State News articles from April 2005

State News archives from April 2005

State pension funds feel age wave's stresses.
April 1, 2005... The safety of Social Security and public employee pension funds is the type of issue where policy-makers earn their keep. There is general agreement on the problem--our aging population is producing an increasing number of retirees who are...

New volume highlights innovative legislation.(legislative bills)
April 1, 2005... Each year, CSG's Committee on Suggested State Legislation reviews the newest and most innovative legislation from around the country. In 2004, the committee of state officials considered hundreds of bills and selected only 43 to include in the...

Warner proposes immediate high school reforms.(tool box)(National Governors Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, working in conjunction with the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices, recently unveiled a blueprint for reforming American high schools. According to the NGA Web site, "Getting it Done: Ten Steps...

New Jersey juggles pay-to-play reforms.(tool box)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... In a move designed to "rein in political corruption," New Jersey is poised to enact some of the most stringent pay-to-play regulations in the country. Under the pay-to-play legislation, donors to gubernatorial campaigns and state and local...

America's crumbling infrastructure.(state sources)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... More than one in four bridges in the United States is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The number of unsafe dams in the country has risen by 33 percent since 1998 to 3,500. One-third of America's major roads are in poor or...

We the people: Arabs in the United States.(state sources)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... More than 1 million people living in the United States in 2000 were of Arab ancestry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. We the People of Arab Ancestry in the United States reports that about 850,000 people claimed only Arab ancestry, while...

Medicaid officials wary of new Medicare drug benefit.(Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... As January 1, 2006, draws closer, state officials around the country are taking a closer look at the federal Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. The MMA added a new prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, which goes into effect...

Reshaping public safety and justice: change drivers that impact state resource allocations and policy priorities.
April 1, 2005... State lawmakers are busy on many fronts of criminal justice and public safety. State corrections budgets continue to expand as the number of people in state prisons and community corrections programs rises. Sentencing reforms are pitting...

A walking path to enlightenment: community design that promotes active living can help prevent obesity.
April 1, 2005... As guardians of the public's health, policy-makers have a vested interest in responding to the rise in obesity. A recent report from the Trust for America's Health noted that about 65 percent of the U.S. population is overweight or obese,...

Attacking cancer on all fronts: states are taking a comprehensive approach.
April 1, 2005... "Like every other state, we've a got a tight budget so we have to be smart in how we fight cancer. And that means getting all the stakeholders and programs working together on a comprehensive plan so that we don't duplicate efforts or miss...

Systems in stress: public retirement systems are challenged by shrinking assets and growing liabilities.
April 1, 2005... As federal officials debate how much tinkering they need to do to keep Social Security solvent, policy-makers in the states are searching for solutions to shore up weaknesses in public retirement systems. In many cases, these public...

Alabama's ace investments: out-of-the-ordinary investments pay off for Alabama's retirement system.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... One of the largest office buildings on the isle of Manhattan--55 Water Street--doesn't belong to Donald Trump or any other larger-than-life New York City real estate mogul. The 54-story tower near Wall Street is the property of the...

Membership and Benefits of State-Administered Employee Retirement Systems (March 2003).(state snapshots)(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... Membership and Benefits of State-Administered Employee Retirement Systems (March 2003) Beneficiaries Total Total receiving ...

Fixing the problem: Illinois is among the states considering new pension-reform plans.
April 1, 2005... Concerns over unfunded pension liabilities and the budgetary impact of state retirement plans are pushing lawmakers to seek changes that ensure the systems' solvency and prevent runaway costs. In recent years, a number of ideas have been...

Rebuilding rural communities: legislative leaders call for a broad approach to rural revitalization.
April 1, 2005... The stereotypical image of small-town, rural America is one of decline: many people view rural communities as quaint relics of the past, as residents continue the centuries-old migration to the city, and more recently, to the suburbs. The...

CSG leaders rank key trends.(CSG spotlight)(Council of State Governments)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Council of State Governments' national and regional leadership, as well as national committee and task force chairs, convened in Washington, D.C., in late February to discuss pertinent trends and issues facing the states. CSG policy...

New partnership highlights work force readiness.(Lumina Foundation for Education grants)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Lumina Foundation for Education has awarded a $300,000 grant to a collaborative education-to-work project of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, Midwestern Governors Association and Midwestern Higher Education Compact. The three-year...

CSG-WEST committees organize for 2005-2006.(CSG spotlight)(Council of State Governments organize policy committees)
April 1, 2005... Drawing on legislative talent from throughout the West, officers of The Council of State Governments-WEST, led by Oregon Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, organized policy committees for 2005-2006. Leaders from the 13 Western states appoint...

Lieutenant governors focus on education.(CSG spotlight)(National Lieutenant Governors Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The lieutenant governors are pursuing reform in American high schools after the Winter Meeting of the National Lieutenant Governors Association. NLGA members met February 9-11, 2005, and planned an education symposium to be held with the Hunt...

CSG/ERC and NERC launch e-recycling initiative.(CSG spotlight)(Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference develops project with Northeast Recycling Council )
April 1, 2005... Discarded computers, TVs, fax machines cell phones and other electronic devices known as "e-waste" comprise the fastest growing form of consumer-generated waste in the United States. Currently, these products make up less than 4 percent of the...

Regional ag working groups meet.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Rural Working Groups of CSG's Southern Legislative Conference and Eastern Regional Conference met in January in conjunction with the Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit in Memphis, Tennessee. Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton of Maryland led...

2005 NASPE Mid-Year Meeting held in Arlington, Virginia.(CSG spotlight)(National Association of State Personnel Executives)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Thirty-two attendees representing 25 states met January 28-30 for the 2005 Mid-Year Meeting of the National Association of State Personnel Executives. The meeting, held in Arlington, Va., allowed personnel executives to participate in a unique...

Toll leaders update.(CSG spotlight)
April 1, 2005... In the February edition of State News, CSG highlighted Henry Toll Fellows in leadership positions around the country. Currently, at least 38 Toll Alumni serve in various leadership roles, including five sitting Senate presidents and two House...

Election officials share best practices.(CSG spotlight)(National Association of State Election Directors meeting)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The National Association of State Election Directors met in Washington, D.C., for its annual winter meeting on February 4-6, 2005. Election officials from 41 states and territories attended the meeting, where they discussed and shared "best...

Emergency management directors meet with federal officials.
April 1, 2005... The federal government's emergency response during the 2004 Florida hurricane disaster is similar to how it would react to a terrorist attack. That was the message from Michael D. Brown, undersecretary for emergency preparedness and...

Conference calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... This calendar lists meetings as designated by CSG's Annual Meeting Committee. For details of a meeting, call the number listed. "CSG/" denotes affiliate organizations of CSG. Visit www.csg.org for updates and more extensive listings. Other...

Time line.(Chronology)
April 1, 2005... Although the federal government tends to get more attention, state officials are often on the front lines of cutting-edge trends and issues. On the other hand, sometimes in the community of state governments, the more things change, the more...