Kentucky Governor Cries Coercion; Is Maine's Legislature 'the Worst'?

FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY
ALLEGATIONS | Republican Gov. Matt Bevin on Tuesday accused officials in the administration of his predecessor, former Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, of engaging in “questionable activities.” The governor called on his Finance and Administration secretary to investigate if state employees were coerced into donating to Democratic candidates and causes while Tim Longmeyer, currently entangled in a federal bribery case, was still state personnel secretary. Bevin said Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s attorney general and Steve Beshear’s son, should return campaign donations with links to Longmeyer. The AG recently sued Bevin, challenging the governor’s legal authority to implement mid-year higher education budget cuts. Meanwhile, Bevin and the elder Beshear have sparred over plans to eliminate and dial back the latter’s signature healthcare initiatives while in office. [Lexington Herald-Leader]

AUGUSTA, MAINE
POLITICS | Gov. Paul LePage bashed the state’s legislature on Tuesday during a radio appearance, calling the group of lawmakers “the worst since I’ve been governor.” LePage added: “It’s just horrendous.” Maine’s 127th legislature completed most of its work on Saturday. Among the governor’s specific complaints about lawmakers: a policy rewrite that calls for adding 196 megawatts of solar power to the state’s energy portfolio by 2020. The Republican governor criticized the policy change, saying it would raise energy production costs. He also said he’d veto a bill upping wages for workers at state-run psychiatric hospitals. [Bangor Daily News]

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, VIRGINIA
LGBT RIGHTS | A transgender student fighting for the right to enter the restroom for the gender he identifies with was told he could continue with his lawsuit by a federal appeals court on Tuesday. The case, sent back to district court, deals with whether public schools can bar trans students from particular restrooms or if that constitutes sex-based discrimination. Gavin Grimm, who was born female but identifies as a male, isn’t allowed to use the boys’ bathroom at his Gloucester County high school. This is the first instance of Title IX rights being extended to trans students. [Reuters]

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA
COURTS | “You are a f---ing idiot, you don’t know who I am,” county Judge Jacqueline Schwartz apparently yelled at a waiter in a Greek restaurant, after she was refused more booze. That incident, along with the fact that she appeared so drunk in her own courtroom that she had to be removed from the bench, led the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission to recommend that Schwartz be suspended Monday. The Florida Supreme Court will make a final decision on her suspension. For now, she’s on medical leave. Her lawyer says new prescription medication led to her behavior. [Miami Herald]

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
PUBLIC TRANSIT | One bus apparently lost a wheel while in service, and others have leaky roofs, busted wheelchair lifts and cracked windshields. Those are some of the mechanical and maintenance problems a transit workers union in Baton Rouge highlighted during a Capital Area Transit System board meeting Monday. Union officials requested a meeting with board members to discuss employee grievances. Last week, a CATS bus crashed into a house. A mechanical problem is the suspected cause of the wreck, but the investigation is not complete. During the meeting with the transit agency’s leadership, union representatives pushed for better fleet maintenance and more employee training. “Employees are forced to take equipment out on the line ... that is not safe,” said one union official. [The Advocate]

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
INNOVATION | Google-owned Sidewalk Labs is reportedly considering plans for both a “digital district” and an entire city near Detroit or Denver that serve as test grounds for the technologies it’s developing. Everything from Google Fiber broadband to self-driving cars could be on the table. Sidewalk Labs representatives aren’t saying anything about the city project yet though. [Re/code]

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
BUDGETING | Cutting taxes and borrowing money won approval in Mississippi’s legislature on Monday, as lawmakers also backed slashed state agency budgets. The state has had to confront a budget gap, due in part to $350 million in tax breaks lawmakers approved in recent years. Under the newly passed tax cuts, the state’s corporate franchise tax would sunset over 10 years, costing Mississippi an estimated $260 million in revenue. And changes to the individual income tax would eventually put a $415 million dent in state revenues. The approved borrowing would cover a mix of projects, including improvements at state universities, local bridge work and $45 million for a shipyard company in Jackson County. Mental health services and community colleges are among the spending areas facing cuts. [The Clarion-Ledger]

TOPEKA, KANSAS
TAXES | Decisions in the Kansas legislature during the coming weeks about whether to end a controversial income tax exemption for businesses could hinge on a state revenue forecast set to be released Wednesday. The exemption was enacted as part of 2012 tax cuts backed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Critics have blamed those cuts for persistent revenue shortfalls in the state and say the business exemption is costing Kansas up to $250 million annually. On April 28, a state Senate committee is set to consider a proposal to end the tax break. The state’s budget currently has about a $30 million shortfall. It’s anticipated that Wednesday’s revenue estimates will be revised downward. [The Kansas City Star]

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
HIGH-SPEED RAIL | State lawmakers want the California High-Speed Rail Authority to detail cost, schedule and scope information for each segment of the project, as well as which ones will be financed. A bill increasing oversight of the agency was recently approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee, after the authority’s switch from building an initial segment in Burbank to a lower-cost one in San José raised eyebrows. "It is the awakening of the magnitude of the issue in front of us," said Assemblyman Jim Patterson, who introduced the legislation. "The project has moved from spotty opposition in the Legislature to growing concern." [Los Angeles Times]

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
MARRIAGE | Couples getting married would no longer apply for a marriage license at county probate offices, under the terms of a bill that is scheduled to be considered by a House committee in the Alabama legislature on Wednesday. According to the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Jim Hill, it is meant to prevent probate judges from getting involved in controversies over same-sex marriage. The state’s Senate passed the bill 23-3 last month. [AL.com]