On the heels of two egregious cases of funeral home owners mishandling bodies and cremated remains, Colorado lawmakers aimed Wednesday at trying to shore up the state’s lax regulations that failed to prevent the horrific incidents. A bipartisan House committee unanimously voted in a hearing to introduce a bill that would bring Colorado’s regulations more in line with nearly all other states by requiring routine inspections of funeral...

Maine’s governor rolled out legislation on Wednesday she said will prevent dangerous people from possessing weapons and strengthen mental health services to help prevent future tragedies like the Lewiston mass shooting that shook the state. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, called for the changes in January in a speech that came three months after an Army reservist killed 18 people in the worst mass shooting in the history...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pitched a $52.7 billion state spending plan Wednesday with more money to address the migrant crisis, education and quantum computing, while proposing tax increases that will mostly target business, including a major sports betting tax hike. The second-term Democrat characterized the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, and representing a roughly 2% increase in spending, as “focused and disciplined.” “I...