State Legislatures articles from June 2007

State Legislatures archives from June 2007

Hemp history lesson.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... Editor: I'm intrigued by a comment in the article on industrial hemp in your March 2007 edition. It says that North Dakota Representative David Monson wants to be the first farmer in America to grow it. There may have been a much earlier...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
June 1, 2007... In the April issue we erroneously listed Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. as serving "2004-present." President Jones has served as Senate president since January 2003. In the May issue we have Florida Representative Dennis Ross...

Forecasting prison populations.(STATESTATS)
June 1, 2007... By 2011, America will have more than 1.7 million men and women in prison, according to a national report on and forecast of state prison populations by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Most of those--1.5 million--will be in state custody, an increase...

People & politics.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
June 1, 2007... Maine Representative Abigail Holman, a "tremendous political force, died in a ski accident in April. She was participating in an annual charity race and had crossed the finish line when she hit a tree. The first-term, 45-year-old legislator was...

Making MySpace safer.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
June 1, 2007... Lawmakers in several states are exploring ways to make social networking sites-like MySpace, Friendster, Xanga and others--safer for kids. On these sites, young people and others can create their own online profiles with pictures, personal...

Guard lawmakers form new group.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Thirty-one state legislators nationwide who serve in the National Guard or Reserves have formed the National Network of Legislators in the Military to share information about balancing their twin responsibilities. Hawaii Representative K....

More than just shoplifting.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Gangs of professional shoplifters steal large amounts of merchandise and resell it, costing businesses as much as $30 billion annually, and costing states an estimated $1 billion in lost sales tax revenue. They typically target small household...

Cyberbullying.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Thirty states have laws to protect against the schoolyard bully, but a new and equally destructive form of student harassment is now occurring across America: cyberbullying. It's the use of cell phones, computers and the posting or sending of...

Apologizing for slavery.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
June 1, 2007... In a debate rarely seen at the North Carolina legislature, senators--both black and white--talked about their experiences with racism and intolerance. Senator Tony Foriest spoke of how, as a child, his family planned their vacation stops...

Northern safety.(STATELINE)
June 1, 2007... North Dakota once again ranks as the nation's safest state, a title it has owned for nine out of the last 10 years. Morgan Quitno Press ranks the states every year based on six crime factors: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary...

Prison labor.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Minimum-security prison inmates are working five farms in southeastern Colorado to fill in for migrant workers. New tough immigration laws have made migrant workers scarce. Inmates will earn the state's standard prison pay of 60 cents per day....

Thermo recycling.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Don't throw that old thermostat away--it's got mercury in it. The Vermont General Assembly is looking at a bill that would create a $5 incentive for contractors and technicians to return thermostats containing mercury back to the wholesaler for...

Now it's Iran.(pension funds)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Missouri has become the first state to divest from companies that do business with Iran, as well as other nations on the State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism. "Roughly 100 of the leading pension funds of the United States...

Drivers beware.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Illinois is looking at a proposal requiring any driver younger than 18 who has a learner's permit or graduated driver's license to attach a sign to the vehicle indicating that a new driver is behind the wheel. The proposal is based on...

Pot of gold trap.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... A sheriff's deputy in Orlando, Fla., has discovered a novel way to catch speeders. He dresses up, according to the season, warning drivers to slow down--or else. In March, dressed as a leprechaun, he held a sign that read, "Watch your speed or...

Go on down.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... In hopes of increasing tourism, visitors to the Ohio Statehouse will be encouraged to go underground in a few years. The plan is to develop a new capitol museum featuring interactive exhibits in the basement where horses were stabled during the...

Ultrasound test.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... South Carolina is debating a proposal that would require women seeking abortions to view an ultrasound image of the fetus before having the procedure. "Let's give patients the information they need to make an informed decision," says...

Goodbye phosphorus.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Maryland has passed legislation to require only phosphate-free dish detergent be sold there. Washington has already done so and four other states are also considering it. Phosphorus is one of the top pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay, along with...

A taxing workout.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... A proposed 5 percent sales tax on health club memberships and other forms of recreation have exercisers in Maine concerned. Representative Thomas Watson said the purpose of his bill is to help reduce income and property taxes, not discourage...

Divorce on hold.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Tennessee is considering making couples with children wait at least a year before finalizing a divorce. Under current law, a divorce can become final in 90 days if both parities agree to the divorce and the division of child custody and...

Helping hunger in Hawaii.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The homeless in Hawaii may be finding food easier since the state Department of Health temporarily suspended food-preparation rules for food offered free to homeless people. Church and community organizations will not have to undergo annual...

Homegrown energy: as America copes with climate change, many see hope in biofuels.(Cover story)
June 1, 2007... Henry Ford designed his first automobiles, beginning with the Model T, to run on ethanol made from hemp and corn. At the beginning of the last century, biofuels were a major competitor with oil--the first diesel engines relied on vegetable oil...

Women aren't "small men": women's health issues are different than men's and need to be addressed specifically.
June 1, 2007... The goal is to die young, but at a very old age--active and enjoying life up to the very end," says Dr. Wanda Jones, director of the federal Office on Women's Health, who touts the triumphs of public health and modern medicine in helping people...

Making the legislature a safe workplace: sexual harassment can occur anywhere, including in the legislature.
June 1, 2007... The legislative arena is a place where laws are made, but it also is a workplace governed by laws. Legislators, staffers, pages, interns, volunteers and administrators all work together and interact with each other and with people from the...

Native American power: Native American tribes are tapping into alternative energy sources with great benefits to themselves and their neighbors.
June 1, 2007... Developing renewable energy just may be a booming industry for many tribes in Indian Country. More and more tribes are looking at clean alternative energy sources to power their homes and bring in jobs, all while respecting Mother Earth's...

Attention to invention: helping entrepreneurs get their inventions to market can be a great economic development tool.
June 1, 2007... When Vladimir Gelfand emigrated with his family from Russia to the United States in the early 1990s, he was certain that he would find a welcoming environment for an invention he had been working on for several years. "This is one of the...

The property tax shuffle: some states have made major changes in their property taxes while others have zeroed in on special cuts for poor and elderly homeowners.
June 1, 2007... Property taxes are issues No. 1, 2 and 3 for the residents of this state, says New Jersey Assemblyman John McKeon. That sentiment has echoed across the country the past two years as rising assessments and higher tax bills have caught up...

Drugs just a click away: online pharmacies can make dangerous drugs easy to get, but also can promote better health care. Should we regulate them?
June 1, 2007... Ryan Haight didn't have to lurk in a deserted parking lot or hang around the high school boys' bathroom to buy drugs. The college-bound 17-year-old placed his order on a computer in the family den. He ordered 100 tablets of hydrocodone--a...

As they see it.
June 1, 2007... "Nothing happens until the last two minutes. The last two minutes will decide whether it's a win or a loss." --Florida Representative Dan Gelber to the St. Petersburg Times about how the 60-day session is a lot like an NBA game. "I...