Year: 2021

  • A look back at government responses to COVID-19, March 23-27, 2020

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    Although the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed on Jan. 21, 2020, it wasn’t until March when the novel coronavirus upended life for most Americans. Throughout March and April, states issued stay-at-home orders, closed schools, restricted travel, and changed election dates. Many of those policies remain in place today.  Here are the…

  • Documenting America’s Path to Recovery: March 19, 2021

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    The next 72 hours What is changing in the next 72 hours? Alabama (Republican trifecta): Residents age 55 or older and people ages 16-64 with state-defined, high-risk underlying conditions will be eligible for vaccination starting March 22. Florida (Republican trifecta): On Friday, March 19, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced that people 50 and older will…

  • Public employee strike bill enacted

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    West Virginia public employee strike bill enacted without governor’s signature West Virginia Senate Bill 11, which makes public employee strikes illegal, was enacted on March 16 without Gov. Jim Justice’s (R) signature. It will go into effect on June 2.  About the bill Senate Bill 11 codified the 1990 West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals…

  • Election preview: special Louisiana elections scheduled for March 20

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    Louisiana is holding primary elections on March 20, 2021. A general election, if needed, is set for April 24. Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top…

  • Senate confirms Becerra for HHS secretary with 50-49 vote

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    March 19, 2021: The Senate confirmed Xavier Becerra as secretary of health and human services on Thursday by a vote of 50-49. President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House staff and appointees to top government positions. In 2020,…

  • Daily Brew: COVID vaccine eligibility by state

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    A look at COVID-19 vaccine eligibility by state  Note: In some states, vaccine eligibility varies by county. The data in the map above shows the loosest restrictions in each state and may not reflect statewide accessibility. Over the past year, we’ve covered many ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected political and civic life in…

  • Deadline for Nevada State Legislature to vote on sales and gaming tax measures passes, sending the pair of initiatives to the ballot

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    The deadline for the Nevada State Legislature to act on two indirect initiated state statutes—the Gaming Tax Increase on Monthly Revenue above $250,000 Initiative and the Sales Tax Increase for Public Schools Initiative—was Friday, March 12. The legislature did not enact the measures by the deadline, which sent them to the ballot in November 2022.…

  • Kentucky legislature certifies amendment to authorize changes to legislative session end dates and special sessions

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    On March 15, the Kentucky State Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to voters in November 2022 that would authorize the legislature to change legislative session end dates through a three-fifths vote in each chamber. It would also authorize the House speaker and Senate president to jointly call a special legislative session for up…

  • Michigan Court of Claims invalidates absentee/mail-in ballot rule as improperly established

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    On March 9, 2021, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Murray invalidated an absentee/mail-in ballot rule instituted by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) in the run-up to the November 3, 2020, general election. Murray held that Benson’s rule, which directed local clerks to presume validity when verifying signatures on absentee/mail-in ballot applications and return…

  • California State Assembly District 54 special election set for July 20

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    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 54 seat in the California State Assembly for July 20, 2021. The seat became vacant after Sydney Kamlager (D) was elected to the California State Senate on Mar. 2. The primary is on May 18, and the filing deadline is on March 24.