← Jan 6

Jan 8 →

The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #48 of The Tap, which was published on January 14, 2017. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

One day after receiving an intelligence briefing regarding Russian-backed cyberattacks designed to interfere with U.S. elections last year, President-elect Donald Trump called for improved relations with Russia in a series of three tweets. He wrote, "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We ... have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and ... both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!" Read more about Trump’s views on Russia here.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signed a bill to make Kentucky a right-to-work state. Speaker Jeffrey Hoover (R) was the primary sponsor of HB1, which labor unions said would hurt their ability to bargain for better wages and benefits. Supporters of the bill, however, said that it would recruit new businesses to the state. Prior to the new legislation, Kentucky was the only southern state without a right-to-work law. With the law’s passing, Kentucky became the 26th state with a right-to-work law in place. Hoover became the chamber’s new leader after Republicans gained control of the state House from Democrats in 2016. This made Kentucky one of 25 states controlled by a Republican trifecta.

The minimum wage in Maine increased by $1.50, jumping from $7.50 to $9.00. Question 4 was passed by voters in the state on November 8, 2016. The minimum wage will continue to increase every year until it reaches $12.00. After that, the state’s minimum wage will be linked to increases in the consumer price index. As of the most recent campaign finance reports, filed on December 20, 2016, the support campaign for this initiative received a total of $2,322,283.06 in contributions and spent more than $1.8 million, while the opposition campaign received $115,825.00 in donations and spent $111,150.06. For a state-by-state comparison of minimum wages, click here.

The filing window opened for proponents of Initiatives to the People in Washington to file the initial paperwork required before gathering signatures. Washington is one of the four states that will feature citizen initiatives in 2017. Washington has two types of initiatives— Initiatives to the People (ITP) and Initiatives to the Legislature (ITL). Since 1995, Washington has featured an average of two ITPs during odd-numbered election years. 2013 was the only odd-numbered year since 1995 when there was not at least one ITP on the ballot. The 150 ITPs on the ballot since 1898 have a total approval rate of 52.7 percent.
- As of January 12, a total of 11 distinct ITPs had been filed. Five proposed measures deal with taxes and two deal with marijuana. Affirmative action, taxes, transportation, and LGBT issues are the subjects of the other four proposals. To see the full list of proposals, click here.
- The deadline to submit signatures for Initiatives to the Legislature (ITL) was on December 30, 2016. Proponents did not submit a sufficient number of signatures for any of the 19 distinct proposals that were cleared for circulation.

On Saturday, January 7, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) endorsed Georgia State Senator Vincent Fort’s (D) mayoral bid in Atlanta, Georgia. In his announcement, Sanders stated, “One of the ways we effectively oppose Trump’s right wing extremism is with strong and progressive at the local and state level. One of those leaders is Georgia State Senator Vincent Fort who is for Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.” Fort was first elected to the state Senate in 1996. He endorsed Sanders’ presidential bid for the Democratic nomination.
- Fort is one of several people to declare their candidacy for the mayor’s office. Mayor Kasim Reed (D) is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. The city will hold its nonpartisan general election for mayor and city council seats on November 7, 2017. Atlanta is the largest city in Georgia and the 40th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #47 of The Tap, which was published on January 7, 2017. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

The minimum wage in Maine will increase by $1.50 from $7.50 to $9.00. Question 4 was passed by voters in the state on November 8, 2016. The minimum wage will continue to increase every year until it reaches $12.00. Afterwards, the state’s minimum wage will be linked to increases in the consumer price index. As of the most recent campaign finance reports, filed on December 20, 2016, the support campaign for this initiative received a total of $2,322,283.06 in contributions and spent more than $1.8 million, while the opposition campaign received $115,825.00 in donations and spent $111,150.06.