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Md. 'millionaire's tax' debate is back

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/24/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: A headline in this morning's Baltimore Sun -- 'Maryland lost nearly 30% of millionaires last year' -- is sure to revive a debate over the higher tax rates that Free State legislators imposed on millionaires in 2008. At least eight other states this year followed Maryland's lead and raised income taxes on the wealthy.

Tax revenue down in at least 44 states

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/23/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: Tax collections declined in the third quarter in the 44 states for which early data are available, according to a report released today (Nov. 23). Even North Dakota -- which has weathered the recession better than most states -- is feeling the effects.

Weekly wrap: Forecasting revenue is a lot like predicting the weather these days

By Stephen C. Fehr, Stateline.org Staff Writer — 11/20/2009

Indiana is mulling changes to how it estimates monthly revenues, while several states are considering mergers and consolidations of government agencies, universities, school districts and more to save money.

36 states may miss Real ID deadline

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/19/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: While Congress debates national health care legislation that could put new fiscal burdens on the states, the nation's governors are pushing Capitol Hill for a reprieve from another costly federal program that states have long criticized: Real ID.

More lottery games on the way

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/18/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: No state currently offers its lottery players the chance to play both Powerball and Mega Millions, but expect both lottery games to be offered in some states soon.

Economy to sway 2010 gov races

By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer — 11/18/2009

The tax hikes that so many states levied to plug holes in their recession-ravaged budgets this year could endanger a few incumbent governors’ careers in 2010 when 37 gubernatorial contests are at stake.

Tax talks already under way

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/17/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: Emerging budget gaps already are leading to talk of new or higher taxes and fees in some states, well before lawmakers return for regularly scheduled legislative sessions early next year.

Politically Uncorrected: Tom Corbett's problem

By G. Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young, syndicated columnists — 11/16/2009

Attorney General Tom Corbett has a problem. More precisely, he had a problem. More about that in a moment! Corbett’s problem was the same problem confronted by each of his predecessors since the Office of Attorney General became elective in 1980: how to leverage his statewide office into an electoral springboard capable of catapulting him into the governor’s chair.

Illinois offer reignites Guantanamo debate

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/16/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: The prospect of creating thousands of jobs in Illinois has led Gov. Pat Quinn (D) and other Democrats to offer up a little-used, maximum-security prison in the state as a potential destination for detainees now housed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As economic development projects go, however, few are as politically explosive.

Budget insiders see worse ahead in Calif., Mich.

By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer — 11/14/2009

Two of the states hit hardest by the Great Recession–California and Michigan–are bracing for an even tougher time making ends meet next year, putting big spending cuts or outright elimination of some services on the table, top budget officials from both states said Friday (Nov. 13).

Weekly wrap: Reports spell deep trouble

By John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writer — 11/13/2009

The recession has cut so deep that state governments will suffer for at least 10 years — or what the National Governors Association bluntly calls "the Lost Decade." That was among the conclusions in a trio of reports this week that should raise eyebrows over just how bad states' finances have become.

'Political downsizing': Coming to states?

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/12/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: In western New York State, voters frustrated with their economic situation on the local level are choosing to reduce the number of seats on their town councils. In continuing tough times, will so-called 'political downsizing' spread to statehouses?

Labor flexing its muscle in states

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/11/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: State jobs have been a common target for governors and lawmakers seeking budget reductions. But labor unions in many states are fighting back, sometimes winning court decisions and political concessions to stave off cuts.

Beyond California: Methodology

Beyond California: States to watch

Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril

In its new report “Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril,” the Pew Center on the States shows that some of the same pressures that have pushed California toward economic disaster are wreaking havoc in a number of other states, with potentially damaging consequences for the entire country. Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin join California as the 10 states highlighted by Pew’s analysis.

'Maine Miracle' faces challenge

By Stateline.org Staff Reports — 11/10/2009

TODAY'S TAKE: Even as other hard-hit states hiked personal income taxes this year to generate revenue, Maine drew national attention for doing the opposite. But the 'Maine Miracle' may face a challenge at the polls next year.

Homelessness in America: Finally, glimmers of light

By Neal Peirce, syndicated columnist — 11/08/2009

Veterans of America’s recent wars left homeless, abused women and their children seeking nightly shelter, out-of-sight medical system costs, rising tides of bankruptcies. What do they have to do with each other–and America’s current health care debate? A lot, it turns out.

Politically Uncorrected: Until the bitter end

By G. Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young, syndicated columnists — 10/23/2009

Since 1970 Pennsylvania has had an unbroken string of two term governors – Milton Shapp, Dick Thornburgh, Bob Casey, Tom Ridge, and now Ed Rendell. Most of them have behaved in a familiar pattern. They fashioned modest second term agendas, exhibited little stomach for long nasty political fights, and were largely content to let the legislature have its way. Each, by the waning years of his second term, had lost interest, influence, or both in state policy and politics. Consequently, they, like the proverbial “old soldier,” were content to just “fade away” as their terms ended.

Bloomberg's "PlaNYC" continues forward moves

By Neal Peirce, syndicated columnist — 09/27/2009

NEW YORK–So ambitious was Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “PlaNYC” for America’s lead city, first unveiled on Earth Day 2007, that it set a new standard for 21st century planning in U.S. cities.

Politically Uncorrected: The Goldilocks principle in American Politics

By G. Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young, syndicated columnists — 09/11/2009

In politics, text and subtext don’t always tell the same tale. This time, however, they do. The text in question can be found in almost any story this summer about the Obama administration. Some recent column titles from Real Clear Politics paint the picture poignantly: “It’s time to take back the healthcare debate,” “Obama has failed to answer the difficult questions,” “Obama must inspire passion and conviction.” And so forth!

City parks' grand rebirth

By Neal Peirce, syndicated columnist — 09/06/2009

ST. LOUIS — City sponsors were so nervous about the unveiling of their new downtown park this summer that they arranged for an ice cream truck to park at the site on opening day, just to attract passerbys.

Getting it right for community colleges and the nation's workforce

By David Shaffer, in a commentary for Stateline.org — 07/15/2009

President Obama's proposed $12 billion program for the states' community colleges comes as good news in a tough time for the nation's two-year schools, writes David Shaffer, a senior fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, State University of New York at Albany, in a commentary for Stateline.org. But the long-term impact of the president's program will depend in part on whether the final legislation, and its implementation, aim at fixing the right things, Shaffer writes.

Summary of the state of the state address

05/22/2009

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R) address to open the legislative session April 28 was short on specifics, but he made it clear his biggest concern is dealing with a looming budget shortfall.

Summary of the state of the state address

05/21/2009

Unveiling a budget that for the first time in 35 years is smaller than the previous year, Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D) called on lawmakers to create thousands of green jobs, launch new health care programs, and revamp the state’s groundbreaking school laptop program.

Summary of the state of the state address

04/07/2009

While the Illinois General Assembly greeted newly installed Gov. Pat Quinn (D) warmly at his joint state of the state and budget address March 18, Quinn knew his budget would be a tough sell with an agenda that included hiking the state income tax by 50 percent.

Summary of the state of the state address

03/18/2009

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue (D) called for an increase in education funding, despite the state’s $3 billion budget gap, in her March 9 state of the state address.

Summary of the state of the state address

03/18/2009

Facing a $5 billion deficit and unemployment at a 16-year high, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) March 3 called on lawmakers to put partisanship aside and quickly use the billions of dollars from the federal stimulus plan as “a bridge to better economic times.”

Summary of the state of the state address

03/16/2009

Though Oklahoma faces a $600 million budget hole, Gov. Brad Henry (D) urged lawmakers to resist the temptation to raid the state’s rainy day fund.

Summary of the state of the state address

03/12/2009

Facing a $500 million projected revenue shortfall over two years, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) proposed spending cuts in nearly every sector of state government. The governor asked the Democratic-led legislature in his Feb. 12 budget address to “re-think everything state government does.”

Summary of the state of the state address

02/18/2009

Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) warned the Democratic-controlled General Assembly that the state’s economic condition is “more fragile, more perilous” than last year.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/18/2009

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) told lawmakers the federal stimulus package would not be “a panacea or silver bullet” for the state’s economic troubles and that major cuts would still be needed.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/14/2009

In West Virginia, one of the few states experiencing economic growth and low unemployment rates, Gov. Joe Manchin (D) said he will plan for tougher economic times ahead by freezing state workers’ salaries.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/13/2009

Less than a week after devastating snow and ice storms shut down power and cut off drinking water across Kentucky, Gov. Steve Beshear (D) presented his plans for erasing the state’s $456 million budget shortfall while praising relief workers.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/14/2009

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) announced his long-awaited proposals for overhauling the state’s education system during his state of the state speech Jan. 28.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/14/2009

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) struck a somber note in his state of the state address Jan. 29 as he described how the national economic downturn has hurt Wisconsin residents.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/14/2009

In her annual state of the state speech, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) tried to sell her vision of a revived Michigan economy built on the success of environmentally friendly industries. But in the meantime, Granholm spoke of a pared-down and shaken-up state government.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/13/2009

In a state that is faring much better than most in this recession, Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer called for reduced business taxes, incentives for the film industry and pay raises for teachers, in his Jan. 28 state of the state address.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/06/2009

Pennsylvania has far too many school districts and local governments, Gov. Ed Rendell (D) told the politically divided General Assembly in his executive budget address Feb. 4. Consolidation, Rendell said, would help the state save key funds during an economic crisis.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/06/2009

Boasting an economy more stable than most, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) focused on maintaining a small and thrifty government, while promoting job growth, ethics reform and education.

Summary of the state of the state address

02/06/2009

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) raised eyebrows in his state of the state speech Jan. 29 by listing two reasons why he expected Maryland’s budget outlook to be brighter at the end of the legislative session than at the beginning: “Barack … Obama.”

Summary of the inaugural address

01/29/2009

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) called for an overhaul of how the state funds education in his fourth inaugural address Jan. 8 before a Democratic-controlled legislature. His ideas included a freeze on school spending next year and possibly merging the University of Vermont and the Vermont State College system.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/28/2009

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) surprised members of the Republican-dominated Legislature when he announced in his state of the state speech Jan. 27 that he would reinstate up to $3.9 billion in road projects that were put on hold over budget concerns in November.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/29/2009

Hours after President Barack Obama was sworn in on Jan. 20, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) asked the Legislature to take action on the state’s financial crisis but also to embrace his proposals for alternative energy, education, health care, ethics reform and rights for domestic partners.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/29/2009

Gov. Rick Perry, saying Texas is “in better shape than most other states,” proposed freezing college tuition rates, expanding job training, beefing up anti-gang efforts and increasing energy incentives including a $5,000 payment to people who buy plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/29/2009

Calling for a reduction in wages and benefits for some state workers, Republican Gov. Linda Lingle asked Hawaii’s Democratic-controlled Legislature to tighten its fiscal belt while paving the way to greater energy and food independence.

MO: Summary of the state of the state address

01/29/2009

First year Gov. Jay Nixon (D) offered a plan Jan. 27 to balance the state's budget through a combination of spending reductions, job cuts and using anticipated money from the federal economic stimulus plan.

SD: Summary of the state of the state address

01/28/2009

Gov. Mike Rounds (R) said Jan. 12 he would balance the state budget with spending cuts but not tax increases. He did, however, call for eliminating certain sales tax exemptions and raising fees.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/27/2009

Back to the business of running Alaska after a failed bid for vice president, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin announced a state hiring freeze and called for a 7 percent cut in state expenses. In her Jan. 22 address to the state’s politically split legislature, Palin stressed the need to develop The Last Frontier’s vast energy resources while developing a more diverse economy.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/23/2009

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) called for a $1.2 billion stimulus package, to be funded by bonds, to pay for building projects that he estimates would create 20,000 construction jobs.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/24/2009

Gov. Tim Kaine (D), who this month was appointed to head the Democratic National Committee, emphasized environmental preservation and job creation in his Jan. 14 address to Virginia’s politically split legislature.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/22/2009

Facing a legislature overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats, Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty delivered a state of the state address Jan. 15 chock-full of GOP standards: tax cuts for businesses, performance incentives for schools and streamlined local government.

Summary of the condition of the state address

01/22/2009

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) focused on two major challenges during his annual condition of the state address Jan. 13: recovering from devastating floods this summer and dealing with a national fiscal crisis which belatedly hit Iowa last year.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/22/2009

Fresh from winning re-election in November, Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) challenged lawmakers in the Democratic-held Legislature to step up to the challenge of the nation’s worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and the worst state budget crisis in history.

Summary of the state of the commonwealth address

01/21/2009

Closing the state’s $1 billion budget gap will be painful, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) said, but he held out hope that the federal government will approve a stimulus package that will help put Bay Staters back to work.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/22/2009

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) challenged lawmakers to spend state money more wisely and not to raise taxes as they write a new budget for tough economic times. But Daniels also reminded legislators Indiana’s problems were minor compared to those of other states.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/21/2009

With California only weeks away from running out of money and issuing IOUs, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) vowed not to pursue any new policies until the state budget crisis is resolved.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/22/2009

In a speech before the Democratic-controlled Legislature Jan. 15, Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) rejected tax increases and instead proposed dramatic cuts to education and state workers’ salaries — including his own — as a way for struggling Nevada to bring its spending in line with revenues. The governor said his new budget is $2.2 billion smaller than the one he introduced two years ago.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/17/2009

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) targeted taxes, education, state spending and protecting vulnerable state residents in his Jan. 15 state of the state address.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/16/2009

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R), who has clashed with the Republican-controlled Legislature in the past over what he saw as its reckless spending, told lawmakers Jan. 14 that with the recession the state needed to rein in spending.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/16/2009

Wyoming, which so far has avoided the dire fiscal straits facing more than 40 other states, typically enters a recession late — “and that pattern is being repeated in Wyoming today,” Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) warned lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Legislature in his state of the state speech Jan. 14.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/14/2009

Facing a tough re-election fight in November, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) departed from the blunt assessments he has delivered in past state of the state speeches to focus instead on his administration’s accomplishments.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/14/2009

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) said education and health care — areas that escaped an initial round of budget cuts in November — will feel the pain this next time around.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/14/2009

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (D) challenged lawmakers to expand social services and increase funding for education despite the recession, saying the state’s careful budgeting in the past has put it on better financial footing than other states.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/15/2009

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), facing a projected $186 million shortfall in the current budget, delivered the grim message that she would have to propose eliminating programs, closing buildings and freezing government hiring but would try to protect education, health care and some social services.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/14/2009

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) delivered a somber state of the state speech to the Democratic-controlled Legislature Jan. 12, warning of a prolonged “winter of economic discontent” and pushing new spending as a way forward.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/14/2009

Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Legislature received a shock when Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter (R) announced Jan. 12 that he would seek to cut K-12 education funding by more than 5 percent as part of efforts to trim state spending amid a bleak budget picture.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/14/2009

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano's last state of the state speech amounted to a farewell. She is set to join President Barack Obama's Cabinet as director of Homeland Security.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/12/2009

Acknowledging Colorado faces “tough choices,” Gov. Bill Ritter (D) voiced his commitment to clean energy production and education as ways to bolster the state’s economy.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/08/2009

After a year of belt-tightening, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) warned that more cuts are in store as the state grapples with the national recession. “The sacrifices will not be easy or painless,” Rell said in her Jan. 7 state of the state address to the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/07/2009

Facing a “a historic economic challenge” not seen since Great Depression, New York Gov. David Paterson (D) Jan. 7 called on Congress to enact a large fiscal stimulus package by the end of January, while asking lawmakers to expand health care coverage at the state level.

Summary of the state of the state address

01/07/2009

Gov. John Hoeven (R) is one of the few state leaders around the country with a budget surplus. In his Jan. 6 state of the state speech, he called for boosting spending on local schools, state colleges and universities, child-care subsidies and the health insurance program for children from low income families.

The death penalty since 1972

07/31/2008

Calif. gay marriage ruling sparks new debate

By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer — 05/16/2008

(Updated 5 p.m EDT, June 12, 2008)
The California Supreme Court reignited a political wildfire with its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the most populous state in the union, but the issue already has burned out in more than half the states.

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Getting U.S. regions past sleepwalking

Neal Peirce — 07/01/2007

BOSTON – Far too many of America’s metro regions have been sleepwalking into the 21st century, only mistily aware of how severely global economic competition and climate change may hit them. Or if aware, so splintered politically they’re dangerously slow to respond.

Second Term Troubles

G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young — 06/19/2007

There’s good news and bad news these days for the Bush Administration. The bad news is that President Bush’s anemic approval rating is hovering around 30 percent. The good news is that it probably can’t go much lower. But, what may be news to the Bush administration isn’t new in American politics. In fact, Bush’s slow but inexorable erosion of political support is a depressingly old pattern in modern American politics.

'Green' Wal-Mart: An Oxymoron?

By Neal Peirce, special to stateline.org — 06/24/2007

Wal-Mart has been harvesting kudos for its dramatic ``green''
promises. Even Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense
Council have gone on record praising the massive retailer's intentions to
reduce electricity usage in its stores 20 percent by 2013 and to double the
fuel economy of its trucks by 2015.

A Detroit charter school's amazing '90-90' pledge -- and success

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 06/03/2007

In 1999 Doug Ross and his colleagues made an outrageous “90-90" promise. In 2007, they would graduate at least 90 percent of ninth graders going through their brand new University Preparatory Academy, an inner-city charter school. And, 90 percent would go on to post-secondary education.

Politically Uncorrected: The next big one

By G. Terry Madonna & Michael L. Young, Special to Stateline.org — 05/22/2007

Pennsylvania has conducted some big elections lately: big presidential races, big gubernatorial races, and big congressional races. Indeed, big, important, and eventful elections have become a regular feature of the State’s political landscape.

Global warming: A state and local rescue?

By Neal Peirce, Syndicated Columnist to Stateline.org — 05/27/2007

Thirty-one states representing 70 percent of the country's population announced on May 8 that they had signed on to a new Climate Registry to measure, track, verify and publicly report the greenhouse gas emissions by major industries.

Bloomberg's Climate Initiative Points to a Big Capitalist Solution

By Neal Peirce, Syndicated Columnist to Stateline.org — 05/06/2007

Global praise has been rolling in for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's remarkably encompassing ``green'' climate agenda and goals for New York's future, which he unveiled on Earth Day.

Bloomberg's Pathbreaking "PlaNYC": A Model for Urban America?

By Neal Peirce, Syndicated Columnist to Stateline.org — 04/25/2007

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's revolutionary proposal for "congestion pricing" -- road fees for private vehicles entering Manhattan's business district during business hours -- has dominated news coverage of the "PlaNYC" for "A Greener, Greater New York" that he unveiled in a major Earth Day address.

Corporate Location Subsidies: Do they feel the sprawl too?

By Neal Peirce, Syndicated Columnist to Stateline.org — 04/22/2007

Are government subsidies to job-promising corporations the waste of taxpayers’ money that critics have long claimed -- a zero-sum city-to-city and state-to-state shell game?

City Bikes: Clean, Healthy, Fun -- And Faster Than Cars?

By Neal Peirce, Syndicated Columnist to Stateline.org — 04/15/2007

Are we ready to go bicycling? Could these times of climate change, gas price inflation and bulging waistlines be prepping us for new waves of weekend biking adventures? Maybe even to leave cars parked and cycle to work daily?

Can 'Gentrifying' Cities Create New Bridges To Wealth?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 03/25/2007

WASHINGTON - Love, social equity and shelter. With those ideals, the Rev. Jim Dickerson in 1982 founded Manna Inc. to provide housing for people in crime-ravaged, sometimes burned-out neighborhoods of this capital city.

James Webb's Equity Challenge: What If We Got Serious?

Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 02/04/2007

Cheers for Sen. James Webb. His Democratic rejoinder to the State of the Union address provided a blast of fresh politics we hear all too rarely, either in Washington or the state capitals.

Congress' Minimum Wage Vote: Prelude to a Better Politics?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 01/25/2007

Are we truly on a swing back to centrist and pragmatic politics? Like a first robin of spring, the House’s fast vote to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 in a phased two-year process, up from the $5.15 figure at which the Republican-controlled Congress left it frozen for the past decade, is a good omen.

Could a farm bill serve us all?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 01/21/2007

No big surprise: As Congress girds to debate a 2007 farm bill, the big commodity interests -- cotton, rice, corn, wheat, soybeans -- are lining up to protect their rights to billions in future subsidies, notwithstanding recent market prices increases that should hearten them all.

Farm bill - candidate for a bipartisan breakthrough?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 1/14/2007

WASHINGTON -- Could the farm bill give the new Democratic Congress a chance for dramatic reform -- and perhaps even a way to collaborate with President Bush?

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Stateline.org's 2006 interactive elections guide

Follow races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state as well as statewide ballot measures with Stateline.org’s interactive elections guide

ELECTIONS

Election '06 -- GOP edge at stake

By Pamela M. Prah and Eric Kelderman, Stateline.org Staff
At least a dozen governors' races and 14 of the most competitive statehouses are still up in the air as Democrats aim to overturn the edge Republicans gained at the state level in 1994. What’s at stake in races for 36 governors, 30 attorneys general, 27 secretaries of state, and 6,119 state lawmakers in 46 states? Read More

ELECTIONS

Longer ballots pose many questions

By Daniel C. Vock,
Stateline.org Staff Writer

Voters in 37 states will have 205 ballot measures to consider Nov. 7, including 81 from citizens, a banner year. The questions range from the politically explosive – gay marriage and abortion – to the quirky, such as Arizona’s proposal to enter voters in a $1 million lottery.
Read More

ELECTIONS

Impassioned voters head for polls

By Joshua Brockman, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Voter turnout is projected to be larger than normal for a midterm election. But that still means a minority of the electorate in most states will decide a bevy of close races that will determine control of Congress and state capitols. Read More

Stateline.org has also compiled ongoing coverage of the statewide elections in one place, our 2006 elections page is the place to go to find every Stateline.org election story and reference guide.

State public policy resources

Stateline.org has put together a comprehensive list of state public policy resources. Organized by issue, you will find useful links to essential information from government, academia, and think tanks.

State-oriented blogs

Stateline.org has compiled an extensive list of state issue and state political blogs to make it convenient for you to follow different aspects of state government. These sites are not affiliated in any way with Stateline.org or the Pew Center on the States, and the opinions expressed on them are theirs alone. Neither Stateline.org nor the Pew Center on the States bears any responsibility for the content of these sites - they are listed solely as a public service.

Issue-oriented blogs

Medicaid: Biggest insurer is a budget buster

By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer — 08/03/2006

Medicaid went largely unnoticed when it first came into being in mid-1965, meriting only passing mention from President Lyndon B. Johnson at a bill-signing ceremony in Independence, Mo., where he trumpeted passage of the Medicare health plan for Americans over age 65. But four decades later, Medicaid’s numbers are eye-popping. It is now the nation’s largest health insurance program, covering 59 million poor people, or one in six Americans, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. It pays for 37 percent of all births in the United States and helps foot the bills for more than 60 percent of all patients in nursing homes.

2006 interactive elections guide

Keep track of this fall’s elections by using Stateline.org’s interactive map to follow the 36 gubernatorial, 30 attorney general and 27 secretary of state races. Following Nov. 7, results will be added to the guide, so check back often.

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Katrina paradox: Calamity but fresh ideas

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 01/24/2006

Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural disaster in American history; it remains daily pain and misery for hundreds of thousands. But calamity has begun to unleash some inventive ideas.

School choice: Besting the lobbies

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 01/19/2006

Can a single state bring off a reform that sways a nation -- even in an era of extraordinarily tenacious lobbying by entrenched interests?

Managing our borders: Not another 'war,' please!

By Neal Peirce — 01/10/2006

Hundreds of new Border Patrol and immigration agents. Gigantic, double-layer steel fences along the California and Arizona borders. Infrared and daylight cameras. Stadium lighting. A new surveillance drone. Expanded detention facilities.

SOTS order AD

Post-hurricane gleams of light?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 09/26/2005

A few gleams of light are appearing in the paths of families made homeless and communities devastated by the monster hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast.

Katrina's Opportunity - A New New Federalism

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 09/20/2005

WASHINGTON -- If the nation's heart in responding to the challenges of Hurricane Katrina is even half as large as President Bush now says it is, we face a set of perplexing "how?s."

Post-Katrina super-manager: Great idea, time is wasting

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 09/13/2005

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich's suggestion that President Bush appoint a powerful super-manager to oversee the federal government-wide efforts to recover from Hurricane Katrina's ravages is logical -- if not imperative.

Purging pop from the schools: Wake-up call for the states

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 09/12/2005

It's time for state governments to take tough action to cut down their young citizens' sugar and fat intake. For the kids' sake -- and the state's sake.

Katrina aftermath: Tears of a civic warrior

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 09/02/2005

WASHINGTON - "I got out at the last moment, driving 16 straight hours to Birmingham with Evelyn Cox, my 96-year-old neighbor, and Coco the French cat. We are very fortunate to have made it."

Energy bill strikes out: What can we do?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 08/28/2005

A fervid wave of criticism has followed Congress' new omnibus energy bill -- and who's to say it's not deserved?

Addictive, expensive, dangerous: "The Great American Jobs Scam"

By Neal Peirce, special to Stateline.org — 08/07/2005

Call it, if you will, the crack cocaine of state and local governments' economic development practices -- their endless flow of tax breaks and outright gifts to private corporations they want to land, or figure they have to pay off to stay put.

Communities by smart design: Mayors' effort spreads to the Governors

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 07/31/2005

"Gee, I wish my colleagues back home could see this," Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. of Charleston, S.C., recalls thinking as he admired the handsome old urban forms and new design initiatives of European cities on a 1984 trip organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Medicaid reform -- A new race to the top

By Raymond C. Scheppach, Special to Stateline.org — 07/12/2005

Last month, the National Governors Association released a set of policy recommendations to reform Medicaid. This latest package of reform proposals differed significantly from previous governors? recommendations since the focus was not only on making the Medicaid program more efficient, but also on slowing the growth rate of Medicaid eligible populations.

Privatized neighborhoods - the future we want?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 07/10/2005

Don't let the recent Supreme Court decision on the New London, Conn., eminent domain case fool you -- the powers of local governments aren't expanding, they're actually receding.

Britain's focus on its cities: Painful contrast for U.S.

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 06/29/2005

Britain cares about its cities; the United States does not. It was tough for Americans, attending the Urban Land Institute's World Cities Forum here last week, to reach any other conclusion.

A new local food scenario: wave of the future - or chimera?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 07/03/2005

How you feel about food is how you feel about the world.

Medical marijuana decision: Bad news all around

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 06/13/2005

There are three big reasons to believe the Supreme Court made a big mistake in its June 6 ruling that the laws in California and 10 other states allowing medical use of marijuana are no protection against federal raids and prosecutions.

New federal transportation bill: Bloated, full of earmarks, no national strategy

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 06/06/2005

WASHINGTON - It's a standard Washington story of clashing forces. The president threatens a veto if Congress passes a new multibillion-dollar transportation bill costing more than his budget allows. The House goes along with the $283.9 billion he recommends, but the Senate adds an extra $11 billion. The measure heads for conference. Will Congress dare defy the president? If it does, will the president veto -- or flinch?

A small Conn. hospital leads a health care revolution

Commentary by Neal R. Peirce — 06/02/2005

DERBY, Conn. - From Main Street merchants to U.S. senators, health care and its ballooning costs qualify as the new century's worst fiscal migraine. Now the problem is hitting not just government and employer budgets, but millions of people forced into big co-payments or unable to get coverage at all.

Metro food policy: Is the time right?

By Neal Peirce, Special to Stateline.org — 05/24/2005

Is America ready for a metropolitan agriculture policy?