State Legislatures articles from April 2004

State Legislatures archives from April 2004

Small tobacco companies cry foul.(Letters and Books)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Editor: Your recent article "States Tackle Deep Discount Cigarettes" says that "cheap cigarettes have undercut major tobacco companies and their ability to make payments to states under the master settlement agreement." Nothing could be...

Peta does not support violence.(Letters and Books)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Editor: Contrary to statements made in "Eco-terrorists take toll" (February issue), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) does not support violence of any sort and has never committed of funded any violent acts, even while...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2004... Wrong Committee U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona was misidentified in the February issue of State Legislatures as the head of the Senate Finance Committee. Senator McCain is actually the chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and...

Speaking up for property taxes.(Letters and Books)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Local Tax Policy: A Federalist Perspective by David Brunori, Urban Institute Press, Washington, D.C., 2003. 162 pages, $26.50. Order from the Urban Institute Press, (202) 261-5687. David Brunori is an editor of State Tax Notes, a frequent...

The high costs of obesity.(Statestats)
April 1, 2004... Obesity is epidemic in the United States; its rate has doubled in 10 years. At least 15 percent of the adult population in every state is obese. In 29 states that number jumps to at least 20 percent, and in three states obesity is a problem for...

People & politics.(Trends and Transitions)
April 1, 2004... George Humphreys, respected research director for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, author, teacher and NCSL activist, has retired after working 23 years in state government, 20 of them in administration. He began his career at the...

Another redistricting case to watch.(Trends and Transitions)
April 1, 2004... A Panel of three federal judges in Georgia tossed out the state's legislative district maps in early February, ruling that they violated the one person, one vote requirement of the U.S. Constitution. Georgia's attorney general is appealing...

HIV and AIDS on the rise in rural America.(Trends and Transitions)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Since the 1980s, AIDS in the United States has been predominantly an urban problem. But the disease is slowly infiltrating America's smaller communities, where it has been largely ignored in the past. Poverty, finding physicians who accept...

More states fund marriage activities.(Trends and Transitions)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... $600,000 in TANF funds for an elective high school marriage education class, marriage handbook, public awareness campaign, PREP training and utahmarriage.org $1.1. million in TANF funds for community-based marriage education programs,...

Fewer kids graduating than 30 years ago.(Trends and Transitions)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The percent of the 17-year-old population graduating from high school has declined significantly in the past 30 years. But in recent years, from 1997-98 to 1999-00, the rates have started upward again. Some school officials worry that the...

Give us those wide open spaces.(Trends and Transitions)
April 1, 2004... Through all the hard times, at least one program remains popular with local voters--land conservation. Voters approved 100 ballot measures during 2003, dedicating some $1.8 billon for state and local parks and open space programs, according to...

One bath a year, please.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Laws that are important in one century are not always that important in the next. For example, in Kentucky, residents are required to bathe once a year. In Nevada, you better not forget to close a gate; in Delaware, don't go selling perfume as...

Easy come, easy go.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Millions of dollars for needy children will shift from some states' schools to others based on new poverty estimates, drawing concern from lawmakers whose schools stand to lose coveted federal aid. The U.S. Education Department is to use the...

Public parks go private.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The South Carolina park service is considering turning over some of its operations to private contractors in an effort to save the state money. In fact, it could save the state $1.4 million, according to the governor's estimates. Some park...

NCLB revolt.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The number of states voicing concerns they have with various aspects of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) continues to rise. Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,...

Stopping the bad coaches.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Concerned that the state is failing to weed out unfit, and potentially dangerous, children's coaches, Washington Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles has introduced a bill that would help close the gaps in protecting children from sex abuse and...

Card conundrum.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Fees and expiration dates are catching consumers by surprise when they go to use their gift cards and gift certificates. Department stores, grocery chains, coffee shops and other retailers sell certificates and cards with expiration dates or...

Not in my garden.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... New Hampshire is looking at a proposal to ban the sale and distribution of 18 plants and 15 insects, all invasive species. Criteria include: They are not native; they have the potential for widespread dispersion; and they negatively affect...

No copying allowed.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Searches and pat downs at airports are expected, but at movie theaters? Last month, Ohio joined California, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., in Hollywood's attempt to combat digital piracy by banning cameras and other...

Under a spell in Kansas.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A 101-year-old law in the Sunflower State that prohibits hypnotic exhibitions for entertainment is not putting people to sleep in that state. They're fighting mad. Seems that hypnotizing people can be fun--and entertaining--and they want to be...

Killer dogs.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A mean dog can ruin your day. In fact, a vicious dog would be defined as a "deadly weapon" if a bill in New York becomes law. "Some of these dogs are killing machines," said Assemblyman Patrick Manning. He says dangerous dogs are becoming the...

Giving of yourself.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Wisconsin Legislature has passed a bill, and the governor has signed it, establishing a state income tax deduction of up to $10,000 to cover expenses for residents, while living, who donate their organs. The law will allow donors to deduct...

No strings attached.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Hoodies are those popular sweatshirts with hoods that kids are wearing everywhere. But in New York, most don't come with any drawstrings. Peasant blouses, lace-up jeans, grommet belts with long loops and boys' swimsuits with drawstrings are...

9 hot energy issues: states are looking at a number of energy issues--some old, some new--this year.
April 1, 2004... The energy spotlight has moved. No longer are states concerned with opening markets to competition. Today they're looking at a host of issues that improve the environment, save money for consumers, ensure the power is there when we need it, and...

Philip Morris paid the National Restaurant Association at least $450,000. Makes you wonder who the N.R.A. really works for, doesn't it?
April 1, 2004... [HOW BIG TOBACCO USES THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: N.R.A. CASE STUDY] "Our first priority should be to discourage restaurant associations from 'going south' on tobacco," declared tobacco industry lobbyists in 1993. Big Tobacco had already...

Term-limit movement is running out of steam: the popularity of term limits has peaked, and in fact is reversing course at the state level.
April 1, 2004... Just as Wyoming's term-limit law would claim its first victims this year, two 12-year veterans of the Legislature are suing to challenge the constitutionality of the state law that would force them out of office. If they prevail, Wyoming...

I.T.--big investment, bigger returns: in many cases, information technology can reduce the costs of government operations, as well as capture additional revenue.
April 1, 2004... This may not seem the ideal time to expand government investments in technology, but states can do it without tapping the general fund and in the long run save a bundle. Information technology (IT) makes government more productive by...

Educating Eli: Eli Broad built two corporate empires and a $4 billion fortune. Now for a real challenge: fixing inner-city schools.
April 1, 2004... Eli Broad is worth 4 billion bucks. He launched two companies onto the New York Stock Exchange and vaulted himself onto Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans. A world-class art collector and a civic pillar of Los Angeles, he globetrots in a...

State of the unions: the debate to define marriage is raging around the country in the wake of Massachusetts' court decision.
April 1, 2004... The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that it is unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from marrying, touching off a political maelstrom across the country. The mayor of San Francisco started performing same-sex...

Surfing for drugs: Internet pharmacies have proliferated, offering consumers cheap, mail-order drugs. But some are less than reputable, leading states to set stiff regulations.
April 1, 2004... V-I-C-O-D-I-N Is Here! That's the subject line on tens of thousands of e-mail messages offering easy access to drugs that can be dangerous--even fatal--to the consumer who orders them. And states are doing something about it. There are...

Get your constituents clicking on you: consider using e-mail and the Web to communicate with your constituents and tell "the rest of the story" at their convenience and yours.(Tools Of The Trade)
April 1, 2004... Millions of Americans go on line every day to pay their bills, talk to friends, find out what's in the news and search for every possible kind of information. The power of the Web is usurping television, telephone and "snail mail." So it comes...

Nothing to smile about: not everyone who needs dental care can get it.
April 1, 2004... There's a lot of pain. There's a lot of disfigurement. People can't even get jobs if they have bad teeth. No one is going to hire a person who has to hold a hand over their mouth when they talk because their teeth are so bad." So speaks...

As they see it.
April 1, 2004... "I've got no power with drill sergeants. I went from being a member of the legislature, running a law firm, being head of a household to, basically, a maggot. " --South Carolina House Minority Leader James Smith, captain in the South...