State Legislatures articles from February 2004

State Legislatures archives from February 2004

Legislative staff flourish over 30 years.(Statestats)
February 1, 2004... State legislatures have undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 30 years--from the "sometimes governments" of the late 1960s to today's formidable and independent centers for policy development and government oversight. No statistic...

Massachusetts Senator Cheryl Jacques resigned effective in January, allowing the Democratic leadership to set the special election to fill her seat on the same day as the state's presidential primary--when Democrats are expected to go to the polls in far larger numbers than Republicans.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Massachusetts Senator Cheryl Jacques resigned effective in January, allowing the Democratic leadership to set the special election to fill her seat on the same day as the state's presidential primary--when Democrats are expected to go to the...

Frank O'Bannon, the revered and respected Democratic governor of Indiana who served 18 years in the state Senate, died in September at the age of 73 following a stroke.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Frank O'Bannon, the revered and respected Democratic governor of Indiana who served 18 years in the state Senate, died in September at the age of 73 following a stroke. He was in his seventh year as governor. "Frank cared deeply about people,"...

Republican Representative Sarah Agee, serving her third term in the Arkansas House, announced she will run for the seat currently held by first term Democratic Senator Sue Madison.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Republican Representative Sarah Agee, serving her third term in the Arkansas House, announced she will run for the seat currently held by first term Democratic Senator Sue Madison. Term limits are forcing Agee out of the House. Even though...

Democrat Fred Madden won a bitterly contested Senate race after a recount put him some 63 votes ahead of New Jersey Senator George Geist.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Democrat Fred Madden won a bitterly contested Senate race after a recount put him some 63 votes ahead of New Jersey Senator George Geist. Madden's win gives Democrats a two-seat edge in the Senate, which was tied 20-20 going into the election....

Maryland Delegate Pete Rawlings, a "giant in Annapolis and the state," died of complications from cancer in November.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Maryland Delegate Pete Rawlings, a "giant in Annapolis and the state," died of complications from cancer in November. The first black chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rawlings grew up in Baltimore public housing to become one of the...

Assistant Majority Leader Tony Kielkucki resigned his Minnesota House seat to become deputy secretary of state.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Assistant Majority Leader Tony Kielkucki resigned his Minnesota House seat to become deputy secretary of state. He was first elected in 1996, and said he will work with the Legislature in his new position. "I've been interested in elections my...

Change is afoot in North Dakota. Since September, four legislators have been appointed to fill seats vacated by death or resignation.(People & Politics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Change is afoot in North Dakota. Since September, four legislators have been appointed to fill seats vacated by death or resignation. Auto dealer Donald W. Vigesaa was appointed to replace Representative Dale Severson, who died of heart disease...

Black box unlocks car crash mysteries.(Trends and Transitions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... When a plane crashes, one of the first things investigators look for is the "black box." These recorders store information that can solve the mysteries of a crash. Today, there is similar technology in about 25 million vehicles. And chances...

9-1-1 can you find me now?(Trends And Transitions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The woman's voice is hysterical. "Help," she gasps through tears, "my little boy is choking..." The emergency dispatcher calms her, talks her through emergency procedures and dispatches an ambulance to the address that shows on her 9-1-1...

Influenza vaccinations.(Trends And Transitions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The flu hit America unusually early this season. States were experiencing flu outbreaks in early October. As of Dec. 6, 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported widespread influenza in 24 states. There is no...

Eco-terrorists take toll.(Trends And Transitions)
February 1, 2004... No place is safe--not urban centers nor rural towns--from attacks of "domestic terrorists." According to the FBI, since 1977 some 1,000 crimes in the name of the environment or animal rights have caused $100 million in damages. ...

Go fish, GloFish.(Stateline; genetically altered fish)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... California has said no to the sale of the genetically altered GloFish. The Fish and Game Commission voted in December to reject a petition by biotech entrepreneurs, making it the only state so far that has banned the sale of the tropical zebra...

A safe secret.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Nebraska has joined a number of states that help victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse and stalking keep their addresses secret by setting up a state-sponsored P.O. box address. According to Stateline.org, mail goes to that box,...

Most qualified teachers.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Federal education rules under No Child Left Behind require public schools to have "highly qualified teachers"--those with at least a bachelor's degree and who have passed state certification tests--in every core subject they teach by the end of...

Please come back.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Iowa and North Dakota rank last in the nation in keeping young people home, according to the Census Bureau. Iowa lost 11,691 more people between the ages of 25 and 39 than it gained from 1995 to 2000. North Dakota lost 3,706. Young people move...

Operation Hairspray.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Who knows more about you than your spouse? Your hairdresser, of course. That's why the Vermont Department of Health has enlisted hairstylists to help spread the word about all the health resources available to local women. They call it...

A sunken treasure.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Texas and several other coastal states are battling over the USS Oriskany, the first decommissioned aircraft carrier to be donated by the Navy for use as an artificial reef. Texas's artificial reef program, which would love to sink the carrier,...

Violence at home.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Washington lawmakers are looking at a bill to make their state the first to require every police department to adhere to a domestic violence policy for its officers. The reforms are likely to require officers to report domestic violence...

Billy, where are you, kid?(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Even dead people need lawyers. In New Mexico, Governor Bill Richardson has appointed a lawyer to represent the legal interests of dead outlaw Billy the Kid. Bill Robins, the lawyer, will search for the truth about the outlaw, for free--no state...

Now that was fast.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... New Jersey's new car insurance law has made quite an impact so far. Passed last June, the state already has one new company, two rolling back rates and one ending its practice of not renewing drivers. The reform bill was written to reduce a...

Eat their own.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... "If the Belgians and French want to eat horses," says Illinois Representative Robert Molaro, "let them eat their own." He's trying to prevent the owners of a horse slaughterhouse that ships the meat to Europe and Japan for human consumption...

Where the guards are gone.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A handful of states are supplying the bulk of National Guard troops for U.S. military actions, as the number being deployed reaches historic highs. Not since the Korean War have so many guard soldiers been called up for active duty, according...

Goodbye senior year.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Florida has made it possible for hard working young people to skip their senior year with 18 credit hours instead of 24. But in Colorado, some lawmakers are actually looking at eliminating the 12th grade altogether, according to the Associated...

Breaking the textbook monopoly.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Twenty-two states require school districts to buy only textbooks that appear on an approved list, and not everyone is happy with that limited choice. Legislators in several of these states are proposing changes to allow greater flexibility....

Bambi burgers.(Stateline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Prisoners in Iowa will get about 19,000 pounds of venison donated by Iowa hunters to enjoy in their spaghetti, stew and goulash. The new program, sponsored by the Iowa Department of Corrections and the Department of Natural Resources, has added...

The great hydrogen hope: clean burning hydrogen has a great deal of potential to help reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels. But there are significant barriers to surmount--cost, technology and safety.
February 1, 2004... When Connecticut Representative Terry Backer heard President Bush call for up to $1.2 billion in funding for research and development of hydrogen as an affordable and safe alternative to fossil fuel for the nation's drivers, his response was...

Surviving driving: immaturity and inexperience add up to disaster for many teen drivers. Some 6,000 are killed each year and 300,000 injured. But state laws can reduce the risks.
February 1, 2004... For teens, the license to drive is the key to freedom. The end of humiliating trips in the family van with mom or dad at the wheel. The end of waiting for a ride. The big step toward adulthood. For parents, it's another kind of freedom. The...

When the media comes knocking: like it or not, the media is part of the legislative process. Here are six ideas to help lawmakers cultivate relationships with reporters and editors.(Tools Of The Trade)
February 1, 2004... If they haven't already, there will come a time when reporters come knocking on your door. Editors and reporters realize that state legislatures are often where public policy innovations begin (e.g., welfare reform, debate over prescription...

Experience counts: when term limits made experience unconstitutional in Michigan, two smart women staffers moved into important positions of power.
February 1, 2004... It was her first day of work at Michigan's Capitol and Cindy Peruchietti was in tears. "I thought how in the world did 1 get to be so lucky." She was so excited on that day 17 years ago that she arrived at 7 a.m., a time when the...

All star PR: today's savvy legislative public information officers are taking advantage of new technology to get their messages out to the media and the public.
February 1, 2004... Phone-feed days are behind Bruce Smith, and he doesn't miss them. Just a few years ago, if the Kentucky legislature's radio news director had a soundbite to offer stations, he'd have to send it over the telephone. The quality was bad; the...

Stuff you need to succeed: all you need is a little equipment--it can be cheap or top-of-the-line--and you'll have radio stations and newspapers picking up your stuff like never before.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... We asked public information officers across the country to recommend tools that help them do a better job of communicating with the public and the press. Here are their recommendations.

Clearing the air: North Carolina's Clean Smokestacks Act 2002 N.C. Sess. Laws Chap. 4.(On Reconsideration)
February 1, 2004... ONE YEAR LATER North Carolina's air pollution control law is arguably one of the toughest in the nation--state or federal. So what's happened with the law one year later? It looks like compliance is on target. The North Carolina...

Statewide student tests.
February 1, 2004... * Put too much emphasis on single assessments. * Are just what we need to raise achievement. * Don't go far enough in holding teachers and schools accountable. * All of the above. It's the last week in April, and more than...

Tobacco money well used, not abused: states have spent billions of dollars on health-related services. Even so, they are being criticized for using some of the tobacco money to fill budget gaps.
February 1, 2004... States have come under scrutiny--and some criticism--for using tobacco settlement money to prop up general funds in these hard economic times. U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona, head of the Senate Finance Committee, conducted hearings...

As they see it.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... "As far as the will of voters, it's as clear as mud." --Maine Senator Ken Gagnon, in the Bangor Daily News, on Nov. 4 referenda on which voters simultaneously approved a question allowing slot machines at harness racing tracks while...