STATE LEGISLATION

Apr 04 2026BUSINESS

The Bottle Bill Debate: Who Bears the Cost?

Maine’s bottle bill has kept millions of bottles out of trash for decades. It also built a system where people can return empty containers and get money back. The program costs a lot. Every year the state must collect, sort and process about 850 million containers. That work costs more than $70 mil

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Feb 27 2026EDUCATION

Oregon Plans Quicker Attendance Reports to Curb Chronic Absences

Oregon is set to change how it shares school attendance data, moving from an annual update to quarterly releases. The state’s Department of Education will begin publishing the figures each quarter, a move that lawmakers say could help spot and fix attendance problems faster. The change follows th

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Jan 09 2026POLITICS

Maryland's Bold Move on Vaccine Rules

Maryland is making waves with a new plan. The state wants to take control of its own vaccine schedule. This means they might not follow the federal government's recommendations anymore. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently changed their list of routine shots for kids. This

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Jan 09 2026POLITICS

Oregon's Big Money Move: Can They Make It Work?

Oregon is trying to clean up its political money game. They passed a law to limit big donations and make spending more transparent. But now, they need a lot of cash to make it happen. The Secretary of State's Office wants $25 million to start. But they admit they don't know the final cost. This is

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Feb 04 2025POLITICS

Meet the Trans Faces of Texas

While Governor Greg Abbott was speaking on TV, something else was happening. A group supporting LGBTQ rights showed some ads on TV. These ads had three transgender people being themselves. The ads were made by GLAAD and Ground Media. These guys wanted to show people that being transgender is no

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Dec 16 2024CRYPTO

Bitcoin's Big Year: Will States Jump On Board in 2025?

The future of bitcoin is looking bright. With the new presidential administration in 2024, we might see a surge in crypto-friendly policies. Some states are already considering bills to make their laws more open to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Many people believe that bitcoin is a great way to pro

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