POLITICS & LEADERSHIP
Incumbency no great advantage this election year?

GOVERNORS
Pawlenty the most 
polarizing?
 

The week in session
Hot issues
Bird's eye view
Upcoming elections
In the hopper
In case you missed it
Once around

Last year's devastating hurricane season has inspired many of the nation's largest insurers to pull out of high-risk coastal states. But lawmakers are also pulling out the stops to keep them there. 

Insurance industry sweating global warming

Toward the end of last year's devastating hurricane season, the national investment-environmental coalition Ceres released a study warning that Hurricane Katrina might be the start of a new era in which global climate changes bring losses so great, the insurance industry would be unable to cover them, leaving federal, state and local governments to foot the bill. Last month, government environmental scientists said this year's season would not be quite as severe. But that news may not be enough to slow an ongoing exodus of insurers from at-risk coastal areas -- or stop state lawmakers from taking strong countermeasures to protect their constituents. 

At the time Ceres issued "Availability and Affordability of Insurance Under Climate Change -- A Growing Challenge for the U.S." last September, much of the reaction from the insurance industry revolved around the issue of whether or not man-made global warming is a legitimate threat. That debate has continued in the months since.

The believers gained a major ally last month when global insurance giant American International Group (AIG) -- number nine on Fortune's list of top 100 companies -- joined their ranks. "AIG recognizes the scientific consensus that climate change is a reality and is likely in large part the result of human activities that have led to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere," the company said in a statement. It also pledged to develop "products and services to help AIG and its clients respond to the worldwide drive to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions." Foreign-based insurers such as Munich Re and Swiss Re have long supported that effort, but AIG is the first major U.S.-based insurer to do so.

Others in the industry, however, continue to maintain that global warming isn't the real threat. At an insurance industry conference in April, Karen Clark, president and chief executive officer of the Boston-based risk-modeling firm AIR Worldwide, stated that the main factor driving catastrophe losses is actually exposure growth. Over the past 10 years, aggregated commercial and residential replacement costs have more than doubled in the U.S., she said.

Frank J. Coyne, chairman, president and CEO of AIR's parent company, Insurance Services Office (ISO), developed that argument further at the 80th annual meeting of the American Association of Managing General Agents, held a couple of weeks later. Coyne pointed out that, based on computer modeling, if the six hurricanes that hit the U.S. in 1926 were to happen today, insured losses would top 2005's record total, due to the greater concentration of higher-value real estate in vulnerable coastal areas. "The inescapable conclusion is that the effects of exposure growth far outweigh any effects of global warming," he said.

The issue of global warming aside, AIR's catastrophe modeling-based projections for the future aren't entirely encouraging. While the company estimates there is only a 5 percent chance that losses from this year's storms will exceed the $38.1 billion total for Hurricane Katrina, it also forecasts that catastrophic losses "will double about every 10 years due to increases in the numbers and values of properties at risk." The company also said that a $100-billion event was "not hard to imagine," citing the possibility that a major hurricane could make a direct hit on Miami, FLORIDA or sweep through NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK and New England.

Those dire predictions apparently had something to do with the recent decision by Allstate Corp., the nation's second-largest property insurer, to drop 95,000 policies in FLORIDA and 28,000 in NEW YORK -- although the $1.5 billion quarterly loss the company suffered for the first time in a decade as a result of Hurricane Katrina was undoubtedly a factor as well. Allstate isn't the only one taking such drastic measures, however. Insurers from Cape Cod, MASSACHUSETTS to the Gulf Coast are canceling homeowners policies to reduce their risk exposure. In FLORIDA alone, insurers have notified the state of their intentions to drop a combined 500,000 policies, further burdening the state's government-run insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which is already facing a $1.7 billion deficit.
That impending crisis spurred FLORIDA lawmakers to pass legislation last month aimed at making the state more attractive to insurers. Senate Bill 1980, signed by Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on May 16, will grant $250 million in low-interest loans to carriers that write new policies and encourage housing upgrades to minimize insurers' future losses. In addition, the law will provide $750 million to help bail out Citizens and allow homeowners to pay the remaining $1 billion over 10 years.

NEW YORK is taking a different approach to the insurer pullout problem, one that is far more stick than carrot. Empire State lawmakers have introduced several bills this session aimed at limiting the number of policies insurers could drop in a year. One of them, SB 7609, would set that limit at 2 percent of an insurer's total number of policies, and also require insurers to demonstrate their potential risk before making cancellations. The measure would also direct the NEW YORK State Insurance Department to conduct a study on "the profitability of the property/casualty insurance industry, specifically reviewing the reasons and rate at which they increase their premiums or terminate coverage in markets less impacted by natural disasters."

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jeff Klein (D), ranking member of the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, has left little question about its primary target, stating in an April press release that "Allstate is actually now even refusing to renew decades-old existing policies -- leaving longtime policy holders high and dry. It's not right -- and it's not fair...." He later expanded on that theme with the memorable line, "Their slogan is `With Allstate, you're in good hands,' but not only are they not giving them a hand, they're giving them the finger." Klein also offered up a fairly straightforward summation of his state's get-tough policy: "The bottom line here is that NEW YORK is not FLORIDA and it's not the Gulf Coast. If these insurers continue to behave so recklessly, we will have no choice but to crack down on their regulation."

This kind of legislative activity hasn't been confined solely to FLORIDA and NEW YORK. According to State Net's database, at least four other states -- HAWAII, LOUISIANA, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS and MISSISSIPPI -- have introduced measures ranging from natural hazard disclosure requirements for homeowners' policies to prohibitions against the denial of coverage in storm-prone areas and appropriations for state catastrophe funds. 

Meanwhile, Allstate and State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., together with a bipartisan group of state regulators and other officials, are pushing for an overhaul of the industry themselves. Among other things, they'd like to see tougher state and local building codes, premiums that are more in line with actual risks and the federal government take a greater role in backing up insurers when losses reach a certain level. Those initiatives don't have the support of the entire industry, however. 

"Let the private sector do its job without extraordinarily complex new government programs," says Eric Goldberg of the American Insurance Association, which represents hundreds of property and casualty providers. And Frank Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America, whose members might be replaced by federal reinsurers under the proposed changes, said the industry "has been very profitable and very resilient in the face of the most significant catastrophic losses -- both terrorist and natural disasters -- ever," adding, "We can't see why there's a case to be made for a government role." 

In fact, as a whole, the insurance industry is doing pretty well. Despite last year's record losses, the ISO and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America say the industry's net profit rose nearly 12 percent in 2005, from  $38.5 billion in 2004 to a record $43 billion last year. 

Amidst all of the industry division and turmoil, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast a few weeks ago that the presence of cooler waters in the Atlantic Ocean would render the 2006 hurricane season, which began June 1, not quite as bad as last year's. That favorable news may not have much of an impact on either insurers or government officials in at-risk areas, however. After all, NOAA is still predicting a very active hurricane season with up to 16 named tropical storms and eight to 10 hurricanes, four to six of which are expected to be categorized as "major," with winds of 111 mph or more. And as Max Mayfield, director of the NOAA National Hurricane Center, put it, "One hurricane hitting where you live is enough to make it a bad season." Last year demonstrated that the same goes for a hurricane hitting where you govern or insure property.

(SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, INSURANCE JOURNAL, INSURANCE NEWS NET, TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, WASHINGTON POST, ISO.COM, NYSSENATE34.COM, PROTECTINGAMERICA.ORG, STATE NET)

-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK

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Bird's eye view

States explore impeachment

With partisan rancor as vitriolic as ever, some Congressional Democrats have called for impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush should Dems regain control of the House in November. Others are not waiting, as MICHIGAN Rep. John Conyers (D) has already introduced resolutions calling for both Bush (HRES 636) and Vice President Dick Cheney (HRES 637) to be censured for allegedly manipulating military intelligence to prod the country into war in Iraq. But a fairly obscure House rule (Section LIII, sec. 603) that allows state legislatures to call for presidential impeachment has also prompted lawmakers in four states to push resolutions asking the House of Representatives to initiate those proceedings. One, MINNESOTA HR 24, died in committee, but the others are still active. Any official action, however, must begin in the House and be confirmed by a trial in the U.S. Senate. The accompanying map shows all states that have considered impeachment resolutions this year. 
 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

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Budget & taxes

TWINS STADIUM BATTLE FINALLY OVER: In the wee hours of the morning last Sunday, MINNESOTA lawmakers finally approved a plan to fund a new open-air ballpark in Minneapolis for the Twins, ending the organization's 11-year fight for the proposal.

About three-quarters of the $522 million in projected construction costs for the stadium will come from a .15 percent bump in the sales tax (three cents on a $20 purchase) in the state's most populous county, Hennepin. The levy will take effect without the referendum customarily required for local sales taxes, a provision that riled some lawmakers. Rep. Ron Erhardt (R) deemed it the "most incredible exercise in selfishness" by legislators representing areas outside Hennepin County limits. And Rep. Alice Hausmen (DFL) said the only reason the measure got through this year was because "a whole bunch of people can say I'm not passing a tax on my constituents."

There may be repercussions for that bunch of lawmakers, however, if anti-stadium activists have their way. "Our group is taking down the vote by every legislator...and we are going to publicize these as the election draws near," said Laura Lehmann, spokeswoman for Citizens for a Stadium Tax Referendum.

There was considerably less clamor over the passage of another stadium-funding measure last Sunday, probably owing to the fact that it was for a public institution, the University of MINNESOTA. A third nagging stadium issue, for the Vikings NFL team, went unresolved, despite a preexisting agreement for a sales tax referendum in the county where that stadium would be located. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, GRAND FORKS HERALD, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE)

BUDGETS IN BRIEF: SOUTH DAKOTA Attorney General Larry Long issued an official opinion last Tuesday stating that a pair of measures aimed at repealing the video lottery and cellular phone tax laws passed in 2003 cannot be placed on the state's November ballot. Long said the ballot measures were not filed within 90 days of the legislative session in which the laws they're seeking to overturn were enacted. Moreover, they are both referendums on revenue measures vital for the support of the state government, which are barred by the constitution (ASSOCIATED PRESS, RAPID CITY JOURNAL). * Between 3,000 and 5,000 OKLAHOMA residents' tax returns were misplaced in January due to a computer problem at the state Tax Commission, a spokeswoman for the agency said last week. Evidently, invalid bar codes on returns filed by a tax-preparing company and users of some income tax return software products rendered the returns unreadable by the Tax Commission's computers. The agency said taxpayers affected by the glitch who were due refunds would be receiving them in about three weeks (OKLAHOMAN [OKLAHOMA CITY).
 

 --  Compiled by KOREY CLARK

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Politics & leadership

INCUMBENCY NO GREAT ADVANTAGE THIS ELECTION YEAR? The ouster of seventeen sitting legislators -- including two top Senate leaders -- in PENNSYLVANIA's primary election May 16 may have given political officeholders across the country a case of the jitters. If so, the results from other early primaries aren't likely to have done anything to settle their nerves.

In the nine other states that have held primaries so far this year, eight more incumbents have been shown the statehouse door, including INDIANA Senate President Pro Tem Richard D. Garton (R), NORTH CAROLINA House Speaker Pro Tem Richard Morgan (R) and WEST VIRGINIA House Majority Leader Rick Staton (D).

Some see the results as an indication that voters' disenchantment with their national representatives, which has been reflected in recent polls, is spreading to the state level. "With the country in such an anti-status-quo mood, I think it will affect all levels of government," said J. Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in NORTH CAROLINA.

Tim Storey, an elections expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures agrees that the early results are "certainly a stunning wake-up call that no one is safe." But he believes it is premature to conclude that an anti-incumbent mood is sweeping through the states. "If you look at the places it's happened, they all have their own unique circumstances that don't necessarily carry across state lines," Storey said.

The upheaval in PENNSYLVANIA, for instance, was mainly the result of voter rage over last summer's legislative pay raise scandal, along with political in-fighting among conservative and moderate Republicans in the state. The defeat of Garton in INDIANA appears to have resulted from his support for generous health benefits for legislators and their families -- including even ex-spouses -- and his votes against tough restrictions on abortion. And Morgan's demise in NORTH CAROLINA, likewise, stems from his decision in 2003 to accept a power-sharing arrangement with the Democrats when the House was evenly divided.

Furthermore, the actions of the electorate are known to diverge widely between the national and state level. In 2004, for example, the Democrats won majorities in 10 state legislative chambers, netting more than 60 seats overall, but lost the presidency and gave up seats in Congress as well.

At least twice in recent history, though, state and federal results have corresponded. Two years before the 1994 "Republican Revolution" that gave the GOP control of both houses of Congress, Republicans more than doubled the number of statehouses they controlled (from eight to 19). And in 1972, two years before the Democrats netted 49 congressional seats in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, they increased the number of statehouses where they held the majority from 26 to 37. (STATELINE.ORG)

TN LAWMAKERS LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES: It appears TENNESSEE lawmakers may have learned a lesson from their counterparts in PENNSYLVANIA. On the final day of the Lone Star State's 2006 session last Saturday, House members voted themselves a healthy pension increase. The hike will boost the pension of a House member in his mid-30s, for example, from about $400 per year to $800 or $900 annually.

Lawmakers defended the action as a cost-of-living adjustment similar to what is done with Social Security. "It keeps up with the rate of inflation," said House Minority Leader Bill Dunn (R). Glenda Chambers, executive director of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, concurred that the move merely brings TENNESSEE more in line with other states.

But within minutes of adopting the pension increase, the chamber passed another bill that will place a significant hurdle before potential challengers for legislative seats this year.

The measure was actually written -- and unanimously passed the Senate -- as an uncontroversial one extending the deadline for voter registration. But the Democratic House leadership amended a provision of the bill requiring write-in candidates in primary elections to receive 5 percent of the votes cast in order to advance to the general election to instead require them to garner 5 percent of the total number of voters in their legislative district. That change means a write-in candidate in Davidson County, in central TENNESSEE, who needed 1,308 votes in the 2000 primary to get on the November ballot, would have needed 15,000. "It's almost impossible to do -- and, as a matter of fact, it is impossible," said Rep. Chris Clem (R).

Write-in victories have been possible in the past, however. Rep. Joey Hensley (R), for example, was elected as a write-in candidate in 2002, and Sen. Rusty Crowe (R) came to office the same way in 1990.

Defenders of the measure argued that it ought to be tougher for people to be elected to office. "Why shouldn't it be a little more difficult? If you make it through the election process, will you make a good representative when you get here?" said Rep. Randy Rinks (D). (TENNESSEAN [NASHVILLE])

REDISTRICTING FAILS TWICE IN OHIO: A couple of weeks ago the Democratic minority in OHIO's House voted down a Republican plan to change the way legislative and congressional districts are drawn in the Buckeye State. The action wasn't all that surprising, despite the fact that redistricting reform is something lawmakers on both sides of the isle say is necessary. But then the Democrats proceeded to reject a reform proposal sponsored by one of their own, Rep. Steve Driehaus (D), when the Republicans surprised them by resurrecting the 14-month-old measure. Following the second vote, Scott Borgemenke, chief of staff for House Speaker Jon A. Husted (R), told reporters the Democrats "cannot argue for reform any longer." They did anyway, after accusing the Republicans of an election-year "gimmick." And the Dems may, in fact, get their way entirely in the end. They're believed to have their best chance in decades of taking control of the panel that draws legislative districts. That panel includes the governor, state auditor and secretary of state, all up whom will be selected by voters in November. (CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER)

POLITICS IN BRIEF: The controversial new SOUTH DAKOTA law that implemented an almost total ban on abortions in the Coyote State will go before voters in November. Opponents of the law last week filed more than the twice the necessary signatures to put the matter on the fall ballot (WASHINGTON POST). * Almost a third of the nonpartisan election chiefs in MARYLAND have quit in the past year, and some of them are saying it's because of frustration over recent changes to the state's voting system that jeopardize the integrity of the fall elections. One of the most controversial of those changes allows residents to cast their votes in the five days leading up to Election Day, which critics say is an invitation for fraud in a state that does not require ID to vote (CAPITAL [ANNAPOLIS]). * The RHODE ISLAND Senate passed a bill last week that would require individuals or groups that spend $1,000 or more in support or opposition of a referendum to disclose how the money is spent. A similar measure is pending in the House (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL).
 

-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK

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PAWLENTY MOST POLARIZING? As long expected, MINNESOTA Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) announced his plans to seek a second term as the Gopher State's chief executive last week. But Pawlenty added an unexpected twist to his announcement when he vowed that, if re-elected, he would not run for a national office during those four years. Pawlenty has been mentioned frequently as a potential vice-presidential candidate in 2008, but he quashed that idea, saying "If I run for governor and win, I will serve out my term for four years as governor." 

The announcement came on the heels of a recent survey by a University of CALIFORNIA San Diego professor that deemed Pawlenty the most polarizing governor in the nation. According to the study, which analyzed the results of Survey USA polls taken in all 50 states between May 2005 and January 2006, more than 80 percent of Gopher State Republicans approved of the job Pawlenty is doing, while only 27 percent of Democrats approved. That 53-point spread is the widest partisan difference in job approval ratings of any governor. 

Pawlenty made no mention of the survey in his re-election announcement, but earlier in the week did acknowledge he had made several partisan-fueled mistakes during his first three years in office. His biggest error, he said, was his contentious relationship with the Senate's Democratic Farm Labor majority during the 2003 legislative session. With help from the Republican-controlled House, Pawlenty got almost everything he wanted in that session and gave the Senate DFLers virtually nothing in return. That strategy led to an ongoing battle with the Senate that has effectively stalled much of his current agenda.  

State DFL Chairman Brian Melendez said last week that Pawlenty's inability to work with Democrats has made him vulnerable in November. "He's the first governor in MINNESOTA history to shut down state government and who, in three of his first four years in office, wasn't able to deliver a budget that didn't require a special legislative session," he said.

But Pawlenty claims he dumped his winner-take-all approach during the 2006 legislative session, opting instead to "make room for each side to have a partial victory and find common ground and compromise." Whether or not that leads him to another term remains to be seen, but at least one recent in-state poll shows him with an overall 50 percent job approval rating. (MINNEAPOLS STAR TRIBUNE, ST. PAUL PIONEER-PRESS)

SCHWEITZER SEES LONG-TERM U.S.PRESENCE IN MIDDLE EAST: MONTANA Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) marked his return from a trip to Iraq last week by calling on President Bush and Congressional leaders to address the American public and tell them that the U.S. will keep troops in the Middle East as long as it depends on foreign oil. Schweitzer said he believes such a speech would bolster the President and his Middle East policy, which most polls indicate is rapidly losing support with the American public. "I think the people would be with him," Schweitzer said, adding that Bush should also work to promote conservation and alternative fuels, while hammering home the message that "as long as you consume oil, you're part of the problem." (MISSOULIAN)

GOVERNORS IN BRIEF: The judge set to hear the political pandering case against KENTUCKY Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) removed himself from the proceedings because he said he personally knows people who might testify at the trial. Fletcher is facing three misdemeanor counts that he violated the Bluegrass State law that prohibits state officials from hiring and firing rank-and-file workers on the basis of politics (COURIER-JOURNAL [LOUISVILLE]). * NEW MEXICO Gov. Bill Richardson (D) announced last week that he would petition the U.S. Department of Agriculture for protection of all 1.6 million acres of roadless areas within the state's national forests. If granted, it would prevent development like oil and gas drilling, mining and logging. Under the current federal plan, road building would be allowed on about 430,000 acres of the state's national forest land that is now roadless (FARMINGTON DAILY TIMES). * RHODE ISLAND Gov. Don Carcieri (R) vetoed a bill that would have taken away his own power to place nonbinding referenda on the ballot. Carcieri said he opposes the bill on principle, noting that such gubernatorial referendums do not enact law but do allow him to "take the pulse of voter sentiment." The legislature, however, is expected to override Carcieri's veto, possibly as early as this week (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL). * The WISCONSIN Assembly last week failed to override Gov. Jim Doyle's (D) veto of a bill that would have given Badger State lawmakers the power to approve new casinos. The failure means lawmakers will not gain oversight authority of plans for off-reservation casinos (JANESVILLE GAZETTE). * MINNESOTA Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) signs legislation that allows consumers to place a security freeze on personal data in their credit report. The law is intended to help protect people from identity theft (BRAINERD DISPATCH). * ALASKA Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) ended weeks of speculation by announcing his intention to seek a second term. Murkowski said that advancing a North Slope natural gas pipeline would be his top priority if re-elected. He followed up his announcement by introducing a trio of bills in the Last Frontier Legislature that would allow him to negotiate existing oil and gas tax agreements with the companies as part of a gas deal (DAILY NEWS-MINER [FAIRBANKS]). * By the time you read this, ARIZONA Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) will have likely broken the state gubernatorial record for vetoes. As of last week, Napolitano had vetoed 114 bills since coming into office in 2003, the same total as former Gov. Bruce Babbitt (D). It took Babbitt eight years to reach that number (ARIZONA DAILY STAR [TUCSON]). * CALIFORNIA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) reached an agreement with the federal government to allow the use of Golden State National Guard troops on the CALIFORNIA-Mexico border. The state will deploy about 1,000 troops there (SACRAMENTO BEE). 
 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

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Here are some of the topics you will see covered in upcoming issues of the State Net Capitol Journal:  - Minimum wage - Plan B  - TABOR

Corrections On page 2 of our May 22 issue, we identified WASHINGTON Senate Bill 5637 as a "fair share" measure that died in committee this session. That bill, however, was from the 2005 session. The 2006 fair share measure that failed in committee was SB 6356. We regret the error.

BUSINESS: The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 2987, which would allow phone companies to obtain a statewide license to provide video, phone and Internet services rather than negotiate deals with individual cities and counties. The measure moves to the Senate (SACRAMENTO BEE). * Still in CALIFORNIA, the Assembly and Senate endorse matching bills -- AB 1835 and SB 1162 -- that would hike the Golden State minimum wage $1-per-hour by 2008. If ultimately approved, each would raise that wage to $7.75-per-hour. The proposals move to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) (SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE). * The NORTH CAROLINA House approves legislation that would boost the Tar Heel State minimum wage from its current $5.15-per-hour to $6.15-per-hour. Both chambers must now determine if the proposal will head to Gov. Mike Easley (D) as a stand-alone bill or as part of the overall state budget. Easley is expected to sign it into law either way (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER). * The LOUISIANA Senate also takes on the minimum wage issue by endorsing SB 700, which would raise the Pelican State wage by $1-per-hour. It moves to the House (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). * A LOUISIANA Senate committee endorses HB 1381, which would ban the sale of violent video games to anyone under 18. The measure, which has already cleared the House, moves to the full Senate (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). * The MICHIGAN House approves legislation that would bar state and local governments from taking private property for economic development. The proposal also requires that homeowners of land that is taken be compensated at 125 percent of their property's fair market value. The measure moves to the Senate (LANSING STATE JOURNAL). 

CRIME & PUNISHMENT: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear a challenge to an INDIANA law that restricts visitations by minors to incarcerated child molesters. The Hoosier State chapter of the ACLU claimed the law is unconstitutional (INDIANAPOLIS STAR). * VERMONT Gov. James Douglas (R) signs legislation that requires anyone convicted of aggravated sexual assault to serve at least five years in prison. It goes into effect immediately (BOSTON GLOBE). * The DELAWARE Senate approves HB 371, which requires protesters at funerals to stay at least 1,000 feet away from those services and prohibits demonstrations for one hour before and two hours after they end. The bill moves to Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D), who says she will sign it (NEWS JOURNAL [WILMINGTON]). * The SOUTH CAROLINA House approves legislation that would make some twice-convicted child molesters eligible for the death penalty. The sentence would apply in cases where the offender is convicted of repeatedly raping a child under 11. The bill goes to Gov. Mark Sanford (R), who is expected to sign it (POST & COURIER [CHARLESTON]). 

EDUCATION: FLORIDA Gov. Jeb Bush (R) signs legislation barring Sunshine State colleges and universities from using public money to travel to Cuba. The new law also prohibits state-funded schools from spending any money -- public or private -- on any aspect of organizing a trip to any of the five nations listed by the U.S. State Department as a state sponsor of terror (MIAMI HERALD).

ENVIRONMENT: The CALIFORNIA Assembly approves AB 1899, which would require that new housing subdivisions be permitted only if the state determines that they have at least 100-year flood protection and a "reasonable plan" to secure 200-year flood protection within 10 years. The measure moves to the Senate (SACRAMENTO BEE). * IOWA Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) signs a package of bills that will, among other things, require 25 percent of all fuel sold in the state to come from renewable sources by January 2020. The measure also will provide major tax incentives to gasoline stations that upgrade their equipment to be able to then sell more biodiesel and ethanol-based fuels (QUAD-CITY TIMES [DAVENPORT]).

HEALTH & SCIENCE: A MICHIGAN Senate committee approves Senate Bills 229 and 230, measures that would require insurers to provide comparable healthcare coverage for both mental and physical conditions. Under current Wolverine State law, the healthcare provider reimbursement rate is approximately 80 percent for physical ailments, but only 50 percent for mental problems. The bills now go to the full Senate (BOOTH NEWSPAPERS [LANSING]). 

HOMELAND SECURITY: The MICHIGAN House approves a measure that would require U.S. citizenship status to be disclosed on Wolverine State driver's licenses. The measure would also bar illegal immigrants from getting a driver's license. The proposal speeds off to the Senate (LANSING STATE JOURNAL). * COLORADO Gov. Bill Owens (R) signs SB 110, which creates a $50,000 civil fine for making counterfeit identification documents. Owens also signs SB 206, which makes it a felony to smuggle a human being into the country (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS [DENVER]). 

SOCIAL POLICY: The LOUISIANA House approves SB 33, which would ban all abortions except those performed to save the mother's life or, in some cases, her health. The proposal returns to the Senate to review changes made in the House. Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) has indicated she will sign the measure when it gets to her (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). * Still in the Pelican State, a LOUISIANA Senate committee approves HB 1379, which would force married couples with children under 18 to live apart for one year before they could get divorced. Current state law requires a six-month waiting period. The bill walks down the aisle to the full Senate (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). * WISCONSIN Gov. Jim Doyle (D) vetoes a bill that would have barred illegal immigrants from receiving benefits through the state's public assistance programs. Doyle said the measure was redundant because Badger State law already bars undocumented people from receiving benefits (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL). 

POTPOURRI: The OHIO House rejects a measure that would have installed English as the official state language. Lawmakers said they feared the bill would discourage foreign investment in the Buckeye State (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL). * NEW HAMPSHIRE Gov. John Lynch (D) signs legislation that requires all cigarettes sold in the Granite State to be self-extinguishing. National safety experts say approximately 800 people die every year from fires started by unattended cigarettes (CONCORD MONITOR). * The CALIFORNIA Senate approves SB 1578, which would prohibit Golden State dog owners from chaining their pet to a stationary object like a fence or tree. Supporters cite statistics that show chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs because they feel the strong need to protect their territory and have no way to flee from perceived threats, and that chained dogs have killed 107 people in the U.S. since 2000. It now moves to the Assembly (STATE NET). 
 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

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Once around the statehouse lightly

NOTE FROM THE FRINGE: Robert Wollner wants to be governor of ARIZONA. It isn't necessarily his idea, reports the Arizona Capitol Times. Seems the notion was foisted on him by a higher intelligence that resides in the galaxy O'Ryan and regularly sends him suggestions on how to improve life on Earth. Somewhat more ambitious than your average wing-nut, Wollner spent more than $100 to write and produce a 52-page booklet outlining the history of the universe. The booklet was mailed to reporters and elected officials, including the governor's office, and was accompanied by a press release from the Space Science Laboratory in Tucson. When pressed, Wollner -- a retired, 64-year-old house painter from Phoenix -- admitted that the science lab didn't exist. As for galaxy O'Ryan...

NOTE FROM ANOTHER FRINGE: Take a page from the Dutch when it comes to political chutzpah. While many of the United States wrestle with procedures for reintroducing child molesters into communities, a group of Dutch pedophiles has organized themselves into a political party and will attempt to legalize their, uh, hobby. According to Reuters, the Charity, Freedom and Diversity (NVD) Party will push for, among less mentionable goals, legalization of child pornography. "We are going to shake The Hague awake!" party officials proclaimed last week. The NVD also supports universal public nudity and legalization of all drugs. 

Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD TIME, Y'HEAR? In the name of good will and communication, the University of TEXAS will continue the practice of comping tickets to Longhorn football games to a select group of fans. But don't get giddy thinking that YOU are among that select group, not unless you happen to be a Texas legislator. Over the past five years, reports the Austin American-Statesman, UT has dispensed nearly 2,000 free or discounted tickets to Lone Star lawmakers, both state and federal. Recipients feigned innocence, saying that the university makes the rules while they -- public servants all -- merely take advantage of the rules. Those interviewed say that it offers the chance for electeds and university officials to palaver at pre-game receptions. Meanwhile, legislators are pikers when it comes to this particular bennie. UT Regents get free tickets for life.

PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF before languishing in prison for seven months, Charles McGee is back at work, helping elect Republicans in NEW HAMPSHIRE. As noted in the Washington Post, McGee spent time in the hoosegow after pleading guilty to a conspiracy that sabotaged Democratic and union telephone lines during the 2002 election. At the time, McGee was executive director of the state Republican Party and the conspiracy involved hiring a telemarketing firm to jam the Democrats' get-out-the-vote effort. After his release from prison, McGee resumed his job as veep of a political marketing firm where, according to the firm president, he will lend his, uh, "experience" to any GOP candidate who wants it. 

AND, OH, BY THE WAY: Just before the final gavel thumped down on the TENNESSEE legislative year, legislators dipped into the state trough for a few last-second goodies. They increased their pension benefits, reports the Tennessean, and imposed a gigantic impediment for write-in candidates qualifying for the ballot. Both actions were contained in bills amended at the last minute and not subject to the usual legislative review. Critics say the measures passed because legislative leaders played "fast and loose" with voting rules. 

A BRIBE OR A LOTTERY? That is the question posed by a proposed ballot initiative in ARIZONA. According to the Associated Press, the state will fork over $1 million to one randomly chosen voter during each statewide election if an initiative currently in circulation makes it to the November ballot and is approved by voters. Proponents argue it will improve turnout. Critics call it a gimmick that could cause people to vote without giving any thought to the election.
 

-- By A.G. BLOCK

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Editor: Rich Ehisen
Associate Editor: Korey Clark
Contributing Editor: A.G. Block
Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon
Correspondents:  Jeff Kinnison (CA), Steve Karas (CA), 
Bruce McKeeman (CA), Linda Mendenhall (IL), 
Lauren King (MA) and Ben Livingood (PA)
Design: Richard Hansen 

Copyright 2006 State Net
ISSN: 1521-8449