississippi’s new law bans abortions more than 18 weeks after conception, a measure that was previously blocked by a federal court in Arizona, but could see a different outcome in the more conservative 5th Circuit if its legality is challenged.

Midwest

On Tuesday, The Foundry examines a case heard by the Supreme Court that challenged an Ohio law making it illegal to make a false statement about a candidate during a political campaign on the grounds that even lying is speech protected by the first amendment.

In Illinois, FreakOutNation reports that Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis sent the police of a house of a man who was parodying him on Twitter. The account in question had only 50 followers and indicated that it was a parody, but the police still detained three people for questioning and seized some of the man’s property. The Lonely Conservative looks at Chicago magazine’s recent report that the Police Department had been reclassifying clear cases of murder down to “death investigations,” commenting that these reclassifications are coming from the top to hide the failures of gun control and the Democratic Party.

In Michigan, The Political Carnival writes that the Supreme Court has shown that it still denies the fact that racism remains a significant force in the U.S. today by upholding Michigan’s ban on affirmative action in state schools, government contracting, and public employment. Eclectablog examines the Michigan Information & Research Service’s new report about cronyism in Governor Rick Snyder’s administration, including examples of firms donating large amounts of money to reelection campaigns and receiving lucrative government contracts.

Jay Nixon
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Credit: MoDOT Photos (Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Daily Kos reports that Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, a Democratic, is facing impeachment by state Republicans for requiring the state government to accept joint tax returns from same sex couples, for failing to punish officials who released a database of Missourians with concealed carry permits to the Social Security Administration, and for moving too slowly in calling special elections for vacant seats. The action has been dismissed as a publicity stunt by Nixon’s administration.

West and Pacific

Blog for Arizona looks at Republican Governor Jan Brewer’s recent record of vetoing Tea Party bills that have made their way to her desk, including one to restrict Medicaid access and several to expand gun rights, writing that it is a sad state of affairs that the Arizona legislature is making Governor Brewer look moderate.  

Red State celebrates the news that Oregon will be dropping their state health insurance exchange after a very rocky rollout. Wonkblog elaborates that Obama administration will take over the exchange and the state will move to HealthCare.gov instead. They explore some of the policy questions facing the Beaver State as the first state to drop its enrollment system.

In California, Capitol Alert examines the bills before the State Senate aimed at “purifying the role of money in California politics,” after the federal investigation of two state senators and the FPPC fine of a lobbyist. Meanwhile, Capital & Main advocates a raise in the minimum wage in Los Angeles as a solution to the city’s high rent, which ranks first in the nation for percent of residents’ median income devoted to their median rent.

In Hawaii, Hit & Run Blog reports that the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has filed a lawsuit against the University of Hawaii at Hilo after UH officials tried to prevent a student from handing out small copies of the Constitution outside of the school’s “free speech zone,” a muddy section at the very edge of campus. And on Wednesday, Honolulu Civil Beat investigates teacher’s pay in both private and public schools in the Aloha State, finding that public schools pay better on average, but that many still opt to work at private schools because of the better working conditions and flexibility.

Featured Image – Credit: Jesus Solana (Creative Commons BY 2.0)

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Natalie Allen

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