State legislature news and stories by mail.com

State legislature

Colo. House Dems lead passage of gun control bills
Colorado's Democratic-controlled House has narrowly passed a handful of gun control bills, signaling a political shift in the wake of recent mass ...
Colo. House passes gun-control measures
Limits on the size of ammunition magazines and universal background checks passed the Colorado House on Monday, during a second day of emotional ...
Vt. hopes syrup grade changes will sweeten sales
Would fancy grade maple syrup by any other name taste as sweet? Vermont lawmakers are pondering that question as they consider whether to drop the ...
Hutchinson exits race for Jackson's US House seat
A well-known Illinois state senator dropped her bid Sunday for the U.S. House seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr., narrowing the field and consolidating ...
School choice goes Hollywood to reach Main Street
The movie "Won't Back Down" starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis was a box-office dud, barely earning $5 million and disappearing from theaters ...
Obama support for gun control has roots in Chicago
President Barack Obama's support for gun control has its roots in a hometown plagued by deadly shootings — a city, he said Friday, where as many ...
Gay marriage support has risks for GOP lawmakers
As more state legislatures around the country consider whether to legalize same-sex weddings, an analysis of gay marriage votes in eight states shows ...
Illinois Senate votes to legalize gay marriage
The push to allow same-sex marriages in Illinois got its biggest victory to date Thursday with a historic Valentine's Day vote in the state Senate, ...
Animal welfare groups sue to end Midwest wolf hunt
The Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday to restore federal protections for gray wolves in the ...
Ex-Navy SEAL announces run for Mass. Senate seat
A businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL has officially launched his campaign for John Kerry's U.S. Senate seat. Gabriel Gomez, a Republican from ...
No need to leave the room: Bet by TV at NJ casino
Guests at one New Jersey casino won't even have to get out of bed in order to place a bet. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City said it ...
Former Fla. GOP chief pleads guilty before trial
The criminal trial of former Republican Party of Florida chair Jim Greer had promised to be embarrassing for party leaders, rising Republican star ...
A Texas-sized silence as immigration talks ramp up
With nearly 2 million illegal immigrants and a 1,200-mile border with Mexico, Texas has more at stake than most states in the renewed push to overhaul ...
Tyler, Fleetwood push Hawaii celeb privacy bill
Rock legends Steven Tyler and Mick Fleetwood convinced a Hawaii Senate committee on Friday to approve a bill to protect celebrities or anyone else ...
Republicans scramble for the center on immigration
It was little surprise when freshman Republican Rep. Mike Coffman in 2010 voted against a bill to grant citizenship to some young illegal immigrants.
Assisted suicide on legal agenda in several states
A push for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is under way in a half-dozen states where proponents say they see strong support for ...
Calif. seeks to adopt nation's toughest gun laws
Weeks after New York enacted the nation's toughest gun laws, California lawmakers said Thursday they want their state to do even more in response to ...
Iowa Democrat Braley announces 2014 US Senate bid
Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley on Thursday became the first Iowan to announce plans to seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin after ...
NRA chief: Gun controls won't pass Congress
The head of the National Rifle Association said Thursday he's confident that Congress won't approve an assault weapons ban or a limit on high-capacity ...
Confederate past: Uproar over changing park names
The statue of Confederate fighter Nathan Bedford Forrest astride a horse towers above the Memphis park bearing his name. It's a larger-than-life ...
States propose limiting use of drones by police
Lawmakers in at least 11 states are looking at plans to restrict the use of drones over their skies amid concerns the unmanned aerial vehicles could ...
Wyoming lawmakers see movement on gay issues
To say merely that Wyoming is a conservative state doesn't begin to capture it. Republicans hold nearly every elected office. Lawmakers squirrel away ...
Minn. shooting victim's son pushes for change
Sami Rahamim has committed statistics about gun deaths to memory, folding them into sentences that make his case. He talks like a lawyer, not a high ...
Ex-Mass. Gov. William Weld says no to Senate run
Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld says he will not run in the special election to succeed John Kerry in the U.S. Senate. The Republican said in ...
Catholic hospital takes surprise stance in lawsuit
It was a startling assertion that seemed an about-face from church doctrine: A Catholic hospital arguing in a Colorado court that twin fetuses that ...