Senate’s Majority and Minority leaders proposed a plan that would give President Barack Obama the capability to raise the debt ceiling without the need for congressional approval. This is the best solution to prevent a federal default from happening. The plan was drafted jointly by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. It would bring... 

Supporters and opponents of same sex marriage made their last minute appeals last Sunday as state legislators are set to vote on making New York the sixth state in the United States to make gay marriage legal. Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the measure that would make same sex marriage in New York legal. At present it is one vote away from approval in the Senate. The New York Congress already approved... 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pushes for a bill that legalizes gay marriage in the state. It also gives several protections for religious organizations that opposed same-sex marriages. According to the Marriage Equality Act, married gay couples will have the same legal rights, protections and benefits of traditional married couples. Governor Cuomo’s bill states that religious organizations will... 

The Massachusetts Senate passed a new bill that will limit the influence of political connections when it comes to state jobs. The bill was necessary because of various backing scandals that rocked the state Probation Department. The Senate voted 39-0 for the bill. It was just eight days after a similar bill was passed in the House. The legislators are trying their best to distance themselves from... 

Several Republicans have their eyes set on outgoing Senator Kohl’s seat. One of the possible candidates is Former Governor Tommy Thompson, who is set to re-enter the world of politics according to his former staffer and adviser Bill McCoshen. Representative Paul Ryan announced last Tuesday that he would not be running for the position to be vacated by Senator Kohl. He thanked his supporters and... 

Senator John Ensign announced that he would be leaving the Senate effective May 3. He is facing an ethics investigation because of an affair with his former campaign staffer. With him out of the picture, it would be interesting to find out which party would control the Senate after the 2012 election. Ensign stated that he would not be seeking reelection in 2012 and Representative Dean Heller of Nevada... 

The Montana Senate went through 14 hours of debate last Monday before it endorsed the Republican budget proposal. The Republicans agreed to put back money into electronic medical records, which was pushed by Governor Brian Schweitzer. That means that at least $35 million in federal money will be used to help local clinics and hospitals in their implementation of electronic medical records. All the... 

Last Wednesday the Arizona Senate passed the budget proposal that would cut funding of health care, education and other state services. The Republicans have the majority and this is reflected in the 21-9 vote with all the Republicans voting in favor of the proposal. There were a few Republican Senators that voted against individual bills while all the Democrats have voted against all the bills. The... 

Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled Legislature began a contentious 60-day session with Scott’s State of the State address. This is the most conservative Legislature in the state’s recent history. The Republicans have the majority in both chambers after the fall elections. Governor Scott used to be a health-care executive before going into politics. This is just his first... 

U.S. Representatives plan to pass a temporary budget bill that will prevent a government shutdown and buy them time to debate on spending levels for the rest of the fiscal year. This bill is the compromise that the House Republicans came up with the Senate Democrats. The proposed budget bill will cut $4 billion from the budget and will target a few programs and keep most of the federal agencies at...