SB 492 stops short of a Marshall Plan for fire survivors, but it averts the harms of Gavin Newsom’s now-collapsed wildfire utility bailout.
state legislatures
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
Wildfire Survivors Push Back Against Newsom-Led Utility Bailout
At the end of the legislative session, the Democratic governor and presidential hopeful wants to cap liability for power companies that start deadly fires.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
Mental Health Workers Say Algorithmic Triage Is Hurting Patients
Workers and policymakers are pushing for safeguards around AI’s use in health care through collective bargaining and legislation.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Proponents of Solitary Confinement Attempt to Stifle Reform
A New York correctional union and Republican backers are weaponizing a false narrative about solitary confinement and violence.
Posted inPolitics
Now You Vote; but Maybe You Won’t in Backsliding Missouri
Republican state leaders are working frantically to skim off as much of voters’ democratic powers as they can this election season.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
Here Are the States Deciding Whether You Can Get an Abortion
This fall, several states will vote to enshrine abortion access, while one asks voters to weigh in on the issue a second time.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Right-Wing Activists Co-opt Environmental Laws to Fight ‘Abortion Pollution’
In their zeal to create a de facto national abortion ban, anti–abortion rights groups are claiming that medications like mifepristone poison the water supply.
Posted inTechnology
Data Centers Win-Lose in Virginia
In an era of austerity, Virginia’s state budget deal puts its lawmakers supporting Big Tech and its tax exemptions on a crash course with their constituents.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Anti-Monopoly Bill Hits Make-or-Break Moment in California
Advocates have gained momentum to beef up the state’s primary antitrust law, but the largest companies in the nation are trying to stop it.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Threat of Big Insurance
The industry is hugely lucrative, with endless sums of cash to influence lawmakers. A new report tracks 25 years of health insurance industry donations.