Volume XVIII, No. 5
In our latest one-on-one
conversation, SNCJ talks
with MASSACHUSETTS
Sen. Richard Moore
(D) about his state’s
historic health care
reform program and the
surprising election of
Scott Brown.
A few words with: MASSACHUSETTS Sen. Richard Moore MASSCHUSETTS Sen. Richard Moore (D) was one of the principal
architects of the historic legislation that gave his state near
universal health care coverage. With health care reform at the
forefront of much of today’s political discourse, we spent some time with him
recently to learn a bit more about that program and the role it is playing in
similar efforts underway in Congress.
Top Story SNCJ Spotlight
SNCJ Q&A
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State Net Capitol Journal
In the hopper
At any given time, State Net tracks tens of thousands
of bills in all 50 states, the US Congress
and the District of Columbia. Here’s a snapshot
of what’s in the legislative works:
Number of Prefiles last week: 619
Number of Intros last week: 7,209
Number of Enacted/Adopted last
week: 599
Number of 2010 Session Prefiles to
date: 13,706
Number of 2010 Intros to date: 46,730
Number of 2010 Session Enacted/
Adopted overall to date: 2,867
Number of 2009-10 bills currently in
State Net Database: 154,487
— Compiled By JAMES ROSS
(measures current as of 2/11/2010)
Source: State Net database
SNCJ: You have said in the past that health
reform is an ongoing process. In that regard, how is it
working so far? What improvements, if any, do you
feel need to be made?
Moore: It certainly is working in a couple of
ways. We now have about 97 percent of our people
with access to health insurance and health care,
which is a result of both the original health care
legislation we passed in 2006 and a supplemental bill
we adopted in 2008. Those bills laid the foundation
for both quality improvement and cost containment
because if everybody is insured there is less costshifting
going on, and then you can concentrate
on keeping costs down and promoting quality. We
have also adopted a statewide infection prevention
program, established support for health information
technology and helped to create an e-health institute
that coordinates state and federal money for it. That
will also help to further improve quality and contain
costs as it develops.
There are also other things that we’ve done incrementally, including a 1988 plan
that [then]-Gov. [Michael] Dukakis (D) authored, which would have been part of his
universal health care plan if he had been elected president. So I think we’re on target, and
we’ve laid the foundation to do more. We have planted the seeds and those have started
to produce some fruit, which I think demonstrates that you can’t do it all at once. You’ve
got to do it over a period of time and hopefully keep moving in the right direction.
SNCJ: Critics of Mass Health have said that it has runaway costs. What is
your response to that?
Moore: My response is they don’t really know what they’re talking about.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, which is not exactly one of these
liberal “tax-and-spend” groups, and which is funded primarily by the business
community, says its costs are within what we planned for and it is working. We
know some groups have never liked it, such as the single payer folks and the
Libertarian types. Some of the foundations in DC and the West coast also don’t
like it because there’s still too much government involvement for their philosophy.
There are plenty of others who’ve tried to undercut it as well, but they’re looking
for problems rather than looking for the glass being much more than half full.
Not only has it stayed within costs but it’s maintained public support as well.
The Washington Post did a survey after the U.S. Senate election, and a lot of the
money Scott Brown got was from people that didn’t like the President’s health
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State Net Capitol Journal
reform plan. But when they
asked people here about the
Massachusetts health reform, 68
percent said they support it. As
a politician, if I get 68 percent
support, that’s pretty good.
SNCJ: The MASSACHUETTS
plan has been a model for other
states with their own universal
care proposals. How much, if at
all, did the White House or anyone
from Congress consult with you
or your colleagues on either of the
federal proposals?
Moore: There was some. I
don’t know how much of it was
accepted. I do know some members
of our academic community,
folks at Harvard Medical School,
were regular visitors at the White
House during all this. We also
worked extensively with our state
delegation [in Congress]. Certainly
there would have been more of
that if Sen. Ted Kennedy had been healthy. He was very helpful to us while we were
putting together the state plan.
SNCJ: There has also been concern in some states over a shortage of doctors to
meet the demand of a universal health system. Is that a problem in MA? How are you
addressing it?
Moore: It’s an issue to some degree, but not as much as some might think. We
probably have the highest per capita supply of primary care doctors in the country,
but some of them have limited the size of their practice and not taken on new patients,
primarily because the rates the state pays for people on the state-subsidized plan are
the same as Medicaid, which most doctors think is too low. We addressed that with our
2008 supplemental bill, which expands the number of medical school students we have,
which will continue to expand again as we go on. There will also be more scholarships
and financial aid for students who promise to go into primary care practice.
The medical community wasn’t thrilled about it, but we also pushed to allow
more med clinics with nurse practitioners to serve rural areas. They are also good
Bird’s eye view
Golden State most humane to animals
CALIFORNIA has the strongest animal welfare
laws in the nation, according to the Humane
Society of the United States. The Golden State
topped the group’s first “Humane State
Ranking,” grading all 50 states on 65 animal
protection issues. CALIFORNIA has addressed
45 of them, including laws banning the use of animals in
product testing when another option exists and allowing
students to choose an alternative to animal dissection. NEW
JERSEY, with a score of 41, ranked 2nd. IDAHO and SOUTH
DAKOTA earned the lowest scores, 9 and 8 respectively,
failing, among other things, to make egregious animal cruelty
a felony or outlaw cockfighting.
FL
RI
MA
ME
CT
NJ
NH
VT
DE
KY MD
TX
IA
MT
AZ
WA
AK
CO
NM
ND
AL GA
SC
TN
MO
OH
VA
CA
OR
NV
UT
WY
SD
NE
HI
MN
NC
AR
LA
MS
IL
MI
IN
PA
NY
WV
OK
KS
States ranked highest in animal protection States ranked lowest in animal protection
ID WI
Source: Los Angeles Times, Humane Society of the United States
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State Net Capitol Journal
for providing services at times when people are better
able to get them, such as evenings and weekends. We’re
also looking at how we pay providers. Right now it is
more lucrative to be a specialist than to be a primary
care physician, but we need more primary care doctors
than we need specialists. We need to reward people
for encouraging people to stay healthy rather than just
treating their diseases after they get sick.
SNCJ: You mentioned the Washington Post poll. Given the support for health
reform in your state — and the unpopularity of the Congressional proposals — should
we just focus now on letting states work out their own individual plans?
Moore: I think there needs to be some national themes and standards, but a
national plan is risky in that any such solution is a kind of a one-size-fits-all, which
I don’t think will work. The states are too different, and they all want to maintain
control of their own insurance laws. We also want to control quality as much as we
can without relying on the feds. From our perspective, it is also better not to have a
national insurance mandate. We haven’t seen any great migration of people out of our
state because they don’t want to be forced to buy insurance, but it would certainly
remove that as a concern for the business community if it wasn’t part of a national
plan. Some standards would be good, but states need a reasonable level of flexibility
and resources to reach those goals. I haven’t read the entire 2,000 pages of the
Congressional bill, but I don’t think that was a major theme.
SNCJ: Much has been made of Scott Brown’s election to fill Ted
Kennedy’s Senate seat. Do you consider that a wake up call for Democrats in
MASSACHUSETTS? For Democrats nationally? For the president?
Moore: The real impact is that a nice guy who people liked got elected to the
U.S. Senate. He ran a very good campaign and his opponent [MASSACHUSETTS
Attorney General Martha Coakley] didn’t. He didn’t have any help from either the
state or national Republican parties until about a month before the election. In fact, all
of the parties, Democrat and Republican, figured the seat was going to automatically
stay with the Democrats anyway and they wouldn’t spend any money. But he had
a good campaign and got his message out. She ran a bad campaign and apparently
didn’t have a message, or at least didn’t get it out.
There is a lot of voter anger, but it isn’t directed only toward the Democrats.
Nationally I have seen it both ways. They are not that much happier with Republicans.
If Republicans just keep saying no to everything without having some kind of positive
agenda themselves, then they won’t be able to capitalize on this either.
Interestingly, polling shows that health care didn’t really play that big of a
role here other than it helped him bring in money from out of state, where some
Upcoming stories
Here are some of the topics you will see
covered in upcoming issues of the State
Net Capitol Journal:
• State food stamp struggles
• Budget updates
• No Child Left Behind
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State Net Capitol Journal
conservatives thought [Brown’s election] could derail either health care or President
Obama’s agenda overall. But in-state, polling shows it was that people simply
liked him. So I think it would be a mistake to read too much into it. But I do think
it is a lesson to incumbents in both parties to take every opponent seriously, even
a candidate who might otherwise be viewed as weak or even on the fringe. And
everyone needs to listen more to what people are saying. Even before Scott Brown,
people were asking me, “Why aren’t we doing more about jobs and the economy?
That should be our priority.” In that regard, I don’t think the president or the Congress
did a very good job of attaching the importance of health care to the economy.
Solving the rising of health care costs probably takes some time, and I think people
looked at that and said, “Yes, that’s important, but our jobs are more important right
now and we should be addressing that.”
— By RICH EHISEN
For more of our conversation with Sen. Moore as well as a collection of some
of our recent articles please visit the State Net blog, At Issue in the States, at
http://statenet.typead.com/
Budget & taxes
CALIFORNIA BUDGET MORASS SPURS REFORM PUSH: Last year,
budget impasses in CALIFORNIA forced the state to issue IOUs to creditors
and credit agencies to downgrade the state’s rating to the lowest level in
the nation. With this year promising to be another one full of budget bickering, two
groups are pushing ballot initiatives aimed at reforming the state’s budget process.
The bipartisan group California Forward is backing an initiative for the
November ballot that would allow legislators to pass budgets by a simple majority
instead of the two-thirds vote currently required. CALIFORNIA is one of just three
states that requires a supermajority, and with Democrats making up 64 percent of
the Legislature, much of the budget process ends up being spent trying to rustle up
Republican votes.
Another group, Repair California, which has ties to the business community,
is gathering support for a constitutional convention in 2011 to reform not only the
budget process but the electoral process and other facets of state governance as well.
“The odds are long” for both groups, said Larry Gerston, a political scientist
at San Jose State University. Ballot initiatives are tough to pass in CALIFORNIA
against well-funded opposition, and opponents are lining up to fight the proposals.
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State Net Capitol Journal
Statehouse Republicans will oppose California
Forward’s initiative for obvious reasons. And the
anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said it
would fight Repair California’s proposed constitutional
convention because it could result in the repeal of
Proposition 13, the state’s 32-year-old law capping
property tax rates.
But the two initiative campaigns maintain that
extreme voter discontent could enable their measures
to overcome the odds. A recent poll by the nonpartisan
Public Policy Institute of California showed that 83
percent of likely voters believe there’s a big problem
with the state’s budget process.
“People are much angrier about CALIFORNIA
government than they’ve ever been in recorded polling
history, and because there’s a critical mass of reform
measures on the ballot, they’re less likely to get lost
in the shuffle,” said Thad Kousser, a political science
professor at Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center.
(WALL STREET JOURNAL)
STRICT-LIQUOR STATES LAYING OFF
BOTTLE: When Prohibition was repealed back
in 1933, the federal government granted states the
authority to regulate the sale of alcohol. Numerous
states took it up on the offer, taking the view that by operating retail stores or
distributorships themselves they could control consumption and reduce the
social consequences.
But several of those states are now considering shifting the job of selling liquor
to private industry in order to save money and raise revenue. Alcohol sales are a
particularly attractive target right now because they tend to remain relatively stable
during economic downturns.
VIRGINIA’s new Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, made the issue a key
plank of his campaign last year, claiming the state could generate $500 million in shortterm
revenue by privatizing its liquor stores. VIRGINIA Sen. Mark Obenshain (R), has
introduced legislation that would require the state to auction off its retail licenses. The
state would still collect taxes on liquor sales as well as annual licensing fees.
In WASHINGTON, Sen. Tim Sheldon, a Democrat, proposed legislation calling
for the privatization of the state’s liquor distributorship and retail system. That
proposal, which would have raised an estimated $350 million over five years, has
The week in session
States in Regular Session: AK, AL, AR,
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS,
KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NH,
NJ, NM, OH, OK, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, US, UT,
VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
States in Recess: DE(JFC Budget
Hearings), MI(Senate Only), NY, PA(Budget
Hearings), RI
States in Special Session: CA “f”, CA “h”,
OR “a”, WI “b”
Upcoming Special Sessions: NV
(02/23/2010 RE: Budget and Revenue)
States in Budget Hearings: DE, PA
States Currently Prefiling or Drafting
for 2010: FL, LA, MT, ND
States Projected to Adjourn: NM
(02/18/2010)
States in Special Session Projected
to Adjourn: WI “b”
State Special Sessions Adjourned in
2010: AZ “a”, CA “e”, TN “a”
Letters indicate special/extraordinary sessions
— Compiled By JAMES ROSS
(session information current as of 2/12/2010)
Source: State Net database
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State Net Capitol Journal
since been watered down in committee. Now it only directs the state liquor board
to study ways to increase efficiency and revenues. Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) has
indicated she won’t support privatization proposals anyway, at least this session. But
Sheldon said he plans to continue his push.
Privatization proposals are also being considered in NORTH CAROLINA,
MISSISSIPPI and VERMONT.
The efforts are being resisted by religious groups. VIRGINIA’s measure, for
instance is being opposed by the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists,
representing about 500 Baptist churches.
“We oppose anything that we think would expand the sale and use of alcohol,”
said Jack Knapp, the group’s executive director and lobbyist.
Labor groups, reluctant to see the elimination of state jobs, are another source
of opposition.
Liquor companies, meanwhile, have remained neutral on the issue. While some
company officials have said privately that privatization might lead to more outlets, the
companies are probably trying to avoid getting into a public battle with anti-alcohol
forces. (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
PA GOV PROPOSES LOCKBOX FOR STIMULUS OFFSET FUNDS:
PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Ed Rendell (D) has asked state lawmakers to consider
raising more then $530 million in new revenues during fiscal 2010-11 and placing
them in a lockbox until the 2011-12 fiscal period to offset the anticipated loss of
federal stimulus funds and a spike in the cost of public employee pension funds. The
increased revenues would be generated by new levies on cigars, smokeless tobacco
products and natural gas drilling. Rendell also suggested that 74 current exemptions
to the state’s 6 percent sales tax should be eliminated and the tax rate cut to 4 percent.
Current sales tax exemptions for food, clothing and prescription drugs would remain
in effect. The governor’s suggestions came with his presentation of a proposed $29
billion 2010-11 general fund budget. (STATE NET)
BUDGETS IN BRIEF: Businesses in at least 35 states will have to pay more
in unemployment insurance taxes this year, according to the National Association
of State Workforce Agencies. The median increase will be 27.5 percent, with
employers in some states, such as HAWAII and FLORIDA, seeing as much as a
ten-fold jump (CNN MONEY). • The recent snowstorms in much of the mid-Atlantic
region are exhausting some states’ entire winter cleanup budgets. VIRGINIA, for
instance, has already spent both the $79 million it budgeted for winter snow removal
and the additional $25 million available for emergencies, and MARYLAND has
gone through about $57 million of the $60 million it budgeted (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, STATELINE).
— Compiled by KOREY CLARK
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State Net Capitol Journal
DEMS LOSE U.S. REP: Last Monday — just six months after the death
of U.S. Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy — Democrats lost U.S. Rep. John
P. Murtha (D-PA), who died from complications related to gallbladder
surgery. The 19-term Congressman was considered one of the most influential
lawmakers in Washington, credited with Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) ascension to
the speakership and dubbed the “King of Pork” for the volume of taxpayer funded
projects he directed to his home district as chairman of the House Appropriations
Defense Subcommittee.
Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said he was inclined to hold a special election to fill
Murtha’s seat on primary day, May 18, to save the state money, but he added that it
might not be possible to wait until then.
“There are many important issues Congress may have to decide before that,” he
said during a telephone news conference.
Another consideration likely to figure into Rendell’s deliberations is that holding
the election for Murtha’s seat on May 18 could help the eventual Democratic
candidate, because a large Democratic turnout is expected for the U.S. Senate race
between incumbent U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and his challenger, U.S. Rep.
Joe Sestak (D-PA) scheduled for that date. (WASHINGTON POST, PITTSBURGH
POST-GAZETTE)
NY SENATOR’S EXPULSION WEAKENS DEMS POWER: Freshman
Democratic NEW YORK Sen. Hiram Monserrate was ousted from the Senate
last week, after being convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. His
departure leaves the chamber’s 31 remaining Democrats in the same situation as their
federal counterparts following the election of MASSACHUSETTS Republican Scott
Brown to the U.S. Senate: one vote shy of the number needed to pass legislation.
Just last year, the Empire State Senate was thrown into turmoil when the
chamber’s 30 Republicans staged a coup with the aid of two dissident Democrats.
Seeking to avoid a repeat of that episode, Gov. David Paterson (D) has called for a
special election on March 16 to replace Monserrate. Barring an upset in the heavily
Democratic district, the majority party would then have enough time to seat their
32nd member before a vote on the 2010-11 budget. Another Scott Brown-like
surprise, however, could send the chamber into extended gridlock.
Complicating matters is the fact that the state’s courts are about to weigh in on
the issue. Monserrate, who has already been acquitted of felony charges for slashing
his girlfriend’s face with a broken glass, which he maintained was an accident, has
promised an appeal of the misdemeanor charge of being rough with her in getting her
to a hospital. (DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE [ROCHESTER])
Politics & leadership
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State Net Capitol Journal
POLITICS IN BRIEF: ILLINOIS House Speaker Michael Madigan (D) filed
legislation (HCA 50) last week to amend the state Constitution to abolish the lieutenant
governor’s office. The House and Senate would have to approve the amendment by
three-fifths majorities and it would also have to go before voters before the Constitution
could be amended (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES). • A bill aimed at reforming NEW
YORK’s system of ethics enforcement (AB 9544) died last week when the Senate
failed to override Gov. David Paterson’s (D) veto of the measure after the Assembly
voted overwhelmingly to override. Republicans, who made up the majority of the “No”
votes in the upper house, said their action would pave the way for a stronger bill to be
negotiated with Paterson and legislative leaders (TIMES UNION [ALBANY]).
— Compiled by KOREY CLARK
PATERSON VOWS RE-ELECTION BID: Embattled NEW YORK Gov.
David Paterson’s (D) world got a bit more chaotic last week as the governor
angrily decried persistent rumors he would resign as early as this week.
Paterson also entered into a full scale duel with the New York Times, which he
accused of fostering salacious gossip not only of his impending flight from office but
also of alleged drug use and womanizing.
The episode started after it became known the Times was working on a profile
of Paterson. Rumors immediately began circulating in various media outlets that
the story would reveal a pattern of carousing and illicit drug use by the governor.
Paterson vehemently denied the allegations, further
insisting he has no plans to quit.
“The only way I’m not going to be governor
next year is at the ballot box,” he said. “And the
only way I’ll be leaving office before is in a box.”
Paterson sat down with the Times for an extended
interview early in the week, during which he said the
questions focused primarily on public policy matters.
But Paterson also used the time to take the newspaper
to task, accusing editors of not doing enough to squelch the explosion of sordid media
speculation surrounding the story. Secretary to the Governor Lawrence Schwartz
followed that up a day later with an angry letter demanding the newspaper publicly
refute the conjecture about what the story would eventually reveal.
Times spokeswoman Diane C. McNulty, however, denied the paper had anything
to do with the rumors. “Obviously we are not responsible for what other news
Governors
“The only way I’m not
going to be governor
next year is at the ballot
box. And the only way
I’ll be leaving office
before is in a box.”
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State Net Capitol Journal
organizations are reporting,” McNulty said. “It’s not
coming from the Times.”
The ongoing controversy did little to buttress
Paterson’s stature among his fellow Democrats, many
of whom have openly voiced their desire that he not
run for re-election in November in order to make
room for Lt. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to seek the
job instead. None of the state’s top Dems, including
Cuomo, offered any comment on his fight with
the Times. The only support, oddly enough, came
from GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, who
claimed the situation had left the Capitol “paralyzed
by rumor and innuendo.”
Lazio even expressed empathy for Paterson’s
situation. “I don’t think anyone trying to get their job
done deserves this kind of phantom threat,” he said.
None of which has apparently deterred Paterson
from moving ahead with his plans to run again. He
is expected to officially announce his re-election
campaign within the next few weeks (ALBANY
TIMES-UNION, ASSOCIATED PRESS, WALL
STREET JOURNAL)
GOVS DEFEND TOYOTA: A quartet of
governors last week defended automaker Toyota
and accused the federal government of a conflict of
interest in its public reaction to the company’s current
high profile troubles. All four governors — Democrat Steve Beshear of KENTUCKY
and Republicans Haley Barbour of MISSISSIPPI, Bob Riley of ALABAMA and
Mitch Daniels of INDIANA –- hail from states where the auto giant has production
plants. In a letter sent to their Congressional representatives, the governors
complained that, “despite the federal government’s obvious conflict of interest
because of its huge financial stake in some of Toyota’s competitors, it has spoken out
against Toyota, including statements U.S. government officials have later been forced
to retract,” a reference to comments made by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
that he later backed off from. The govs also lambasted the media for its coverage
of the situation, calling it “unfortunate,” “unfair” and “questionable.” Toyota has
come under significant scrutiny over its recall of more than 8 million vehicles
since September, mostly to fix problems that could lead to unintended acceleration.
(DETROIT NEWS)
Upcoming elections
2/11/2010 – 3/4/2010
02/16/2010
Alabama Special Runoff
House District 40
Mississippi Special Election
Senate District 36
New Hampshire Special Election
Senate District 16
02/23/2010
Florida Special Election
House District 58
Georgia Special Election
House District 19
03/02/2010
Connecticut Special Election
House District 120
Texas Primary Election
House (All)
Senate Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13,
14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 29
Constitutional Officers: Governor,
Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,
Comptroller of Public Accounts
US House (All)
Virginia Special Election
House District 41
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State Net Capitol Journal
GRANHOLM SAYS CARP PROPOSAL IS ALL
WET: Governors Jim Doyle (D) of WISCONSIN and
Jennifer Granholm (D) of MICHIGAN met at the White
House with Obama administration officials last week
to discuss possible actions to deal with the expected
invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. ILLINOIS
Gov. Pat Quinn (D) also participated via a conference
call. The meeting came at Granholm’s request, but the
Wolverine State governor left the meeting unhappy
over the proposed federal solution, which includes a plan to control, but not close,
the Chicago-area shipping lock operations that could allow the carp access to Lake
Michigan. Granholm and other state officials want the locks permanently closed,
claiming the carp will potentially destroy the Great Lakes ecosystem and threaten
the $7 billion tourism and fishing business connected with it. The Supreme Court
last month rejected a lawsuit seeking that closure. Granholm called the federal plan
“unsustainable.” (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR)
EXECUTIVE ORDERS: NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie (R) issued EO
No. 12, which places a freeze on the Garden State’s affordable housing regulations
for 90 days. The order also establishes a five-member task force to review the
effectiveness of the Council on Affordable Housing panel and the law that created
it (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER). • ARIZONA Gov. Jan Brewer (R) issued EO
2010-06, which bars the state from enacting any emission-reduction plan from the
Western Climate Initiative and orders a review of all of its efforts to curb climate
change (ARIZONA REPUBLIC [PHOENIX]). • CALIFORNIA Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger (R) signed EO S-03-10, which establishes the new position of chief
information officer for all state agencies and departments. The order also gives the
state’s CIO authority over all IT infrastructure and shared services (CALIFORNIA
GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
GOVERNORS IN BRIEF: MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Deval Patrick (D)
proposed a plan that would give the Bay State governor sweeping authority to review
and reject rates charged by hospitals, physician groups, medical imaging centers
and insurers. Patrick said the new powers would make health care more affordable,
particularly for smaller companies and their workers. Lawmakers must approve the
proposal, which is expected to receive strong opposition from health insurers and
providers (BOSTON GLOBE).
— Compiled by RICH EHISEN
In case you missed it
Teacher furloughs have cut HAWAII’s
school year by 10 percent, giving it the fewest
education days in the nation. With public
discord growing, the governor, lawmakers
and education officials are at an impasse
over how to get kids back into school.
In case you missed it, the article can be
found on our Web site at
http://www.statenet.com/capitol_journal/02-08-2010/html
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State Net Capitol Journal
BUSINESS: The ALABAMA Senate approves SB 36, legislation that would
require contractors for the state to make public all of their subcontractors.
The bill, which is now in the House, would apply only to contracts over
$7,500 (HUNTSVILLE TIMES). • The GEORGIA Senate endorses HB 168, a bill
that would phase out “access charges” that communications companies charge each
other for cross-state calls. The measure would also end state oversight of how the
companies work with each other. It has returned to the House (ATLANTA JOURNAL
CONSTITUTION).
CRIME & PUNISHMENT: The MISSISSIPPI House approves HB 1122, a
bill that would prohibit hot rod enthusiasts from outfitting their vehicles with nitrous
oxide, a chemical compound used to increase the output of engines by allowing
them to burn more fuel than normal. Violators would face a fine of up to $1,000
and 48 hours in jail. The measure returns to the Senate, which approved it last year
(MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL). • The IOWA House approves HB 2233,
which would allow 18-20 year olds to petition to have a drinking offense expunged
from their records provided they have not had a similar offense in two years. It moves
to the Senate (RADIO IOWA [DES MOINES]). • NEBRASKA Gov. Dave Heineman
(R) approves the Cornhusker State’s three-drug protocol for lethal injection, clearing
the way for the state to resume executing condemned prisoners. The rules enact L 36,
a law approved last year that ended use of the electric chair in favor of the injection
process (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD).
EDUCATION: The NEW MEXICO Senate endorses SB 132, the Hispanic
Education Act, which would create an office within the state Public Education
Department to specifically focus on closing the achievement gap between Hispanic
and Anglo students. The House approves a similar measure, HB 150. The two
measures must now be reconciled before one goes to Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who
has said he will sign it into law (SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN). • The OREGON
House unanimously approves HB 3628a, which would allow the state school
superintendent to enter into contracts with non-profits to teach the Mandarin dialect
to Beaver State students. Under the bill, which is now in the Senate, the cost of
the program would be paid by the Chinese Ministry of Education (STATESMANJOURNAL
[SALEM]). • The SOUTH CAROLINA Senate Education Committee
approves HB 3297, legislation that would ban schools from selling high-fat, highsugar
foods and drinks, whether in the cafeteria, canteen or hallways, during school
hours. It would also set nutritional guidelines for school lunch programs higher than
Hot issues
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State Net Capitol Journal
U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. The measure now goes to the full Senate
(CHARLESTON POST & COURIER).
ENVIRONMENT: The OREGON House endorses HB 3613a, which
would extend a ban on oil drilling in state waters for 10 more years. The state has
jurisdiction over ocean waters to three miles off the Beaver State coast. It moves to
the Senate (STATESMAN-JOURNAL [SALEM]). • Still in OREGON, the House
approves HB 3674, which allows some pre-1995 power plants fueled by biomass
or municipal solid waste to be counted against the state’s goal of utilities obtaining
25 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025. It is now in the Senate
(STATESMAN-JOURNAL [SALEM]). • The NEW MEXICO House rejects
HB 276, the so-called “bad actor” bill that would have given state environmental
regulators the power to consider a company’s past crimes and regulatory punishments
in other states when deciding whether to revoke or deny an air quality permit (NEW
MEXICO INDEPENDENT).
HEALTH & SCIENCE: The IDAHO House approves HB 391, a bill that
would require the Gem State to sue the federal government over any health insurance
mandates meted out by Congress. The measure moves to the Senate (IDAHO
STATESMAN [BOISE]).
IMMIGRATION: A panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules
OKLAHOMA can enforce a state law requiring state contractors and agencies to use
a federal database to verify their workers are in the country legally. The court also
ruled, however, that federal law supersedes a provision in the statute that punishes
employers who terminate an authorized employee while keeping or hiring an
undocumented worker for a similar position. The law’s author is considering asking
to have the full court review the decision (OKLAHOMAN [OKLAHOMA CITY]).
SOCIAL POLICY: The VIRGINIA Senate approves SB 66, a bill that
would define a state non-discrimination employment policy that includes the
category of “sexual orientation” along with race, religion, gender and disabilities,
among other classifications. It moves to the House (VIRGINIAN-PILOT
[NORFOLK]). • The KENTUCKY House approves HB 285, which would require
that police officers, doctors, day care workers and others who work with children
receive training in recognizing child abuse. It moves to the Senate (COURIERJOURNAL
[KENTUCKY]).
POTPOURRI: The MISSISSIPPI Senate approves SB 2153, a bill that would
allow residents with a concealed weapons permit to bring their handguns into most
Magnolia State restaurants, bars and parks unless those entities specifically ban them.
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The measure fires off to the House (MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL). • The
WASHINGTON Senate approves SB 6207, a bill that would allow golf carts on public
roads. Local municipalities would have final say over where those vehicles would be
allowed, though carts would not be authorized on roads where the speed limit exceeds
25 miles per hour. The measure hums quietly off to the House (OLYMPIAN).
— Compiled by RICH EHISEN
Once around the
statehouse lightly
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: It’s an election year, so that must mean
author and musician Kinky Friedman is once again running for public
office in TEXAS. But unlike recent years, Friedman is not trying to grab the
governor’s chair. As the Dallas Morning News reports, this time he is running for
state agriculture commissioner. And what does the cigar chomping, black hat-attired
Friedman bring to the race? Aside from support from his good buddy Willie Nelson,
not a whole lot, say critics, who gripe that he isn’t even actively involved in the ag
business as the law requires. True, but he does have something no other candidate can
claim: a college concert tour and a new television show, Texas Roadhouse Live. Oh,
and a great campaign slogan: “No cow left behind.”
MORE KINKY THAN KINKY: Friedman is not the only candidate bringing
some “kink” into the political ring this year. Two other quasi-celebs, each known
more for their salacious history than their public policy expertise, are also getting
into the game. As the Sacramento Bee reports, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, the latest
of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s many husbands, has announced a run to replace termed-out
CALIFORNIA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Anhalt, who made tabloid headlines
two years ago for claiming to be the father of the late tabloid queen Anna Nicole
Smith’s child, plans a campaign that includes lifting state bans on Cuban cigars,
marijuana and same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, CBS News reports that erstwhile
“Manhattan Madam” Kristin Davis, who arranged former NEW YORK Gov. Eliot
Spitzer’s hook-ups with hookers, is considering a run at her famous client’s old job.
And her platform? Legalizing pot, gay marriage and prostitution. What, no cigars?
SPEAKING OF NOVICES: Anhalt, Friedman and Davis are clearly not the
only candidates who may need a civics brush-up. As the Los Angeles Times reports,
former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat
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State Net Capitol Journal
in CALIFORNIA, recently suggested the state should consider filing for bankruptcy
as a way of dealing with its gaping $20 billion budget shortfall. The only problem
is that under federal law, states cannot file for bankruptcy. A Fiorina spokesperson
insists her boss was taken out of context. The candidate herself later called the law “a
technicality.”
SPEED THE PLOW…OR NOT: Alas, the iconic IOWA citizen soldier will
spend at least another year fending off a misplaced plow. As noted in this space a while
back, one Hawkeye State lawmaker recently introduced a bill to change wording on
the official state seal that refers to the soldier standing with “a plow in his rear.” Alas,
as the Des Moines Register reports, lawmakers have opted not to plow ahead with the
proposal to change the reference to something with less connotation in the modern
world. Mary Mascher, who heads the committee assigned the bill, considered it a low
priority, preferring to focus instead on budget bills. “We plowed it under,” she said.
— By RICH EHISEN
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State Net Capitol Journal
Editor: Rich Ehisen — capj@statenet.com
Associate Editor: Korey Clark — capj@statenet.com
Contributing Editors: Virginia Nelson, Art Zimmerman
Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon
Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Steve Karas (CA),
Bruce McKeeman (CA), James Ross (CA), Linda Mendenhall (IL),
Lauren King (MA) and Ben Livingood (PA)
Graphic Design: Vanessa Perez
©2008 State Net ISSN: 1521-8449
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