Louisiana on Tuesday May 06, 2008

Archive of Louisiana on Tuesday May 06, 2008

Will states fix 2012 primary process?
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

While voters in Indiana and North Carolina go to the polls today (May 6) to help Democrats pick Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama as their nominee and Republicans rally behind John McCain, party insiders and state election officials are in informal talks to improve the presidential nominating contests for 2012 and beyond.
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Lawmakers comb through budget proposals
By Michelle Millhollon, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Legislators on Monday debated litter control, the cost of river ferries and whether the state is spending too much money teaching juvenile offenders everything but the basics.
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Legislator pay raises simmer
By The Associated Press, The News Star (Monroe)
A hefty pay raise proposal for lawmakers was put on hold Monday by a Senate committee, amid questions about the state's budget for the upcoming year.
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State official mourns woes of Road Home
By Joe Gyan Jr., The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
How does Gov. Bobby Jindal?s point man on hurricane recovery efforts spell heartburn? R-O-A-D-H-O-M-E.
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State plans bigger role in appeals
By Bill Barrow, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
The Louisiana Recovery Authority is putting the finishing touches on an overhaul of the Road Home appeals process that allows homeowners to challenge the final award granted by the state's primary residential rehabilitation program.
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Legislative pay raise vote put off by panel
By Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
The Senate Finance Committee shaved about $20,000 from a proposed legislative pay raise Monday before persuading its chief sponsor to delay a vote until lawmakers have a better handle on what will be financed or cut in the state's $30 billion operating budget.
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Bill reshapes system for funding projects
By Jan Moller, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to overhaul the way major construction projects are financed in the annual capital outlay bill passed its first committee test Monday despite grumbling from some legislators that the process still leaves too much spending power in the hands of the administration.
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Panel revises capital outlay process
By Jordan Blum, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
The Jindal administration stepped in on Monday to change the process for choosing which construction projects the state will fund.
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Panel resists easing building code
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
A House committee on Monday fought efforts by north Louisiana legislators to kill off the new statewide building code but put limits on what inspectors could charge.
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Legislative notebook -- Jindal angers lawmakers with veto threat
By The Associated Press, The News Star (Monroe)
Some lawmakers took offense at a letter from Gov. Bobby Jindal, in which he threatened to line-item veto the add-ons they often insert into the state's budget each year.
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Harris County may send more inmates out of state
By Liz Austin Peterson, The Houston Chronicle (registration)
With the Harris County Jail already filled to the brim and an influx of inmates expected this summer, the sheriff's department is asking Commissioners Court for permission to send another 1,130 more inmates to Louisiana facilities.
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Food prices on a roll
By Ellen Simon, The Associated Press, Portland Press Herald
Americans may be getting another helping of food inflation, thanks to higher prices for chicken and pork.
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Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
By Kim Mendelsohn, Special to Stateline.org
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state.
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WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in.
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Parents turn to states for autism help
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs.

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Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
By John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views.
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Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure.
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With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
By Daniel C. Vock and John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writers
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say.
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More states offer choice in long-term care
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes.
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Credit crunch hits states' college loans
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated 11:55 a.m. EDT, April 23, 2008)

The credit crisis has led some state lending agencies to suspend their federal and private student loan programs, forcing thousands of students to search elsewhere for money to pay for college.

Partisan mix in R.I., Conn. poses challenges
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The blue states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have had a long tradition of electing Republican governors. But in both states, the combination has led at times to difficult — even chaotic — policymaking.
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Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

For the past several election cycles, the Democrats have been on a roll in legislative elections. This year, the party is well-positioned to hold its majority of chambers — but greatly expanding Democratic control may not be in the cards.

Gay marriage decisions ripe in Calif., Conn.
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated March 6, 2008)

More than four years after its historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in blessing gay marriages — more than 10,000 to date — and its example has spurred no imitators but lots of backlash. All eyes now are on the highest courts in California and Connecticut.
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'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The national polls point to a tight presidential race in November. But Democrats have a bit more to cheer about than Republicans do, regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, according to the latest state-by-state electoral-vote projections by “Out There.”
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Governors pitch ambitious programs
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.

Commentary: Govs beat White House hopefuls as agents of change
By Gene Gibbons, Stateline.org Executive Editor

This column was published simultaneously by The Politico.

It took a while for most of the presidential candidates to figure out that voters want “change” and action on a variety of issues that affect their lives. They might have gotten it sooner if they had noticed the way that many states, led by innovative governors, are moving forward in areas like health care, immigration and global warming.
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Iraq casts shadow on 2008 state races
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

Not a single governor or state legislator wields authority over the conduct of the Iraq War, yet a broad range of party strategists and political analysts agree that state races in 2008 will be shaped, mostly indirectly, by public attitudes towards that conflict. Unless there’s a sea change in public opinion, that’s bad news for Republicans.
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Democratic mid-term gains affecting policy
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org columnist
So complete was the Democratic rout in the 2006 midterm elections that the party even gained legislative influence in Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming – states long dominated by the Republicans. And those gains, though small, are translating into policy achievements.
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WORTH NOTING: Illinois gov runs up travel tab
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commuting costs start to add up. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds settles a dispute with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a cranky game warden. California corrections officials install “flushometers” to control wasteful toilet flushing in prisons. In case you missed any of those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.
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Embryonic stem cell research divides states
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
President Bush’s second veto of a bill to allow federal funding of stem cell research puts the ethical issue squarely in states’ hands. So far, seven states have moved to fund the research, six have banned it, three have affirmed its legality but do not fund it and a handful of others continue to debate the issue.
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States outpace feds on minimum wage
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
When the new federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, 30 states will require employers to pay hourly workers more than federal law requires.
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