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Archive of Politics on Monday June 29, 2009
RI: R.I. House adjourns with bills unresolved
With scores of bills still in limbo, the Rhode Island House of Representatives abruptly went into hiatus at 1 a.m. Saturday. Speaker William J. Murphy cited the need to cool off and return for at least a day in July, and again on a regular basis in September, to continue working through Assembly business. Read More
PA: State lawmakers split over use of new media
As many state legislators take the plunge into social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, state Sen. Jim Ferlo isn't exactly LOLing. Read More
AK: Palin tweets that Emmonak residents are meeting subsistence needs
According to Gov. Sarah Palin's posts on Twitter, half of the people in Emmonak have met subsistence needs and the other half believe they can do the same. Read More
AK: Administration backs gas line, official says
WASHINGTON -- Beyond its $30 billion cost, there are thousands of steps on the path to the proposed pipeline that will take North Slope natural gas 1,700 miles through Alaska and Canada. Read More
AK: Gov. Palin selects new spokesman
The turnover continues in Gov. Sarah Palin's public relations staff, with her top spokesman, Bill McAllister, forced out after less than a year in the position. Replacing McAllister is David Murrow, an author of Christian books who lives in Chugiak. Read More
AL: Alabama Board of Education considers changes to state's testing plan
A proposal to completely overhaul the state's testing plan - including doing away with the Alabama High School Graduation Exam and instead requiring all 11th-graders to take the ACT - was met with support from Alabama Board of Education members Thursday. Read More
AL: Siegelman absent at conference
Former Gov. Don Siegelman was a no-show at a Friday morning conference dedicated to allegations of selective federal prosecutions under the Bush administration. Siegelman had been scheduled to speak, but had to return to Alabama because of "a major filing" in his court case, said Andrew Krieg , one of the conference organizers. Read More
AL: Davis seeks ideas: Legalizing pot No. 1, but nixed
Legalizing marijuana turned out to be the top single vote-getter when U.S Rep. Artur Davis used his gubernatorial campaign Web site to solicit ideas for moving Alabama forward. Read More
AL: State Rep. Merika Coleman and Rep. Priscilla Dunn face off in special Democratic runoff to fill state Senate District 19 seat
Voters in west Jefferson County will go to the polls Tuesday in a special Democratic runoff election to fill the state Senate District 19 seat vacated by the federal conviction of former Sen. E.B. McClain. Read More
AZ: Legislature hopes to cram months of work into 2 days
As Arizona lawmakers enter their 24th week of work, things don't look all that different from when they started Jan. 12: A gargantuan budget deficit. Scores of bills. Difficult relations with the governor. And not much to show for all the time and effort. Read More
AZ: State budget deal calls for a tax overhaul
Arizonans would see a switch to a flat income tax, get a chance to vote on a sales-tax increase and see smaller state government as part of a budget agreement reached between Gov. Jan Brewer and GOP legislative leaders. Read More
CA: Turf wars loom as services retooled
Overshadowed by the more immediate budget crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers are crafting separate plans to restructure state fire protection and water-delivery services across California. Read More
CA: Governor threatens third furlough day for state workers
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to furlough state workers an additional day each month starting in July if lawmakers do not send him an immediate solution for the entire $24 billion budget deficit, he said Friday. Read More
CA: Fiscal crisis puts Prop. 13 up for discussion
About this time every year, as the Legislature and governor wrestle over how to pass the state budget, somewhere, somebody blames Sacramento's stalemate - and the state of the California's mediocre schools and crumbling roads - on Proposition 13. Read More
CA: No sign of deal to close Calif. deficit
With the threat of IOUs just days away, Democratic and Republican lawmakers show no sign of compromise in their efforts to close California's $24.3 billion deficit. Read More
CA: Governor says he would veto any budget end run
In a controversial simple-majority vote Sunday night, the state Assembly approved raising taxes on oil production and tobacco products as part of a Democratic budget proposal that closes most of the $24.3 billion budget shortfall through June 2010. Read More
CA: Fiscal changes hit prison officers union hard
Once seen as the model of public employee labor sophistication and clout, California's prison officers union is struggling amid the state's financial meltdown and a sour relationship with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read More
CA: Dan Walters -- More fuel for debate on malaise
Perhaps the most enduring political debate in California – right up there with water – is whether the state's periodic plunges into economic recession are caused by circumstances beyond its control or a self-inflicted malady. Read More
CA: Burning Moms use humor to push for education changes in California
They think of themselves as street-theater activists who are willing to get in the face of the powers-that-be to bring equity to the state's school funding system. Read More
CA: Assembly Democrats push budget plan that doesn't need GOP support
Democratic legislators trotted out a stick-and-carrot approach to closing the state's budget gap Sunday night, negotiating with the governor on one floor of the Capitol while voting for a package of cuts and taxes on another. Read More
CA: Democrats try talks, majority-vote approach
Democratic legislators trotted out a stick-and-carrot approach to closing the state's budget gap Sunday night, negotiating with the governor on one floor of the Capitol while voting for a package of cuts and taxes on another. Read More
CA: Governor's last stand -- his way or IOUs
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, seeking to conquer what could be the last budget crisis of his tenure, is engaged in a high-stakes negotiating strategy with lawmakers that could force him to preside over a meltdown of state government. Read More
CO: Colo. crisis worst since Depression
Colorado lawmakers who have already balanced a budget shortfall of $1.4 billion now must come up with an additional $384 million in cuts, marking this as the worst downturn for state government since at least the Great Depression. Read More
CO: More than 100,000 people turn out for Denver's annual PrideFest
James Steed surveyed the crowd celebrating PrideFest and remembered the years when Denver's gay community lived in the shadows. Police would harass customers at gay bars, and few were willing to risk losing a job by revealing their sexual orientation, the retired public school teacher said. Read More
CO: Rep. Salazar takes green heat for bucking climate change bill
Colorado environmental groups were quick to criticize Democratic Congressman John Salazar Saturday after he joined the two Republican members of the state delegation in voting against the American Clean Energy and Security Act Friday. Read More
CT: Rell in budget talks with legislative leaders
Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders met Sunday for the first time in three weeks to try to negotiate an agreement on a new state budget, adjourning after a couple of hours without a resolution but with at least one participant calling the session "productive." Read More
DE: Budget ax aimed at fix-up program
The upcoming state budget would give lawmakers less than half the money they got this year for a controversial program to fix streets, plant trees and pave parking lots in their districts, a legislative committee recommended Sunday. Read More
DE: Tax hikes run risk of public outrage
A push by the General Assembly to hike personal and business taxes at a time of record unemployment could generate a powerful political backlash. Read More
DE: State looks for uses for ex-MBNA building
When legislators bought a shuttered MBNA building in downtown Wilmington for $13.4 million two years ago, officials first said it would be used as a training facility. Read More
DE: Deadline looms for sex-abuse cases
The two-year window of Delaware's 2007 Child Victim's Act is about to close, putting an end to a steady stream of civil lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse that dates to the 1950s and reaches to churches, schools and private homes. Read More
FL: Florida attorney general's schedule shows part-time workload
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has carried a part-time workload for the past two months, according to his schedule posted on his website. Read More
FL: The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives...
The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives to investigate Rep. Ray Sansom's dealings with a Panhandle college has concluded that there is probable cause that the former speaker of the House violated House rules and could be sanctioned. Read More
FL: Alex Sink orders her office to review her state-plane use
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has ordered her office to ''conduct a thorough and immediate review'' of her use of the state plane after questions were raised about whether the plane was being used strictly for official duties. Read More
FL: Florida House panel to review Sansom case
State Rep. Ray Sansom, already indicted by a grand jury, now faces disciplinary action from his colleagues after an investigator Friday found probable cause that he damaged ''faith and confidence'' in the Florida House. Read More
GA: Stimulus money to help make homes more energy efficient
Taxpayer weatherization programs that provide better home insulation and more energy-efficient appliances to the poor are about to get a massive shot in the arm from federal stimulus dollars. Read More
GA: Perdue's stimulus plan slow to help sagging economy
Gov. Sonny Perdue promised in January that his state stimulus package would create 20,000 construction jobs, but what he didn't say was that most of those won't come on line until well into 2010. Read More
GA: Gubernatorial donors pinched by recession
The candidate for governor looks at the list of people to call that morning and ask for campaign contributions. Read More
GA: Georgia to overhaul health and social service agencies
For years, Georgia's health and social service agencies have lurched from crisis to crisis. People wait months, if not years, for something as simple as a copy of their birth certificate. Read More
HI: Karamatsu considers joining lieutenant governor's race
State Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu is considering running for lieutenant governor next year. Read More
IA: Benefit cuts possible for future Iowa retirees
Iowa's largest public employee pension fund could be forced to reduce benefits for future retirees because of the global recession, which has worsened the fund's existing financial troubles, state officials said Thursday. Read More
IL: Former govs tell Quinn to play hardball on budget
Former Republican Govs. Jim Edgar and Jim Thompson say lawmakers are getting off easy in this budget fight and the state's current chief executive needs to ramp up the pressure. Read More
IL: State budget mess leaves plenty of questions
With lawmakers returning to the Capitol today to take another crack at balancing the state's budget, the Daily Herald seeks to answer some of the basic questions behind the current situation. Read More
IL: Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield to face budget deadline
As lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday with an unsettled state budget and a deadline to act staring them down, the rhetoric behind potential drastic social service cuts has become clouded by questions of credibility from the governor on down. Read More
IL: Patti Blagojevich back in Chicago, thankful
Former Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich said Friday morning that making new friends during her time on NBC's reality show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" helped her get over those she's lost since her husband's arrest on federal corruption charges. Read More
IN: Clock ticking on state budget talks
State lawmakers are due back at work as they face a deadline of midnight Tuesday to pass a new state spending plan. Read More
IN: State shutdown near, warns Daniels
Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he was prepared to keep essential services such as public safety running if lawmakers do not pass a budget by midnight Tuesday, but warned that most of state government would shut down. Read More
IN: No compromise yet in state budget impasse
House and Senate budget negotiators met throughout the weekend – and are behind closed doors already this morning – but haven't reached a compromise needed to avert a government shutdown. Read More
KS: High court narrows rule for search during traffic stop
The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday narrowed the scope of police searches at traffic stops in the state, saying its ruling was prompted by a similar decision from the nation's highest court. Read More
KS: Poll shows Kansans want road improvements
As unhappy as Kansas suburbanites may be with a lack of alternatives to driving, they still want bigger and better roads, a new state poll reveals. Read More
KS: Analysis -- Stimulus taking shape
Sitting around a conference table, members of the governor's Cabinet pondered the impact of nearly $2 billion in federal stimulus money flowing into Kansas. Funding for schools, highways and the unemployed is aimed at helping maintain education quality, create construction jobs and help residents who were recently laid off. Read More
KS: Audit rocking Kansas higher ed
It was one of the strangest situations in Kansas politics in recent years, and that's saying something. Read More
KY: Ky. horse industry warns that future is bleak
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Leaders of the state's horse industry see it clearly: If more gambling isn't allowed at Kentucky racetracks, the state will have fewer horses, fewer races and, eventually, fewer horse farms. Read More
KY: Racing industry to target slots foes
With the death of the racetrack slots bill in a Senate committee last week, proponents of expanded gambling are now turning their attention to the 2010 legislative elections as their next realistic chance to win the support they need to finally prevail. Read More
LA: Jindal emerges from second legislative session in control
By his own admission, Gov. Bobby Jindal and his administration made some rookie mistakes during the 2008 regular session, the first for the nation's youngest governor. Read More
LA: Jindal signs bill to boost some pensions
Legislation to boost the pensions of certain retirees now is state law. Read More
LA: Jindal veils office's records
The news release from Gov. Bobby Jindal's office was laden with irony. Read More
LA: LSU researchers -- coastal restoration projects doomed to fail
Even under best-case scenarios for building massive engineering projects to restore Louisiana's dying coastline, the Mississippi River can't possibly feed enough sediment into the marshes to prevent ongoing catastraphic catastrophic land loss, two Louisiana State University geologists conclude in a scientific paper being published today. Read More
LA: Medicaid under review
Private health-care providers who treat Louisiana's poor are facing a $180 million cut in the government health insurance program that pays them. Read More
MA: Deval Patrick signs off on tax hike bill
Bay State consumers, already hard-pressed by a slumping economy, will be slapped with a 25 percent sales tax hike and nearly $1 billion in total tax increases Aug. 1, Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday after signing a massive transportation reform bill. Read More
MA: Gov. Deval Patrick sides with dental benefits, immigrant coverage
Gov. Deval Patrick will agree to the Legislature's plan to preserve $100 million worth of dental benefits for enrollees in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, heavily subsidized programs that serve largely lower income residents, according to a person briefed on the governor's plans for dealing with the $27.4 billion state budget on this desk. Read More
MA: Gov. Deval Patrick eyes pricey solution to counterfeit cigarette tax stamps
Bay State consumers, already hard-pressed by a slumping economy, will be slapped with a 25 percent sales tax hike and nearly $1 billion in total tax increases Aug. 1, Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday after signing a massive transportation reform bill. Read More
MA: Gov. Patrick signs transportation reform bill
Gov. Deval Patrick signed the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority out of existence Friday. Read More
MA: Gambling debate kicks off at state house
A new round of public debate about allowing casinos in Massachusetts kicks off at the State House on Monday. Read More
MA: Mass turnpike board to withdraw toll hike
A $100 million toll increase on on the Massachusetts Turnpike is just days away, but the Turnpike Board of Directors is likely to rescind the toll hike. Read More
ME: Law improves voter access to initiative costs
When voters close the curtains behind them on Election Day, they'll have a bit more information available to them than in the past. Read More
ME: Lawmakers' financial disclosures faulted
Maine was one of 20 states to earn a failing grade on a recent report card that measures financial disclosure rules for state lawmakers Read More
ME: Wanted -- Long-term vision for state budget
Lawmakers will begin meeting next month to figure out exactly where they can cut $30 million more out of a state budget that has already been pared to the bone. Read More
MN: Pawlenty -- 'I'm prepared to sign' Senate election certificate
After hedging for weeks about how he'll react to the state Supreme Court ruling on Minnesota's Senate race, Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave his clearest answer to date Sunday. Read More
MN: Pawlenty wants to rebuild GOP after scandals
WASHINGTON -- A potential White House contender in 2012 staked a claim Sunday to rehabilitating the Republican Party in the wake of extramarital affairs by two leading Republicans that have damaged the GOP's family-values image. Read More
MS: Budget session yielding progress
State lawmakers, trying to approve a budget before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday, advanced legislation Sunday that would head off increases in Mississippians' car-tag costs, hike taxes on cheaper cigarettes and set budgets for certain state agencies. Read More
MS: Barbour says no plans to run for president
WASHINGTON — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he would be "very surprised" if he ended up running for president. Read More
MS: Miss. lawmakers engage in last-minute budget blitz
Mississippi lawmakers are playing a frantic game of beat the clock as they try to pass a nearly $6 billion state budget before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. Read More
NC: Hard times, tough luck for Perdue
Nearly six months after taking office, Gov. Beverly Perdue's political honeymoon is over. Read More
NC: Even on breaking deadline, House, Senate spar
It has come to this: Lawmakers can't agree on a deadline for breaking the deadline. Read More
ND: Hoeven expects to decide Senate run in early Sept
Republican Gov. John Hoeven, who has avoided questions about whether he will challenge Democrat Byron Dorgan for his Senate seat, says he is likely to decide by early September whether he will join the race. Read More
NH: Tense times for Lynch, employees
The special friendship between Gov. John Lynch and the State Employees' Association appeared to be on life support last week. Read More
NH: Size of budget debated
The fight over crafting the state's next budget ended Wednesday, when the Legislature passed an $11.5 billion two-year plan that Gov. John Lynch promptly vowed to sign. But the fight over how - and whether - the budget represents an increase in state spending has just begun, and will likely continue through next year's elections. Read More
NH: New taxes hit the dirt
Bob Bradley, owner of Blake's Brook Campground in Epsom, pointed to a small piece of land with un-mowed grass, wet from the recent stretch of rainy days. Read More
NH: Prison officers: Cuts have created unsafe conditions
State corrections officers say budget cuts that led to layoff notices for 32 prison-guards have created a powder keg inside the state's already overcrowded and understaffed prisons. Read More
NH: NH gov says he'd furlough himself to save jobs
Gov. John Lynch said Friday he'd furlough himself to save New Hampshire money and jobs, but everyone in state government must participate for a furlough program to be fair. Read More
NH: NH small business fair includes financial agencies
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Small business owners in New Hampshire are getting the chance to network with potential financing partners and learn about state, federal, and private funding resources. Read More
NJ: Corzine signs bill to impose electoral rules on lieutenant governor candidates
Without ceremony, Gov. Jon Corzine Friday signed legislation that imposes electoral and campaign finance requirements upon candidates who seek the position as New Jersey's first lieutenant governor. Read More
NJ: Joe Biden's gaff bites Jon Corzine in — speech
Vice President Joe Biden suffered another bout of foot in mouth disease Thursday evening and this time Gov. Jon Corzine got bit. Biden replaced Corzine as governor of New Jersey with a guy named Tim Kaine. Read More
NJ: Corzine defends record to Newark crowd
More than 90 percent of Newark's voters supported Jon Corzine when the Democrat ran for governor in 2005. That was then. Now facing a tough re-election challenge from Republican Christopher Christie, the governor defended his record yesterday on issues including education and children's health care at a town hall meeting in the city. Read More
NJ: After months of stalls, legislators slap limits on buying handguns
Handgun purchases in New Jersey would be limited to one per month after lawmakers gave final approval early yesterday to a controversial bill that had stalled for months and re-emerged in the rush before the Legislature's summer break. Read More
NM: Pearce not ready to play; delays decision on 2010; could guv be his best shot?
There's tentativeness in the Steve Pearce camp. The former southern NM Congressman previously said he would make a decision by June 30 on whether to seek his old southern congressional seat or launch a bid for Guv by 2010. Read More
NM: New Mexico Politics -- Legislative rankings require many grains of salt
A scorecard put out by the Albuquerque-based Association of Commerce and Industry following this year's legislative session would have you believe that Rep. Nate Cote of Las Cruces is the least supportive member of business and industry in the New Mexico House of Representatives, while Sens. Mary Jane Garcia, Cynthia Nava and Steve Fischmann are all among the bottom five in the Senate. Read More
NV: Rory Reid gets serious early in 2010 race for governor
One sign Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid is in it to win it: He's had a campaign manager on the payroll since early May, which is pretty early for a gubernatorial election in November 2010. Read More
NY: Governor David Paterson poised to benefit from chaos in state Senate
The state Senate fiasco might just be the best thing that's happened to Gov. Paterson since Eliot Spitzer's prostitution scandal. Read More
NY: Gov aide meets with top GOP mudslinger
Gov. Paterson's top political adviser has met secretly with longtime Republican dirty trickster Roger Stone, who took credit for helping sink the governor's predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, The Post has learned. Read More
NY: 40 yrs. after Stonewall, Gay Pride Parade calls for wed rights
A festive sea of revelers marked the 40th anniversary of the era-changing Stonewall uprising during Sunday's Gay Pride Parade even as they looked ahead toward another struggle - the fight for gay marriage. Read More
NY: State Senate fails to break gridlock
Negotiations collapsed again Sunday night, prolonging the three-week partisan leadership battle that has ground the 62-member State Senate to a halt with just 48 hours to go before a number of important laws will expire without the chamber's action. Read More
NY: Paterson -- Albany mess could mean LI property tax boost David Paterson
Gov. David A. Paterson Sunday called on state senators to put an end to political chaos in Albany, warning in a trip to Long Island that property taxes could rise and services cut without a quick resolution. Read More
NY: Paterson in plea to Dems
Gov. Paterson made an unusual personal visit to a closed-door gathering of Senate Democrats last night in a dramatic effort to break the stalemate that has paralyzed Albany for the last three weeks. Read More
NY: Pols keep squabbling as clock ticks down on mayoral control
The mayor, the governor, two borough presidents and union leaders all warned yesterday that "chaos" is coming to the public schools if the deadlocked state Senate doesn't extend mayoral control of city schools. Read More
NY: NY Senate power talks resume
A three-week dispute over control of New York's Senate is getting more frantic behind the scenes, leading to a change in negotiators for the Democratic conference and new efforts to split the Republican-dominated coalition. Read More
NY: Paterson ratchets up efforts to get Senate to break stalemate
As Republicans and Democrats in the State Senate failed again on Friday to reach an agreement to divide power, Gov. David A. Paterson continued to test the limits of his constitutional authority to compel both sides to compromise. Read More
NY: State official under Pataki pleads guilty
Antonia C. Novello, the former United States surgeon general, pleaded guilty on Friday to a felony charge as part of a plea deal, admitting that she forced state employees to handle personal chores when she was the health commissioner of New York State. Read More
NY: Espada puts lawyer-lobbyist at center of talks on Senate power struggle
For the last week, two teams of lawyers and aides, one representing Senate Democrats and one representing the Republicans, have been meeting in the Capitol to negotiate over how the two sides might share power. Read More
NY: Albany standoff hits governor
Through three weeks of stalemate in the New York State Senate, Gov. David Paterson has pleaded with and threatened senators to force them to return to work -- so far to no avail. In the face of his apparent ineffectiveness, the senators' antics are starting to hurt him as much as the legislature. Read More
NY: Albany festers, and voters don't clean house
Senator John J. Bonacic has been a New York state legislator for nearly 20 years. For him, competition is not a problem. Mr. Bonacic, a Republican from the Hudson Valley, received 66,736 votes and faced no opposition as he cruised to a sixth Senate term last year. Read More
NY: Democratic lock seen on 2013 Albany Senate
Albany gridlock got you down? Well, worry no longer, the end is in sight — the State Senate should be back in business by 2013. An analysis of population shifts since this decade began suggests that Democrats are poised to gain as many as six seats when legislative districts are reapportioned after the 2010 census. Read More
NY: Gay marriage lost in shuffle of divided Senate
When Gov. David A. Paterson accepted an invitation to be a grand marshal in New York City's gay pride parade this year, he had high expectations that he would march down Fifth Avenue as the first governor in state history to have signed a law allowing gay couples to marry. Read More
OH: Governor, lawmakers face budget backlash
Writing an interim state budget is simple. Calculating the political fallout is tougher. Read More
OH: Ohio budget deadline looms
As Ohio's top politicians inch closer to a deal on a two-year budget package worth more than $50 billion, there's a smorgasbord of unresolved arguments over how schools throughout the Buckeye State work. Read More
OH: Gambling issue holds up Ohio budget
Disagreement over who should approve slot machines at horse tracks - Ohio voters or state legislators - has pushed the General Assembly up against a Tuesday deadline to pass Gov. Ted Strickland's two-year budget or resort to emergency spending for the first time in 18 years. Read More
OH: Gov. Ted Strickland, Senate President Bill Harris remain at an impasse over state budget deficit, slot machines
Gov. Ted Strickland and Republican Senate President Bill Harris remained at an impasse Sunday over the Democratic governor's plan to help close a $3.2 billion budget deficit by legalizing slot machines at seven Ohio racetracks. Read More
OH: Legislators call off talks on bridging budget gap
Key players in Ohio's budget impasse remain far enough apart that they've canceled a meeting planned today to start sorting through nearly 600 areas of dispute while also wrestling with a $3.2 billion revenue shortfall. Read More
OK: Lawyers, family top Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates' donor lists
Private practice lawyers and law firms account for more than half the early contributions to Attorney General Drew Edmondson's 2010 gubernatorial campaign, state Ethics Commission filings show. Read More
OR: Republicans' future may hinge on perception
With their thinnest ranks in both chambers in a quarter century, Republicans have nowhere to go but up in the Oregon Legislature — and how the public reacts to budget-balancing tax increases may determine how fast their political fortunes change. Read More
OR: Oregon higher education budget headed to governor
The budget funding for Oregon's public colleges and universities cleared its final legislative hurdle today. Next stop: The governor's desk. Read More
PA: What are the hang-ups in Pennsylvania's state budget?
State officials have until Tuesday to adopt a budget for the next fiscal year that starts Wednesday. However, no one expects them to meet that deadline. So what are the hang-ups? Read More
PA: Files prompt grand jury to look at DeWeese again
A state grand jury is poring over the contents of a recently discovered box of files from a Capitol office, a find that has triggered renewed prosecutorial interest in longtime state Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene. Read More
PA: 'No whining' about painful budget cuts, layoffs
Warning of painful budget cuts and layoffs, Gov. Ed Rendell in January said he wanted to hear "no whining." But as state government moves toward the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday nowhere near a budget agreement, everyone, including Rendell, appears to be complaining. Read More
PA: State Representative Kortz seeks to dethrone Specter
A dream of many in Dravosburg is taped to the side of Pauline Godich's computer monitor, right next to the Penguins sign. The red, white and blue card says "U.S. Senator Bill Kortz" and shows a picture of Kortz, a state representative. Read More
PA: As deadline looms, sides stay far apart
Two days remain until the state's budget year ends, and this afternoon Gov. Ed Rendell and legislative leaders will meet again to try to narrow their differences over taxes and spending for 2009-10. Read More
RI: Consumers falling victim to bogus health-care cards
When the flier promising "affordable health care" was faxed to the Westerly nursing home where she worked, Joan Albright thought of her ex-husband, who had no insurance and hadn't seen a doctor in years. So she gave him the phone number to call. Read More
RI: Health care still free for R.I. lawmakers
State lawmakers spared their own free health-care packages — costing up to $17,986 apiece — from last week's round of budget cuts across state government and the municipal aid landscape. Read More
RI: With federal help, $7.8-billion budget goes to Carcieri
The Senate approved a $7.8-billion state budget Friday night, sending the tax-and-spending bill for the budget year that begins Wednesday to the governor's desk and ending a 24-hour standoff. Read More
RI: State officials, business leaders discuss ways to boost R.I.'s green economy
WARWICK, R.I. — For months now, state policymakers, academics and business leaders have talked of the potential for the "green" economy to pull Rhode Island out of recession. Read More
RI: R.I. law-enforcement officials say Senate bill outlawing indoor prostitution is flawed
Efforts to outlaw indoor prostitution stalled as state lawmakers went home for the weekend with no agreement on how to close a nearly 30-year-old "loophole" in the state law. Read More
RI: R.I. may vote on striking 'plantations' from state's name
Voters next year may have the opportunity to do something that African-American legislators have been unable to accomplish for decades: strike the phrase "and Providence Plantations" from the state's name. Read More
RI: Senate approves referendum on state name change
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The full Senate on Friday approved adding a referendum on the November 2010 ballot asking voters whether they are willing to change Rhode Island's formal name from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to simply "Rhode Island." Read More
RI: A casino's plan to open 24 hours a day draws ire
LINCOLN, R.I. -- Back in the 1940s, when Hal Perry's father worked on the construction site for the Lincoln Downs racetrack near the family's cattle farm, the Perrys never imagined the place would cause them any trouble. Read More
SC: Romney, other Republicans criticize Sanford affair
WASHINGTON -- A potential White House contender in 2012 staked a claim Sunday to rehabilitating the Republican Party in the wake of extramarital affairs by two leading Republicans that have damaged the GOP's family-values image. Read More
SC: Sanford resolves to stay put despite scandal
SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford says he's not quitting — even though he considered it — despite intense scrutiny and criticism over his admitted affair with a woman from Argentina. Read More
SC: Some GOP lawmakers await Sanford resignation
Some Republican state lawmakers are privately saying they want Republican Gov. Mark Sanford to step down — of his own volition — this week. Read More
SC: First lady -- Sanford sought permission to visit lover
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, S.C. — South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford said Friday her husband repeatedly asked permission to visit his lover in the months after she discovered his affair. Read More
SC: Woman in Sanford affair confirms relationship
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- South Carolina's wandering governor didn't give away her name when he confessed to having an affair with an Argentine woman, but Maria Belen Chapur has finally stepped forward. Read More
SC: A political wife's tough stance strikes a chord
When Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina gave what has become a ritualistically familiar part of American politics — the news conference on marital infidelity — there was no dutiful political wife to share the spotlight and, by her very presence, imply forgiveness. Read More
SC: Sanford's bigger sin -- going AWOL
Forget South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's acknowledged sexual indiscretions. How bad was it that he went AWOL from his gubernatorial duties? Many state officials, in South Carolina and elsewhere, interviewed Thursday said that Sanford's lapse was bad indeed -- but they also recommended against holding out for a rash of new laws to curb gubernatorial flights of fancy. Read More
SC: If America forgave Clinton, why not Sanford? senator asks
A clearly emotional Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina Sunday invoked former President Clinton as a defense for why embattled Gov. Mark Sanford, also of South Carolina, should potentially be allowed to finish his term. Read More
SC: In S.C., governor's wife is 'the hero in this story'
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, S.C. -- This is the place where the betrayed wife took her stand. As her husband's affair with an Argentine woman exploded onto the global stage and publicly humiliated her family, Jenny Sanford, 46, and their four sons sought refuge here at their large beachfront cottage on this lush island enclave outside Charleston. Read More
SC: Woman linked to Sanford comments on e-mail
BUENOS AIRES — The Argentine woman linked to Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina said Sunday that she had a "firm suspicion" of who broke into one of her e-mail accounts that discussed her relationship with the governor, but she declined to name the person. Read More
SC: South Carolina politics looks past affair to its effects on governor race
The future of Gov. Mark Sanford's political career after his secret trip to Argentina and admission of an extramarital affair may now depend on something more complicated than even the human heart: the wild and woolly politics of South Carolina. Read More
TN: Assembly in political cross hairs
Tennessee lawmakers found themselves in the political crosshairs this year as gun-rights advocates pushed several dozen gun bills, including controversial moves to expand places where handgun-carry permit holders can take their loaded weapons. Read More
TN: Candidates for governor have donated to others
All the major Tennessee gubernatorial candidates, who are now actively seeking contributions with an eye to a July disclosure deadline, have a history of actively making donations themselves - doubtless creating political goodwill, but with some unintended consequences. Read More
TN: Green issues? Call it a split
Tennessee environmental groups and business interests clashed repeatedly over water and other environmental issues in this year's General Assembly, but both sides are walking away claiming some significant victories. Read More
TN: Gov. Bredesen signs judicial vacancies bill
A proposal to change the way judicial vacancies are filled in Tennessee has been signed by the governor. Read More
TX: A Dewhurst wedding?
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is reportedly getting married today in a private ceremony in Houston. Read More
TX: Barbecuing for 4th? Perry thinking tea party
What will make your Fourth of July special? Fireworks? Parades? Picnics? If you're Gov. Rick Perry, the answer is probably...tea parties. Read More
TX: Session will hit some where it hurts
Folks who watch their pennies when choosing smokeless tobacco, callers who like prepaid wireless plans and lobbyists and others who've found Capitol-area parking fines a bargain: Texas lawmakers left a bill for you the last time they left town. Read More
TX: Carona files SB 1 for special
Sen. John Carona, the Dallas Republican who chairs the Senate's Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, said this afternoon he has filed legislation for next Wednesday's start of a special legislative session. Read More
TX: A case of mistaken identity?
In late 2007, the appointment of Bryan Shaw, a Texas A&M professor and air pollution expert, to the three-member board that oversees the state's environmental agency drew praise from a prominent government watchdog. Read More
TX: Schieffer says he has vision to be Texas governor
FORT WORTH, Texas — He's the former Texas Rangers baseball team president who later was appointed as a U.S. ambassador. Now Tom Schieffer is traveling across the state, introducing himself to Texans as a Democratic candidate for governor. Read More
TX: Many want Gov. Perry to add to special session's agenda
The special work session for legislators beginning Wednesday is likely to be short, but not necessarily sweet. Advocates for unfinished business, ranging from expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program to lowering homeowners insurance, are disappointed the governor won't tackle what they see as pressing needs. Read More
US: National sex offender registry delayed a year
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has given states and American Indian tribes another year to feed a national Internet database set up to protect children by showing where possible predators live and work. Read More
US: Political shifts on gay rights lag behind culture
WASHINGTON -- For 15 minutes in the Oval Office the other day, one of President Obama's top campaign lieutenants, Steve Hildebrand, told the president about the "hurt, anxiety and anger" that he and other gay supporters felt over the slow pace of the White House's engagement with gay issues. Read More
UT: Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and friend share views on Israel, I.D. theft
When not inadvertently twittering his plans to run for U.S. Senate, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff waxes philosophical in patriotic and prayerful 140-character tweets during his recent visit to Israel. Read More
UT: Huntsman mistaken for scandal-tarred senator
WASHINGTON -- For a brief moment on national television Sunday, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. was mistaken for Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican who admitted recently to cheating on his wife with a married staffer. Read More
VT: Vt. farmers alter hay cutting to save birds
SHELDON, Vt. — A University of Vermont researcher is merging science with conservation with a project that pays farmers to help protect grassland songbirds. Read More
VT: Vermont drug law gains national attention
Among all the laws the Vermont Legislature passed this year, one that has attracted almost as much national attention as the state's gay marriage bill is a new drug marketing disclosure measure. Read More
VT: Study finds Vermont records and relics at risk
RUTLAND, Vt. — A new study warns that poor artifact and archival storage is putting Vermont's cultural heritage at risk. Read More
VT: Vermont's auto sticker changes will save state $60K a year
Vermonters will be seeing a couple of changes in their car registrations starting Wednesday, both designed to shore up the state's flagging coffers. Read More
WA: Stimulus funds offer new life to well-traveled highways
A series of state highway projects worth more than $20 million is about to get started in northeast Washington as a result of the federal economic stimulus plan approved by Congress earlier this year. Read More
WA: Medical pot a challenge for law enforcement
A thief kicked in his door, ransacked his kitchen and stole his eight-ounce marijuana stash. So the victim called police. Read More
WA: U.S. ports ask Congress to help fight competition
WASHINGTON – Struggling to ride out the recession, West Coast ports face new competition as ports in Canada and Mexico, an expanded Panama Canal and even the Suez Canal could steal away some of the cross-Pacific shipping they've relied on. Read More
WA: State to decide hospital row
Olympia's two hospitals are locked in a dispute over whether Capital Medical Center should be able to perform a costly elective heart procedure. Read More
WI: Wisconsin Assembly passes budget to governor
Lawmakers gave final approval to a state budget deal early Friday evening, ending a messy process marked by days of secret meetings and all-night debates. Read More
WI: State budget deal reached
Oil companies would not face a new tax and illegal immigrants would not be issued special cards so they could drive legally on Wisconsin roads under a budget deal reached privately by Democratic lawmakers and released Thursday. Read More
WI: Doyle To Sign $62 Billion Budget Monday
Gov. Jim Doyle will sign Wisconsin's two-year budget on Monday -- two days before the new fiscal year begins. Read More
WY: State senator resigns after Arizona move
RAWLINS, Wyo. -- Wyoming state Sen. Bill Vasey of Rawlins has resigned from his seat after 23 years in the state Legislature because he and his wife recently moved to Yuma, Ariz. Read More
Tracking the recession: Budget deadline looms
Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets. But several states still have not completed spending plans for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Read More
Weekly wrap: Feds release long-awaited stimulus job guidelines
The Obama administration tells state officials to take "a simple headcount" of jobs saved or created by the stimulus program. Meanwhile, the demand for some special jobs is soaring. Officials also warn states not to shortchange education when balancing budgets. Read More
New section follows stimulus spending
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Reports: State income levels plunge
States racing to cobble together new budgets for their July 1 deadline could find themselves sinking back into red ink sooner than they think, as Americans’ income and the taxes they pay on it shrink, new data show. Read More
Weekly wrap: Sales tax fight splits GOP in Arizona
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) sues her own party over the budget. The U.S. labor department releases May unemployment data, and Illinois says it can’t afford to pay for indigent burials. For a quick update on the top recession news in the states, read Stateline.org's "Weekly wrap." Read More |
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