State Legislatures articles from October 2008

State Legislatures archives from October 2008

Smoking bans don't hurt charities.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... Editor: Your brief Stateline item claiming that smoke-free policies drive down charity bingo profits ("Charity Profits Up in Smoke," July/August issue) is misleading. Peer-reviewed studies consistently find that smoke-free laws do not...

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2008... A map on page 7 of the September issue was incorrect. The map below accurately reflects smoking cessation programs offered to state employees. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

School leadership.(THIS MONTH)(Idaho Senator John Goedde)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Idaho Senator John Goedde, chair of the Senate Education Committee, talks about why leadership makes the crucial difference in whether a school succeeds or fails.

Where they stand on education.(THIS MONTH)(presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Representatives of presidential contenders Senators John McCain and Barack Obama lay out their positions on No Child Left Behind, recruiting teachers, performance pay and special education funding.

Graduation rates.(THIS MONTH)
October 1, 2008... Check out an array of NCSL research on high school graduation rates, dropouts, and state-by-state report cards. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Changing population.(THIS MONTH)
October 1, 2008... Read the full interview with demographer James Johnson, listen to the podcast and watch a video of his presentation at the 2008 NCSL Legislative Summit in New Orleans.

Product safety.(THIS MONTH)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Berkeley, Calif.-based Center for Investigative Reporting and author of Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power, discusses why Americans are not as safe...

State symbols.(THIS MONTH)
October 1, 2008... Find out more about the unusual things states adopt as symbols, from Missouri's state grape to Minnesota's state photograph.

Orientation.(THIS MONTH)
October 1, 2008... Read NCSL's major survey on new member orientation.

More on trends.(THIS MONTH)
October 1, 2008... Read the draft of the federal wireless consumer protection bill and find a summary of Massachusetts' new health-care law.

Blog: the thicket.(REGULAR FEATURES)
October 1, 2008... A bipartisan blog about the legislative institution and federalism written by and for legislative junkies. Updated often.

The sorry State of transportation funds.(STATESTATS)
October 1, 2008... High gas prices are bringing the demand for oil to a five-year low, according to the American Petroleum Institute. That's not good for state transportation budgets. They rely on funding from the federal Highway Trust Fund (which relies heavily...

Joe Hackney.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... It wasn't until 1995 that the North Carolina General Assembly approved a constitutional amendment giving the governor veto power, something denied the chief executive since the Revolution. Bills passed by the legislature had automatically...

The Arizona primary held more than a few surprises and may set the stage for a more conservative Legislature come January.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Arizona primary held more than a few surprises and may set the stage for a more conservative Legislature come January. The Republicans control both chambers, but among the casualties are GOP Senate President Pro Tem Robert Blendu and House...

Vermont House Speaker Gaye Symington got a prominent endorsement in her bid for governor.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Vermont House Speaker Gaye Symington got a prominent endorsement in her bid for governor. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Symington as "the only candidate in the race who has laid out comprehensive plans to grow Vermont's economy."...

Democratic Party officials invalidated Tennessee Senator Rosalind Kurita's slim 19-vote primary win and instead handed the victory to challenger Tim Barnes.(People & Politics)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Democratic Party officials invalidated Tennessee Senator Rosalind Kurita's slim 19-vote primary win and instead handed the victory to challenger Tim Barnes. So Kurita has filed as a write-in for the seat she's held...

Corrections.(People & Politics)(Correction notice)
October 1, 2008... Jeff Duyck is not, as People and Politics reported on page 9 in September's issue, the representative from Oregon's 29 House District. That person is Representative Chuck Riley, first elected in 2004, re-elected in 2006 and now seeking his...

Florida gaming compact overturned.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... In a suit decided by the Florida Supreme Court, Speaker Marco Rubio challenged Governor Charlie Crist's constitutional authority to enter into a 2007 gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida without legislative approval. The court...

A right to hunt and fish.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
October 1, 2008... Sportsmen in many states increasingly feel as if they are the ones outside the duck blind, and they are turning to state constitutions to ensure their hallowed pastime will continue in perpetuity. Nine states ensure a constitutional right to...

Wind power capacity.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The United States contains vast amounts of wind resources. In fact, if all the nation's wind energy resources were developed, the power produced would more than double the amount of energy needed to satisfy the nation's current electricity...

Wireless consumer bills of rights.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
October 1, 2008... Nearly every adult American--nine out of 10--owns a wireless telephone, and one in seven has traded in a land line and now uses a cell phone exclusively. At least two states (Kentucky and Louisiana) and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enacted...

Bending the cost curve in Massachusetts.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
October 1, 2008... With a package of new initiatives, Massachusetts intends to bring down health care costs, improve access to primary care, and establish quality and cost disclosures for providers and insurers alike. "This legislation is crucial for the...

Putt putt on pavement.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Golf carts are moving from the greens to the asphalt, partly in response to high gas prices. They are also cheaper, cleaner and quieter than cars and trucks. "There's no noise, no checking the oil or how much gas...

Bye bye bags.(STATELINE)(paper and plastic shopping bags)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Come January, Seattle will discourage the use of paper and plastic shopping bags by requiring grocery, drug and convenience stores to charge 20 cents per bag. Shoppers can avoid the fees by bringing their own bags. The new fee is expected to...

Alive for five.(STATELINE)(gifts cards)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Michigan passed legislation making stores accept gift cards and certificates for at least five years after selling them. The requirement applies to gift cards sold after Nov. 1 of this year. Stores also can't alter the terms or conditions of a...

Organ donation boost.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Beginning in 2013, New Jersey residents will be required to consider becoming an organ donor when receiving a driver's license. Drivers either will have to agree to make their organs available after death or, if they decline, review information...

We like bikes.(STATELINE)(Ripon College)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A new trend around high schools and colleges is to discourage students from using cars to save on gas and help the air while promoting physical fitness. This fall, Ripon College in Wisconsin offered freshman free mountain bikes if they would...

Bill deflated.(STATELINE)(banning of helium-filled metallic balloons)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] California reached a compromise over the fate of helium-filled metallic balloons late this summer. Senator Jack Scott had wanted to completely ban sale of the balloons, which utility companies say cause severe power...

Let's play!(STATELINE)(disabled students to compete in sports)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Maryland now guarantees disabled students the right to compete in sports alongside all students, unless their participation might endanger others. The first-in-the-nation law, signed in May, requires that all athletes, including those with...

Gotcha gators.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] South Carolina has just ended its first alligator hunting season. Each hunter was allowed to catch and kill one gator in one of the state's four regions. The Department of Natural Resources offered classes on the...

Porn's ok.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Florida's sex offenders on probation can have pornography as long as it does not relate to their "particular deviant behavior patterns," ruled the state Supreme Court in July. The decision overturned an appellate court ruling that said...

Yogi beware.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Tourists to our national parks may soon be able to bring their concealed weapons along with their picnic, camera and tent. The U.S. Interior Department is considering a proposal to do away with the 25-year ban on carrying concealed weapons in...

Chess scores big.(STATELINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... In second- and third-grade classes across Idaho, students are learning chess as part of a statewide chess curriculum to boost thinking skills. There are no studies showing that chess benefits children, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence,...

Lead'*er*ship' (noun): it's the ingredient Rob Stein thinks is crucial to turning around troubled urban schools.(Manual High School)
October 1, 2008... As you watch Rob Stein work the halls at Denver's Manual High School, you know right away he's not the sort of principal who holes up in his office. With shirt sleeves rolled up and purpose in his step, he stops a freshman in the hallway for a...

Grad'*u*ate' (verb): new approaches may cut into the nation's dropout rate.
October 1, 2008... A little experimentation may be the path to increasing high school graduation rates. Career technical education, dual enrollment, early college high schools, and after-hours high schools are all approaches states are looking at to increase...

Bul'*ly*ing' (verb): efforts to keep kids safe from intimidation at school are gaining momentum, but some question the need for new laws.
October 1, 2008... The stories are shocking. Five Florida cheerleaders videotaped themselves beating a classmate who had insulted them in a MySpace posting. They planned to post the video on YouTube. In California, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot two...

Lawmaking 101: students learn about the legislative process by writing bills with foster kids.(NEW LEGISLATION)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Law students and foster kids might seem an unlikely combination, but in Iowa it turned into a formula for new legislation. The alliance was formed at the Middleton Center for Children's Rights at the Drake...

The changing face of America.(Q & A)(James H. Johnson Jr.)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... James H. Johnson Jr. is a business professor at the University of North Carolina who says demographic changes are going to transform America's economy and the work force. This is a condensed version of his interview with State Legislatures. ...

Taking on toys: States are charging ahead with new regulations on children's products even as the president takes action and industry cries foul.
October 1, 2008... Hannah Pingree never expected to become a point person in the growing national debate over toxic toys. As majority leader for the Maine House of Representatives, Pingree has long been interested in environmental and health issues. But then...

An Irish eye on the capitol: Nebraska's clerk of the legislature has kept order from more than 30 years.(Patrick O'Donnell)
October 1, 2008... A combination of symphony conductor and traffic cop, Patrick O'Donnell is the man behind the podium in Nebraska's George W. Norris Legislative Chamber, the only unicameral legislature in the nation. State senators bring him bills and...

Symbolically speaking: from crawfish to cooking pots, states have a taste for adopting some odd mascots.
October 1, 2008... Got milk? At least 17 states do--as their official state beverage or drink. Every state in the nation has official designations, with Massachusetts a clear victor with 44. By contrast, Iowa has only eight. The most common symbol is a state...

Starting on the right foot.(TOOLS OF THE TRADE)(orienting legislators)
October 1, 2008... The capitol can be an intimidating place. That's one of the first lessons freshmen lawmakers learn. But if orientation programs are done right, it's not the only one. New legislators need to be effective right from the start, dealing with...

As they see it.(Quotation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... "I think it is high time we got rid of the Electoral College and elected our presidents the way we elect every other elected official in the country--by a vote of the people." --Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to the state's...

[Cartoon].(Cartoon)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] STAY CALM! I'M IN CHARGE NOW. WE ARE HERE TO BAIL YOU OUT SO YOU CAN BAIL OUT THE INSTITUTIONS THAT MAKE THE... WE? WE? WHO SAID, "WE"?