State Legislatures articles from May 2007

State Legislatures archives from May 2007

States need to do more to increase voting turnout.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Editor: I was disappointed in your short piece on voting ("Getting Out the Vote," StateStats, March 2007), in which you were largely dismissive of efforts to increase voter turnout. To begin with, you state that the National Voter...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
May 1, 2007... The article "Our Fractured Fiscal System," by Carl Tubbesing and Vic Miller in the April 2007 issue was taken from Miller's paper, "Trail of Broken Premises." The title was incorrect in the author credit on page 26.

Nutrition program also benefits farmers.(STATESTATS)
May 1, 2007... Established by Congress in 1992, the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Farmers' Market Nutrition Program helps provide fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to poor women and children while helping to expand sales at farmers' markets. WIC...

People & politics.(TRENDS AND TRANSLATIONS)
May 1, 2007... New Mexico Senator John Pinto, a member of the Navajo Nation, was honored by his colleagues for his 30 years of service in the Legislature. The 82-year-old was cited for his work on improving roads and infrastructure on tribal lands and sharing...

Regs fail to quell state REAL ID Actions.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(regulations)
May 1, 2007... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security finally released in March the long anticipated regulations for implementation of the REAL ID Act of 2005. The move, which clarified many requirements, did little to change the response from state...

Massachusetts Health Centers reach out.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Massachusetts made history in 2006 by passing legislation that subsidizes health insurance for the state's poorest residents. What many didn't know is that the law requires all state residents to purchase some sort of limited health insurance...

Renewable energy boost.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Minnesota has passed one of the most aggressive renewable energy standards in the country. Sponsored by Representative Aaron Peterson, the law requires utilities to provide 25 percent of their power from renewable resources--including wind,...

Divestment in Sudan.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... State legislatures concerned about genocide and support for international terrorism have decided to take steps against the atrocities unfolding in Sudan's Darfur region. Seven states have limited or eliminated state investments in Sudan, and...

Voucher victory.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Utah Legislature has approved the first-ever universal school voucher program in the nation. A seven-year legislative battle came to an end when the Senate approved the first bill 19 to 10 and the House passed it by one vote (38-37). A...

Unhappy workers.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Americans are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs, the Conference Board reports. The decline in job satisfaction has occurred over a period of two decades. Today, less than half of all Americans say they are satisfied with their jobs,...

One a month.(STATELINE)
May 1, 2007... Concerned about gangs and gun violence, lawmakers in New Jersey could join California, Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia in making it illegal for people to buy more than one handgun a month. "I personally can see no reason why anyone would...

Bury it.(STATELINE)
May 1, 2007... If letting carbon dioxide flow into the atmosphere causes global warming, why not bury it? An experiment led by the California Energy Commission aims to bury a sample of carbon dioxide to see if it's a viable alternative to releasing it into...

Grammar argument.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Add the "s" or not? Arkansas Representative Steve Harrelson has filed a non-binding resolution to declare the correct possessive form of the state as "Arkansas's." A friend made him do it. Rules on forming the possessive can be confusing and...

Talking Johns.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... New Mexico is taking its fight against drunk driving into men's restrooms. The state has ordered 500 talking urinals (to be placed in bars and restaurants) that will deliver a warning to potential drunk drivers. "Hey there, big guy. Having a...

Show me the money.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... A school district in a small, working class city in central Ohio is taking part in an unusual experiment to pay students for doing well on state exams. Pupils in grades three through six earn $15 for every "proficient" score and $20 for...

Doggie dump.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... A large dog at the Alaska Capitol recently caused quite the uproar after leaving a sizable deposit in front of the fourth-floor elevators. It made a legislative committee ban dogs entirely from the building. "We'd had several incidents through...

Fighting fires, one puff at a time.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Kentucky is considering joining six other states that have passed legislation requiring the sale of cigarettes specially made to self-extinguish if not puffed on regularly. Kentucky has the nation's ninth worst fire-death record nationally, as...

Initiative rework.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Oregon Legislative Assembly is looking at a package of six bills, introduced at the request of the attorney general, that would revamp parts of the initiative process and increase regulation of the sponsors of initiative petitions and those...

Id theft fight.(STATELINE)(identity)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Arizona, which has the highest per-capita rate of identity theft complaints nationwide, is looking at giving citizens the right to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from releasing information from their credit reports without their...

Don't run away.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... A bill that would require unhurt passengers to try to get help for injured drivers after a crash is working its way through the Indiana General Assembly. "This was a very, very good day," said Judy Hoopingarner, who lost her 17-year-old son...

Bang! bang! you're in trouble.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Using toy weapons during a crime would become a felony if legislation in Oklahoma makes it through the process. The measure was drafted to combat the growing use of toy guns during robberies, assaults and other felonies, according to its...

The money road: a lack of resources is causing states to look at privatization to fund transportation projects.
May 1, 2007... It's not that often that state lawmakers can debate the pros and cons of adding billions of dollars in new revenue to the state coffers. But that's the scenario playing out in many state capitols this year and it may be coming soon to a state...

Giving teens a brake: stricter laws for teenage drivers have helped prevent injuries and save lives.
May 1, 2007... Colorado--A 17-year-old girl is charged with careless driving after crashing into a car pulled over with a flat tire and severely injuring the two teenage boys who were changing it. The boys, both on the high school wrestling team, lose their...

Nine recommendaations frim Illinois.(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... 1 Extend learner's permit phase from three months to nine months. 2 Change nighttime driving restriction from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from midnight to 11 p.m. on weekends. Extend restriction to cover 17-year-old...

Financially fit students: the importance of teaching students how to be good money managers is catching on around the country.
May 1, 2007... Like most disasters, Hurricane Katrina brought out the best and worst in people. For at least one Mississippi teacher, the storm provided a teaching moment--in economics. Pam Carrubba, a master teacher of economics at Bay-Waveland Middle School...

Rebuilding the Gulf Coast: the high rates of property insurance in the post-Katrina era has made rebuilding difficult.
May 1, 2007... When Brian Sanderson surveys the endless number of vacant lots along the Mississippi Gulf coast nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina, he is struck by how much remains to be done. "Building is going on up and down the coast," says...

Saving the great lakes: eight states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes watershed are working to protect this important resource.
May 1, 2007... We don't call them "great" for nothing. Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario make up the largest body of fresh water on the planet and provide drinking water for 42 million Americans and Canadians. There's enough water in the Great...

How (not) to talk to teens: a college student believes teens really do want to know about their government and what it's like being a legislator.
May 1, 2007... As a legislator you may receive many invitations to talk to high school and college-aged constituents about the legislative process. These opportunities can be more than a civics lesson for a bunch of teenagers. They can be a civics lesson for...

As they see it.
May 1, 2007... "You can take all the training you want to, it's not going to make you an honest person." --Alabama Representative Mary Moore to The Birmingham News about a bill to require ethics classes for all newly elected officials and lobbyists. ...