(The Center Square) – The Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee is postponing consideration of a bill to allow Medicaid recipients to choose “direct primary” care. Members voted 4-3 Thursday to delay action indefinitely on the  House Bill 26-1096, the CO Medicaid Access to Primary Care Services bill, after public speakers told the committee they Read More…

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed five bills into law aimed at supporting agriculture and rural communities, including a measure to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved areas. Among the bills signed was House Bill 1048, which provides an appropriation for the expansion of broadband access, a priority Rhoden said is critical to strengthening opportunities Read More…

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a coalition of 24 states in urging a federal appeals court to block a lower court order that could expand access to gender transition surgeries for prison inmates. The coalition, led alongside Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Court of Read More…

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has decided not to move forward with the removal of Hot Springs County Commissioners Paul Galovich and Robert Aguiar after reviewing a complaint filed by county electors and information gathered through investigations by both the governor’s office and the Wyoming Attorney General. The complaint, filed Sept. 10, 2025, by six qualified Read More…

(The Center Square) – With the ongoing partial government shutdown now the second-longest in American history, irritated Republicans are berating Senate Democrats, who for the fifth time Friday blocked the advance of the Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The failed vote highlighted how firmly Democrats are entrenched in their opposition to any fiscal year Read More…

New rules governing North Dakota’s public charter schools will take effect April 1, opening the door for supporters to begin advancing proposals for the state’s first charter schools. State School Superintendent Levi Bachmeier announced the regulations after a rulemaking process that followed the Legislature’s 2025 approval of public, tax-supported charter schools under Senate Bill 2241. Read More…

(The Center Square) – Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson may be satisfied with the House of Representatives’ latest version of an income tax bill – so much so that he said he will sign it if it passes the Legislature – but plenty of others remain skeptical. In the wee hours of Friday morning, majority party Read More…

(The Center Square) – The Seattle City Council has unanimously passed a bill prohibiting city employees and departments from sharing nonpublic personal information with federal immigration authorities for civil enforcement purposes without a warrant. Council Bill 121158 is meant to protect immigrant communities, align city policy with the state’s Keep Washington Working Act, and remove Read More…

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, has co-introduced bipartisan legislation to extend a federal $450 million water recycling grant for Western states until 2032. The federal grant, signed by former President Joe Biden in 2021, has already allocated roughly $308 million on water recycling projects in Colorado River states. Without its Read More…

Governor Larry Rhoden has signed six bills into law, advancing legislation that addresses ballot transparency, administrative rulemaking, education policy, and state regulatory updates. The bills signed include: SB 5, which requires disclosure of whether a ballot question was proposed through a citizen initiative or by the Legislature; SB 56, which requires state agencies promulgating permanent Read More…

Gov. Kelly Armstrong has rolled out a new statewide effort aimed at improving soil health and expanding wildlife habitat across North Dakota’s rural landscape, announcing the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program at a Capitol press conference. The voluntary, working-lands program is designed to help farmers strengthen cropland productivity and resilience by establishing perennial Read More…

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has signed House Bill 1044 into law, appropriating funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program — marking the first piece of legislation he has approved during the current legislative session. State officials described the move as a historic investment in rural healthcare, aimed at strengthening medical services across South Dakota’s Read More…

(The Center Square) – Six state attorneys general called on the nonprofit climate company Ceres, Inc. to halt all conduct they say is in violation of antitrust and consumer protection laws. The attorneys general, led by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, sent a letter to Ceres’ CEO Mindy Lubber calling on the company to refrain Read More…

Wyoming voters already basically decided they are pro-choice, the state Supreme Court has ruled in a decision that voids subsequent pro-life laws implemented when Roe v. Wade was overturned. The court struck the Life is a Human Right Act, which made most abortions a criminal act. They are a “fundamental right” and a health care Read More…

Idaho Governor Brad Little has appointed Don Hall to fill the District 25 House seat vacated by Lance Clow. Hall, who currently serves as Chairman of the Twin Falls County Commission and is a former Mayor of Twin Falls, will complete the remainder of Clow’s term, which runs through November 30, 2026. “I am honored Read More…

North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Daniel Crothers has notified Governor Kelly Armstrong that he will retire from the state’s highest court on February 28, 2026, after more than two decades of service. “Justice Crothers has faithfully served the citizens of North Dakota and applied the laws of our state with the utmost dedication, fairness and Read More…

Governor Larry Rhoden announced that South Dakota will participate in President Donald J. Trump’s school choice initiative, part of the broader One Big Beautiful Bill program. The initiative allows states to opt in and offers families expanded educational options through tax credit scholarships. “Our students are the future of our state, and we must equip Read More…

At the Wyoming Business Alliance’s Governor’s Business Forum in Laramie, Governor Mark Gordon (R-Wyoming) presented his upcoming budget, dubbed “The Essentials,” while urging continued focus on workforce, energy, education, water, tourism, and rural healthcare to secure the state’s long-term prosperity. Gordon emphasized that the budget is designed to prioritize core areas critical to both residents Read More…

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has released the final ballot explanation for a proposed initiated Constitutional Amendment that would repeal property taxes in the state and replace them with a new “retail transaction” tax. If sponsors collect 35,017 valid petition signatures, the measure would appear on the 2026 general election ballot. Attorney General Jackley Read More…

Governor Kelly Armstrong announced Thursday that he has directed more than $1.5 million in state funds to support food assistance programs during the ongoing federal government shutdown, urging North Dakota residents to consider donating food or money to local food pantries to help families impacted by the loss of federal benefits. “The state of North Read More…

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a 14-state coalition of Attorneys General supporting a petition aimed at strengthening the integrity of federal elections. The coalition submitted a letter backing the American First Legal Foundation’s petition to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The petition calls on the EAC to require documentary proof of Read More…

(The Center Square) – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has no intention of complying with a U.S. Department of Justice request for information from the state’s voter registration list. On Sept. 8, the DOJ sent a letter to Hobbs requesting a copy of the state’s voter registration database within 14 days. The request included sensitive personal Read More…

Governor Brad Little announced Thursday the appointment of Amanda Ulrich as a District Judge in Idaho’s Seventh Judicial District. Ulrich, a trial attorney with more than 15 years of experience, is a partner at Casperson Ulrich Dustin, where she has practiced since 2018. Her work has focused primarily on civil litigation and employment law. She Read More…

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, calling on lawmakers to maintain strong federal funding for transportation infrastructure, provide greater flexibility to states, and enact permitting reforms to accelerate project delivery and reduce costs. Speaking on behalf of the National Governors Association during a hearing titled Read More…

Governor Brad Little announced today the appointment of Brendon Taylor as District Judge for Idaho’s Seventh Judicial District, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of the Honorable Bruce L. Pickett. Taylor currently serves as a Magistrate Judge in Bonneville County, a position he has held since 2022. He is also the presiding judge of Read More…

The Center Square) – The Washington State Department of Ecology is proposing updates to regulations that reduce pollution from new semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles sold in the state. Ecology contends the updates will increase flexibility and help the industry transition to zero-emission trucks. DOE is offering over $130 million in taxpayer funding to buy clean trucks and build charging infrastructure Read More…

The first quarter financial reports for Congress are in and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is seeing the green. Lummis now has more than $1.5 million cash-on-hand heading into the 2026 election season between her main campaign committee and Steer political action committee. No one has announced that they plan to challenge Lummis. If someone does, Read More…

The Wyoming Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday regarding the classification of abortion as healthcare, a case that could significantly impact the future of abortion access in the state. The state is challenging a Teton County judge’s ruling that abortion is a form of healthcare, arguing that laws passed in 2023, which could impose a near-total Read More…

Governor Kelly Armstrong signed Senate Bill 2214 into law today, officially approving the merger of the North Dakota Securities Department into the North Dakota Insurance Department. The consolidation aims to streamline regulatory oversight of the state’s financial services industry. Under the new law, regulatory authority will be unified under the elected insurance commissioner. The merger Read More…

While nine law firms have made deals to avoid President Donald Trump’s orders targeting them, the one that works for Wyoming’s largest federally recognized Indian tribe is continuing to fight the federal government in court. As of Tuesday, nine firms had settled with Trump and agreed to perform, collectively, nearly $1 billion worth of free work in causes Read More…

he South Dakota Attorney General’s Office has released the final ballot explanation for a proposed constitutional amendment that would require voter approval for legislative changes to initiative and referendum procedures. The amendment, spearheaded by Rick Weiland of Sioux Falls, aims to ensure that any legislative modifications to citizen-led ballot initiatives and referendums are subject to Read More…

(The Center Square) – Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Thursday signed legislation that will ban foreign funding of ballot measures in the state. House Bill 337 prohibits non-U.S. citizens from funding any statewide initiative or referendum petition drive and require political action committees or other organizations that support or oppose such measures to file reports with the Read More…