State Legislatures articles from January 2007

State Legislatures archives from January 2007

Abusing prescription drugs.(STATESTATS)
January 1, 2007... Prescription drugs account for almost one-third of all drug abuse in the United States. Treatment admission rates have more than doubled in the past 10 years. State prescription drug monitoring programs, typically created by the legislature,...

Missouri Representative Jason Brown arrived home from Iraq for a 30-day convalescent leave in November with a bullet in his lung.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Missouri Representative Jason Brown arrived home from Iraq for a 30-day convalescent leave in November with a bullet in his lung. Brown was injured in Baghdad, and was redeployed following his recuperation.

U.S. Virgin Islands Senate President Lorraine Berry is leaving the Legislature after 24 years as a lawmaker.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... U.S. Virgin Islands Senate President Lorraine Berry is leaving the Legislature after 24 years as a lawmaker. She is only the second woman to serve as president of the unicameral legislature, and , she held her leadership post for two terms....

Senator Ann Duplessis represents New Orleans in the Louisiana Legislature, and many of her constituents have been displaced to Baton Rouge because of Hurricane Katrina.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Senator Ann Duplessis represents New Orleans in the Louisiana Legislature, and many of her constituents have been displaced to Baton Rouge because of Hurricane Katrina. She and Senator Shaton Broome of Baton Rouge went to Glen Oaks Middle...

It's been a long ride, but for a good cause. North Carolina Representative Dale Folwell rode 32,978 miles through 48 states on his motorcycle to raise $1.5 million for research on organ donation and regeneration.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... It's been a long ride, but for a good cause. North Carolina Representative Dale Folwell rode 32,978 miles through 48 states on his motorcycle to raise $1.5 million for research on organ donation and regeneration. Folwell's 7-year-old son was...

California Assembly members re-elected Fabian Nunez as speaker for another term.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... California Assembly members re-elected Fabian Nunez as speaker for another term. Nunez was elected to the Legislature in 2002 and became speaker in 2004. Republicans chose Assemblyman Mike Villines as Republican leader. He replaced Assemblyman...

Dan Blue, a 22-year veteran of the North Carolina House and speaker for four years, left the legislature in 2002.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Dan Blue, a 22-year veteran of the North Carolina House and speaker for four years, left the legislature in 2002. But in November, Gov. Mike Easley appointed Blue to his old scat following the death of Representative Bernard Allen. Blue is the...

Several states have selected their leaders. In Alaska, Representative John Harris will continue as speaker of the House.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Several states have selected their leaders. In Alaska, Representative John Harris will continue as speaker of the House. Representative Ralph Samuels was selected majority leader, replacing John Coghill, who becomes chairman of the House Rules...

Senator Colleen Hanabusa will be the first woman Senate president in Hawaii.(People & Politics)
January 1, 2007... Senator Colleen Hanabusa will be the first woman Senate president in Hawaii. Calvin Say remains as speaker of the House.

In Michigan the new Democratic majority in the House elected Andy Dillon speaker.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In Michigan the new Democratic majority in the House elected Andy Dillon speaker. Republicans chose Craig DeRoche, who was previously speaker, as minority leader. Senator Michael Bishop is the majority leader and Senator Mark Schauer the...

Democratic Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley of Las Vegas has been elected the first woman speaker of the Nevada Assembly.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Democratic Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley of Las Vegas has been elected the first woman speaker of the Nevada Assembly. Assembly Republicans named Assemblyman Garn Mabey as minority leader. Senator Bill Raggio, who has been majority leader of...

In Oregon, Representative Jeff Merkley, who has been minority leader, has been selected as speaker by the new Democratic majority.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In Oregon, Representative Jeff Merkley, who has been minority leader, has been selected as speaker by the new Democratic majority. Representative Dave Hunt will be the majority leader.

After sitting out a term in the Senate due to a failed campaign for Lt. Governor, Senator Peter Shumlin returns as president pro tern of the Vermont Senate.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... After sitting out a term in the Senate due to a failed campaign for Lt. Governor, Senator Peter Shumlin returns as president pro tern of the Vermont Senate. Gaye Symington will continue as speaker of the House.

In Wisconsin, the Democrats took control of the Senate and elected Judy Robson Senate majority leader.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In Wisconsin, the Democrats took control of the Senate and elected Judy Robson Senate majority leader. On the Assembly side, Republicans elected Representative Michael Huebsch speaker. Each chamber--and party--elected a Fitzgerald to...

Colorado Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon was incorrectly listed in the September issue among legislative leaders who won't be back.(People & Politics)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... Colorado Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon was incorrectly listed in the September issue among legislative leaders who won't be back. Senator Gordon ran for secretary of state, and lost. But because Colorado law allows people to run for a...

Higher education: in need of reform.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(National Conference of State Legislatures' Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education)
January 1, 2007... More Americans must finish college if our country is to prosper in tomorrow's global society, and it's up to state legislators to make that happen. Those are recommendations from the final report of the National Conference of State...

Election update.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Krayton Kerns elected to Montana. Legislature)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A recount in a Montana House race moved the election from a tie to a victory for Republican Krayton Kerns by three votes--1,971 to 1,968. Kern's win means that Republicans will have 50 seats in the Montana House compared to 49 for the...

Sorry kids, another shot!(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(human papilloma virus vaccines for children by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Physicians found a new vaccine on their shelves this past summer to fight the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer and genital warts. Merck's Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix target four strains of HPV, one of the...

Who's the boss?(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(most influential in the legislature)
January 1, 2007... Who is most influential in the legislature? The ultimate insiders--legislative staff--ought to know. So, in a recent NCSL survey of 1,522 legislative staff across the country, we asked about the influence of various participants in the...

The seasoned few.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(legislative leaders job tenure)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Legislative leaders don't often stay around for long. Here are a few who have beaten the odds. 1 John Wilder, Tennessee Senate President, 35 years (legislator for 47) 2 Robert Garton, Indiana President Pro-Tem, 26 years...

The expanding obesity problem.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... During the past 20 years obesity in America has increased dramatically. As of 2005, 60.5 percent of adults were overweight and 30 percent were obese. (A person is considered obese with a body mass index of at least 30, overweight is a BMI...

Correction.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... STATES OFFERING EARNED INCOME TAX CREDITS This map was printed incorrectly on page 25 of the October/November 2006 issue. This is the correct version. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Dashing through the snow.(STATELINE)(Adirondack State Parks snowmobile plan)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... New York conservation and parks officials have issued a snowmobile plan for the Adirondack State Park that would connect communities across the 6-million-acre park with long-distance routes to boost winter tourism. Environmentalists worry that...

Wolf wars.(STATELINE)(lawsuit to accept state management plan for wolves )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Wyoming has filed a federal lawsuit to try to force the federal government to accept a state management plan for wolves that would include classifying them as predators. The state plan calls for leaving wolves alone in Yellowstone and Grand...

Tax heavens.(STATELINE)(comparison of tax systems between the states)
January 1, 2007... Wyoming leads the nation with the most business-friendly taxes, followed by South Dakota, Alaska, Nevada, Florida, Texas, New Hampshire, Montana, Delaware and Oregon, according to an annual study by the Tax Foundation. It looks at individual...

E-waste solutions.(STATELINE)(recycling electronic equipment)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... An innovative program in Kentucky is working toward getting retired state-government computers either recycled or into the homes of underprivileged eighth graders. "No Child Left Offline" sends computers to state prison industry workers, who...

A digital winner.(STATELINE)(information technology usage in Michigan)
January 1, 2007... Michigan ranks first in the nation in using information technology for public services, according to a study by the Center for Digital Government. Virginia, Ohio, Utah, Arizona, Arkansas, South Dakota, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Tennessee rounded...

Virtual driving.(STATELINE)(simulator)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Teenage drivers put their parents on edge. After all, traffic crashes are the No. 1 cause of death among young people 16 to 19 years old. Now a company has come up with a way to get more practice for new drivers, safely. Virtual Driver...

Farewell fruity fags.(STATELINE)(R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, flavored cigarettes)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Candy-, fruit- and alcohol-flavored cigarettes will be harder to find now that the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company has agreed to stop selling them in 39 states. All flavored Camels, Kools and Salem cigarettes will be removed from the shelves....

Beyond baby blues.(STATELINE)(educating expectant mothers and their families)
January 1, 2007... New Jersey is the first state to require doctors to educate expectant mothers and their families about postpartum depression and to screen new mothers for the disorder. While most new mothers experience occasional "baby blues," 10 percent to 15...

Goodbye road kill.(STATELINE)(electronic crosswalk for wildlife)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Arizona Game and Fish Department has begun using a new system that creates an electronic crosswalk for wildlife on an especially dangerous highway. It uses infrared cameras to detect the presence of an animal as small as a coyote or as...

What a bore.(STATELINE)(emerald ash borer)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Now it's the emerald ash borer that is putting trees in jeopardy. It's from Asia and only the size of a Tic Tac, but it's killing millions of ash trees in the Midwest. It is now illegal--punishable by fines of $750 to $4,000 and possible jail...

Shipwreck booty.(STATELINE)(underwater investigation of the sunken ship Severn)
January 1, 2007... Armed with a state Department of Transportation grant of $300,000, archaeologists in Delaware have resumed their underwater investigation of the sunken Severn, which sailed the mid-Atlantic in 1774. The ship is about 15 feet under, in a place...

Blue law blues.(Stateline)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A recent study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation reports that repealing blue laws that prohibit the sale of packaged alcohol on Sundays may increase alcohol-related vehicles crashes and fatalities. Their analysis of data from...

American federalism: what a ride: the changes in congress aren't apt to transform the relationship between the states and the federal government.(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... Let's think about the country's experience with federalism as a rollercoaster. A decade ago, relations between the state and federal governments had reached a thrilling apex. State legislators, governors and local officials had pressed Congress...

Partisanship in the new legislature: five former leaders reflect on what's changed in state legislatures since they were there.(Roger Moe, JoAnn Davidson, Mike Feeley, Walter Freed)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... State Legislatures: How has the legislature changed from when you were first elected? Roger Moe: We've got free access, a lot more education, a lot more outreach. There's a lot more diversity at the table than there used to be. And now...

You want to know what? NCSL is ready and waiting to answer just about any question.(National Conference of State Legislatures)
January 1, 2007... Anyone who has worked in or with a state legislature knows that topics can range from the mundane to the bizarre. NCSL has seen them all. People call to ask about elections, state laws on methamphetamines, state budget conditions and eminent...

Bloggers press for power: whether bloggers qualify for press credentials is getting a lot of attention in state capitols.
January 1, 2007... A "blog swarm" began shortly after Rob Weber told a blogger why he couldn't have a press pass to cover the Kentucky Legislature. Weber, who is director of public information at the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, told Mark...

An idea, a book, an agenda: in Florida, the speaker thinks the best policy might just come from the people.(Marco Rubio)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... The Florida Legislature is brimming with new ideas. It's the result of a unique collaboration between residents of the fourth-largest state and the new speaker of the Florida House, Marco Rubio. He's a 35-year-old Republican with a mission to...

Preschool rocks: policymakers around the country are investing in preschool.
January 1, 2007... States are on the move with preschool. Thirty-one have increased funding--more than $1 billion in the past two years. Illinois and West Virginia are joining Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma in making sure preschool is available to all children...

How to be a great committee chair: the best committee chairs set a tone of efficiency, civility, consistency and openness.(TOOLS OF THE TRADE)
January 1, 2007... When you walk into a legislative committee meeting, you usually get an instant sense of the committee leader. Top-notch committee chairs set a tone for their committees, a balance of businesslike competence with civility and friendliness. The...

As they see it.(Cartoon)
January 1, 2007... "It's kind of like a turning point in your life. Now I get the chance to make decisions of who governs the country or help make those decisions. It makes you feel like you're part of something." --New Tennessee voter Julie Lewis, 18, to...