State News articles from June 2004

State News archives from June 2004

CSG welcomes 19th toll fellows class a message from CSG's executive director.(inside story)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Elections, war in Iraq, terror threats, budget deficits, and economic uncertainties are just a few of the critical issues state leaders are challenged by today. Exceptional, strong leadership is necessary in this time of uncertainty with...

Suggested state legislation.(Committee Reviews)
June 1, 2004... What if a group of respected state leaders met several times a year to examine new and innovative state legislation from around the country? What if this group debated and discussed the legislation and reported out on what it found? Sounds like...

Pizza eaters beware: pay your traffic fines.(tool box)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... If you live in Missouri and you have a lot of outstanding traffic violations, then you may want to reconsider ordering that pizza for dinner. The Missouri Office of State Courts recently retained the services of ACS, a collection agency based...

Federal policies cost states.(state sources)
June 1, 2004... Certain federal policies are worsening the states' fiscal crises, according to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. States will lose a total of $175 billion between fiscal years 2002-2005 because of the following federal...

Hospital costs drive rising health spending.(state sources)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Hospital care accounted for more than a quarter of the growth in U.S. health care expenditures between 1992 and 2002, at 25.4 percent. Other factors in rising health care spending included physician and clinical services (20.6 percent), other...

Billions needed for disaster management.(state sources)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... According to a new report by the National Emergency Management Association, the focus on terrorism preparedness in federal grant funding has left states shouldering much of the burden for the costs of natural and manmade disasters. Coupled with...

Battle for the techies.(state sources)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... For those who think that the science and technology industries' importance may have diminished with the dot corn bust, think again. "The new engine of regional economic prosperity is based upon how successful that location is in attracting and...

Borrowing boom: states take on record debt to bridge budget shortfalls.
June 1, 2004... In recent fiscal years, state lawmakers have faced wrenching choices in their efforts to bridge budget shortfalls. They have slashed spending, raised taxes and fees, deployed tobacco settlement monies, hiked tobacco taxes, tapped rainy day...

Toll fellows class of 2004.(Henry Toll Fellowship Program Leadership Eastern Region)
June 1, 2004... Pedro Cortes Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Opening Doors Pedro Cortes lives by the philosophy that "you can accomplish anything that you set your mind and heart to." By sticking to this guiding principle, he has risen...

Soaring to new heights.(Henry Toll Fellowship Program Leadership Southern Region)(Counsil of State Government)
June 1, 2004... Personal relationships are an important part of the Henry Toll Fellowship Program, which helps participants acquire the leadership skills they need to meet the challenges facing state governments in the 21st century. During the six-day...

Immigration's impact changing.(trends alert)
June 1, 2004... Federal immigration policy has profound effects at the state and local levels. While the federal government determines how many people can move to the United States and from what countries, states must deal with the impact of those policies....

Trends worth watching: prisons turn to faith-based programs.(state trends)
June 1, 2004... States are increasingly looking at faith-based programs to cut costs, help reduce recidivism and address the problems associated with the record number of offenders in state prisons. Religious education and training programs have always...

Rogue traffic signal changers pose danger.(state trends)(Traffic Signal Problems)
June 1, 2004... Mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRTs, are starting to turn up in private vehicles, a revelation that is quite unnerving to public safety and transportation officials as well as state legislators. Every driver has been stuck in traffic at...

Medicaid in the federal crosshairs.(state trends)
June 1, 2004... Disagreement between states and the federal government is heating up over how states finance their portion of Medicaid. Because Medicaid is financed partially by states and partially by the federal government, using alternative financing...

Focus on teacher leadership.(state trends)
June 1, 2004... States are starting to focus on teacher leadership in efforts to improve students' academic performance and to sustain adequate progress for their districts and schools. Several states are working to improve professional development for...

CSG's seventh Border Legislator Conference convened in Mexico.(csg spotlight)
June 1, 2004... The Chihuahua State Legislature hosted the seventh forum of the Border Legislative Conference on March 25-26 in Chihuahua City. State legislators from nine of the 10 U.S.-Mexico border states exchanged ideas and adopted policy principles on...

CSG/ERC Executive Committee meets in Springfield.(csg spotlight)(Eastern Regional Conference)(The Counsil of State Governments)
June 1, 2004... Offshore outsourcing and its impact on Northeastern states will be the topic of the opening plenary during the ERC's annual meeting this August. The meeting, scheduled for Aug. 8-11 in Springfield, Mass., will also feature a panel session...

Trade conference explores business opportunities in Africa.(csg spotlight)
June 1, 2004... Business opportunities in one of Africa's fastest and most dynamic growth sectors, information and communication technology, were discussed in March during a trade conference co-sponsored by the Eastern Trade Council and the Corporate Council...

MLC annual meeting highlights economic development.(csg spotlight)(Midwestern Legislative Conference)
June 1, 2004... State efforts to promote economic development, an issue that has dominated discussions in many Midwestern capitols, will be examined in-depth at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, which will be held July 11-14 in...

State officials work to improve homeland security funding.(csg spotlight)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Twenty state and local officials including governors, mayors and county executives are working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to identify and remove impediments to the processing of homeland security funds. According to a...

Conference calendar.(Counsil of State Governments)(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... 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. ...

Civil rights landmark.(40 Years Ago--June/July 1964)
June 1, 2004... Governors from 48 states and three territories met in Cleveland June 6-10 for the 56th Annual Meeting of the National Governors' Conference. They discussed a range of issues, including federal-state relations and state planning. But their main...

Capital punishment comeback.(25 Years Ago--June/July 1979)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... On May 25, 1979, 30 year-old John Spenkelink was electrocuted in a Florida penitentiary. "The Spenkelink execution touched off anew the emotionally charged issue of capital punishment," we reported. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in...

Man + woman = marriage.(10 Years Ago--June/July 1994)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Hawaii Legislature reacted to a recent state Supreme Court ruling that said the state's refusal to grant gay marriages appeared to violate the state constitution. To prevent Hawaii from becoming the first state to recognize such unions,...

Master/servant relationship.(10 Years Ago--June/July 1994)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... In March 1994, Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt (now administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) sent an eight page letter to state leaders calling ti)r a Conference of the States. Leavitt wanted state officials to join together to...