Tennessee on Wednesday May 07, 2008

Archive of Tennessee on Wednesday May 07, 2008

Nashville - State spending goes on as revenue drops
By Andy Sher, Chattanooga Times Free Press (registration)
Growth in state tax revenues appears to be swirling down the drain, but hope springs eternal for many Tennessee lawmakers.
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Bill to make child abusers serve full terms approved
By Colby Sledge, The Tennessean (Nashville)
Convicted child abusers could face longer stays in jail, thanks to a state bill inspired by a Wilson County teenager with mental retardation who was found chained to a bed.
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Closure of Tennessee agencies threatened
By Theo Emery, The Tennessean (Nashville)
Dozens of state agencies that perform the most basic government tasks, from patrolling highways to collecting taxes to immunizing children, have become entangled in Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey's efforts to change how state judges are selected.
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Silver Alert helps rescue lost seniors
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
When an elderly person with dementia is lost, seven states can trigger a Silver Alert to let the community know. Proposals in Congress would expand the successful missing persons program to all 50 states.
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Bill would require all DUI offenders to serve 48 hours
By The Associated Press, The Tennessean (Nashville)
Legislation that would require all individuals convicted of drunken driving to serve at least 48 hours in jail passed the House.
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Area lawmaker admits to smoking in legislative office
By Tom Humphrey, Knoxville News Sentinel (registration)
State Rep. Joe McCord acknowledged Tuesday that he and others have been illegally smoking in his legislative office suite, as reported by a TV station. But he questioned the tactics used by a reporter in discovering a dozen bottles of legal liquor.
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Tennessee - Death row inmate will get new trial after 22 years
By Monica Mercer, Chattanooga Times Free Press (registration)
A man who has been on death row in Tennessee for 22 years will get a new trial after a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling Monday.
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Tennessee legislative briefs - Scholarship bill faces Senate vote
By Press Services, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) (registration)
The Republican version of a sweeping lottery scholarships proposal is on its way to a Senate floor vote.
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Guard members are heading back to state
By Staff, Knoxville News Sentinel (registration)
JACKSBORO, Tenn. - Members of three Tennessee National Guard units are back in the United States from Iraq.
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Chattanooga - Local case tied to death penalty debate
By Adam Crisp, Chattanooga Times Free Press (registration)
A Chattanooga man, convicted of murder in a 1983 St. Elmo slaying, will be the state's benchmark case in a national debate over whether lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment.
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State won't fight release of inmate
By Rose French, the Associated Press, Knoxville News Sentinel (registration)
The Tennessee attorney general's office says it won't fight an appeals court decision that clears the way to release or retry death row inmate Paul House, who has been imprisoned for nearly 22 years.
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Prosecutor assures he will retry House
By Chris Echegaray, The Tennessean (Nashville)
An East Tennessee prosecutor says he will retry death row inmate Paul House despite the state attorney general's decision not to fight an appeals court ruling favoring House.
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Execution is first since ruling
By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post (registration)
Georgia executed killer William Earl Lynd last night, ending a more than seven-month nationwide hiatus on capital punishment prompted by the Supreme Court's examination of lethal injection.
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Wal-Mart selects 20 capitols, including Pa.'s, for energy audits
By The Associated Press, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced partnerships with Pennsylvania, 18 other states and Puerto Rico to help them save on energy and electricity costs at their capitols.
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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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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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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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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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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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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.

WORTH NOTING: Phantom voter stalks Ala. State House
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
An Alabama lawmaker says someone’s been using his voting machine. Florida’s House Speaker locks the doors and turns off Internet access to make legislators pay attention. And Mayberry’s Sheriff Taylor endorses a North Carolina gubernatorial candidate. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.
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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.

Summary of the State of the State Address

Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) compared running state government during a national economic slowdown to being the captain of a ship in stormy waters in his address Jan. 28.
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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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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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