Refresh: What is a Special Session? Unlike a regular legislative session, legislatures hold special sessions to deal with specific issues or topics, limiting the session’s scope to these issues. Each state has its own rules and laws for special session procedures, including how they are initiated. In 14 states, only the Governor can call for a special session. Meanwhile, either a state’s Governor or legislature can call a special session […]
Last week, DMGS looked at different ballot measures across the country, including two states with marijuana-related measures. With more states looking at legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana or medical marijuana, some are doing so via legislation enacted by lawmakers, and others via ballot measures. Thirty-three states have legalized medical marijuana, and 11 have legalized recreational adult-use marijuana. At the federal level, the U.S. House of Representatives had also planned to vote […]
Across the United States, ballot measures exist in the form of a law, issue, or question that appears on a state or local ballot for voters to decide. There are numerous kinds of ballot measures, including those that are legislatively referred or citizen-initiated. In 2016, the last presidential election, there were 162 statewide ballot measures, including 76 initiatives, 71 legislative referrals, and 15 by other means. What measures are on […]
What is a Brownfield? A brownfield is a property, expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Approximately 450,000 brownfields exist in the United States. The cleaning up and reuse of these properties have benefits, including increasing local tax bases, facilitating job growth, leveraging private investment, and utilizing existing infrastructure. By taking development pressures off greenfield […]