Stateline Stories

2013: The Year of Big Majorities

Last November’s voting left one party or the other in full control of government in most states of the country. But how they plan to use their power is a tricky question.

Survey Finds Support for Welfare Reform

Americans generally support recent changes in the nation's welfare system, with most believing welfare recipients should work, as federal law and states now require, a new survey shows. An overwhelming majority also thinks the government should offer the health, child care and transportation services that will make the transition from public assistance into work more successful.But less than half of those surveyed in a poll commissioned by the Kellogg Foundation were willing to pay higher taxes for more services for the poor.

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As many of our colleagues wrestle with Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, a political tar baby if ever there was one, we delight in noting that interesting things are happening in the states. A new governor, striving to infuse his administration with team spirit, serves lunch to state employees. A state legislator proposes a pay differential for his state's teachers based on housing costs, an idea modeled after the military housing allowance. Neat stuff.

Three States Buck Tide by Eyeing Tax Hikes

At a time when governors and legislators across the nation are swimming in surplus revenue and striving to outdo each other in fashioning politically attractive tax cuts, Alaska, West Virginia and Maryland are going against the tide by considering significant tax hikes. In the most noteworthy case, Alaska Governor Tony Knowles, a Democrat, is mulling over a plan to enact both a personal income tax and a statewide sales tax to address the state's projected $900 million Fiscal Year 2000 budget shortfall.

Clinton School Accountability Plan Draws Skepticism

President Clinton's State of the Union proposal to demand greater accountability of public schools in return for federal dollars is getting more boos than cheers from groups that shape federal education policy. "We don't want to see a program in which state and local school districts are held hostage to standards set in Washington," said Bill McCarthy, a spokesman for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Texas Gov Bush A Devolution Fan

George W. Bush, the popular Texas governor and early favorite of political handicappers for next year's Republican presidential nomination, strongly advocates shifting money and power away from Washington to state and local government. In an interview, Bush said he believes accountability is heightened rather than diminished by the current trend toward government decentralization, or devolution.

States Vary On How To Spend Tobacco Settlement Billions

With forty-six states and five U.S. territories preparing to collect initial payments of the $206 billion tobacco settlement, proposals ranging from establishing scholarships in Nevada to auctioning off Louisiana's full settlement have emerged. Governors and legislators are being warned to temper their plans, however, because of federal threats to take as much as fifty percent of the settlement.

New Study Paints Grim Picture Of Lifestyle For U.S. Underclass

A vast national survey of the financial, emotional and mental well-being of American families finds poor children and their parents are at least twice as likely to suffer a wide range of hardships than their wealthier counterparts."Snapshots of America's Families", released this morning by the Urban Institute, also reveals significant disparities in family health across states, with high percentages of households in California and Texas, the nation's two most populous states, in financial and emotional trouble.

New Hampshire School Fight May End State's Tax Taboo

For nearly three decades, pledging to veto broad-based taxes has been a rite of passage for New Hampshire governors. No one spurning the pledge has ever won the state's highest office, and Gov. Jeanne Shaheen was no exception in winning her second term last November. But New Hampshire's status as one of two states without a general income or sales tax - Alaska is the other -- is in jeopardy despite Shaheen's promise because of a court-ordered reexamination of public school financing.

Wisconsin's Tommy Thompson - Eyeing New Horizons?

Wisconsin's capitol, the political preserve of Republican Gov. Tommy G. Thompson for 13 years, is getting reacquainted with political diversity. Other players are emerging from the political spell cast by the 57-year-old four-term governor, who has thrice enjoyed the magic of a 60 percent reelection margin. The result could be some interesting jockeying as Thompson tries to position himself for a change of scenery and others vie to succeed him.

Electric Utility Deregulation Express Losing Steam

Barring filibusters and sleeping pills, few things set heads nodding faster than talk about electric utility deregulation. But for the nation's largest business, the stodgy, $208-billion electric power industry, it's big. It's also big for state legislators, consumer advocates and environmentalists. And one day soon, ordinary consumers may also take interest, should this soporific issue deliver promised cost savings in the double-digits.

Hearings On Federal School Aid Begin With Calls For Fewer Strings

As Congress begins working on another five-year extension of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the legislation that funnels federal funds to public schools, state and local leaders are telling Washington in effect: give us the money and stay off our backs. "Education policies and initiatives historically have been the domain of the states and their local school districts, not the federal government," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce this week.

Welfare Reform, Two Years Later

The most profound consequence of the 1996 federal welfare law is the steep drop in caseloads in every state. The new rules, combined with the robust economy, have helped states reduce caseloads 44% nationally since 1993. But as families abandon welfare at a record-setting pace, we have only a vague understanding of how they are continuing to support themselves. From a handful of early studies, it appears Temporary Aid to Needy Families, as the current welfare program is called, has made only slight improvements over the old system, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. stateline.org takes an in-depth look.

States Get 'Governing' Report Cards

Good news for residents of Missouri, Utah, Virginia and Washington -- your state tax dollars go to the four best-run state governments in the nation, according to findings published in the February edition of Governing magazine. Alabama received the worst grades in the two-year study, which was conducted in conjunction with Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and financed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based philanthropy.

Young Artists Mark California's Changing of the Guard

According to California schoolchildren, the same things that have historically drawn more people to the Golden State than to any other part of the country will propel it into the 21st Century -- the Pacific Ocean, dreams of fame, and a diverse culture and landscape. Artwork that incorporates those images was assembled into a mosaic and used as a decoration at California Gov. Gray Davis' inaugural events. The "Millennium Mosaic," a compellation of 21 works of art by school kids throughout the state, was also printed on commemorative t-shirts and banners.

Florida Republicans Focus on Tax Cuts, Education

As Republicans take over Florida government for the first time since Reconstruction, the talk is all of tax cuts and education. Gov. Jeb Bush is giving those issues high priority in his first budget. The GOP now controls both houses of the legislature, the governor's office and the elected state cabinet - a first for any southern state. It is out to make a good impression, and ready to do something voters will remember.

State, Federal Officials Hold Anti-Terrorism Summit

Taking the first concrete steps toward a unified state-federal counter-terrorism policy, Attorney General Janet Reno, Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt and officials from 48 states gathered in Williamsburg, Virginia Tuesday and Wednesday for a national summit. Justice Department officials used the meeting to announce the first ever direct funding to states for counter terrorism equipment and training.

'Fab Five' Give Arizona Something to Brag About

Arizona has become a political trailblazer by installing women in its top five elected posts -- a first among the 50 states. "We have varying responsibilities, we have different styles and we even may have some philosophical differences. But we share a commitment to working together for the betterment of the state of Arizona, " Gov. Jane Hull says. Positive stories touting the women's success are a welcome change for a state accustomed to notice for less progressive policies and politicians.

States Scramble to Upgrade Schools

From Maine to California, improving education is far and away the top priority of the states this year, and governors have all kinds of ideas about how to do it. The focus on schools is partly driven by pressure from voters who want their kids to learn more, but even more so by the intense competitiveness of today's economy. Ray Scheppach, executive director of the National Governor's Association says governors are looking at how to position their states to attract better firms and higher paying jobs, and realize it all boils down to education.

Illinois' New Governor Faces Pressure on Gun Control

For much of the 1998 gubernatorial campaign, Illinois television sets were ablaze with the image of actors running through the streets with guns in their hands. The campaign commercial from Republican George Ryan meant to remind voters that guns too often wind up in the hands of criminals, and imply that his Democratic gubernatorial opponent -- U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard, a one-time opponent of the Brady Law and assault weapons ban -- would do nothing to address the problem. But it now puts pressure on the newly-installed governor to deliver on an important campaign pledge and move the gun debate beyond gridlock in the Illinois General Assembly.

Crime Spending Exploding In Many States, Study Shows

State and local criminal justice spending nearly doubled between 1983 and 1995, thanks largely to public pressure for stricter law enforcement, a new study says. Phenomenon such as the war on drugs, `three strikes' laws and increased prison construction helped boost criminal justice budgets from $50.7 billion in 1983 to $96.1 billion in 1995, according to the Center for the Study of the States, which conducted the study. The center is a function of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, N.Y.

Focus On Education Spurs Government Job Growth

A sharp increase in state and local education hiring caused the largest government job growth in five years in the third quarter of 1998, according to a newly released report from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for the Study of the States. The center said its calculations showed state government job growth from July to September exceeded the private job growth rate for the first time since 1992.

Minnesota's Colorful New Governor Stars on Web

With a click of the mouse, the silhouette of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's shaved head bursts into view like a full moon. Near the top of the computer screen, alongside a snapshot of the former pro wrestler's piercing eyes, is an in-your-face boast: "Our Governor Could Beat Up Your Governor. Welcome to jessethebody.com, the brainchild of Tony Scudiero, 18, and Victor Eifealdt, 17, students at the Minnesota Academy of Mathematics and Science. Mark Ordal, dean of the Winona, Minn. school, served as "technical advisor and co-conspirator."

California Gov Aggressive on Education Reform

With public opinion polls showing education far and away the top issue among California voters, Governor Gray Davis began his new administration by calling a special session of the Legislature to enact his school overhaul package. "My first priority - in fact, my first, second and third priority - is education," the 56-year-old Democrat said in his State of the State speech." Davis' proposals would place more stress on reading, demand greater accountability from teachers and administrators and otherwise tighten standards. Click On Headline To Read Full Story

Health Care in America - Outlook For Change

The nation's economic outlook is bright--unemployment is at an all-time low, incomes are rising, the poverty rate has declined, interest rates have plummeted--yet the number of Americans without health insurance is rapidly increasing. In 1997, an estimated 43.4 million Americans, 16 percent of the population, had no health insurance. That is a 25 percent increase from 1990 when 34.7 million had no health insurance. Among the uninsured were 10.7 million children under 18. stateline.org looks at the situation.

State of the State Speechmaking Lets Governors Soar

It's a governor's chance to be the Great Communicator, to bedazzle rapt lawmakers and constituents with stirring, inspirational speechmaking. At least, that's how state of the state speeches probably play out in every governor's head. None of them deliberately sets out to deliver dry, endless policy recitations that sometimes make `state of the state' synonymous with SOS. If anything, there's a temptation to "sound like a speaker at a testimonial dinner," South Carolina's new Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges said in his maiden state of the state address. In a special report, stateline.org samples this year's gubernatorial rhetoric. Click On Headline To Read Full Story

Watchdog Group Raps State Legislators on Ethics

When New Mexico Senate President Manny Aragon, long a foe of private prisons, took a job last June with the Wackenhut Corrections Corp., the owner of two prisons being built in his state, even fellow Democrats were disgusted. In Georgia, critics jeered when House Democratic Leader Larry Walker co-sponsored a bill protecting beer and wine wholesalers from out-of-state competition because his law firm represented one of the law's chief beneficiaries. Neither lawmaker broke any law. According to a stinging new report from the Center for Public Integrity, a non-partisan political watchdog group, conflict of interest rules covering the nation's 7,400 state legislators are riddled with loopholes "big enough to drive a truck through."

Drive To Improve Schools Sparks Hunt For Teachers

States and school districts across the nation might be headed for a bidding war as they compete with each other and private industry for men and women who have a flair for teaching. The first shot was fired by Massachusetts, which in the past month has gone hunting for people with outstanding instructional skills with $20,000 signing bonuses. "We have thrown out a challenge. This signing bonus has struck a national chord," Massachusetts Interim Education Commissioner David Driscoll told stateline.org. But the Bay State isn't alone in aggressively recruiting teachers. Click On Headline To Read Full Story

Illinois Close Call Kindles New Debate Over Capital Punishment

Free but penniless after nearly 17 years of unjust imprisonment, Anthony Porter has become an unwitting focal point in an debate over Illinois' use - or potential misuse -- of the death penalty. Pure luck intervened to keep this admitted former gang member from going to the executioner's chamber. Porter is the 10th Illinois Death Row inmate in 22 years to be freed after new evidence surfaced and implicated someone else Porter's case has rekindled debate over capital punishment in the Illinois General Assembly, and the fallout has even spread to neighboring Indiana.

Governors Set The Table For Washington Conference

Education, children's health, welfare reform and public safety top the agenda at the annual winter meeting of the nation's governors, which will take place in Washington Feb. 20-23 in a climate of cooperation and bipartisanship. Mindful of the distrust surrounding politics in the nation's capital in the aftermath of President Clinton's impeachment trial, Republican and Democratic state leaders have chosen "Progress Through Partnerships" as the theme of their four-day meeting.

Health Care Review Infrequently Used in Many States

Consumer clamor for health care reform has state and federal lawmakers scrambling to enact patient protection legislation before the year is out. But in over one-third of the states, laws have already been enacted that have established an independent, impartial process for appealing denials of coverage. The programs are quick, hassle-free and inexpensive, and patients have about a 50-50 chance of getting negative decisions from their health plan overturned. But a Kaiser Family Foundation Report and stateline.org research shows that programs remain obscure and infrequently used

States Gripped by Tax Cut Mania

As governors and legislators throughout the country reap the benefits of economic good times, record state budget surpluses and rosy revenue projections are encouraging a tax-cutting spree. A stateline survey indicates state governments will enact net tax reductions for an unprecedented sixth year in a row, building on a combined tax reduction in the 50 states of $7 billion in Fiscal 1999. In contrast, states had net tax reductions only twice in the previous decade, according to Stacey Mazer of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Electric Utility Deregulation Driven By Costs

The push among states to deregulate their electric utilities, triggered by federal laws passed in 1978 and 1992, has entered a second, more cautious phase. Gone is the urgency shown by 18 states that embraced deregulation from 1996 through 1998. Most of those states, including New Jersey, the most recent convert, have residential electric costs well above the national average of 8.43 cents per kilowatt hour. But cheaper electricity elsewhere has taken the edge off the issue.

Governors Circle Wagons Around Tobacco Billions

Tobacco, not education, was the No. 1 priority to emerge from a four-day National Governors' Association winter meeting that ended Tuesday. Specifically, 48 state chief executives vowed to block Uncle Sam from tapping into a $246 billion settlement promised to states by tobacco companies. Governors were unified in their opposition to a federal plan to take 57 percent of the settlement as reimbursement for federal Medicaid funding

Welfare Crisis Looms in Pennsylvania

Taped to a wall where Tanya McFadden waits for her caseworker is a somber reminder of how far welfare reform has come in Pennsylvania. "One Check Left," the sign says. For McFadden and thousands of others like her, March spells the beginning of the end. Statewide, 37,734 adults -- mostly single mothers -- will hit their two-year limit for public assistance. Under Pennsylvania law, they are required to work for 20 hours a week, or else lose welfare benefits for the whole family. Some 25,876 of them, nearly 70 percent, live in the Philadelphia area.

Education and Marital Status Key To Keeping Kids Out Of Poverty

The nation's new welfare program is a first step in improving the financial well-being of many of the nation's poor children, but it will fall well short of moving many of them out of poverty. An analysis of the working poor released yesterday by the Washington research group, Child Trends, finds children whose parents work as mandated by the new welfare law are far less likely to be poor than children in families whose parents are unemployed. But, the Child Trends analysis finds that improving work participation and marriage will not be enough.

Medical Marijuana Use Uncertain Despite Referenda

Nearly one person in five in this country lives in a state that exempts patients who use marijuana under a physician's supervision from prosecution for illegal drug use. But advocates say residents of Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and California should think again if they believe their state's law assures people ready access to medical marijuana. The White House Office of Drug Control Policy says federal authorities will not sanction pot-smoking until scientific evidence establishes that medical benefits outweigh risks

Education Experts Clash Over Reform Proposals

To the dismay of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union, and many U.S. educational experts, a growing number of America's governors want to subsidize parents who send their children to private schools. Pilot voucher programs are underway in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Tax credits are available in Iowa and Arizona. And at least 24 states are considering similar legislation. At a meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures last weekend, officials debated the pros and cons of this approach to education reform.

Montana Lawmakers Brake State's Speedway Image

After being ridiculed nationally for more than three years, fiercely independent Montana has finally enacted a daytime speed limit on its highways, bringing "Montanabahn" - word-play on the German speedways called autobahns -- to a screeching halt on May 28. Adoption of the 75-mile per hour speed limit for cars and light trucks (70 mph on two lane highways) topped the mid-session deeds of the Montana legislature, leaving tax relief and ballot issues as the major pieces of unfinished business.

Oil Crisis Forces States Into Action

While dollar-a-gallon gas is a dream for the nation's drivers, $9-a-barrel oil is an all too real nightmare for oil producing states straining to recoup lost revenue. One of them, Alaska, is facing a $1 billion budget gap thanks to the lowest oil prices since 1977. After considering and rejecting other remedies, Gov. Tony Knowles has proposed reviving the state income tax, last collected in 1980. Meanwhile, Texas, Wyoming and Oklahoma are resorting to a mixed bag of legislative actions to protect in-state oil producers and safeguard severance tax revenues that account for a significant portion of their general fund incomes.

Bush's Prospective Candidacy Overshadows Work of Texas Legislature

Lone Star state lawmakers are working their way through the biennial 140-day session of the Texas legislature under the white-hot glare of national attention generated by Republican Gov. George W. Bush's probable presidential campaign. Bush earlier this week announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee that allows him to start raising campaign money. "I do have a compelling reason to consider running for president," he told Texas reporters at a news conference last Tuesday. "For my family and every family in America, I want the 21st Century to be prosperous."

Gun Lawsuit Fray Pits Gun Lobby, Lawmakers Against Cities

On the sidelines for more than a year as big-city mayors across the country first threatened andthen began filing lawsuits against the gun manufacturing industry, the National Rifle Association has now entered the fray in full force. By pushing legislation at state and federal levels, the NRA is using its political muscle to try to quash lawsuits seeking to hold gun makers liable for the public health consequences of gun violence the same way tobacco firms were legally pursued for problems caused by smoking. In this in-depth report, stateline.orgexamines this public policy struggle.

Vermont Experiments To Make Justice System Work Better

On any morning, nearly half the 2,500 criminals serving time in Vermont wake up not in prison cells, but in their own homes. Although Vermont has one of the nation's lowest crime rates, it still produces enough criminals to badly overload the Green Mountain State's tiny prison system. To help ease crowding -- and increase the chances that offenders will return to productive lives -- the state has sent a growing number of convicts to live in neighborhoods under programs that range from traditional house arrest to an innovative technique called "reparative probation." In this special report, stateline.org looks at the programs.

1999 Year Of The Pay Raise For Many Lawmakers

Emboldened by the booming economy and robust budget surpluses, state legislators in many parts of the country are making 1999 the year of the pay raise. Lawmakers in 10 states -- Maryland, Kentucky, Idaho, Illinois, California, New York, Colorado, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Connecticut -- will be getting fatter salaries this year. And five other states -- Kansas, Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina and Tennessee are talking about paying their legislators more. One exception to the national trend is New Mexico, where lawmakers get no salary for their 60-day session, just a per diem. That per diem was just cut by $1, bringing it down to $124 per day.

Welfare Recipients Need Schooling, Job Aid, Study Shows

To prepare welfare recipients for 21st century careers, states need to expand their welfare-to-work services beyond transportation and child care to include education, careful job placement and subsidized training, a new study by the Educational Testing Service has found. Without additional education and skills training, women moving from welfare to work will continue to struggle in jobs paying poverty-level wages, the report says. ETS, the corporation that directs the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for college admissions, unveiled details of Getting Down to Business: Matching Welfare Recipients' Skills to Jobs That Train at a Washington, D.C. news conference Wednesday.

States, Congress Weigh Medical Privacy Safeguards

Personal medical information, once thought to be safely tucked away in a manila folder in your doctor's office, is increasingly stored in large, linked computer databases where insurance companies, drug manufacturers, courts, and in some instances employers can access it without your consent or knowledge. Currently, no federal law exists that protects the confidentiality of medical records. "The fact is your videotape rental record has more federal protections than your medical records," says a spokesman for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In this report, stateline.org looks at what the states and Congress are doing about the problem.

Welfare Reform Moves Ahead in Hawaii Despite Hard Times

While most of the United States enjoys an economic boom that has gone on longer than any previous peacetime expansion, Hawaii's Pacific paradise image has lost its glitter for many because of economic hard times in the island state. Those with jobs, whether in the struggling private sector or on the public payroll where a wage freeze is in effect, share concern about the future. However, a declining welfare caseload may signal light at the end of the tunnel.

Study Finds Rainy Day Funds Would Dry Up In Recession

More than three-quarters of states are unprepared for even a mild future recession and need to invest more money in their rainy day funds to provide for that eventuality, according to a new report issued by the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities. "Financial woes abroad should be a reminder that another U.S. recession is possible and even probable in the next few years," said Iris Law, co-author of the report. "Nobody is hoping for another recession, but it's only prudent to ask whether states have done enough to prepare for the next one."

State Tax Collections Up For Sixth Straight Year, Report Says

Spurred by an 11.2% increase in income tax collections nationwide, total state tax revenue rose 6.9% during fiscal year 1998, according to a report released Monday by the Center for the Study of the States, an Albany, N.Y. think tank. Revenue collections from income, sales, and corporate taxes exceeded original budget estimates by $11 billion dollars, and were higher than expected in 45 states. According to the report, this marked the fourth year in a row that states collected more tax money than originally budgeted.

Michigan Legislature Feeling Impact Of Term Limits

In Maine, Arkansas, Missouri, California, Colorado, Oregon and Michigan, there are a lot of new faces in the legislature this year. These seven states are feeling the impact of term limits that drove scores of veteran lawmakers out of office in 1998. Eleven more states will be affected in coming years as state government is transformed. In this special report, stateline.org examines how the term limit experiment is working in Michigan, which is second only to Arkansas in the number of new legislators.

U.S.D.A. Study Raises Questions about Electric Deregulation

Electric utility deregulation could cause 19 states to have higher electric costs, especially rural customers in those states, an internal study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture concludes. The study, which runs counter to Clinton administration claims that deregulation will save consumers in every state billions of dollars annually, recently fell into the hands of the National Journal, which reported its findings. Despite this fresh ammunition for foes of deregulation, a powerful congressman is set to start work on a bill that would mandate it in all 50 states.

Medical Marijuana Report Shows Pot Helps Some Patients

Voters who supported medical marijuana initiatives in six Western states now know that science stands behind their vote, based on a government-ordered report on the effectiveness of pot in easing unpleasant side-effects of certain illnesses. The study, conducted at the request of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, was released today by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine. It says a review of all relevant scientific evidence found that marijuana's active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS wasting, and other symptoms, and should be tested in clinical trials.

Washington Covets States' Welfare Money

For the second time in two years, members of Congress want to cut the federal contribution to welfare in order to divert the money to other programs, a plan critics denounce as an attack on the spirit of devolution and an abrogation of the landmark 1996 welfare agreement. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, has proposed tapping unspent welfare money to meet a Clinton administration request for emergency aid, primarily for survivors of last October's Hurricane Mitch. A bill approved by the committee on March 4 would prohibit states from spending $350 million of their current federal welfare allotment until 2001. The bill would also cut $285 million from the food stamp program.

Sacramento Computer Woes Belie California's High Tech Image

In California, where the modern electronics industry was born six decades ago, state government has stumbled from one expensive computer purchasing disaster to the next. The Department of Motor Vehicles is the latest agency to fall into a quagmire of expense, delay and legislative criticism. Between 1988-94, the department spent more than $50 million on a new system for driver's license and registration information, only to see the effort fail. The new system simply did not work. In 1995, a new effort was launched, but the state's legislative analyst, Elizabeth Hill, reports that the department does not know when the systems will be installed or how much they will eventually cost. stateline.org examines the problem.

Internet Good Source Of Info on New Hampshire School Crisis

With the New Hampshire state government fast approaching a court-imposed April 1 deadline to find a new way to finance public schools, it's easy for the public to learn about the crisis and find out how proposed fixes will affect them. There's a wealth of information on the Internet. In this report, stateline.org identifies some Web sites focusing on the crisis and tells you what you will find on each of them.

No Deal In Sight On New Hampshire School Funding

Finding a fairer way to pay for schools in New Hampshire as the state Supreme Court insists has evolved into a high stakes poker game, with no one yet holding a winning hand. Income tax backers hold the most aces, but Gov. Jeanne Shaheen believes she has the only card needed to trump them - a promise to veto the tax. Meantime, the court's April 1 deadline for action is fast appoaching. A look at the impasse in this stateline.org special report.

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

Art Contest Flames Interest In Flight

Benjamin Crabtree has loved airplanes - and drawing - since he was a toddler. Now 12, he is still too young to fly a plane, so he paints his dreams of becoming a pilot and, every year, he enters his work in an international art contest for children sponsored by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale of Lausanne, Switzerland. Meet Benjamin and learn more about the contest in this stateline.org report.

Bible Belt States Looking To Lotteries Despite Traditional Qualms

For as long as anyone in statehouses around the Bible Belt can remember, the region's opposition to state-sanctioned gambling has been rooted in one unshakeable stricture: gambling is a sin. Now state leaders--and ultimately voters--must make a choice between a new economic logic and an old moral certainty historically used to defeat gambling measures. stateline.org examines an issue high on the agenda in Alabama, the Carolinas and Tennessee.

Early Legislative Sessions Focus On Taxes, Education, Cooperation

From cutting the food tax in Virginia to establishing a Megan's law in New Mexico to attempting to repeal the prohibition on polygamy in Utah, states with early legislative sessions addressed a passel of issues and earned generally positive marks for avoiding partisan conflict. In this special report, stateline.org looks at the work of the eight legislatures that have now adjourned.

US Teachers Protest Serb Attacks

As many as 20 Kosovar teachers and a headmaster were murdered in front of their students by Serb forces at the close of last week, according to the United States' two largest educators unions. Read about the educators letter to President Clinton in this special report by stateline.org.

Children's Insurance Enrollment Numbers Disappointing, Experts Say

Spurred on by President Bill Clinton, Congress in 1997 created the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, a ten year, $48 billion plan to fund health care for kids of the working poor. It was the biggest federal investment in health insurance since Medicare and Medicaid were established 34 years ago. But the state-administered program is off to a slow start, with less than one in five of the estimated five million children eligible enrolled so far. The scanty participation is worrisome to some, who say the program's funding could be at risk if states cannot find and enroll more kids.

New Hampshire Not Alone In School Finance Headaches

On the eve of a court-imposed April 1 deadline, New Hampshire legislators are trying to find a formula to solve the state's public school financing crisis. But it isn't the only state struggling with the problem. Since a wave of lawsuits designed to equalize education spending in rich and poor school districts began in California in 1971, only a few states have not had to deal with the issue.

Transient Trash - A Garbage Issue In 33 States

Tired of talking trash with garbage-exporting New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and not wanting Virginia to become the nation's pre-eminent landfill, Gov. Jim Gilmore signed laws this week capping his state's intake of municipal solid waste. The issue, which fired up Virginia voters and united the Legislature, is also confronted by 32 other trash-importing states. This is especially true in Pennsylvania, whose intake of 6.3 million tons of out-of-state refuse in 1997 makes it first in the nation, according to the Congressional Research Service. stateline.org looks at the problem.

Wyoming Adopts Health Insurance For Kids Of Working Poor

Wyoming, the second to last state to construct a plan to provide health insurance to kids of the working poor, has finally adopted the necessary legislation, but it took two years and a contentious battle among lawmakers. On March 1, Republican Gov. Jim Geringer signed into law a bill that launches KidCare, Wyoming's version of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Congress established the program in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act, but Geringer and conservative legislators had long opposed the structure of CHIP, labeling it an "entitlement" program rather than a block grant, and a threat to "personal responsibility."

Online Governing A Reality, States See Online Voting In Future

Wired citizens in a growing number of states can already use their computers to file tax returns, apply for state gaming permits, renew driver's licenses and register their cars online. In the very near future, voters might also find themselves with the ability to cast ballots from their desktops. On March 17, California became the first state to officially study the possibility, convening a task force to study the efficacy of an Internet voting system.

Deal Ends Political Row That Tied Alabama Senate in Knots

Alabama's state senate reconvenes today after settling a rancorous parliamentary dispute that paralyzed the lawmakers for a month. The dispute stemmed from a power struggle between Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman and Republican Lt. Gov. Steve Windom. In this special report from Montgomery, Ala., stateline.org looks at what the fight was all about and the deal that ended it.

Fourth Quarter State Revenue Figures Show No Slowdown

State tax revenue grew 7.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 1998 over the same period last year, marking the second strongest quarter of real revenue growth since the current economic boom began in 1992, a report issued today by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for the Study of the States shows. The strongest quarter in that time period was the second quarter of 1998. Revenue growth was again driven by gains in personal income taxes, confounding the warnings of some economists that overall U.S. economic growth could not continue its extraordinary pace.

School Test Probes Raise Concern

The movement across the states to use testing to measure school reform is causing a stir. Complaints of sinking morale among educators and students, growing corruption of test results and flawed new tests, are beginning to surface. Read more in this stateline.org report.

Social Security Reduces Elderly Poor By 11.4 Million, Study Finds

One in two elderly Americans would live below the poverty line were it not for Social Security, according to a new study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington think-tank. The study, which includes the first state-by-state comparison of Census Bureau Social Security figures, found that the retirement benefit program reduced the number of elderly living in poverty in the United States from 15.3 million to 3.8 million. The state-by-state figures indicate that Social Security benefits lift more than 250,000 elderly out of poverty in 14 states and over 100,000 in 33 states.

Two Faces of Welfare Reform: More People Work, Some Fall Behind

In the 1996 overhaul of the welfare system, Congress directed states to "end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation [and] work." Since the law was enacted, the Clinton administration and the states have heralded success in reducing dependence as caseloads have dropped 35 percent nationwide. Now, evidence is mounting that many states are also increasing reliance on work. Recent reports from 13 states detailing life after welfare show rates of employment that are, in many cases, higher than were achieved under the old welfare program.

Downside Of Welfare Reform -- No Safety Net

Recent reports from 13 states detailing life after welfare show more women are leaving welfare for work. But, some of these states are also finding evidence of lives made harder by the loss of cash assistance. In this second report in a series, stateline.org looks at those who say life off welfare is worse.

Montana's Racicot Thrives Politically By Listening

Montana Gov. Marc Racicot is not a national household name, but he's a big deal in Big Sky Country and increasingly a force in Republican political circles. Racicot's listen and learn approach, which is partly responsible for his soaring approval rating among Montanans, has been adopted by GOP leaders as part of their Election 2000 comeback strategy. And there's talk of a bright future for this key ally of Texas Gov. George Bush if Bush captures the White House. For a Racicot profile, click on

State Tax Cutting Brightens Outlook For Taxpayers In 2000

Thirty-seven states enacted tax cuts totaling $8.1 billion in fiscal year 1999 revenue losses, while only eleven states raised taxes, according to a year end summary of 1998 tax and budget actions released Wednesday by the Center for the Study of the States. Eight of the eleven states that enacted tax hikes cut other taxes, resulting in only four states enacting net tax increases.

Taxpayers Generally Slow To Take Advantage Of Online Filing

Nine of the 50 states let citizens file their tax returns electronically over the Internet, but cyberspace tax collecting is apparently an idea whose time has not yet come, an informal stateline.org survey found. Of the three states that already have tracking figures, Indiana and South Carolina are disappointed in the low numbers of taxpayers using new Internet tax filing. But the New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue expects almost ten percent of all 1998 tax returns to be filed via its two-year-old system

Green's California Assembly Victory: Anomaly or Start Of Trend?

The greening of American politics has taken on new meaning following an upset special election to fill an Assembly vacancy in the California Bay area. Green Party member Audie Bock bested the seasoned Democrat, Elihu Harris, former two-term Oakland mayor and six-term assemblyman, by just 327 votes out of 29,021 cast in late March, ending nearly 30 years of Democratic domination in the district. In this special report, stateline.org looks at Bock's victory in a broader context.

States Under New Affirmative Action Attack

Hopes, and fears, that anti-affirmative action laws passed in California and Washington State would trigger a national tidal wave haven't materialized. However, ripples of discontent flowing out of Florida indicate that it could be next. California's Proposition 209, passed in 1996, forbids gender or race as a consideration in state contracting, employment and higher education. Washington voters approved a similarly worded Initiative 200 in November. In the meantime, affirmative action foes are working hard to bring other states into the fold. Read more about states' affirmative action initiatives in this stateline.org special report.

Gov Davis Makes Education Top Priority For California

California is about to embark on a new way to run public education. Gray Davis, the state's new Democratic governor, has signed four bills he proposed in January, when he called a special session of the Legislature to deal with what he calls his "first, second and third priority" - public education. Although rewritten, sometimes substantially, by the Democratically controlled Legislature, the bills are largely what Davis sought. Read more about Davis' education plan in this stateline.org exclusive report.

National Teacher Certification - What The New Rage Is All About

In a bid to improve the performance of public schools, a number of states are offering teachers financial bonuses and grants to gain national certification. The recognition is conferred by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), a non-profit organization based in Southfield, MI. While it supposedly establishes that an educator is professionally proficient, becoming certified is pricey - and some lawmakers are critical of the process. In this report, stateline.org takes a closer look.

Policy Makers Walk Political Tightrope In Dealing With Sprawl

As state legislatures pause today, however briefly, to observe the twenty-ninth anniversary of Earth Day, government action on controlling growth and suburban sprawl has produced mixed results in the 1999 legislative sessions so far. In this report, stateline.org examines how policy makers in Utah, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina have dealt with the issue.

Education Jobs Account For Increase In State, Local Government

State and local governments continued to create new jobs in 1998, but at a slightly slower pace than the year before. The biggest gains came in California, Florida and Texas. Read more detail in this stateline.org report.

Minnesota Bucks Trend in Voting To End Emissions Testing

Although vehicle emissions testing is an imperfect science and annoys many motorists, a majority of states maintain testing programs. For one thing, emissions programs do help combat air pollution. For another thing, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can yank millions of dollars in highway funds if states fail to meet air quality standards. Learn more in this stateline.org report.

New Federal Organ Transplant Policy Runs Into Resistance

Current U.S. transplant policy states that body organs harvested locally are first offered to local residents awaiting a transplant. If the federal government gets its way, the system will be overhauled to increase sharing across state lines. Fighting the regulation, which is to go into effect Oct. 21, is the government contractor that oversees the current allocation system, nearly a dozen states, most organ transplant centers and many concerned doctors and patients. They say the current system works, and the effort to change it is due to heavy lobbying from large transplant centers who would gain financially from the federal changes.

Littleton Massacre Spurs New Efforts To Deter School Violence

In an eerie coincidence, policymakers in Oregon, Georgia and Virginia were taking steps to tighten school security laws when the massacre in Columbine High School forever burned Littleton, Colo. into public consciousness last week. Several other states, including Colorado, were poised to liberalize gun laws, but most of those measures were put on hold as the nation grieved over its latest schoolhouse slaughter. In this report, stateline.org surveys the immediate legislative impact of the tragedy in which 15 people died.

Eye-Opening Maine Survey Samples Student Attitudes

An innovative program in Maine that tries to learn what adolescents are buoyed and bothered by could be one way to identify and deal with the kind of student alienation that all too often of late has resulted in tragedies like last week's high school massacre in Littleton, Colo. In this report from Orono, Maine, stateline.org special writer Sandor M. Polster takes a look at the program.

Kentucky, Montana Move To Protect Welfare Surplus

Many states are drafting plans to increase spending on low-income and welfare families, but Kentucky and Montana have announced their new initiatives are a direct result of recent attempts by Congress to cut the federal contribution to welfare and divert those funds to other programs. In this report, stateline.org looks at how those two states have moved to prevent any Washington budgetary raid.

South, West Lead Nation In Public Service Hiring

In the South and West, state and local government filled 270,000 new positions last year, eighty percent of the total non-federal public service hiring and a number that shows how these regions are growing. Overall 1998 state and local hiring also continued to expand, according to a new study by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Electronic Wine and Drug Sales Causes Stir In States

Web-surfing wine connoisseurs and e-pharmacy shoppers should check their state laws before they order a case of California Chardonnay or a vial of Viagra with the click of their computer mouse. Currently, liquor may be sold across state lines to residents in only 16 states without restrictions, such as limits on sales volumes. Twenty-one states prohibit direct-to-consumer sales of alcohol and six make it a felony. While no state has banned outright the importation of pharmaceuticals purchased online, some states require that online pharmacy sites be licensed by a state's pharmacy board to sell in that state. But the nature of online sales makes these areas hard to regulate.

Internet Tax Panel To Start Work Next Month

Ending a six-month dispute over the composition of a congressionally created Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has named an Oregon county commissioner to fill a spot voluntarily vacated by Netscape CEO James Barksdale. This will allow the panel to schedule its first discussions toward forming the nation's Internet taxation policy. For a full report, click on

Littleton Massacre Spotlights Parental Liability Laws

Prior to the school shootings on April 20 in Littleton, Colo., at least 13 states had laws making parents criminally liable for acts performed by their children. The deaths of 14 students and one teacher at Columbine High School will likely lead to a proliferation of such legislation. For a full report on the likely legislative follow-up to the Littleton tragedy, click on

Wisconsin Typical Of State Tobacco Settlement Debate

More than 440 bills dealing with how to allocate tobacco settlement funds have been introduced in the state legislatures since the $206 billion dollar settlement between 46 states and the five major tobacco companies was reached last November. With Congress moving to bar any federal claim to share in the settlement, it looks likely that states will have complete control of the money. In many, there is sharp debate on how to spend it. For a special report on how the debate is playing out in Wisconsin - click on

A Portrait of America's Mothers From Census, Financial Data

How much is a Mother worth? One financial analyst estimates the value of a mother's services at more than $500,000 a year. Since Sunday is Mother's Day, stateline.org has compiled some interesting facts on the 35 million American women who are raising children.

State Legislature Scorecard: 21 Down, 28 Still At Work

Legislatures in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Montana and North Dakota adjourned recently, joining 12 others that previously finished their regular 1999 sessions. For a look at some of the accomplishments and unfinished business of the lawmakers. click on

States Face Up To Realities Of Police Racial Profiling

As four men, three black and one Latino, made their way down the New Jersey Turnpike toward a North Carolina university where they were planning on trying out for the basketball team in April 1998, they had no way of knowing that three of them would end up at a hospital with police inflicted bullet wounds before they reached the state line. Their attorneys, bolstered by an outraged public, argue that the young men were stopped because they were minorities - a practice known as racial profiling. Read this stateline.org report to learn what states are doing to battle this practice.

Pay Hikes In Store For Lawmakers In 22 States

As state legislatures move to close the books on this year's sessions, pay hikes for lawmakers continue to play a prominent role in final-hour legislative frenzies. Since stateline.org last looked at the issue on March 10, twelve more legislatures have voted themselves raises, increasing the number of states enacting raises in the past year to 22. For a complete account, click on

Arizona Sending Drug Offenders To Treatment, Not Jail

Hannah Merrill, 19, of Tucson, Ariz. started using speed when she was 15 years old. She committed petty crimes to support her habit. In late 1997, Merrill was convicted of check fraud, and given a choice of spending three years in jail or receiving treatment for her drug habit. She chose treatment and today is off drugs, working full time and going to college. Merrill is one of 2,622 Arizonans who were diverted from incarceration to treatment because of a ballot initiative approved by voters in 1996. Supporters say Arizona's encouraging results could be a model for other state and federal programs, and could change the slogan "Do drugs, do time," to "Do drugs, do treatment."

State Input Missing From White House Youth Violence Summit

Spurred by the massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, President Clinton brought Cabinet members, parents, students, entertainment world luminaries like singer Gloria Estefan and gun manufacturers' representatives to the White House this week for a closed-door gabfest on the problem of youth violence. News reports before and after the session noted the absence of top officials of the National Rifle Association, an arch-foe of gun control. But the White House also failed to invite any governors or state legislators, who are arguably on the frontlines of the battle to stop school shootings. Click on

Lawmakers In New Mexico, Missouri And Vermont Call It Quits

In New Mexico, Missouri and Vermont, lawmakers scrambled last week to complete last-minute haggling over end-of-session tax and budget measures. Each of these legislatures has now adjourned, bringing to 24 the number of state lawmaking bodies which have completed work for 1999. Click on

States Vary Widely In Y2K Compliance Progress

Only seven months remain before states confront the much-ballyhooed millennium bug, the Y2K computer glitch. Nebraska and North Dakota say they have already ensured their computers will function properly on Jan. 1, 2000; 19 other states claim to have completed three-quarters or more of the work. Sixteen more say they have finished at least half the programming needed to become Y2K compliant. But 13 states are less than halfway there or have failed to report their status, according to the National Association of State Information Resource Executives, which is monitoring the situation. Click on

States Spending More than $3 Billion On Y2K Problem

To assure that their computer systems are Y2K-ready as of next New Year's Day, 43 states are spending more than $3.3 billion - a sum exceeding the combined gross national product of Guyana and Suriname in South America. Georgia is the leading Y2K spender, followed by California and New York. For more information, click on