http://www.mail.com/subjects/2778-legislature.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/2778-legislature.html http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2092672-problems-surface-arizs-2007-immigration-law.html PHOENIX (AP) — The immigration debate in Arizona reached a boiling point in 2007 when the state passed a groundbreaking law targeting those often blamed with fueling the nation's border woes: Employers who hire immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. The law marked a bold step by a state into an area that had long been the domain of the federal governmen... Fri, 17 May 2013 08:33:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2092672-problems-surface-arizs-2007-immigration-law.html 2013-05-17T08:33:30Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2088386-family-drama-adds-intrigue-to-ill-governors-race.html SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Politics has long been a family business in Illinois, a place where who you know — and who you're related to — matters more than most. But the family drama shaping up around the next governor's race adds a new layer of intrigue in a Capitol already grappling with huge financial problems. Though the election is a year away, the pos... Wed, 15 May 2013 21:40:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2088386-family-drama-adds-intrigue-to-ill-governors-race.html 2013-05-15T21:40:31Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2085716-minnesota-gay-marriage-sponsors-its-personal.html ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — As a crowd of thousands roared from the lawn of the state Capitol, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday that makes gay marriage legal here come Aug. 1. "What a day for Minnesota!" the Democratic governor declared, as American and rainbow flags flapped in a sweltering hot wind. The Minnesota State Patrol estimated about... Wed, 15 May 2013 02:18:55 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2085716-minnesota-gay-marriage-sponsors-its-personal.html 2013-05-15T02:18:55Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2083604-minn-governor-to-sign-bill-allowing-gay-marriage.html ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — With marriages to be available for Minnesota's gay couples starting Aug. 1, Duluth residents Gary Anderson and Gary Boelhower are getting ready to do something that seemed impossible when they started dating three years ago: plan a wedding. "The plan is to do it in August, definitely," Boelhower said Monday, shortly after Minnesota'... Tue, 14 May 2013 11:49:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2083604-minn-governor-to-sign-bill-allowing-gay-marriage.html 2013-05-14T11:49:56Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2083564-vt-poised-to-allow-lethal-meds-terminally-ill.html MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont is poised to join three other states permitting doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication to terminally ill patients after the state House approved a compromise bill similar to Oregon's 1997 law. The bill, approved on Monday, now goes before Gov. Peter Shumlin, a strong supporter of the legislation. It marks the first ... Tue, 14 May 2013 06:33:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2083564-vt-poised-to-allow-lethal-meds-terminally-ill.html 2013-05-14T06:33:05Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2081620-herseth-sandlin-rules-sd-senate-seat.html PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Former South Dakota U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said Monday she will not seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tim Johnson. Herseth Sandlin, 42, announced her decision on her Facebook page Monday morning and confirmed it to The Associated Press. The Democrat said she decided not to seek her party's nomination... Mon, 13 May 2013 14:22:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2081620-herseth-sandlin-rules-sd-senate-seat.html 2013-05-13T14:22:31Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2080036-snowe-presses-bipartisanship-book.html PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe describes a scene out of a Rockwell painting: With Washington crippled by a blizzard, President Barack Obama worked the week before Christmas with a fire roaring in the fireplace in the Oval Office. Outside the window, his daughters played in the snow with their dog. Inside, Snowe writes in a new book, she de... Sun, 12 May 2013 15:15:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2080036-snowe-presses-bipartisanship-book.html 2013-05-12T15:15:08Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2074866-minn-house-approves-gay-marriage-would-12th.html ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A historic vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest to pass such a law out of its Legislature. Lawmakers approved it 75-59, a critical step for the measure that would allow same-sex weddings beginning this summer. It's a startling... Thu, 09 May 2013 22:08:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2074866-minn-house-approves-gay-marriage-would-12th.html 2013-05-09T22:08:13Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2073498-ap-exclusive-calif-exchange-granted-secrecy.html LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California law that created an agency to oversee national health care reforms granted it broad authority to conceal spending on the contractors that will perform most of its functions, potentially shielding the public from seeing how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent. The degree of secrecy afforded Covered California appears u... Thu, 09 May 2013 19:46:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2073498-ap-exclusive-calif-exchange-granted-secrecy.html 2013-05-09T19:46:45Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2073304-ex-lawmaker-to-sentenced-nyc-fraud-case.html NEW YORK (AP) — A 74-year-old former New York State lawmaker who secretly recorded other politicians in a bid for leniency for her role in a corruption scandal faces up to two years in prison after she pleaded guilty to embezzling money. Shirley Huntley is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in Brooklyn federal court after pleading guilty to mail fraud con... Thu, 09 May 2013 15:00:58 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2073304-ex-lawmaker-to-sentenced-nyc-fraud-case.html 2013-05-09T15:00:58Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2072340-gay-marriage-momentum-expands-to-2-midwest.html ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The national momentum on gay marriage has been limited mostly to the East and West coasts, but it looks like that's about to change. The Minnesota House votes Thursday on legalizing gay marriage, and Gov. Mark Dayton could be signing a bill as early as next week. The Illinois Senate approved it earlier, and supporters think they'll ... Wed, 08 May 2013 20:20:26 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2072340-gay-marriage-momentum-expands-to-2-midwest.html 2013-05-08T20:20:26Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2070776-same-sex-couples-welcome-del-gay-marriage-law.html DOVER, Del. (AP) — Mikki Snyder-Hall married her partner, Claire, in California in 2008, and moved two years ago to Rehoboth, a gay-friendly Delaware beach town. Now they're looking forward to July 1, when Delaware officially becomes the 11th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage after Gov. Jack Markell signed a gay marriage bill into law Tuesday... Wed, 08 May 2013 08:59:07 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2070776-same-sex-couples-welcome-del-gay-marriage-law.html 2013-05-08T08:59:07Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2070242-despite-scandal-ex-sc-gov-sanford-office.html CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Four years after scandal derailed his political career, ex-Republican Gov. Mark Sanford once again holds a South Carolina political office, winning back his old congressional seat Tuesday after a race in which he battled his past and an opponent who outdid him in fundraising. Sanford's resurrection was completed when he defeated De... Wed, 08 May 2013 02:47:48 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2070242-despite-scandal-ex-sc-gov-sanford-office.html 2013-05-08T02:47:48Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2067960-ex-sc-gov-sanford-political-office.html CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford revived a scandal-scarred political career by winning back his old congressional seat Tuesday in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat in three decades. The comeback was complete when he defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of political satirist Stephen Colbert... Wed, 08 May 2013 02:06:16 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2067960-ex-sc-gov-sanford-political-office.html 2013-05-08T02:06:16Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2069732-delaware-11th-with-gay-marriage.html DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware became the 11th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage when Democratic Gov. Jack Markell signed a gay marriage bill into law just minutes after its passage by the state Senate on Tuesday. "I do not intend to make any of you wait one moment longer," a smiling Markell told about 200 jubilant supporters who erupted in chee... Wed, 08 May 2013 00:27:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2069732-delaware-11th-with-gay-marriage.html 2013-05-08T00:27:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2069724-minnesota-appears-poised-to-legalize-gay-marriage.html ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota appears poised to legalize gay marriage, as the Democratic speaker of the state House said Tuesday that a gay marriage bill endorsed by the governor and likely to pass in the state Senate also now has enough backing in his chamber. The House will vote on the measure Thursday, and if it passes, the Democratic-led Senate cou... Tue, 07 May 2013 23:04:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2069724-minnesota-appears-poised-to-legalize-gay-marriage.html 2013-05-07T23:04:53Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/2067752-disabled-couple-seek-life-together-group.html PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. (AP) — With the beaming smiles of newlyweds, Paul Forziano and Hava Samuels hold hands, exchange adoring glances and complete each other's sentences. Their first wedding dance, he recalls, was to the song "Unchained ..." ''Melody," she chimes in. They spend their days together in the performing arts education center where they met. Bu... Tue, 07 May 2013 22:47:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/2067752-disabled-couple-seek-life-together-group.html 2013-05-07T22:47:45Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2066546-mass-gop-candidate-gomez.html BOSTON (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez is on his own — at least for now. National Republican allies, conservative activists and major GOP donors outside Democratic-leaning Massachusetts are skeptical of Gomez's chances in the state's June 25 special election to replace former Sen. John Kerry. While local Republicans ar... Mon, 06 May 2013 19:06:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2066546-mass-gop-candidate-gomez.html 2013-05-06T19:06:43Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/2066762-okla-honors-actress-mary-kay-place-donation.html OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Legislature has recognized award-winning actress and Tulsa native Mary Kay Place for her donation to a planned popular culture museum in Tulsa. The star of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "The Big Chill" was honored Monday with special receptions in the House and Senate lounges. She donated costumes and other items from ... Mon, 06 May 2013 19:02:50 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/2066762-okla-honors-actress-mary-kay-place-donation.html 2013-05-06T19:02:50Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/2066248-mississippi-prepares-push-education.html CLARKSDALE, Miss. (AP) — It's early on a Friday morning, and high school chemistry students in Victoria Dawson's class are working equations at the board. Dawson is peppering the class of 11 girls and four boys with questions, trying to keep everyone focused as she helps correct mistakes. When a student gets one of the dense equations right, Dawson and th... Mon, 06 May 2013 17:52:58 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/2066248-mississippi-prepares-push-education.html 2013-05-06T17:52:58Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2064398-scenic-struggling-s-illinois-braces-oil-rush.html VIENNA, Ill. (AP) — This is the Illinois that many people never see — the sparsely populated southern tip where flat farmland gives way to rolling hills, rocky outcrops, thick forests and cypress swamps. Blacktopped county roads wend through no-stoplight towns. Locals speak in soft drawls and talk of generations who've lived on the same land or in the sam... Mon, 06 May 2013 03:45:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2064398-scenic-struggling-s-illinois-braces-oil-rush.html 2013-05-06T03:45:01Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2063590-work-ahead-ala-scottsboro-boys-pardons.html MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Though the Alabama Legislature has cleared the way for posthumous pardons of the Scottsboro Boys, much work — from legal documents to public hearings — remains before the names of the nine black teens wrongly convicted more than 80 years ago are officially cleared. The Scottsboro Boys were convicted by all-white juries of raping tw... Sun, 05 May 2013 02:29:47 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2063590-work-ahead-ala-scottsboro-boys-pardons.html 2013-05-05T02:29:47Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2060216-newtown-board-mulls-plans-sandy-hook-school.html NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Newtown officials struggled Friday night to move toward a decision on what to do with the elementary school where 20 first-graders and six educators were shot to death in December, after teachers expressed grief and frustration during a closed-door session before a public meeting was held. A task force of 28 local elected officials h... Sat, 04 May 2013 05:47:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2060216-newtown-board-mulls-plans-sandy-hook-school.html 2013-05-04T05:47:24Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2061490-california-prison-crowding-plan-falls-short.html SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Underlying California's attempts to meet a federal court order for reducing its prison population is an unsettling question: Will the public be in greater danger as a result? The answer could determine how many inmates are ultimately released, who that would be and even whether federal judges decide to hold Gov. Jerry Brown in co... Sat, 04 May 2013 00:28:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2061490-california-prison-crowding-plan-falls-short.html 2013-05-04T00:28:21Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2060214-ri-10th-to-allow-gay-marriage.html PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island has become the nation's 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed, after a 16-year effort to extend marriage rights in this heavily Roman Catholic state. Gays, lesbians, their friends and families erupted into cheers Thursday following a final 56-15 vote in the Rhode Island House, and then again an hour later ... Fri, 03 May 2013 10:57:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2060214-ri-10th-to-allow-gay-marriage.html 2013-05-03T10:57:56Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2060092-fla-lawmakers-plan-everglades-restoration.html TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers have approved a new plan to help pay for Everglades restoration. The legislation was sent to Gov. Rick Scott on a 39-0 vote by the Senate on Thursday. It cleared the House earlier in the session. The bill is backed by environmental groups and sugar farmers, and its sponsors have said it represents a truce in a de... Fri, 03 May 2013 03:53:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2060092-fla-lawmakers-plan-everglades-restoration.html 2013-05-03T03:53:43Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2059588-rhode-island-10th-with-gay-marriage.html PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island on Thursday became the nation's 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed, as a 16-year effort to extend marriage rights in this heavily Roman Catholic state ended with the triumphant cheers of hundreds of gays, lesbians, their families and friends. Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law on the Statehous... Fri, 03 May 2013 00:15:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2059588-rhode-island-10th-with-gay-marriage.html 2013-05-03T00:15:06Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2057996-day-activists-cheer-immigration-laws.html SALEM, Ore. (AP) — As Congress debates the first national immigration overhaul in decades, a state-level push advancing rights for people in the U.S. illegally has picked up momentum across the country. Among the patchwork changes to state law taking effect from Maryland to Oregon are provisions that lower tuition rates, advance employment opportunities a... Thu, 02 May 2013 16:41:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2057996-day-activists-cheer-immigration-laws.html 2013-05-02T16:41:56Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2055348-dems-edge-sprint-to-mass-special-election.html BOSTON (AP) — National Republicans cheered former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez's Massachusetts primary victory, but Democratic Congressman Ed Markey enjoys tremendous advantages in the special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry. Tuesday's primary elections set up an eight-week sprint to the June 25 election. In Markey, the race pits a longtime lib... Wed, 01 May 2013 07:06:17 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2055348-dems-edge-sprint-to-mass-special-election.html 2013-05-01T07:06:17Z