BUDGET & TAXES
IL budget heads to overtime

POLITICS & LEADERSHIP
IA gambling groups go on spending spree

GOVERNORS
Govs stalking CA biotech jobs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

State Recaps available this week on the State Net website: 

AK, AL, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, NE, NM, OK, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
 

Lawmakers struggle to control skyrocketing gas prices

With the summer driving season upon us, two state legislatures at opposite ends of the country are taking radically different approaches to minimizing gas pump sticker shock. In the West, HAWAII is set to become the only state that regulates gasoline prices while in the Southeast, FLORIDA plans to temporarily suspend its motor fuel tax. 
    Most economic indicators estimate the cost of living in Hawaii to be 20% more than on the U.S. mainland -- in large part because virtually all consumer goods must be transported thousands of miles across the Pacific before they reach market. In many economic sectors, the state's cost of living is the highest in the country, which locals attribute to "the price of paradise."
    But for years a number of local consumer groups, state officials and others have also claimed oil companies collude to fix prices or manipulate the market.  When mainland prices spike, they claim, pump prices go up in Hawaii -- but when mainland prices drop, they say consumers don't see a similar drop in Hawaii prices.
    Then-attorney general Earl Anzai was among the original doubters, contending that, "In 1997, despite an 18-cents-per-gallon drop in the price of Alaska North Slope crude oil (traditionally the primary source for Hawaii and CALIFORNIA oil refineries), Hawaii prices stayed at about $1.10 per gallon, excluding taxes. In California there was a corresponding drop from about 88 cents per gallon to about 70 cents per gallon." 
    Anzai claimed that oil companies took advantage of Hawaii's unique situation to reap "unbelievable" profits from the state's consumers.  He charged that between 1988 and 1995, Chevron's sales to its Hawaii dealers was 3.1% of nationwide sales, but resulted in 21.9% of its profit, and that the company "continually attempted to keep its profit information secret."
    Citizens Against Price Gouging, a citizens' group that includes former oil company executives, university researchers and consumer advocates, released a study concluding that another oil company, Aloha Petroleum, earns a gross profit of 55.9 cents per gallon on fuel it buys from the Chevron Texaco refinery.
    "That's an outrageous amount of profit, much more than any other jobber in the U.S.," said the group's Hugh Ogburn, a former ARCO executive.
    In response to public pressure, the 2002 state legislature passed Act 77, the nation's only gas cap law. The measure, set to take effect this July 1, ties Hawaii's top gasoline price to prices in major urban areas on the West Coast, and limits dealer profits to 16 cents per gallon on regular unleaded gas.  
    However, earlier this year the per-gallon price of regular gas on the West Coast briefly drifted higher than in Hawaii, and embarrassed gas cap supporters conceded that, had the law been in effect at the time, consumers would have paid even more at the pump.
    "High prices in Hawaii are a myth perpetuated by the media to the level of urban legend," said Brian Barbata, a petroleum distributor on Kauai. 
    "On Monday, March 8, the Oahu average unleaded regular price, without taxes, was $1.48," he continued. "On the same day, on the same basis, San Francisco was $1.76, San Diego was $1.70, Las Vegas was $1.64 and Anchorage was $1.44."
    In May U.S. crude oil prices hit a record-breaking $40 per barrel, and Hawaii once again lost its dubious distinction of having the nation's most expensive gas. According to the American Automobile Association's Fuel Gauge Report, in mid-May a gallon of regular gas was again more expensive in California and WASHINGTON than in Hawaii. 
     Sen. Ron Menor (D), chair of the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing Committee, acknowledged the 2002 gas cap law "wasn't perfect" and the system "needed work."  Menor co-sponsored legislation in the Spring 2004 session revising Act 77.
    Provisions in the amended legislation include determining the wholesale cap on regular gasoline as the average spot price of regular unleaded gasoline in Los Angeles, New York Harbor and the U.S. Gulf Coast as reported by the Oil Price Information Service, rather than relying exclusively on prices in West Coast markets, regulating the price of premium and mid-grade, as well as regular-grade, gasoline, and establishing a task force to investigate the practices of the petroleum industry on the neighbor islands. But Linda Lingle, Hawaii's first Republican governor in 40 years, remains strongly opposed to gasoline price controls.  
        "While the price cap mechanism could be improved, historically and in practice price caps have been demonstrated to be ineffective, risky, costly to administer and open to manipulation," said Ted Liu, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.  Liu was testifying before legislators on behalf of the Lingle administration.
    The state also hired an independent consulting company to study the local gasoline market. The California firm Stillwater Associates LLC recommended that Act 77 be scrapped and instead the state develop a more transparent system of pricing gasoline both at the wholesale and retail levels.  The Stillwater report, which cost the state $250,000, determined that such a system would be "much more effective in preventing excess profit-taking than gasoline price controls."
    Instead, lawmakers passed a measure revising the 2002 Hawaii gas cap law, but delayed implementation until September 1, 2005.  The measure passed both the Senate and House, and was sent to Governor Lingle on May 7, who has not indicated whether she will sign or veto it by the July 13 deadline.
    But Act 77 is still scheduled to go into effect on July 1 -- 13 days before the governor is required to act on this session's amended version. The governor's office, sponsoring legislators and the state Attorney General all declined to comment on whether the original law would become operational on July 1 as scheduled if the governor fails to take action on the amended version by then. But legal challenges to the Act may make the issue moot, as two gas station owners on the Big Island of Hawaii have filed suit to block its enforcement.  
    On the mainland, the Republican-controlled Florida legislature took a very different approach to quelling rising gas prices. In May, Gov. Jeb Bush (R) signed the Florida State Motor Fuel Tax Relief Act of 2004, which will reduce the state's fuel taxes for the month of August by cutting 8 cents from the 14.3 cents it assesses on a gallon of gas. Florida will collect the discounted rate from suppliers, who are expected to pass the savings along to wholesalers. The cut should then, according to theory, trickle down to the retail level and be reflected in the pump price. The measure also elevates the crime of price-gouging to a third-degree felony and empowers the state's Attorney General to investigate any alleged violations. Those convicted could lose their license to sell motor fuel in the state.
        The deal won't come cheap. The Department of Revenue estimates the state will forgo an estimated $59.7 million that would normally go into the road construction fund. To make up the shortfall, the bill requires the transfer of $60 million from the general fund to the road fund.
    Senate President Jim King (R) said the state cannot afford to lose the potential revenue, which some estimates say could be as high as $90 million. Other legislators and consumer groups also expressed reservations about the tax cut plan -- either because the state cannot afford it, or because savings to consumers will be negligible. Democratic senators have characterized it as a small, election-year giveback that isn't worth much, while members of both parties have expressed doubts the holiday will give consumers any significant relief.  
    They could be right. With a gallon of gas in Florida selling for around $2 today, a driver pays $50 to fill up his 25-gallon tank. But if the price remains in August when the tax holiday goes into effect, the 8-cents-per-gallon cut means the driver will pay only $48 -- a total per-tank savings of a whopping $2.
    The American Automobile Association, which represents 46 million members in the U.S. and Canada, also voiced its opposition to the bill, citing the paltry savings to consumers and the significant loss in road building funds.  
    "As much as we like the intention of the bill, to provide relief to consumers," said Gregg Laskowski, AAA's government relations manager, "We don't think this is the way to do it."  

-- By PETER SERAFIN

Peter Serafin is a State Net 
correspondent based in Hawaii

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Budget & taxes

ILLINOIS SESSION HEADED INTO OVERTIME: Dissension among the three Democrats who control ILLINOIS government prevented the passage of a budget by the state's constitutionally-mandated June 1 deadline, sending the session into an open-ended overtime that will give Republicans more of a say in the process. Despite controlling the governor's office and both houses of the Legislature for the first time since the mid-1970s, the three Democrats could not agree among themselves on a spending plan. Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones passed a budget package through the Senate that included $773 million in additional funding for education and health care. But that plan was opposed by House Speaker Michael Madigan because it also included $400 million in spending cuts, along with significant tax hikes and raids on special-purpose funds. Madigan offered his own bare-bones plan that would merely fund the government in the event of a shutdown in July, should lawmakers fail to pass a budget by then. With neither proposal making any ground in the opposite house, Jones and Madigan sent their members home while they continued to seek a compromise everyone can agree on. That job will be much more complicated now, however, because Democrats will need a three-fifths supermajority to pass a budget, meaning they'll also have to satisfy the Republicans (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES).
 
VIRGINIA KEEPS AAA RATING: Moody's Investment Service announced it will not drop VIRGINIA's bond rating as it had threatened last fall. Moody's said the state's improving economy and recent approval of a $1.5 billion tax plan were enough to allow the state to retain its AAA rating. The decision is a major victory for Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), who used the threat of a bond rating downgrade to persuade lawmakers to fix the state's structural budget deficit. But lawmakers who had opposed the tax package said that while they were pleased with the news, they thought the state would have retained its AAA rating even without the tax increases because of its improving economy, pointing out that two other states which had also raised taxes, MICHIGAN and NORTH CAROLINA, saw their bond ratings drop. One lawmaker, however, was a little less congenial. Del. Robert G. Marshall (R) accused Moody's analysts of "acting like politicians with a liberal agenda rather than bankers." In response to Marshall's comment, Warner said, "The absurdity of that statement ought to stand on its own." (WASHINGTON POST) 

MI GOV THREATENS BUDGET CUTS: MICHIGAN Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said last week she will have to cut school funding by $28 per student if the Legislature fails to approve her proposed tax on tobacco and liquor by June 15. The governor also threatened to cut Medicaid reimbursements to doctors and hospitals that treat low-income patients unless lawmakers pass the sin tax by that deadline. Granholm wants to increase the tax on all tobacco products by 75 cents and the price of a $10 bottle of liquor by about 50 cents in order to fill a $250 million hole in this year's budget, which ends Sept. 30. That is likely to be a real challenge for lawmakers in both houses. Although the House has passed a tobacco tax increase, it differs substantially from Granholm's proposal -- it only covers cigarettes, for example -- and the chamber rejected the liquor tax earlier this year. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema (R) said his chamber will only vote for the cigarette tax hike if a GOP plan to increase jobs is thrown into the deal. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, LANSING STATE JOURNAL)
 
BUDGETS IN BRIEF: CALIFORNIA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is expected to announce a deal in the next few weeks to bring the first Indian casino to a major urban area of the state. The agreement will allow the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians to transform a cardroom in the Northern California city of San Pablo, about 20 miles northeast of San Francisco, into a full-fledged gaming house (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE). * VERMONT lawmakers boasted at the end of this year's session that they didn't raise taxes. They did, however, create a new one, a half-cent levy on home heating fuel, which they snuck in during the session's last days. The tax was needed to replenish the state's Petroleum Cleanup Fund, which lawmakers raided in 2002 to balance the state budget (RUTLAND HERALD). * A mega-transportation proposal will not go before WASHINGTON voters this November as planned. A three-county transportation authority decided to postpone the vote on the $12.8 billion roads and transit package after the Washington Roundtable, an association of the state's leading businesses, including Boeing and Microsoft, announced it wouldn't fund a campaign for the proposal. The Roundtable evidently withdrew its backing because a poll it commissioned showed there was not enough support for the proposal among voters (SEATTLE TIMES). * The price of a gallon of gas has increased more than 40 cents in some parts of ALASKA over the past year. While motorists aren't too happy about that development, the surge in the price of Alaska crude may allow the state to end the fiscal year without a deficit. Eleven of the last 13 years, lawmakers have been forced to draw on the state's Constitutional Budget Reserve to balance the budget (FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER). 
 

-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK

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IOWA GAMBLING GROUPS GO ON SPENDING SPREE: The passage of legislation significantly expanding gambling in IOWA this year was likely aided by the nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions made by gambling interests just prior to the start of the session. The largest contributors were groups with ties to casinos in the state, including the Meskwaki tribe and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas. The biggest recipients were the Legislature's top six leaders, all of whom voted for the gambling bill, which allows table games like blackjack at the state's three racetrack-casinos and eases restrictions on the state's 10 riverboat casinos. The leaders denied the money influenced their votes, House Speaker Christopher Rants (R), contending the bill's passage wasn't some sort of "secret, 11-o-clock-at-night thing." Although gaming interests are regular campaign donors, observers say they don't usually rank among the state's largest contributors. But they spent big this year, knowing that gambling issues were going to be on the table. And they were given ample opportunity by Iowa's campaign spending laws, which bar interest groups from making contributions during the legislative session but allow them to do so in the first 11 days of January prior to the start of the session without having to report the donations until after the session adjourns. Commenting on that major flaw in her state's reporting laws, Joan Lucas of the watchdog group Money and Politics Iowa said by that point, the debate's over, the "bill is passed, and that's it." (DES MOINES REGISTER) 

ROWLAND CHALLENGES SUBPOENA: CONNECTICUT Gov. John G. Rowland (R) ended speculation about how he would respond to a subpoena demanding that he appear before the House impeachment committee this week when he filed a challenge to the order in state Superior Court on May 27. Rowland's in-house counsel, Ross H. Garber, contested the subpoena on the constitutional grounds that it would set a precedent that would permanently weaken the executive branch. He also argued that the subpoena violated the governor's due process rights because the committee had met in secret and refused to divulge information about its investigation. Garber denied, however, accusations that the suit was intended to allow Rowland to avoid incriminating himself in an ongoing parallel federal criminal investigation of his administration. Last Tuesday, the court issued a temporary stay of the subpoena until it has a chance to hear the case. But with the impeachment inquiry pressing on the very next day in spite of Rowland's court-approved absence, a ruling on the subpoena challenge may not come until after the committee makes its recommendation to the full House on whether to impeach the governor, which it must do by June 30. (NEW YORK TIMES) 

SINE DIE: GEORGIA's 2004 legislative session was marked by partisan bickering that has become the norm in the state since Republican's wrested control of the Senate and governor's office from the Democrats in 2002, ending 130 years of Democratic hegemony and ushering in divided control of the state's government. Tensions were only heightened this year by new court-drawn legislative district maps that could give Republicans control of the House in November. In the heated environment, lawmakers failed to pass a balanced budget, prompting Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) to call a special session to make the necessary fixes. Other legislative failures include a proposed constitutional amendment requiring smaller class sizes in public schools and a plan to cut funding for books and fees for HOPE college scholarship recipients. Among the few notable measures to survive the session was a new child endangerment law championed by both Perdue and the state's highest ranking Democrat, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor. (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION) 

POLITICS IN BRIEF: After OREGON's Democrat-controlled Senate voted two weeks ago not to hold a special session on tax reform scheduled during the 2003 regular session, House Speaker Karen Minnis (R) vowed to convene her chamber anyway. But when she tried to do so last Tuesday, only two House Democrats showed up, denying her the quorum needed to conduct legislative business. The fact that the two Dems in attendance both face tricky reelection campaigns this year suggests both parties intend to make political hay out of the failed session (OREGONIAN [PORTLAND]). * Each chamber of CALIFORNIA's Legislature passed a slew of bills two weeks ago that would raise costs for Golden State businesses. The bills, which among other things would raise the minimum wage to one of the highest levels in the country, are in direct defiance of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) business-friendly stance, demonstrating that lawmakers are still very much at odds with the governor on some economic issues. The governor's spokesman said Schwarzenegger would veto any of the bills that reach his desk (ASSOCIATED PRESS, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS). * The KANSAS Senate could see a major power shift next year. The 40-seat chamber is currently divided among Democrats and conservative and moderate Republicans -- with none of the three factions dominant. But legislators say retirements and redistricting could enable conservatives to pick up enough seats to alter the chamber's position on major issues like gay marriage. The geographic balance of power in the chamber, currently favoring members from rural districts 21-19 over those representing urban ones, could also flip, allowing stalled issues like the consolidation of rural school districts to advance (WICHITA EAGLE).
 

-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK

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Governors

GOVS STALKING CALIFORNIA BIOTECH JOBS: When it comes to biotechnology, CALIFORNIA has always been the place to be. The state is home to approximately 450 biotech firms -- more than double the total of second place MASSACHUSETTS -- and one third of the nation's entire biotech workforce. But numerous governors are looking to change that this week as they press the flesh with up to 18,000 industry lawyers and executives at the annual biotech convention in San Francisco. Governors from FLORIDA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MISSOURI, MINNESOTA and Massachusetts are all expected to attend the event in an effort to snag a larger slice of the estimated $40 billion annual biotech pie, and they are bringing their state checkbooks with them. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), for one, is hosting an invitation-only breakfast designed to woo financiers and CEOs, followed by an evening reception for 250 guests at a posh local hotel. Iowa representatives are countering with a carnival at SBC Park, where guests can mingle with baseball Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller, while the Minnesota contingent is hoping to lure VIPs with a selection of Gopher State beers. Although most experts say the biotech industry is too small to support widespread growth, some states have made headway of late in enticing California-based firms to look elsewhere. In recent months at least three major drug and research companies have moved all or some of their operations to sites in DELAWARE, RHODE ISLAND and WISCONSIN. The reason? According to one industry analyst, companies are leaving because the Golden State's business incentives are decidedly more akin to rust than gold. And what of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who was elected on a mantra of making the state more business friendly? Citing the need to deal with ongoing budget troubles, the governor has not yet committed to attending the convention, although he has said he will send a member of his cabinet to help beat back the competition. (SEATTLE TIMES) 

SCHWARZENEGGER FLEXES MUSCLES ON DRIVER'S LICENSE LAW: One thing not occupying CALIFORNIA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) time is the ongoing push from Democratic lawmakers to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Schwarzenegger last year prodded the Legislature to repeal SB 60 -- a law that would have allowed the state's estimated 2 million undocumented aliens to obtain licenses -- based primarily on his promise to reconsider new legislation down the line that addressed specific security issues around the issue. Democrat Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger's predecessor, signed SB 60 into law, an act many viewed as the final impetus for voters recalling him from office in favor of the former movie hero. But since getting the repeal, Schwarzenegger has shown little interest in SB 1160, new license legislation introduced by SB 60's author, Sen. Gil Cedillo (D). The governor's hesitation has angered the Legislature's Latino Caucus, who last week hinted they might withhold their votes on the state budget if Schwarzenegger doesn't act soon. Schwarzenegger representative Rob Stutzman bristled at the threat, saying that such a move "would be a big mistake." He could be right, as polls show that the vast majority of Californians -- including Latinos -- do not favor allowing illegals to obtain licenses. Most observers feel the enormously popular Schwarzenegger will not move quickly -- if at all -- on something the public doesn't want, particularly if Democrats use the bill to hold the budget hostage. (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE)

TAFT HELPS GOP GOVS RAISE BIG BUCKS: Political "527" committees have received a lot of notice of late, mostly due to the fund-raising success of liberal-leaning groups like the Move-on.org Voter Fund. But conservatives have their own 527 committees as well, none more successful than the Republican Governors Association (RGA). Chaired by OHIO Gov. Bob Taft (R), the RGA has already raised more than $5 million in the first quarter of 2004, with a single event in May hosted by Taft raising more than $700,000. The big bucks make it the largest conservative 527 out there, and according to the Center for Public Integrity, the fifth largest overall. These committees are named after the portion of the Internal Revenue Service code that allows such groups to claim tax-exempt status as a political organization as long as they do not contribute to federal campaigns. The RGA spun off from the Republican National Committee in 2002 specifically to take advantage of the looser fundraising controls. Taft has earned the lion's share of credit for the prodigious cash collection, particularly in a year when only 11 gubernatorial seats are up for election. Under Taft the RGA has focused most of its energy on developing cohesive, unified policy positions for GOP governors, mostly by connecting them to the committee membership, many of whom are industry lobbyists who make large cash contributions to the organization. Taft defends the practice, saying their efforts help many such people who are unfairly kept out of the political process "either legally or by industry or internal standards." But for all of their success, the RGA still has a ways to go to catch up to Democratic groups on the Center for Public Integrity list. In terms of total money spent in 2004, the Democratic Governors Association ranks second, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee comes in third. The Democratic Legislative Campaign is seventh. 
 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

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States in Regular Session: 
CA, DE, IL, LA, MA, MI, NC, NJ, NY, PA, 
RI, US

States with Projected Special Session: 
KY "a" on TBA
ME "c" on TBA

States in Special Session:  MS "a"

States in Recess:  CA "d", CA "e", NH

States in Skeleton Session:  OH 

Currently Prefiling:  MT(Drafts for 2005)

States Adjourned:  AK, AL, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, NE, NM, OK, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY

States in Special Session Adjourned: CA "a", CA "b", CA "c", CT "a", CT "b", CT "d"(Senate Only), DE "a", GA "a", LA "a", MD "2003 session", ME "b", OR "a",TX "d", UT "c", VA "a", WA "a", WA "b", WA "c", WI "d", WI "e", WI "f", WV "a"

Projected Regular Session Adjournment: SC

Projected Special Session Adjournment: AR "b", CT "c", CT "d", OK "a"

Letters indicate special/extraordinary sessions
Compiled By GINA HUMMELL | Data current  as of  6/4/04 | Source: State Net database

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BUSINESS: The SOUTH CAROLINA Senate approves a bill that would deregulate rate-setting for telephone service providers and limit the state's ability to handle consumer complaints. It moves to the House (CHARLESTON POST & COURIER). * ARIZONA regulators implement new rules that require Grand Canyon State retailers to post prices for non-packaged items and make price displays visible to consumers while cashiers are ringing up those sales (ASSOCIATED PRESS). * COLORADO Gov. Bill Owens (R) signs SB 125, a measure that requires automotive insurance companies to adopt reasonable payment standards. Companies that fail to do so can be charged with deceptive trade practices (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS). * A LOUISIANA House committee rejects SB 215, a bill that would have prohibited insurance companies from using any information about a person's credit history as a reason to deny them coverage. It is already illegal for Pelican State insurers to solely use credit scores to deny or cancel insurance (NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE). 

CRIME & PUNISHMENT: A LOUISIANA Senate committee endorses HB 918, legislation that would require repeat drunk drivers to install an ignition interlock device in all cars they plan to operate while they are out of jail on bail. It heads now to the full Senate (NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE). * Still in LOUISIANA, a Senate committee unanimously approves HB 690, which would criminalize supplying a firearm to a convicted felon. The bill heads to the full Senate (NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE). * The NORTH CAROLINA Senate grants unanimous approval to legislation that would require prison time for convicted methamphetamine manufacturers. The bill would also allow judges to impose harsher sentences if children live or are found at the meth site. The measure moves to the House (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER). 

EDUCATION: The NEW YORK Assembly overwhelmingly endorses a bill that would ban schools from selling food that fails to meet minimum nutritional guidelines. The list of prohibited items includes hard candy, jellies, gums and chocolates. Ironically, chocolate milk was exempted (NEW YORK TIMES). * COLORADO Gov. Bill Owens (R) signs a bill that allows college students under the legal drinking age to "sip and spit" alcoholic beverages when they come as part of a required culinary course or program. The bill was aimed at post-secondary culinary school students (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS). * Still in COLORADO, Owens signs HB 1375, which allows Centennial State parents to remove their children from sex-education classes they find objectionable (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS).

ENVIRONMENT: The U.S. Forest Service issues a final proposal for salvage logging in OREGON's extensive 2003 Biscuit Fire area that calls for harvesting 370 million board feet over the next two years. The figure is a 30% reduction over earlier drafts. The reduction was made to improve protections for fish and the threatened northern spotted owl in fire-scarred areas (SEATTLE TIMES). * The U.S. House of Representatives agrees to add approximately 800 acres to WASHINGTON's Mt. Rainier National Park. If approved by the Senate, it would mark the largest expansion of the park in 70 years (SEATTLE TIMES). * LOUISIANA Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) signs HB 1244, a bill that makes it a crime to stage, promote or attend "hog dog" rodeos, a violent sport that features a trained dog attacking a wild hog that has had its tusks removed (NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE). 

HEALTH: A MICHIGAN House committee unanimously endorses a bill that would allow doctors to express their sympathy to families and patients without it later being used against them in malpractice suits. Medical practitioners are routinely advised by attorneys and insurance companies to avoid such statements (ANN ARBOR NEWS). * COLORADO Gov. Bill Owens (R) signs a bill that creates a statewide treatment fund for children with autism. Eligible kids can receive up to $25,000 in care and treatment (DENVER POST). * A LOUISIANA Senate committee votes in favor of SB 409, which would require insurance companies to offer optional coverage to treat morbid obesity. It heads now to the Senate floor (NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE). 

SOCIAL POLICY: A CALIFORNIA Court strikes down the federal 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Act, ruling the restrictions of the Act violate a women's right to medical privacy and a doctor's right to criminal due process. The decision was the result of a suit brought by Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. Similar cases are pending in NEBRASKA and NEW YORK (SACRAMENTO BEE). * An OREGON appeals court halts a lower court's order requiring Beaver State officials to register the marriage licenses of more than 3,000 same-sex couples who were married earlier this year. Appeals regarding the legality of those unions are pending in other courts (OREGONIAN [PORTLAND]). 

POTPOURRI: A NEW JERSEY civil rights official rules that "ladies night" promotions at Garden State bars and nightclubs are discriminatory. Similar decisions have come down in recent years in PENNSYLVANIA and IOWA, while the events have been sanctioned in ILLINOIS and WASHINGTON (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER). * The LOUISIANA House votes to ban low-powered motor scooters from sidewalks unless a local government council specifically approves them. House Bill 1260 motors next to the Senate (NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE). 
 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

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WHO WATCHES THEM? An Associated Press report from ARKANSAS notes that interstate truckers are on the job as part of the USA's homeland security effort. Seems that big-rig drivers are participating in Highway Watch --- a federally sponsored program whereby truckers, bus drivers and even highway workers keep an eye out for suspicious activity that might herald a terrorist attack. Only one question. Who's watching out for some of the most dangerous activity on interstate highways: long-distance truckers who spend far too many hours a day behind the wheel?

HOLD OUT FOR THE WATERBED. The state of MINNESOTA is auctioning off pieces of state history --- namely, reports The Associated Press, dinnerware used until this year in the governor's mansion. Among the prized items: ivory salad plates and gold-rimmed dinner plates that once held victuals served up to the likes of Pres. Jimmy Carter, actress Mary Tyler Moore, King Carl Gustav of Sweden and CALIFORNIA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The official stuff is being sold online. Soon to be sold --- furniture, including a treadmill and a waterbed.

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK. If someone wants to rent the Pride of Baltimore II clipper ship for a wedding, reception or fund raiser, the venue will cost at least $3,000. That's $1,000 an hour for a minimum of three hours. If the ship leaves the dock for a little sail around Chesapeake Bay, the price goes up to $1,200 an hour. But according to The Baltimore Sun, one resident of MARYLAND staged an event aboard the Pride, and it didn't cost him a farthing. That would be Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr., who used the deck for a bill-signing ceremony complete with photos of the gov and leading General Assembly dignitaries. A bill signing is entirely appropriate since the state owns the ship, sniffed a gubernatorial aide when questioned about the governor's free event. And, uh, pleeze just ignore the film crew that allegedly captured the entire panorama for a 2006 re-election ad.

WANTED: A FEMINIST SIDE. Women legislators in ILLINOIS were not happy last week with a budget stalemate that had developed between Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Democratic and Republican leaders -- men all -- of the House and Senate. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the women believe that too much testosterone is flowing through the negotiations. "Men are not capable of crafting budgets!" said Rep. Julie Hamos, an Evanston Democrat. Women, added GOP Rep. Rosemary Mulligan of Des Plaines, are raised to finish. "Men ... negotiate to win," she said.

PORKED OUT. Any chance that SOUTH CAROLINA Gov. Mark Sanford would accomplish much this legislative session apparently vanished last week when the Republican chief exec smuggled two pigs into the state Capitol. Sanford, reports The State, was trying to make a point --- that lawmakers are addicted to pork barrel legislation at the expense of programs. But Palmetto State lawmakers, who wield much more power than the governor, were not amused. "I'd say that the relationship between the governor and the General Assembly right now would be nonexistent," said a Democratic state senator. And that came from one of Sanford's friends.

PINT-SIZED PERSUADER. In COLORADO these days, one of the most potent political forces can't vote, can't drive, can't sit in a chair without dangling her feet. That's because, reports The Denver Post, she's only 10 years old. Still, Lily Thorpe recently earned a standing ovation from Democrats who attended a fund raiser, and she's solicited money from --- among others --- Pres. George Bush to help finance her kid-cause PAC. At the top of her priority list: funding for education.

PARTY HARDY. Three houses in a quiet Baton Rouge neighborhood are making neighbors a little testy. The `hood is located just behind the LOUISIANA Governor's Mansion and, The Advocate reports, is used by lobbyists, legislators and staff for little off-hours get-togethers. "Alcohol is just flowing in all three houses," grumps an irate neighbor. Another neighbor tried to count cars at a Monday night soiree last week but gave up after reaching 250. The houses are owned by a lobbyist. Why don't neighbors call the police? Could be because the lobbyist represents the Louisiana Police Union.
 

-- By A.G. BLOCK

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State Net's data base tracks tens of thousands of bills in all 50 states at any given time. Here's a snapshot of what's in the legislative works:

THIS WEEK

• New bill intros/prefiles this week: 1,453
• Enacted/adopted: 1,093

OVERALL

• Total Number of bill intros/prefiles in 2004: 111,078
• Enacted/adopted in 2004: 18,416
• Total Number of measures in State Net database: 179,229

Compiled By GINA HUMMELL | Data current  as of 5/28/04 | Source: State Net database

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Executive Editor: A.G. Block
Associate Editors: Rich Ehisen, Korey Clark
Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Steve Karas (CA), 
Bruce McKeeman (CA), Kelli Harvel (FL), 
Linda Mendenhall (IL), Lauren King (MA) 
and Troy Cassel (PA)
Design: Richard Hansen, Heather Conway

Copyright 2004 State Net
ISSN: 1521-8449