In our last post, I summarized part of the General Assembly’s Education Committee’s final flurry of approved bills advancing bills out of committee. In addition to the bills that we have already summarized, here is a brief...more
House Bill 1061, now pending the the General Assembly, would authorize counties and municipalities in Maryland to create a fund to assist in the repair of infrastructure in condominiums and homeowner associations. It is...more
The House and Senate largely avoided each other on Valentine’s Day, with the Senate quickly gaveling in and taking care of business this morning before the House rolled in for an afternoon convening. It’s unclear whether the...more
On October 25, 2021, the Government of Ontario introduced Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, Bill 27 would encourage employee work-life...more
The Ohio General Assembly recently completed an exhaustive and comprehensive first half of 2021. The legislature tackled the state’s two-year operating budget, COVID-19 relief funding, residential broadband expansion, reforms...more
Since January 2021, multiple proposals were introduced in the New York State legislature to permit underutilized hotel and/or office buildings, many of which have become financially distressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to...more
Lawmaking in the COVID Era - The legislature adjourned on June 26 at 8:41 p.m. Sort of. After holding what was nearly the longest and certainly the strangest session in history, the legislature has really only recessed,...more
The General Assembly met on Saturday, May 2, to vote on compromise legislation for the State’s initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The legislation passed in two bills, one that primarily included appropriations and one...more
Thursday, April 30, was the third day of the legislative short session. The session has dealt almost exclusively with the State’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, the Senate approved its response proposal by...more
Indisputably, 2019 was an important year for housing in California. As we noted in our prior blog post, Governor Newsom signed legislation creating statewide rent control, preventing discrimination against people paying rent...more
The Senate Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs Committee plans to vote Monday on H.107, the paid family leave bill. Committee Chair Michael Sirotkin, D-Chittenden, made it clear he is looking to significantly...more
Legislators in both chambers considered many bills this week as House budget writers negotiated behind closed doors. Budget Bill - After recently concluding Appropriations subcommittee meetings, House members are...more
A draft bill provided to the Ohio legislature from Governor Mike DeWine aimed at addressing Ohio’s transportation infrastructure funding problem is in the works. The Ohio Contractors Association is actively promoting...more
House passes budget bill - The House approved a $6.1 billion FY 2020 budget this week. The bill, H.542, provides for a 3.1 percent growth in spending over FY 2019....more
Panel passes substance abuse prevention bill - The Senate Health and Welfare committee voted out a committee bill relating to substance misuse prevention on Friday. The bill proposes to establish a Substance Misuse...more
Legislative activity increased this week as bill introductions continued and committees began to vote on bills. Constitutional Amendment (H140) - Rep. Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) was joined by fellow lawmakers Rep....more
The Maryland House of Delegates is considering legislation (House Bill 426) that would impose sales and use tax on digital products and sales tax on digital codes. If signed into law, Maryland would begin taxing digital...more
Ever since the demise of redevelopment agencies in 2012, there have been a variety of legislative efforts to revive, incrementally or in whole, some form of redevelopment in California....more
Assemblyman David Chiu has unveiled his long-promised legislation to establish a modified version of the state’s former redevelopment program, aimed at creating major state funding for affordable housing, transit, and other...more
The Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC) held its annual Housing Day in Annapolis today. The event brings together over 200 affordable rental housing advocates to inform legislators of the value of affordable...more
Internet access has become a vital part of our everyday way of life. The ability to access the internet is critical for job searching, conducting government business, shopping, accessing important medical and financial...more
California’s cap-and-trade program withstood a battle in court, and now the Legislature is proposing changes to the controversial program. Senator Bob Wieckowski (Democrat – District 10), Chair of the Environmental Quality...more
The issue of school funding reform is being addressed on many fronts this year. In Springfield, proponents of funding reform and the evidence based model continue their efforts at legislative change. Meanwhile, school...more
Water is a real estate issue, a business issue, a taxpayer issue. Whether you're a developer, a farmer, a city manager, a manufacturer, or "just" a taxpayer, I think you’ll be hearing a lot more about water in the next few...more
Under the Dome: Inside the Maine State House provides a high-level overview of recent activity at the Maine State House. Maine Community College System Seeks Increase in State Funding - In the upcoming...more