Nevada Water Users Face New Colorado River Framework After States Miss Deal
A federal framework could govern Colorado River operations through 2036, but Nevada is not under a new water cut from the July 31 environmental review.
State News
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Nebraska Medicaid Work-Requirement Reviews Begin for First Renewal Group
Nebraska began Medicaid expansion work requirements May 1. Existing members are reviewed during their regular renewal, with the first affected eligibility periods ending July 31, 2026.
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Montana Opens $4 Million Rural EMS Equipment Grant Program
Montana EMS agencies located in or serving rural areas can apply for part of a $4 million equipment grant program by August 15, 2026. The state will weigh equipment condition, patient-care gaps, service level and expected benefits.
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Missouri’s Income-Tax Elimination Amendment Goes Before Voters
Missouri voters will decide Amendment 5 on August 4. A yes vote would create a revenue-based framework to phase out the individual income tax while authorizing broader sales and use taxes.
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Minnesota’s New Domestic-Violence Laws Take Effect Aug. 1
Minnesota laws taking effect August 1, 2026, expand the warrantless-arrest window for qualifying nonfelony domestic abuse, require written police reports, revise detention procedures and standardize court-ordered firearm transfers.
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Michigan Utility Storm Probe Sets Aug. 27 Deadline for DTE, Consumers and Indiana Michigan Power
Michigan regulators are requiring DTE, Consumers and Indiana Michigan Power to explain their July 3 storm response by Aug. 27, while separate extreme-weather shutoff policies are due Oct. 15.
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Massachusetts Senate Advances Public Records Proposal as Ballot Question Looms
The Massachusetts Senate advanced S.3200 on July 30, but the public-records proposal still needs House action and would not take effect until 2027 if enacted.
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New Maine Workplace Laws Change Pay Transparency, Surveillance Notices and Health Care Noncompetes
Maine laws that took effect July 29 require many employers to disclose pay ranges, notify workers about covered surveillance and follow revised rules for health care noncompete agreements.
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Kentucky Power cooling-tower case moves toward August briefs
The Kentucky PSC set post-hearing deadlines in Kentucky Power’s Mitchell Plant cooling-tower case. The project, construction approval and any customer bill effects remain undecided.
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Kansas puts new frail-elderly home-care applicants on Medicaid waiver waitlist
A Kansas Medicaid waiver waitlist took effect July 6 for new applicants seeking in-home services for frail older adults. Applicants already approved for program eligibility were allowed to continue through enrollment.
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Indiana Inspector General Stops Publishing Individual Investigation Summaries
Indiana’s inspector general has ended publication of individual investigation summaries, narrowing public access to cases that do not lead to criminal charges or State Ethics Commission action.
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Illinois Auditor Finds Repeated Compliance Problems at Public Health and Guardianship Agencies
July 23 examinations found persistent control weaknesses involving Illinois public-health vehicles, overtime, personnel files and voucher processing. Both agencies agreed to recommendations, but follow-up remains pending.
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Idaho wildfire costs top $20 million as Land Board weighs $90 forest-parcel assessment
Idaho had spent more than $20 million on wildfire suppression by July 21, while the Land Board delayed a decision on a proposed increase in the residential forest-protection assessment from $40 to $90.
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Hawaii Voter Service Centers Open Ahead of the Aug. 8 Primary
Hawaii voter service centers offer accessible in-person voting, same-day registration, voter-information updates and ballot return through Aug. 8. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. that day.
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Georgia’s New Election-Equipment Law Leaves 2026 Voting System in Place
Georgia’s SB 3EX keeps the current electronic ballot-marker and scanner framework as the operative system for the November 3, 2026, election while creating a committee to recommend a possible hand-marked paper-ballot system for the 2028 election cycle.
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Delaware Opens Applications for Environmental Grants Funded by Pollution Penalties
Delaware nonprofit organizations can seek $5,000 to $50,000 for pollution, habitat and recreation projects. Applications are due August 31, 2026.
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Connecticut Proposes $5 Million Fund for Residents Affected by TPS Changes
Connecticut has proposed transferring $5 million to the Department of Social Services for support services for immigrant families affected by federal Temporary Protected Status changes, but eligibility, applications and final approval remain unresolved.
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Colorado’s Transit and Active-Transportation Inventory Deadline Has Arrived
Colorado’s July 1 deadline required CDOT and metropolitan planning organizations to inventory transit, bicycling and walking gaps. The lists may shape future planning and funding discussions, but they do not fund or schedule construction.
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California Telework Bill Heads to Senate Hearing as Four-Day Office Rule Takes Effect
AB 1729 is scheduled for a Senate Appropriations hearing on August 3, but the pending proposal would not change California’s current four-day in-person default unless it passes and is signed into law.
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Arkansas Medicaid Work-Requirement Checks Begin, With Penalties Delayed Until 2027
Arkansas DHS is checking records for many ARHOME enrollees during a six-month soft implementation. Notices may arrive now, but penalties under the new requirement begin no earlier than January 1, 2027.
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Wisconsin judge blocks replacement of returned absentee ballots before Aug. 11 primary
A Dane County judge rejected a request to replace returned absentee ballots before Wisconsin’s Aug. 11 primary. Voters with unreturned ballots remain subject to statewide deadlines.
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Wyoming Voters Face New Registration Rules and an Aug. 3 Deadline Before the Primary
Wyoming’s Aug. 18 primary brings new registration documents, late-registration options, absentee deadlines and a new post-election ballot audit.