Most of us were behind the wheel at age 16 driving at all hours of the day and night with as many of our friends in our vehicle as we could fit. The radio was blaring with the cassette player playing our favorite ’80s songs and we took to the streets like we owned them. [...]

WASHINGTON — Amid intense lobbying by the banking industry, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to delay a law to dramatically reduce the fees banks collect from retailers every time a debit card is swiped. The pitched battle over “swipe,” or interchange, fees pits merchants such as retail giant Wal-Mart against Wall Street banking [...]

A bill to repeal and tighten restrictions on the state’s medical marijuana law stalled in the Senate Wednesday night on procedural grounds, so the chamber will now turn to Plan B: an outright repeal of the law that legalized the substance. It was a moment of high drama in the Senate, amid reports of deal-making [...]

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A health and welfare package that would slash projected spending by $1.6 billion over two years cleared the Minnesota on Wednesday. The bill is far from becoming law. It differs significantly from a House proposal, and Gov. Mark Dayton’s top advisers raised significant concerns. Its next stop will be a House-Senate [...]

DETROIT— Amendments intended to strengthen the existing human trafficking law take effect on Friday in Michigan, where experts say the form of modern-day slavery occurs more often than most people realize. The new measures include longer prison terms for involuntary servitude, involving a minor in a sex act and obtaining labor or services by force, [...]

On March 11 Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s Republican governor, signed into law a bill restricting the power of state employee unions and increasing what state employees pay into their pension and health plans. Is the bill now state law or has it been enjoined from taking effect by a local judge? It depends who you ask. [...]

Far too many states are putting new obstacles in the way of women seeking legal abortions. But South Dakota’s new law stands out for its intrusiveness and its abuse of women’s rights. About half the states, including South Dakota, require women to wait 24 hours after an initial doctor’s visit before terminating a pregnancy. The [...]

One year ago, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which had passed the Senate the previous Christmas Eve — at four in the morning, by one vote. Two days later, President Barack Obama signed the measure. Those three steps are usually enough to transform a bill into a [...]

Phoenix— Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed what is likely the first legislation in the nation to ban abortions over ethnicity. The law makes it a Class 3 felony to knowingly perform or provide financing for an abortion sought because of the race or sex of the fetus or a parent’s race. The maximum punishment [...]

ALBANY, N.Y. — An emergency worker who photographed a woman found beaten and strangled and later posted the image on his Facebook page has led Staten Island lawmakers to propose making it a felony for others to do the same. Democratic and Republican legislators, joined by the mother of victim Caroline Wimmer, said Wednesday the [...]