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Highlights Right-to-work heads to desk of Gov. Lynch in New Hampshire; Kasich and the Chinese in Toledo; TN: TN teachers union bill stays alive; FL: Lawmakers approve bills to put healthcare and taxes on 2012 ballot; NM: N.M. quietly weighs Medicaid revamp; OH GOP, tea parties unite to put health care issue on Nov. 8 ballot; Telecommunication companies praise landline deregulation bill in WI;
All Around
Unions refocus political activity
USA Today
Measures restricting collective bargaining have passed in at least 10 states and legislative battles continue to rage in several others, including Tennessee and New Hampshire, where lawmakers have passed a measure that would bar unions from requiring
New Hampshire
Right-to-work heads to desk of Gov. Lynch
The Union Leader
By a vote of 225-140, the House approved minor Senate changes to the bill that restricts union efforts to collect partial dues through collective bargaining agreements. It takes a two-thirds majority vote to override a veto, something the House fell
NH Right to Work Bill: Freedom of Choice or Chipping Away at Union Rights?
Public News Service
CONCORD, NH - The New Hampshire House passed a measure Wednesday that prevents employers and workers from passing along a share of the cost of collective bargaining to non-union workers. Those "agency fee" costs typically involve legal fees and other
House approves Right To Work; Lynch vows veto
Seacoastonline.com
Workers do not have to join unions under New Hampshire law. ... so-called right-to-work legislation has the state dictating to private businesses and their
House Concurs With Senate On 'Right-To-Work'
New Hampshire Public Radio
... a so-called right to work state would boost the state's economy. ... New Hampshire would become the 23rd state to adopt the law if it passes and the
Ohio
Kasich and the Chinese in Toledo
PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Gov. John Kasich was in greater Toledo for the second time in two months, and for the second time met behind closed doors with a group of Chinese investors considering northwest Ohio.
Petition effort will determine Ohio's future
Chillicothe Gazette
Senate Bill 5 is classic overreach by the governor and his party, similar to the effort in 1958 to break the backs of Ohio's private sector unions. That year, big business, anti-union groups put on the ballot the deceptively named "Right to Work" law
GOP, tea parties unite to put health care issue on Nov. 8 ballot
The Ohio Republican Party and tea party groups across the state have joined forces to give voters a chance to reject a key part of the federal health care overhaul championed by President Barack Obama.
Ohio House OKs major changes for state prisons
Legislation designed to lower prison costs, better manage inmates and coordinate a disjointed probation system, passed the Ohio House on Wednesday, 95-2.
Wisconsin
Telecommunication companies praise landline deregulation bill
Telecommunication providers and consumer advocates sparred Wednesday in front of a legislative committee over whether a bill that would deregulate Wisconsin's telecommunications industry would lead to better Internet access or sky-high phone bills.
Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear union case
The Wisconsin Supreme Court said Wednesday it will hear arguments in June over whether a judge had the authority to block implementation of Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to eliminate most collective bargaining powers from nearly all state workers.
Missouri
MO: Missouri House, Senate reach budget agreement
Missouri's House and Senate reached an agreement Wednesday night on a proposed budget, wrapping up a sometimes tense negotiation over the roughly $23 billion state spending plan.
Pennsylvania
GOP House backs expanding school tax credit
Republicans who control the state House are moving ahead with plans to expand a decade-old program that they say could be a more politically palatable alternative than full-blown school choice via vouchers.
Indiana
Mitch Daniels promotes education overhaul in Washington trip
WASHINGTON - Make no mistake: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels wants a role in the 2012 presidential campaign.
South Carolina
SC: Wal-Mart returning Haley's favor?
Lexington County leaders questioned the timing of an announcement Wednesday by Wal-Mart and S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley which promised dozens of new stores and 4,000 jobs over the next five years, with one politician calling it a "shell game."
Florida
FL: Lawmakers approve bills to put healthcare and taxes on 2012 ballot
The Florida Legislature handed Senate President Mike Haridopolos an elections gift Wednesday when it approved two proposed constitutional amendments concerning healthcare and taxes that could join him on the 2012 ballot.
Tennessee
TN: TN teachers union bill stays alive
The bill stripping teachers of their power to form unions appears to be back on track, but its prospects of passing are "razor-fine," the top Republican in the state House of Representatives said.
New Mexico
NM: N.M. quietly weighs Medicaid revamp
The state is a week away from finalizing a contract that officials say could help redesign the insurance program that one in four New Mexicans relies on for health care.
