Recently added articles from State Legislatures:
Clarification.(Correction notice)
Jun 01, 2009 ... CLARIFICATION: A photo of Senator Fred Risser of Wisconsin that appeared on page 33 of May's State ...
Prisons are expensive.(STATESTATS)
Jun 01, 2009 ... One in every 31 adults in the United States is under some form of correctional supervision, according to the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States. There are 2.3 million people incarcerated in state or federal prisons and local jails. Combine that with more than ...
The Colorado Senate paid tribute in April to a "Renaissance woman who has left her mark on our hearts and on this state.".(People & Politics)(Elaine Calzolari)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Colorado Senate paid tribute in April to a "Renaissance woman who has left her mark on our hearts and on this state." After the adjournment, senators stood in honor of Elaine Calzolari, a sergeant-at-arms in 2001 and 2002, and the calendar clerk from ...
Nancy Munoz, widow of New Jersey Assemblyman Eric Munoz, will serve out the rest of her husband's term after defeating two others in a special county Republican convention to fill his seat.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Nancy Munoz, widow of New Jersey Assemblyman Eric Munoz, will serve out the rest of her husband's term after defeating two others in a special county Republican convention to fill his seat. Eric Munoz, a trauma physician and professor of surgery, was first elected to the Assembly in 2001 ....
Colorado Senate President Peter Groff left his post at the end of the session in May to join the U.S. Department of Education as director of its Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center.(People & Politics)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Colorado Senate President Peter Groff left his post at the end of the session in May to join the U.S. Department of Education as director of its Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center. A long-time champion of education reform, Gruff has served in the legislature since 2001. He filled ...
Virgin Islands Senate President Adlah Donastorg was ousted by his colleagues in April when ruling party members were frustrated by the slow pace of work.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Virgin Islands Senate President Adlah Donastorg was ousted by his colleagues in April when ruling party members were frustrated by the slow pace of work. "Ninety-five days and we have nothing to show. We have nothing at all," said Senator ...
John Marchi, whose 50 years in the New York Legislature made him that state's longest serving lawmaker and one of the longest serving in the nation, died in April at age 87.(People & Politics)
Jun 01, 2009 ... John Marchi, whose 50 years in the New York Legislature made him that state's longest serving lawmaker and one of the longest serving in the nation, died in April at age 87. Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee for decades, he is credited with helping write the laws that saved New York ...
Jewell Williams.(People & Politics)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Pennsylvania Representative Jewell Williams came to the aid of a constituent stopped by police and wound up handcuffed in the back seat of a cruiser. Williams, an ex-policeman, stepped to the aid of a frail, elderly man who had been stopped and frisked and was handcuffed when he tried to ...
Art Palmer.(People & Politics)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Art Palmer, former director of the Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau and founding member of the National Legislative Services and Security Association, died in February. He began his career with the Nevada Legislature in 1968 and rose from research assistant to director in 1972, where he ...
Death penalty under examination.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... In March, New Mexico abolished the death penalty, replacing it with a sentence of life without parole. Lawmakers were influenced by a fiscal report prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee citing research by the Public Defender Department. The research indicated the state would save ...
In-state tuition for immigrants.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Heated emotional debates have filled legislative halls in several states this session over whether to allow undocumented students to attend college at in-state tuition rates. With the faltering economy and limited skills-based jobs, improving college affordability is becoming a bigger ...
The happiness index.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... MainStreet.com looked at household income, debt, employment rates and foreclosures, and ranked states on how well they are weathering the current economic storm. <Pre> THE TOP FIVE STATES 1 [smiley] [smiley] [smiley] [smiley] [smiley] NEBRASKA 2 [smiley] [smiley] ...
Getting Americans to buckle up.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Buckling up is the quickest and least expensive way to reduce death and injuries on the nation's highways. Primary seat belt laws allow police to stop and ticket a motorist if the driver and passengers are not buckled up. "Non-conforming" primary laws allow exceptions for some vehicles, ...
Keeping kids healthy.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During the past 40 years, the obesity rate for children ages 6 to 11 has more than quadrupled (from 4.2 percent to 17 percent). And for adolescents ages 12 to 19, it has more than tripled (from 4.6 percent to 17.6 percent). Obese refers to children and ...
Green clean.(STATELINE)(Spokane, Washington)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spokane, Wash., has adopted a near total ban on the sales of dishwasher detergents containing phosphates--a first in the nation, according to the Los Angeles Times. The concern is over the Spokane River. Phosphates act as a fertilizer in the water, ...
Silence survives.(STATELINE)(public school students to observe silence)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law that requires public school students to observe a moment of silence every day. Students can pray silently, reflect ...
School's out.(STATELINE)(Utah school districts)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Utah school districts now have permission from the State Board of Education to cancel up to five school days in the 2010 school year to save money. The board requires school ...
A license to read.(STATELINE)(Illinois Library Association sells Barack Obama license plates)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... The Illinois Library Association sold Obama license plates this winter to raise money for its 2010 summer reading program. The plates, which read "Illinois Salutes President Barack Obama" ...
It's official.(STATELINE)(Arizona's nickname, Grand Canyon State)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... California fifth-grader Tori Smith chose to research Arizona for her state report, and she found out a lot about the state. Its official neckwear is the bola tie, the official tree is the paloverde, and the official butterfly is the two-tailed swallowtail. But she ...
A sinking feeling.(STATELINE)(boat owners economic condition)(Brief article)
Jun 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The bad economy is causing boat owners to abandon ship, literally. Like overstretched homeowners, boat owners who can no longer afford payments, cannot sell their used boat or simply can't afford to maintain it are scratching off the names and registry ...