State News articles from March 2006

State News archives from March 2006

A return to state government.(inside story)
March 1, 2006... Mark Birdwhistell has seen both sides now. Before he returned to state government two years ago as Kentucky's Secretary for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Birdwhistell served 10 years as a hospital administrator and CEO for a...

States enact obesity prevention legislation.(tool box)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A report funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicates that nearly 65 percent of adults and 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight. The report...

Smoking brief for state legislators.(tool box)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... According to Dr. Corinne Husten, acting director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 45 million Americans smoke and it costs the U.S. economy more than $167 billion a year, including...

Rankings reveal healthiest states.(state sources)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Minnesota is the healthiest state in the country, according to America's Health Rankings--2005 Edition. It's been among the top two states since 1990 in the rankings compiled by United Health Foundation. Vermont has been moving up in the...

School improvement reservation a problem for states.(state sources)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Amendments to the federal Title I program made under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have created problems for states in funding those schools most in need of the additional funding, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) says in a report...

America's health rankings.(state snapshots)
March 1, 2006... America's Health Rankings 2005 RANK 2005 RANK (1-50) STATE SCORE * (1-50) STATE 45 Alabama -12.8 1 Minnesota 30 Alaska ...

Never say never.(perspective; Medicaid)
March 1, 2006... In 1982, entered public service in the health care area in Kentucky's Medicaid department. I saw firsthand how crucial Medicaid was for the most vulnerable people in our society--low-in-come women and children, individuals with disabilities and...

Part D-lemma: implementing Medicare prescription drug plan a costly proposition for states.
March 1, 2006... January was a costly month for California. The state dipped into its reserve fund and allocated more than one-fourth of it for prescription drugs for poor elderly Californians. It was an unexpected expense, and one the state--like more than 30...

Close to home: 'Green Houses' are an alternative to nursing facilities.
March 1, 2006... Dr. Bill Thomas is on a mission to close every nursing home in America. "Most nursing homes are sad and lonely places," the Harvard-educated geriatrician said. "Our elders deserve better. They need places where they can enjoy life and grow."...

States of progress: governors outline plans for the future in state of the state messages.(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... In January 2005, the "Nation's Report Card" revealed no progress for high school students in 30 years. The United States is ninth in the world in high school graduation rates among 25-to 34-year-olds. The 1 million students who drop out of high...

Raising public awareness about disaster response.
March 1, 2006... Protecting the safety of residents is a key function of state governments, but a new report notes that improving the delivery of information to help the public understand potential disasters and the steps they should take to protect themselves...

The transforming manufacturing sector.
March 1, 2006... Industry experts addressing the National Lieutenant Governors Association Winter Meeting had optimistic forecasts for the nation's manufacturing sector. They cautioned, however, that manufacturing's future is vulnerable to non-market...

Some companies 'more equal' than others: pending Supreme Court case and congressional legislation may determine whether state incentives programs can follow suit.
March 1, 2006... The clash over cash to corporate projects is headed to the country's highest court, and is also the subject of a bill in Congress. What emerges may go a long way toward solving state and corporate uncertainty about incentive programs. Details...

All-hazards planning.(csg spotlight)
March 1, 2006... Citizens need to be prepared for three to five days of independent survival in the home in case of an emergency. Individuals should maintain water and food, batteries, a light and radio, blankets and first aid necessities. That's one...

Legislative leaders attend Ag forum. (csg spotlight).(agricultural)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Agricultural legislative leaders from around the country attended the fourth annual Legislative Agricultural Chairs Summit in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 20-22. This annual get-together of ag leaders focuses exclusively on agriculture and rural...

WEST publishes "2005 Year in Review".(csg spotlight; Council of State Governments)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CSG-WEST has just published a look back at its core programs and projects from 2005. The "2005 Year in Review" sums up activities of the Western region of CSG with 22 pages of short photo stories. The new publication offers a quick and colorful...

NAST and CSPN make saving for college easier.(csg spotlight; National Association of State Treasurers)(College Savings Plans Network )
March 1, 2006... Recently, President Bush signed into law the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which gave parents who choose to invest in a prepaid tuition plan an equal opportunity to receive financial aid when it is time to enroll their children in college. ...

Application deadline nears for Midwestern leadership institute.(csg spotlight; Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Applications for the 2006 Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) are due March 31. BILLD is the only leadership training program designed exclusively for new state legislators in the Midwest. Regional lawmakers in their...

Conference calendar.(Council of State Governments)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... 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...

Weather modification laws more uniform.(Timeline: 40 Years Ago--March 1966)
March 1, 2006... The National Science Foundation made public a study showing that 22 states had laws dealing with some aspect of weather modification. The study, "Weather Modification: Law, Controls, Operations," was based on a comprehensive questionnaire...

Motor fuels taxes increased.(Timeline: 25 Years Ago--March 1981)
March 1, 2006... Declining motor fuel tax revenues continued to cause problems for state highway funds across the country. After a year when 31 states considered bills to raise motor fuel taxes, a handful tried again in 1981 to increase the per-gallon tax rate...

Medicaid reform is ongoing.(10 Years Ago--March 1996)
March 1, 2006... The nation's governors crafted a comprehensive plan for Medicaid reform, promising reduced costs and greater flexibility. The bipartisan proposal--which combined cost efficiency and guaranteed continuing coverage for the needy--involved six...