The legislative push to enable school cafeterias to keep serving pizza and french fries won’t save nearly as much money as some lawmakers have suggested — if any, according to the Agriculture Department. This week, a group of House and Senate lawmakers crafted an agriculture spending bill that barred the USDA from adopting the Obama administration’s proposal to limit the amount of tomato paste and starchy vegetables in federally funded school meals. Read full article > >

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USDA: Continuing to serve pizza to schoolchildren won’t save much money

Even as some lawmakers discuss ending birthright citizenship, tight budgets and concerns over civil liberties are causing some states to reconsider the wisdom of following in Arizona’s footsteps. “Enforcing a restrictive immigration measure is…

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States Reconsider Strict Immigration Bills

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposal to close some upstate prisons has been met with resistance from some lawmakers who are trying to save hundreds of state jobs in their districts.

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As Republicans Resist Closing Prisons, Cuomo Is Said to Scale Back Plan