Free Republic

Dear Marylanders, Today I signed into law the largest tax cut package in state history—including the Retirement Tax Elimination Act—which will provide an additional $1.86 billion in long overdue tax relief for Maryland retirees, families, and small businesses. Combined with the gas tax suspension we enacted just a few weeks ago, we are delivering nearly $2 billion in tax relief during this legislative session alone. This historic, bipartisan agreement brings the total tax, toll, and fee relief that our administration has delivered to nearly $4.7 billion.When I was first running for governor eight years ago, I pledged that once we...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded on the possibility of ending Disney’s self-governing status in response to the company’s pushback on the state’s parental rights bill on "Fox & Friends" Friday. "Look, there’s policy disputes, and that’s fine," DeSantis explained, "but when you're trying to impose a woke ideology on our state, we view that as a significant threat." DeSantis’ comments come as Disney has publicly disapproved of a new Florida law which bans discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. After sending a company-wide email denouncing the legislation, Disney executives announced it would remove "ladies...

His commission’s work vindicated hours earlier by judges of the state’s highest court on both sides of the aisle, University of Pittsburgh chancellor emeritus Mark Nordenberg said Wednesday evening that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to uphold the newly drawn state legislative maps — the work of his reapportionment commission — made for a “very satisfying moment.” In an exclusive interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mr. Nordenberg, chair of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, said after an “intense and grueling process” that included 10 months of work and a touch of partisan fury over the results, he hopes his commission’s...

Nine of 10 bills filed in six states seeking to audit 2020 election results—including three that would have nullified Joe Biden’s victory—have fallen by the wayside as legislative sessions wind down.Seven bills seeking 2020 general elec­tion audits were filed in four states, Flor­ida, New Hamp­shire, South Caro­lina, and Tennessee. Only a New Hampshire measure proposing a review of one county’s 2020 results remains on the docket.Lawmakers in New Hampshire, Arizona, and Wisconsin filed 2022 legislation demanding the nullification of 2020’s election results with an audit to determine the winner. Only the embattled Wisconsin effort has a heartbeat.New Hampshire’s House Bill...

Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled state legislature have found something to agree on: Pennsylvania’s corporate net income tax, the second-highest in the nation, costs the state more in lost business than it collects in revenue. The legislature should immediately pass the outgoing governor’s proposal to cut the corporate tax from 9.99% to 7.99% starting in 2023. That would move the state outside the top 10 highest CNI states, although it would still leave Pennsylvania at a disadvantage compared to nearby competitors like New York (6.5%) and Virginia (6%). After that, there are two ideas on the table for lowering...

For the crime of trying to protect young children from sexually explicit material in the classroom, Florida legislators are being crucified by the media. The Florida House recently passed the parental rights bill known as HB 1557, and it has cleared a final committee in the state Senate. Senators now have until March 11 to pass the legislation and put it on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. The media has wildly distorted the intent of the bill. Yes, I know, what’s new? But the sheer level of message discipline by a broad swath of media outlets to promote the message of...

Sheldon Silver, the Democratic powerhouse who ruled Albanyuntil he was convicted on federal corruption charges in a stunning fall from grace, has died. He was 77. Silver died in prison while serving out a six-and-a-half-year sentence — most recently at a federal medical center in Middlesex, Massachusetts — after he was convicted in 2018 for accepting nearly $4 million in bribes, his former chief of staff Judy Rapfogul confirmed to The Post. His cause of death wasn’t immediately clear. Shelly did many wonderful things for the community and the state,” Rapfogul said by phone as she choked up.

The Maryland General Assembly convened on December 6 for a special session. The main focus of the special session is the redistricting process that states must complete every decade after the census. However, in addition to redistricting, the legislature voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s (R) veto of a bill that bans immigration detention and makes Maryland a sanctuary state, as well as one that restricts sharing information with immigration authorities. House Bill (HB) 16, the so-called “Dignity Not Detention Act,” sponsored by Delegate Vaughn Stewart (D-Montgomery County) was initially solely a ban on immigration detention contracts. However, on the...

In a vote reminiscent of the state’s “Live Free Or Die” motto, New Hampshire lawmakers passed a legislative amendment on Nov. 17 that would prohibit any COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the New England state. Reading the measure out loud at a hearing attended by hundreds of people, main sponsor Rep. Rick Ladd (R-NH) stated the amendment provides that “no New Hampshire entity shall compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by anyone who objects to such vaccination for any reason.”Laura Telerski, a New Hampshire Democrat from Nashua opposed to the proposed ban, called it too broad and premature, especially given the...

On October 28, the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee, after 5 hearings that started on April 15, voted to pass HB227 to the full House for a vote. HB227 is the Constitutional Carry bill in Ohio, and passed on a party-line, 8-4 vote, as reported by buckeyefirearms.org. The bill changes Ohio law from dealing with concealed handguns to concealed weapons; it changes the law so that any non-prohibited person 21 years old or older can carry concealed weapons where people can carry with a permit, now. From HB227:..a person who is twenty-one years of age or older and is not...

The Texas Supreme Court has voided a state district judge’s temporary restraining order barring the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who have refused to return to the Legislature, putting in jeopardy the liberty of some Democrats who have returned to the state. The all Republican high court’s order comes at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan who petitioned the Texas Supreme Court on Monday to overturn a ruling by a Travis County state district judge that blocked them from ordering the arrest of Democratic lawmakers.

Playing Fair with CheatersIt’s time to end the era of shared house leadership in Texas.How does a voter in Texas elect a legislature controlled solely by Republicans? The simple answer should be, as it is in other states, to elect a Republican majority. Unfortunately, in Texas right now, they can’t.As the eyes of the nation fix on Texas House Democrats who have fled the state to prevent a vote on election integrity legislation, many of those same Democrats preening daily as underdog civil rights protestors before the CNN cameras actually have powerful leadership positions in a legislature under Republican control.This...

Texas legislators will return to Austin on Thursday to finalize work on some of the most controversial conservative priorities that have emerged in states across the country this year. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said in a statement Wednesday that the legislature would tackle a major package of election overhauls that failed at the last minute in May when House Democrats staged a surprise walkout, denying a quorum and killing the bill. Republicans had pledged to revive the legislation, which makes changes to rules related to early voting and curbside voting, bans round-the-clock voting centers and eliminates straight-ticket voting. It would...

Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation that identifies eleven agenda items for the Special Session that begins at 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 8. "The 87th Legislative Session was a monumental success for the people of Texas, but we have unfinished business to ensure that Texas remains the most exceptional state in America,” said Governor Abbott. "Two of my emergency items, along with other important legislation, did not make it to my desk during the regular session, and we have a responsibility to finish the job on behalf of all Texans. These Special Session priority items put the people...

The State legislature of Vermont has overridden the Republican RINO (Republican in Name Only) Governor Phil Scott’s vote of a bill that gives ‘non-citizens’ the right to vote in two cities’ elections. An absolute tragedy against Americans constitution and integrity. “In a 20-10 vote, Vermont Democrats just barely achieved the two-thirds majority needed to override the governor’s veto of two separate bills – securing the House’s successful override vote Wednesday,” Fox News reported.

The Louisiana Legislature voted overwhelmingly Thursday to move approximately $300 million annually from a fund that pays for higher education and health care to a fund that pays for large transportation projects. Supporters have said the spending will not only improve the state’s infrastructure system, but that it will also create construction jobs. Critics are concerned the proposal would exacerbate an already expected budget deficit in July 2025 affecting state universities, hospitals and other health care programs. Gov. John Bel Edwards needs to sign the legislation for it to become law. Edwards hasn’t decided if he approves of the bill...

Gavin Newsom and his cohorts in the California Legislature are under the delusion that if a Recall Election is held sooner, rather than later, that it will benefit him. The ground operatives involved in the Gavin Newsom Recall saw this election manipulation coming, and I reported on it earlier in June:This Legislature is working hard to ensure their sitting governor stays seated. According to the current Recall law, the budgetary process can take up to 60 days to review the counties’ proposed estimates. However, the Legislature has introduced a bill which will basically give the Joint Legislative Budget Committee the...

"There's an old saying. When the law is on your side, pound the law. When the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If neither the facts or law are on your side, pound the table." So Adam Schiff summarized a quip that has been evolving for at least a century. And so the Democrats did in the Ohio State House when Ohio State Representative Jena Powell proposed an amendment to protect women's sports. It's hard to believe this ruckus took place in what is supposed to be the deliberative, rulemaking body for the state of Ohio. Where do...

Want to stop governing in order to stop a bill? In Texas, that’ll stop you from getting paid. On Friday, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed funding for the Texas Legislature after the state House Democratic caucus walked out to avoid a vote on an election integrity bill late last month. The move, first reported by the Texas Tribune, would pause all funding for the legislature, its staffers and its agencies. Abbott said in a statement that “funding should not be provided for those who quit their job early, leaving their state with unfinished business and exposing taxpayers to higher...

While the 117th Congress House Resolution 1 ‘For the People’ is awaiting a vote in the Senate, the Voter Integrity Project of Look Ahead America (LAA) has released a comprehensive state-by-state report of “attempts to pass dangerous elements of HR1 through state legislatures.”UncoverDC wrote about H.R.1 in March, and now Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will bring the bill up for voting later this month, but West Virginia Senator, Joe Manchin, has expressed vocal opposition, making passage questionable. The bill has wide implications and would affect all three branches of the federal government, including election law.It was called...