(The Center Square) – Legislation that would add Tennessee’s right-to-work law to the state constitution received a positive recommendation Tuesday from the Senate Judiciary Committee, 7-2.
Fort Worth Weekly
It’s politics as usual as the 2021 Texas Legislative Session pits conservative priorities against progressive reforms.
By Edward Brown
Greg Abbott: “We are also closing the digital divide for Texas students.”
Photo courtesy Gov. Greg Abbott Texas.gov
“Texans, as we gather tonight, I can tell you the state of our state is brimming with promise,” said an upbeat Gov. Greg Abbott during the annual State of the State address recently.
Amid a largely uncontrolled pandemic that has caused the deaths of nearly 40,000 Texans and continues to batter the local economies for travel, hospitality, and service, Abbott unveiled five emergency items for the 2021 Texas Legislative Session that began Jan. 12 and ends May 31. Every two years, state representatives, senators, and other state officials convene to draft, revise, and ultimately pass legislation that governs life for Texans.
Controversial union dues bill backed in Florida Senate
News Service of Florida
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With unions and business groups squaring off, a Senate committee Wednesday backed a controversial proposal about the process for deducting union dues from the paychecks of public employees.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill (SB 78), which appears to be moving quickly toward a vote by the full Senate after the 2021 legislative session starts in March.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, would, in part, add a new step in which government employers would have to confirm with workers that they want dues taken out of their pay before the deductions could start.
The Mountain Times
By Shawn Shouldice
Small business challenges have persisted for years due to wage mandates, health insurance premium increases, paid family leave requirements, climate change policies that raise energy costs, and higher taxes or trouble hiring due to the state’s aging demographics. But when Governor Scott declared a state of emergency on March 13, 2020, a whole new world of “small business challenges” landed on the backs of those small business owners from which they may not recover.
The pandemic caused small business owners to rethink how they do business. Some had to make infrastructure changes like adding Plexiglas barriers and establishing traffic flows. They coped with customer capacity limits and ramped up their online presence to compete with larger more established businesses. And they implemented curbside and delivery services.