Stateline Headlines

AAA: Sequestration to put the squeeze on holiday travel

Drones, Fences and Sensors Influence Immigration Debate

Border security is a big part of the immigration overhaul. But who will define it?

Tesla rides high, but faces formidable foe: car dealers

Blurry line on pot-DUI cases

Too drunk to drive

Senate considers -- If no one’s behind the wheel, who’s driving?

Driver’s seat

Leave blood-alcohol rules up to states, GOP says

Proposal to lower DUI limit stirs furor from beverage industry

States urged to cut limit on alcohol for drivers

Mileage fee now: Opposing view

Gas tax alternative drive takes wrong turn: Our view

Road Deaths Climb in 2012, Ending Six-Year Slide

New England and the Southwest top the country in highest rate of increase in traffic fatalities.

After Years of Defeats, Immigrants Win Big State Victories in 2013

Arizona’s immigration crackdown is a fresh memory for many, but now many states are passing immigrant-friendly laws. Find out what is driving the change.

Federal Road Fund Could Go Broke by 2015

With federal transportation money drying up, will the burden fall to the states?

Motorcycle Deaths Climb as States Repeal Helmet Laws

With fatalities rising, safety experts say states should force motorcyclists to wear helmets. But legislators are heading in the opposite direction.

Congress Debates Highway Safety Funding Cuts

Budget battles on Capitol Hill could cost states federal money to fight distracted driving and to roll out graduated licenses for teen drivers.

Rural States Struggle to Reduce Road Deaths

Why some states have a lot of traffic deaths is linked to rural roads, seat belts, drunk drivers and speed.

Governors Fear Loss of Bond Tax Exemption

A panel of top tax policy analysts has warned the nation’s governors they face an ongoing risk of increased borrowing costs if President Obama and Congress curb or eliminate the tax exemption on municipal bonds to bring down the federal budget deficit.

Backlash for Red-Light Cameras Hasn’t Slowed Spread

Throughout the country, state legislatures are considering how broadly to use traffic cameras, but the number of communities using them keeps growing.

Where Is Manufacturing Making a Comeback?

After years of losing jobs to lower-cost, overseas operations, several Rust Belt states are seeing a resurgence of manufacturing, led surprisingly by Michigan. In the last three years, Michigan gained nearly 70,000 manufacturing jobs, the most of any other state, according to the latest government figures. Indiana

Gas Tax Loses Favor as Governors Look for New Transportation Money

In the search for more transportation money, governors and state lawmakers are largely avoiding one of the most obvious and straightforward funding sources: state gasoline taxes.

Transit Repair Backlog Will Get Renewed Focus

The condition of bus and train transit systems will soon draw more attention because of a new federal law. The extra scrutiny could put pressure on state lawmakers to address their share of a $78 billion national backlog of transit repairs and upgrades.

States Hope for Rebound in Construction

Construction jobs are slowing coming back to the states hit hardest by the recession and that includes states you might not think of, like Idaho.

Federal Government Gives States More Time on Real ID

Only 13 states issue driver’s licenses that comply with the federal Real ID law, but states that do not will have at least six months to bring their licenses up to those standards.

States Begin Giving Driver’s Licenses to Young Immigrants

The federal government thrust states back into dealing with the contentious issue of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, after years when the practice had become rare and the issue dropped off most legislative agendas.

Voters Approve More State Debt

Voters in New Jersey and Alabama heed their governors’ call and approve bond issues as a way to boost their states’ economies.

States Driving to Strengthen Teen-Road Rules

In the past 18 months, Wyoming state Rep. Rosie Berger (R) has mourned the deaths of 13 teenagers in her district from car crashes. Now she's joining dozens of state lawmakers across the country in proposing restrictions on teen drivers from graduated driver's licenses to limits on passengers and nighttime driving.

Governors Press Bush for More Highway Dollars, Jobs

State governors went to the White House to register concerns about jobs and highway dollars but failed to win offers for any new funds or programs. President Bush promised to set aside election-year politics and work with members of the National Governors Association. But one of his Cabinet members struck less than a conciliatory tone by calling the nations largest teachers union a terrorist organization.

States Take Aim at Driving Under the Influence of TV

Troubled about distracted driving, states are restricting the latest modern invention to take drivers eyes off the road. Thirty-eight states now prohibit drivers from being within eyeshot of TV, video and DVD monitors inside the vehicle. And a new concern drive-by porn is focusing attention on what the motorist in the next lane might be watching.

Elderly Drivers Pose Policy-Making Challenge

As the oldest of the baby boomers, now 58, approach their golden years, they eventually will be asking themselves whether it's time to hand over the car keys. Elderly drivers' fatal accident rates - the highest except for teenagers - have been getting attention nationwide. But regulating elderly drivers is a difficult challenge for state policy-makers because of concerns over age discrimination and questions about how to assess driving ability.

See the U.S.A., Win a Chevrolet

It's summer vacation season, and the competition among states for tourists is fierce. No state wants to be left without vacationers and their wallets. Even with slim promotional budgets, state and local tourism officials are enticing Americans with sweepstakes and freebies to help secure their share of an anticipated summer tourism surge.

New State Laws Take Effect July 1

The beginning of the new budget year means no more talking on cell phones while driving in New Jersey, the start of Sunday liquor sales in Ohio, and Colorados dangerous dogs must wear microchips. Hundreds of new statutes that change people's daily lives are about to go into effect.

Red-Light Cameras Bring Safety, Brickbats

Despite studies that show photo enforcement dramatically reduces traffic accidents, theres still resentment at cameras playing gotcha with red-light runners at intersections. The fuss over red-light cameras shows why more use of photography to catch violators might not be a slam-dunk for states looking for ways to boost road safety. Currently, 18 states and 107 cities use cameras to record violators license plates, and car owners get tickets in the mail.

Underage Drinking Laws Take Aim at Parents

States are taking a new tack in underage drinking law enforcement, one that targets parents when minors drink. Under social host laws in about 35 states, adults are liable if they serve alcohol to minors who then are involved in a death or injury. Tougher laws in 15 of those states allow police to arrest parents who fail to halt underage drinking on their property, particularly at large house parties.

State Highway Safety Laws Rated

Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia and Rhode Island have the worst highway safety laws in the nation, according to a report issued Dec. 16 by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

New Year Rings in Many New State Laws

New state laws that go into effect on Jan. 1 will mean fatter paychecks for minimum wage workers in five states. But some rowdy sports fans had better beware, and skateboarding kids in New York will have to don helmets.

Maine's Former Governor Is King of the Road

If you see a 40-foot RV rolling through Georgia this week, look behind the wheel for former Maine Gov. Angus King. The ex-gov has embarked on a cross-country road trip with his wife, Mary, and children Ben, 12, and Molly, 9. King, who won acclaim for putting laptops in the hands of all his states middle school students, is chronicling his adventures on a Web site, Wheres Molly? and calling in updates to National Public Radio.

Governors Set Winter Meeting

As most states wrestle to close mounting budget deficits, their governors will gather in Washington, D.C., this weekend for meetings focusing on implementing new federal education legislation and reforming Medicaid to shift the burden of spiraling healthcare costs.

Bush Plan Aims to Make Seat Belt Laws Click

Memorial Day, meant to honor soldiers sacrifices, has come to mean the deadliest season on roads and highways across the nation. State laws on buckling up vary, but incentive grants pushed by the Bush administration aim to encourage more states to pass mandatory seat belt laws.

Safety Concerns Fail to Curb Roadside Memorials

Flower wreaths, white crosses, weathered photographs and other roadside memorials are pitting families mourning victims of fatal traffic accidents against state highway officials who are concerned roadside shrines may distract drivers or pose other safety hazards. But with no federal law to regulate roadside memorials, an inconsistent patchwork of state and municipal policies rule the roads.

New Statutes Kick In July 1

Effective today, new state laws will let people drink more but will impose harsher penalties for drunken driving.

States Court Boeing for Airliner Project

State governments across the country are aggressively courting the Boeing Co. as the countrys largest airplane builder shops around for an assembly site for its proposed new commercial airliner, the 7E7 Dreamliner. Amid a crippling budget crisis, the states are cobbling together incentive packages to win the jobs, tax revenue and prestige that a big Boeing project can bring.

Drivers Manuals Lack Distracted Driving Info, AAA Says

States could do a better job of warning drivers about the dangers of talking on a cell phone, putting on makeup, fiddling with the radio and other distracting behaviors while driving, according to a new survey by AAA, a national traffic safety advocacy group.

Bush's Amtrak Plan Stirs Concern In States

States are worried about a provision in the Bush administrations proposal to overhaul Amtrak, fearing it would force them to shoulder much of cost of long-distance passenger train service in the future. State transportation officials generally agree that the nations 30-year-old passenger rail system needs change, but some differ with the administration on how to finance it.

Experts Debate Merits of Bush's Block Grant Plan

President Bush has proposed turning at least six existing federal programs into block grants Medicaid, housing for the poor, workforce development, child protection, transportation and Head Start.

Northeast States Join In Commuter Security Effort

The opening shots of the war with Iraq brought governors of three states together in an unusual effort to protect commuters in the New York City area from terrorist attacks.

Technology Increases Safety for Winter Travelers

States are using sophisticated technology to make winter roads and interstates safer -- from giving travelers weather and road-condition information via the Internet to automated de-icing systems triggered by roadside weather systems.

New Year Rings in Hundreds of New Statutes

The new year brings more than just a change of calendars. Hundreds of new state laws are taking effect from coast to coast, covering such diverse matters as the creation of a highway fast lane, determining who pays for birth control pills and dictating how you can split your tongue to resemble a snakes. And thats just in Illinois!

New Year Rings in New State Laws

New state laws that took effect on Jan. 1 show policy makers are concerned about finding more revenue, preventing smoking, and making motorists drive more safely.

States Restrict Teen Drivers

Driving accidents among sixteen-year-olds are the number one cause of teenage deaths in the United States, far outstripping more highly publicized causes such as school violence and drug abuse. But innovative new licensing laws now in place in 35 states are helping to reduce teen accident rates.

State Officials Recommend Driver's License Database

State motor vehicle officials stopped short of calling for a national identity card on Monday (1/14) when they unveiled a plan to expand the nation's existing commercial drivers database to include all 200 million passenger car drivers. But their plan is still being touted by security experts as one step closer to a unified, nationwide system to help identify and keep track of individuals suspected of terrorist or other criminal activities.

States Fail to Stop Drugged Driving

A recent state-by-state analysis of laws restricting driving under the influence of drugs found that in 42 states, drugged drivers are rarely detected, prosecuted or referred to treatment programs because of weak state laws and a lack of quick and reliable drug tests.

Bush Asks States to Help Secure Airports

President Bush wants the states to help secure the nation's airports as part of his plan to aid the struggling airlines and reassure Americans it's safe to fly again.Speaking at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the nation's busiest, Bush Thursday called on the governors to deploy up to 4,000 National Guard military police at federal expense to bolster airport security. He said the MPs would man checkpoints to help identify people, screen vehicles and look for suspicious baggage.

States Get Report Card On Road Repair

Had a flat tire lately? Front-end out of line? How about a broken axle? If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you're either a bad driver or you're the victim of lousy road maintenance.The non-profit Road Information Program thinks it's more of the latter. Based on its analysis of Federal Highway Administration data, American motorists are spending $41.5 billion a year, or about $222 per driver, on extra vehicle repair costs that could be avoided if the state and federal governments would beef up funding for highway and bridge improvements.

Cell Phones and Driving: More Legislative Talk Than Action

You've seen this picture as you drive to work or to the store: drivers talking on cell phones and navigating at the same time. Is driving while chatting on a cell phone dangerous? Some local governing bodies say "yes." This year, 40 states considered legislation to ban the use of cell phones while behind wheel, but none have taken action.

Survey Spurs Stepped Up Seat Belt Law Enforcement

Every state except New Hampshire requires adults to use seat belts in motor vehicles, but according to the National Safety Council, only two states -- California and New Mexico -- are really strict about making people take a proven lifesaving action and buckle up.

States Crack Down on Gasoline Thieves

More and more U.S. motorists have become "fuel shoplifters." With the price of gasoline at near record-high levels, gas stations are reporting that more drivers are filling up their gas tanks and fleeing without paying. Twelve states have responded by pumping up criminal penalties for those convicted of stealing gas. Most of them have added a punishment to the usual "petty theft" penalty - suspending violators' drivers licenses for six months.

States Looking at Automobile-Cellular Telephone Issue

Gentlemen and women, start your engines. A state race may be on to determine the future of the automobile and the cellular telephone. Legislation to either ban or limit motorists use of cell phones while they drive is popping up in statehouses around the country. At the same time, highway officials and wireless researchers are exploring the use of cell phone technology to reinvent traffic information processes and the development of the nations highways.

States Giving Anti-Growth Measures High Priority

Sprawl is a fast-growing blip on the radar screens of governors and state legislators, pushing once low-priority land use legislation near the top of many states political agendas for 2000.

Specialty License Plates Generate Revenue, Controversy

With Nancy Reagan looking on at a Los Angeles bill-signing ceremony in October 1999, California Gov. Gray Davis okayed an aluminum tribute for one-time California governor and former President Ronald Reagan. Starting this year, Californians who dish out $50 up front and an additional $40 each year they renew their license plate can have Reagans picture on the rear bumper of their car. California Girl Scouts, Florida adoption activists, and descendents of Tennessees Confederate veterans had no such luck in getting license plates honoring them approved, demonstrating that something as simple as a flat piece of metal can generate strong emotions in state politics and government.

Auto Insurance Costs Down Slightly, State Study Shows

The average state auto insurance cost dropped slightly in 1998, the most recent year for which there are statistics, according to a new National Association of Insurance Commissioners report. It was the first decrease in five years. The study focused primarily on insured vehicles with liability insurance, but not necessarily collision or comprehensive coverage.

States Must Step Up Bridge Repair Funding, Report Says

Incremental improvements on the nations roadway bridges have left nearly three in ten in need of renovation or repair and states may need to pick up more of the tab, according to a new independent analysis of Federal Highway Administration data. "'Crisis' is probably a strong word, but it is a concern," said Paul Haaland of The Road Information Program (TRIP), a non-profit highway research group based in Washington, D.C., which conducted the analysis of data collected through December 1999.

States Step Up Efforts To Curb Drunk Driving

Alcohol-related traffic fatalities are declining nationwide, but that hasn't kept a number of states from working to slam the brakes on drunken driving. Tactics range from seizing offenders' cars, to lowering blood alcohol limits, to publicly shaming people convicted of driving under the influence. Aside from the obvious public policy considerations, states are motivated by a desire to safeguard federal transportation dollars that would be lost by not addressing the drunk-driving problem

States Using Graduated Licenses To Curb Teen Driving Deaths

Alarmed by the disproportionately high death rates that teenage drivers and their youthful passengers suffer in crashes, states are increasingly relying on graduated licensing laws to stop the carnage. More than half of all states, 27, have adopted graduated-licensing since 1996, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oregon, Wisconsin, Colorado and Missouri are mulling measures that could drive the total to 31.

Forty Five Governors Sign Zero Tolerance Pledge For Holiday Weekend

Hoping to reduce the number of child fatalities in traffic accidents, forty five governors and all fifty state highway patrol chiefs have adopted a zero tolerance pledge for drivers who fail to properly restrain children in vehicles over the Memorial Day weekend -- one of the heaviest periods of auto travel each year in the United States. For more information on the mobilization effort organized by the National Safety Council, click

Most States Easier on Boaters Than Motorists

States have fairly uniform laws regarding the operation of automobiles, but differ dramatically when it comes to watercraft. There are a number of states where a 10-year-old landlubber can legally fire up a 40-foot cabin cruiser and motor off into the sunset -- by him or herself. For more information, click on

For Many States, Trimming Car Insurance Costs An Ongoing Battle

New Jersey has the highest car insurance rates in the nation, even though officials there have battled for the better part of two decades to keep premiums in check. The Garden State opts for a hands-on approach when it comes to car insurance, as do many states. To learn more, click on

Federal Red Ink Shrinks Money for States

President Bush is offering states no help in paying for congressionally ordered changes to driver's licenses and would foist new costs on states to provide food for low-income pregnant women while slashing money to revitalize poor neighborhoods. One day after Bush released his $2.77 trillion proposed 2007 budget, analysts scouring the document concluded that while it is chock full of savings for the federal government, it could spell new financial responsibilities for states.

Cycle Safety Is Second-Class

Pro football star Ben Roethlisberger's recent motorcycle accident has intensified the debate about whether motorcyclists, in the name of personal freedom, should have the right to increase their risk of injury or death. While most states have increased safety requirements for automobile drivers and passengers over the past 20 years, motorcycle safety rules, and especially helmet laws, have been relaxed or remain static.

States go global for road-safety ideas

Searching for ways to improve road safety without breaking the bank, state transportation officials have found inspiration internationally. Low-cost devices increasingly popping up on roadways across the nation have been used in foreign countries for years.

Too Little Time, Too Much Cost for Real ID

States cannot possibly meet a May 2008 federal deadline making driver's licenses more secure -- steps that could cost more than $11 billion over five years, according to a survey of state motor vehicle administrators released Sept. 21.

Coast Guard Broaches State Boat Licenses

Citing potential terror threats, the commander of the U.S. Coast Guard wants state governments to issue permits to America's 77 million recreational boaters.

States Slow to Give Driver's Licenses to Illegal Aliens

The question of whether illegal immigrants should qualify for driver's licenses and if so, under what conditions - has been a topic of debate in 20 states this year. Although there has been little progress to make licensing undocumented residents easier or more difficult, proposals have prompted passionate support as well as vehement opposition. The fate of a proposal in California could prove influential in establishing a state trend on the issue.

States Balk at License Bill as It Heads to U.S. Senate

It will be impossible for states to comply with stringent mandates for state-issued driver's licenses specified in an immigration bill that cleared the U.S. House of Representatives last week, state officials say. The bill, which experts predict will encounter resistance in the U.S. Senate, explicitly bars federal agencies from accepting as valid forms of identification licenses issued in 10 states that do not require applicants to demonstrate they are lawfully present in the United States.

In Their Own Words: Governors Name Greatest Challenges

Fixing the Medicaid mess is a top priority for America's governors, but job creation and affordable housing also emerged as concerns when Stateline.org recently questioned governors about the biggest challenges facing their states.

Rural Roads Are the Deadliest, Especially in Southeastern U.S.

The most dangerous roads in the United States aren't the perilous freeways of Los Angeles depicted in television shows and video games, or Washington, D.C.'s Beltway jammed bumper-to-bumper during rush hour. Instead, it is the rural two-lane road where a disproportionate number of drivers are killed, especially in Southeastern states.

States Limit Teen Driving to Improve Safety

State legislators in 48 of the 50 states believe they've curbed the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds and made their roads safer by restricting teen driving through "graduated drivers license" programs. The effort is so clearly working that the country's final holdouts - Wyoming and Montana - are moving to join it.

States Push for More Road Money

Federal highway funding isn't always fair. Twenty states collectively paid $1.8 billion more into a national highway fund than they got back for road and bridge projects in 2003, according to the most recent federal data available. Now these states and their representatives in Congress want to assure they get more of their federal gas taxes back.

Hybrids Queue Up for Express Lanes

Five states are sitting as idle as vehicles stalled at rush hour, waiting for federal permission to allow environmentally friendly hybrid cars on their specially designated car-pool lanes. Only in Virginia are single-occupant hybrids now free to roam the express lanes, a practice that may be proving too popular.

Congress Sets New Driver's License Rules

States no longer rule the road when it comes to driver's licenses. Congress just passed strict standards for driver's licenses nationwide that supporters say will help curb illegal immigration and keep licenses out of terrorists' hands. But opponents say the new standards usurp states' authority, violate drivers' privacy, will be costly to states and may not actually increase security.

New State Laws Debut on July 1

A statewide smoking ban in Georgia, a set of tough laws against sex offenses in Iowa and legal procedures for disposing of unclaimed cremated remains in Connecticut; hundreds of new state laws like these take effect every July 1 to coincide with the start of the fiscal year. The new laws reflect the issues that matter most to legislators. This year's priorities included more restrictions on abortion, incentives for environmentally friendly energy and rules to make driving safer.

Congress' Foot-Dragging Slows Road Building

The summer road-construction season should be hitting its prime, but state, county and local transportation planners are freezing projects or putting off plans as they wait impatiently for Congress to dole out highway dollars. June 30 is the latest deadline for passage of a new federal highway bill, already almost two years overdue. The delay is forcing states to work on a fixed budget, delaying $2.1 billion in road projects that would have employed 90,000 workers.

Governors Decry New Driver's License Rules

The nation's governors lambasted new driver's license requirements being imposed by the federal government, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) became the first to threaten to challenge the law in court for infringing on states' rights. Governors met with federal homeland security officials on the final day of the National Governors Association's annual meeting, at which Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) took over as NGA chairman.

Teen Driving Curbs Show Results

UPDATED - The number of automobile deaths in the 15-to-17 year old age group has declined following teen driving restrictions imposed in recent years by nearly all 50 states, according to multiple studies by traffic safety and transportation research groups. As the ranks of teen drivers increase -- 17.5 million will be eligible to drive by the end of the decade, an increase of 1.3 million since 2000, according to a USA Today study -- more states have put safety concerns ahead of teens' desire to hit the road with their friends.

Why Did the Moose Cross the Road?

State road planners are adapting the idea of pedestrian crosswalks to keep panthers in Florida, moose in Maine and tortoises in California from ending up as roadkill. One of the latest methods for protecting wildlife and their habitat is the use of "critter crossings," underpasses, overpasses and fences designed to let wildlife move about more freely and safely as suburban sprawl carries roads deeper into forests and wetlands.

The State of the Union — Crumbling

A congressionally chartered panel is calling for a 40 cent hike in the federal gas tax, last raised in 1993, to fix the nation's aging and overburdened roads and bridges - just one piece of the nation's critical infrastructure in dire need of repairs costing as much as $1.6 trillion. See what's at stake in this excerpt from "State of the States 2008," Stateline.org's annual report on significant state policy developments and trends released Jan. 16.

State Officials Not Sold on New License Rules

State officials and some in Congress remain skeptical about new federal rules for driver's licenses, even after major changes designed to cut the cost of those rules and provide more flexibility.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Friday (Jan. 11) released final rules for the Real ID Act of 2005, giving states nearly five extra years to verify the identity of an estimated 245 million drivers and reissue secure licenses to them.

Bush Budget Gives States Little to Cheer About

Reversing course from last year, the Bush administration announced Monday (Feb. 4) it plans to spend an additional $19.7 billion over five years to see that more of America's children have health insurance.

Governors Target Transportation Funding

The nation's governors are ratcheting up pressure on Congress and the White House to fix the country's crumbling roads, bridges, dams and sewers, an investment some governors tout would serve a dual purpose by boosting the slumping economy.

Real ID Showdown Averted

The clash between the states and the federal government over nationwide rules to make driver's licenses more secure has ended - for now. A truce, of sorts, between the 50 states and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has kicked the issue down the road for the next president and Congress to hash out almost two years from now.

State Workers: Thank God It's Thursday

(Updated 1:45 p.m. EDT, June 30, 2008)In the face of $4-a-gallon gasoline, Utah is imposing four-day workweeks for most of its state employees in a newly invigorated trend at the state and local level to combat record-high energy costs.

Govs Turn to Fixing Infrastructure

PHILADELPHIA - Improving the nation's crumbling bridges, roads and sewage systems is a $1.6 trillion problem that governors intend to explore in the next year.

States Worry About Dwindling Road Funds

(Updated 12:30 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2008)Drivers are buying less gasoline, draining the federal Highway Trust Fund and jeopardizing thousands of major road and transit projects around the country.

Federal Action Needed to Support Transportation System

It hurts to pay $60 to fill up my car. And I don't drive an SUV or any other kind of gas guzzler. So I'm driving less, carpooling and taking public transportation. Other Americans are doing the same.

Frustrated Governors Rip Federal Road Policy

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Fixing congested roads and deteriorating bridges is becoming more difficult for states as their economies tighten and prices for building supplies skyrocket, but five Northeastern governors blame federal policies for hampering states' infrastructure improvement efforts, too.

Power Rates Spike in Some States

Consumers already grappling with high food, gasoline and heating oil prices in many states now face another financial burden: skyrocketing electricity bills.

Summertime Blues Hit States

Michael and Fern Merle-Jones had every reason to be nervous this summer. The couple run a small wedding company on the blissful Hawaiian island of Kauai, marrying couples at beaches, waterfalls, gardens and a lush fern grotto. For a little extra, they'll release butterflies.

States Hound Dogged Drivers

Dubbed the "Paris Hilton Bill," California legislation to ban a pet from riding on a driver's lap suffered a setback at the hands of a harried governor. But at least four other states are considering similar laws.

Opinion: New Infrastructure Spending Demands New Thinking, Oversight

Congress and the Obama administration should find a new and better way to distribute billions of economic-stimulus dollars for infrastructure projects, John Rennie Short, who studies urban and environmental issues as a professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, writes in a commentary for Stateline.org.