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DENVER A Democrat-backed bill designed to curb health insurance costs for individuals and small businesses hit hard by the pandemic has advanced in the Colorado House.
Lawmakers worked from Thursday evening to early Friday debating the bill, which would require insurers to lower premiums for people and small businesses buying their own insurance by 18% by 2025 in any county where they now offer coverage. Democrats say the bill would make health care more affordable for 18,000 residents.
Health care providers, including hospitals, could be fined under the bill if they don’t reach those goals in part by offering a standardized plan to be developed by the commissioner of insurance.
Maine gives up on fight over cable company bundling law
May 5, 2021 GMT
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine will no longer fight a court’s decision that rejected the state’s law requiring cable companies to give subscribers the option of purchasing access to individual cable channels rather than bundled packages.
The parties agreed last month to resolve the lawsuit in favor of the cable companies, and a federal judge signed off last week on the conclusion that the law doesn’t pass constitutional muster.
Comcast, joined by Disney, Fox Cable, NBC/Universal and others, sued the state over the law that was supposed to go into effect in 2019.
Attorneys defend tax extensions before Nevada Supreme Court
SAM METZ, AP / Report for America
May 3, 2021
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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) The Nevada Supreme Court weighed arguments Monday in a lawsuit filed by Republican lawmakers over how to interpret state law that requires revenue-generating proposals to win two-thirds approval in the Legislature to become law.
Since 1996, the Nevada constitution has mandated that two-thirds of lawmakers in both chambers must approve any proposal that “creates, generates, or increases any public revenue in any form, setting a high bar for any proposal to raise taxes without bipartisan support.
Republican state senators allege that the Legislature s 2019 decision to extend two expiring revenue streams a Department of Motor Vehicles $1 transaction fee and a payroll tax violated the mandate because the extensions passed with simple majorities in the Democratic-controlled Legislature and didn t receive two-thirds approval.
US Rep. Dina Titus applauds federal relief funding in Nevada
SAM METZ, Associated Press/Report for America
May 3, 2021
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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) U.S. Rep. Dina Titus told Nevada lawmakers on Monday that coronavirus relief funds recently passed by Congress would be a “linchpin” in the state s efforts to boost the economy.
“Especially in Southern Nevada, our tourism-based economy has been devastated by the pandemic,” said Titus, a Las Vegas Democrat. “Even as we turn the corner in this battle against the virus, we sadly still ranked among the top states in our percentage of unemployed workers.”
The latest relief package allocated roughly $2.9 billion to Nevada, and lawmakers were waiting for guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department on how to divvy up the funds.
Californians to receive state stimulus checks starting TOMORROW
Updated: Apr 30 2021, 9:44 ET
CALIFORNIANS are set to receive state stimulus checks starting from tomorrow.
Those who filed their taxes between March 2 and April 23 could see their cash drop within the next 24 hours.
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Californians could receive their checks tomorrowCredit: Getty
The California Franchise Tax Board has said that recipients should allow up to two weeks after their tax return is processed to receive a direct deposit.
However, they will have to wait four to six weeks if they are receiving paper checks in the mail.
Those who filed taxes after April 23 should allow 45 days for direct debit, and 60 for paper checks.