Statehouse Rock edition

Reading is fundamental! Let's see what we learn this week.

• Better than a scholarship: Connecticut lawmakers have just approved raising the state's hourly minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017, the highest of any state. Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy is excited to sign the bill into law. 

• So maybe we can take a hint that guns and schools don't mix. Or not: In Indiana, it just became legal to have guns in school parking lots. 

• Dropping science: Just take another study hall, maybe.

• Lawmakers in the heavily Republican Wyoming legislature have blocked a new set of national science standards because of the associated expectation that students understand that climate change is totally real and is the result of human activity. 

• A Republican state Senator is trying to squelch an eight-year-old girl's dream of establishing the woolly mammoth as South Carolina's state fossil by appending a passage of the Genesis creation story to the proposal. 

• In Missouri, a bill requiring parental notification of intent to teach evolution is advancing through the House. 

• Poor attendance at polling places is almost a certainty if (who are we kidding? when) a new restrictive voting measure in Wisconsin becomes law. The bill, passed on a party-line vote (well, except for this guy) in both chambers, eliminates early voting on weekends and limits early voting hours on weekdays to between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

• This isn't the first time the GOP-controlled legislature has made voting more difficult for Wisconsinites; right after they swept into power in 2011, Republicans cut early voting drastically, from three weeks (including three weekends) to two weeks (including one weekend).

• Dropping out: GOP state Senator and notorious moderate Dale Schultz can't take it any more. He's retiring this year, but he's not going quietly. "I'm not willing to defend them any more," he said about his colleagues when asked about the new voting restrictions, accusing Republicans of "trying to suppress the vote."

• But you can still buy birthday cupcakes for your class, probably: Backers of an Oregon ballot measure that would allow businesses to refuse to serve gay weddings are super mad that the the approved ballot language makes their discriminatory proposal seem... discriminatory. They've gone to court to try to change the "politically charged" language ("Religious belief" exemptions to anti-discriminatory laws for refusing services, other, for same-sex ceremonies, "arrangements"). 
• After the ballot language is finalized, proponents of the measure have until July 3 to gather 87,213 signatures.

• Better than iodine and a band-aid: New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan is about to sign the Medicaid expansion bill that just passed the legislature into law. About 50,000 Granite Staters are poised to get covered.

• More fun than programming Pong on your TI-84: The guys who brought us .gop (who also happen to be in charge of electing Republican state legislators, secretaries of state, and lieutenant governors) are spending money on building websites, which is maybe a way to pass the time when they're not working with the RSLC's "affiliate" 501(c)(4) group, the State Government Leadership Foundation (bonus: they're Article V-ers!).

• Cartography 101: Nebraska state senators are considering a measure that would take legislative and congressional redistricting out of their own hands and give it to an independent, bipartisan commission. 

• Law school. Ugh. My favorite former law school classmate who's now a state legislator (just because he's my only former law school classmate who's now a state legislator) is pushing an measure in Florida that would impede the media's ability to access (and scrutinize) the application of the state's terrifying "stand your ground" law.

But wait! There's more...

For the Week of March 26, 2014 The following 32 state legislatures are meeting actively this week: ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, COLORADO, DELAWARE, FLORIDA, HAWAII, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, VERMONT and WISCONSIN. Also meeting:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO GROUPS    The State Legislative Leaders Foundation will hold its Annual Leadership Summit-From the White House to the State House: Lessons in Presidential Leadership March 27-29 in Little Rock, Arkansas.       CALIFORNIA The Assembly Committee on Human Services met March 25 to discuss A.B. 1819, which prohibits the smoking of tobacco in a private residence that is licensed as a family day care home.     The Senate Governmental Organization Committee held a hearing March 25 to discuss S.B. 912, which relates to nutrition standards for vending machines in state facilities.      The Senate Health Committee will hold a hearing March 26 to discuss S.B. 1381, which requires the labeling of genetically modified foods.  Voter Registration bill SB 1105 is set to be heard by the Senate Education Committee on April 2, 2014. This bill would require the standardized student financial aid application, if the application is submitted online, to permit the applicant to apply to register to vote online by submitting an affidavit of registration electronically on the secretary of state's website. FLORIDA  The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee met March 24 to consider S.B. 1524, which provides additional consumer protections, timely notifications of potential security breaches and creates a barrier for consumers from identity theft and fraud.  The Senate Community Affairs Committee met March 25 to consider S.B. 900, which provides for partnerships between state universities and private entities for construction or improvement by private entities of facilities or projects used predominantly for public purposes.  Omnibus election bill SB 1660 was scheduled to be heard today by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections on March 17 at 4:30 p.m. This bill makes various changes to the election law. Among other things, this bill would establish online registration; with certain exceptions including voters aged 65 and older and military voters, first-time voters who are online registrants would not be permitted to vote by mail. Absentee ballot requests by online registrants would be required to give the reason meeting the exception. The bill also limits the sites at which supervisors can accept or receive completed absentee ballots. Amendments filed would add potential early voting sites under certain circumstances. Early Voting bill SB 1566 was introduced. The bill would delete the enumerated list of locations allowed to be designated as early voting sites and would allow the Supervisor of Elections to designate any location as an early voting site. Early Voting bill HB 1307 was referred to Ethics and Elections Subcommittee; Local and Federal Affairs Committee; State Affairs Committee. The bill would delete the enumerated list of locations allowed to be designated as early voting sites and would allow the Supervisor of Elections to designate any location as an early voting site. Felon Voting Rights bill HJR 1339 was referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee; Ethics and Elections Subcommittee; Judiciary Committee The bill would amend the Florida constitution to restore eligibility to vote and to run for office to persons convicted of most felonies upon completion of sentence. Individuals convicted of a felony involving homicide or of a felony of a sexual nature would still require the restoration of civil rights. The bill would also restore rights to those adjudicated mentally incompetent upon removal of disability. Felon Voting Rights bill SJR 1612 was introduced. The bill would amend the Florida constitution to restore eligibility to vote and to run for office to persons convicted of most felonies upon completion of sentence. Individuals convicted of a felony involving homicide or of a felony of a sexual nature would still require the restoration of civil rights. The bill would also restore rights to those adjudicated mentally incompetent upon removal of disability. ILLINOIS     The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee will meet March 26 to discuss S.B. 2789, which requires employers to provide paid sick time to their employees; S.B. 2943, which provides that bullying is prohibited in the workplace and S.B. 3105, which provides that an employer must provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid family medical leave to an employee to care for a grandparent or a grandchild.     LOUISIANA    The House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works met March 24 to discuss H.B. 896, which prohibits the use of photo speed enforcement devices on state maintained roads.      MARYLAND     The Senate Finance Committee will meet March 26 to discuss H.B. 229, which prohibits importation, selling or offering for sale any child care product containing TDCPP flame-retardant chemicals.     MICHIGAN The House Energy and Technology Committee met March 25 to discuss H.B. 5184, which addresses renewable portfolio standards.   MINNESOTA The House Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance Committee met March 25 to discuss H.F. 605, which addresses protecting children from harmful chemicals. NEW HAMPSHIRE The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing March 25 to discuss H.B. 1407, which prohibits an employer from requiring an employee or prospective employee to disclose his or her social media or e-mail passwords.  The Office of Energy and Planning will hold a meeting March 28 to discuss the development of a state energy strategy.  NEW JERSEY The Senate Environment and Energy Committee will meet March 27 to hear S.B. 151, which addresses the states required participation in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  The Senate Environment and Energy Committee will meetMarch 27 to hear S.B. 1376, which would establish a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of natural gas exploration or production until certain federal laws are changed. OKLAHOMA Voter ID bill SB 1284 is scheduled to be heard by the House Rules Committee on March 26 at 10:30 a.m. This bill provides that an expired driver license and expired passport cannot be used for identification purposes when voting.  TENNESSEE The Higher Education Commission will accept comments through March 27 regarding proposed rule amendments related to the authorization and regulation of postsecondary institutions.

via Stateside Associates, Project Vote.