National Conference of State Legislatures

Not a news outlet, but the place to go when you need to compare state laws. The National Conference of State Legislatures is a nonpartisan organization for sitting state legislators and their staff, founded in 1975, with its presidency alternating between Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Its 50-state searchable bill-tracking databases, more than 40 of them on different policy issues, answer the question of which other states have tried a similar law without wading through fifty statute books. The writing is aimed at legislative staff, so it is dry, but it stays clear of the partisan fight.