State Legislatures Magazine: December 2000

Editor's Note: This article appeared in the December 2000 issue of NCSL's magazine, State Legislatures. To order copies or to subscribe, contact the marketing department at (303) 364-7700.

Stateline

CATCHING THOSE BIG-SPENDING FISHERMEN
Illinois and its communities are learning that hosting sporting events is an excellent way to capture tourism dollars. And we're not just talking football and baseball. A recent Illinois Department of Commerce and Communities Affairs study reported that people who travel either to attend or take part in a fishing or golf tournament, soccer and softball championships or hot air balloon competitions are "high-value" travelers who spend an average of $945 each time they visit. This compares with just $536 for a leisure trip. Sports fans also tend to travel in larger groups with family or friends and stay longer in the host city. Tourism is big business in Illinois, generating $22 billion in income, 310,000 jobs and $4.41 billion in state, local and federal taxes in 1999.

PUPPIES IN PRISON
In at least four states (Texas, New York, Florida, Ohio), prison inmates have begun training seeing-eye dogs-a benefit to both the future recipients of the dogs and the prisoners. "The love, the level of commitment, the high level of manners the dogs develop," Jane Russenberger, senior director of breeding and placement for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, told The Christian Science Monitor "... is different from what we're seeing anywhere else." Inmates, who have large amounts of time on their hands without the normal distractions of life, have proved ideal. Prisoners are interviewed and screened before being allowed into the programs.

TOO MUCH FOR MOZART
At least 30 states have filed suit against the world's five biggest music labels, as well as several retail chains, accusing them of keeping CD prices artificially high over the past five years. Even though the cost of producing a compact disc declined sharply in the last 10 years, the average price rose from $10 to $15. The suit alleges that the major companies increased CD prices in violation of state and federal antirust laws, kept prices artificially high and penalized retailers who did not participate. If successful, the suit could result in a settlement that would roll back prices for a certain amount of time or require record merchandisers to donate recordings to libraries and schools.

FOSSILS FOR FUN
North Dakota is trying to cash in on its abundance of million-year-old bones and ancient landscapes by promoting participation in dinosaur digs. Last July, the state sponsored its first public fossil digs in Pembina Gorge. The weeklong series of digs attracted 50 participants from eight states and Norway. They each paid $75 a day to uncover fossils deposited in what was once a subtropical ocean covering the area between 80 million and 90 million years ago. They found bones from flightless diving sea birds, fish, large marine reptiles and possibly part of a large squid. All fossils found on state land become state property and are displayed with the finder's name at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck.

POTENTIAL DANGERS IN TRADITIONAL REMEDIES
Washington State Health Department has issued warnings about certain folk remedies after two children treated with medicines from Mexico were diagnosed with lead poisoning. A 2-year-old was diagnosed with extremely high levels of lead (the highest the state has recorded since starting a registry of lead levels in children in 1993) after being given greta or remedio casero, a Mexican folk remedy for intestinal problems. State tests found samples of the yellow powder that are nearly 80 percent lead. Another 2-year-old was given azarcon-also called rueda, coral, Maria Luisa, liga or alarcon-for an intestinal ailment. State tests found up to 70 percent lead in samples of the orange powder. High levels of lead can result in irreversible learning difficulties, mental retardation, delayed neurological and physical development, and kidney damage.

TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF IN TUCSON
For astronomers in Tucson, Ariz., keeping the sky dark is imperative. But for business owners, finding your parked car is more important than spotting the North Star. That's why they are upset by a new ordinance intended to keep nighttime skies dark around a pair of observatories. The Pima County ordinance establishes a per-acre limit on the amount of light for areas with new construction and extensive renovations. Local businesses, including a chain of convenience stores, oppose the measure because they say it jeopardizes the safety of their customers and employees. Southern Arizona is home to a number of large telescopes and is considered the nation's best mainland location for astronomical observations because of low levels of humidity and light pollution.

CHASING THE CABOOSE FOR MOOSE
While hunters are prowling the woods looking for moose, Alaska Railroad agents are pursuing the hunters for trespassing on tracks, according to the Fairbanks Daily News. Although it is illegal to trespass on the railroad right-of-way, which extends 100 feet on each side from the track's center, hunters often take advantage of the clear path to get to difficult-to-reach places. "Hunting is probably our worst time of the year for four-wheelers," said Dan Frerich, chief special agent for Alaska Railroad in Anchorage. "They are a big problem." The railroad covers almost 500 miles from Fairbanks to Seward and cuts a giant trail through some prime and remote moose hunting territory. Hunters have even abandoned four-wheelers stuck on the rails in the face of oncoming trains. "When a train hits a four-wheeler at 40 mph, there's not much left." Frerich said.

HITTING THE BOOKS BEFORE HITTING THE ROAD
Getting a driver's permit in Delaware is not as easy as it used to be. A bill passed last summer requires high school students to meet certain academic standards before receiving a permit. A student needs to earn a passing grade in five credits at the time of certification. At least two of those credits have to be in English, math, science or social studies. Students also have to fulfill the requirements of the driver education program. Meredith Dean Betts, a curriculum developer for driver's education for the State Department of Education, said, "Our hope is to decrease the dropout rate, which is pivotal for 10th graders, and to improve student performance."

WILL THAT BE CREDIT OR DEBIT?
Americans have yet another way to pile up credit card debt. The Wisconsin State Patrol is the first law enforcement agency in the country to have wireless credit card readers installed in some of its patrol cars. Now when you get pulled over for traffic violations, you will be able to use your plastic, swiped on the spot, to pay for the fine instantly. The six-month pilot project in Kenosha County is targeting out-of-state motorists because troopers generally require they pay a bond immediately for traffic offenses. (Wisconsin is one of only six states that require appearance bonds for some traffic citations.) Previously, such motorists were escorted to the nearest court clerk's office or police station to pay cash, taken where they could obtain a cashier's check or given the opportunity to pay via credit card voucher.

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