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Editor: Bob Erickson, Nevada ContentsNews Briefs RACSS News Briefs2000 RACSS DirectoryThe 2000 edition of the Directory of Key Research Contacts was included in this newsletter mailing. The directory is also available on-line on the RACSS Home Page at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/racss/ racsshmp.htm. Fall Senior Seminar Dates Changed Note that the dates for the Senior Professional Development Seminar have been changed to September 8 - 11, 2000. RACSS and NLPES are jointly sponsoring the seminar, in Austin, Texas. See the article on page 5 for more details about the seminar. RACSS Needs You!! Staff section elections are just around the corner and RACSS is looking for legislative staff who would like to serve on the RACSS Executive Committee or run for RACSS office. Turn to the article on page 4 for more information about putting your name in nomination. Chicago Beckons RACSS has four great programs planned for the NCSL Annual Meeting in Chicago, plus our business meeting and luncheon, awards presentation and elections. Don't miss this year's Annual Meeting, which culminates NCSL's 25th Anniversary Celebration. See page 3 for more information. A Program You Hopefully Didn't Miss The National Archives program at the Fall ASI/AFI was an incredible experience for anyone who enjoys history or government. RACSS members were privileged to view original historic documents that few in the public will ever see. Turn to the story on page 7 for program summaries. Chair's Columnby Bob EricksonResearch Director Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau 1999-2000 RACSS Chair Greetings again from Carson City, Nevada, where the Legislature has not been in session since May 1999! Of course, Nevada is among the "lucky 7" states that have a biennial session; the others being Arkansas, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, and Texas. For those of you still in session, I wish you success in helping your legislators accomplish the "people's business" in the time allotted. The year 2000 rolled in smoothly, as we all had hoped, and the populace seems intent on moving ahead with their lives and plans for the future. The Research and Committee Staff Section (RACSS) of NCSL also has plans for 2000, including a number of programs and training opportunities. I urge each of our readers to attend at least one event sponsored by NCSL sometime this year. You won't regret it! You can read more about RACSS plans for 2000 in articles throughout this newsletter, including our sessions at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Chicago, the Skills Development Seminar for junior staff, the Legislative Staff Management Institute at the Humphrey Institute in Minneapolis, and the Senior Professional Development Seminar in Austin. Also, I'd like to call your attention to the opportunity you have to become more active in RACSS by considering running for staff section office. There's an article about the nomination process on page 4 of this newsletter. In my first Chair's Column, I attempted to make a point by using a great line from an old movie (the "mutt" line from "Stripes"). As a person committed to tradition, following is my second attempt to send you all a message with a little help from the movies. In the classic film "Casablanca," Louie asks Rick (Humphrey Bogart), " Why did you come to Casablanca, Rick?" He replies, "My health. I came for the waters." An astounded Louie says, "What waters? We're in the middle of the desert!" Rick answers, "I was misinformed." Unlike Rick, we all have good sources of information that can be trusted. As a legislative staffer for most of my career, I can't overstate the value of information I've received over the years at various seminars, conferences, meetings, and training programs sponsored by NCSL. The information you receive will help you do a better job back in your home state. A helpful hint someone once gave me is to identify the three most important ideas, techniques, or pieces of information you obtain at a meeting. Try to implement or use these three items when you get back in your office. Most often, this innovation comes from another state legislature or staff and has proven its value in the real world. At programs sponsored by NCSL, you also will meet and interact with legislative staffers from other states. You can learn from one another, and it is always nice to communicate with someone you know when you are researching programs or laws in other states. Along these lines, the updated "Directory of Key Research Contacts 2000" is enclosed for your use. Jeanne Mejeur, Research Manager for NCSL, provides outstanding staff support to RACSS and is responsible for this publication. It contains staff and legislative offices in the states and territories, physical and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. If your experience is like mine, the assistance you receive from counterpart staff in other states is consistently outstanding. If you have not tried to contact a research or committee staffer in another state, I would urge you to do so using the names and offices shown in this directory. We have a full and exciting year planned for RACSS members and I hope to see many of you in Chicago this summer. LSMI 2000July 31 - Aug. 11The Legislative Staff Management Institute (LSMI) is an intensive two-week professional development seminar for senior level legislative staff managers. The goal of LSMI is to help senior staff develop their abilities in dispute resolution and conflict management, management of the legislative process, leadership, policy analysis, strategic planning, and use of information systems. Now in its eleventh year, LSMI offers participants the opportunity to enhance their management capacities, learn new ideas and techniques, and foster relationships with people doing similar work elsewhere in the country. LSMI is presented by the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, in partnership with NCSL. For more information, contact Karl Kurtz at NCSL, (303) 364-7700, or visit http://www.ncsl.org/legis/ lsmi99.htm. RACSS Annual Meeting ProgramsRACSS is planning four programs at the NCSL Annual Meeting, being held July 16-20 in Chicago, Illinois. In considering potential topics, members of the RACSS Executive Committee were particularly interested in sessions that would have broad appeal to all legislative staff. You'll note we're cosponsoring several programs this year with other staff sections. Here's an overview of RACSS' preliminary program plans.Copyright Law and the Internet Cosponsored with the Librarians staff section, this session will focus on copyright provisions as they extend to documents that are on the Internet. This is of importance both for resources staff find on the Internet and for documents that state legislatures are making available on the Internet. The program should qualify for CLE credits. Illinois' Political History Keeping with its tradition of learning more about the politics of the host state for the Annual Meeting, RACSS is presenting a session on the Political History of Illinois. Illinois is a state with two very distinct cultures-urban and rural-and has a history shaped by great state and national leaders, rural conservatism, and the explosive growth and unique politics of Chicago. This promises to be a lively and informative session. Dealing with the Media Cosponsored with staff sections representing the information officers, sergeants-at-arms, and clerks and secretaries, this session goes beyond the basics of how to talk to reporters. Many staff have to respond to the press, and like it or not, there is always a spin to stories. How do staff keep lines of communication open and insure accuracy, while still maintaining confidentiality and objectivity? What is different about dealing with national press coverage? This session will provide vital information on effective ways to work with and use the media. Providing Effective Customer Service to the Legislature and the Public Six staff sections are working together on this program, including RACSS, legal services, the sergeants-at-arms, clerks and secretaries, fiscal officers and the librarians. This session will focus on providing good customer service to two constituencies: legislators and the public. Making services useful and valuable to members is a primary function of staff offices. In addition, staff offices are often called upon to respond to citizens. Finding ways to make the legislature more accessible to the public is a vital public service. The program will feature innovative methods states are using to provide effective customer service to members and the public. RACSS Business Meeting In addition to these programs, RACSS will also hold its annual Business Meeting and election of officers for the 2001 term, as well as present the 2000 Legislative Staff Achievement Awards. Besides RACSS sessions, there are many concurrent and plenary programs of interest to research and committee staff, including:
Seeking Candidates for RACSS OfficeRACSS is soliciting nominations from legislative staff who are interested in running for election to the RACSS Executive Committee. There are two openings to serve two-year terms on the RACSS Executive Committee and one opening to run for Vice-Chair of the staff section. The Vice-Chair serves a one-year term and then automatically becomes RACSS Chair the next year. Terms of office begin at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Chicago.Nominating Committee Vice-Chair Debbie Terlip (OK) is chair of the Nominating Committee, assisted by Karl Aro (MD), and Darrell Jackson (MO). The Nominating Committee will select a slate for election, consisting of two candidates for the Executive Committee and one candidate for Vice-Chair. Qualifications In selecting the slate, the Nominating Committee will evaluate each candidate's legislative experi-ence, involvement with NCSL, and participation in RACSS activities. The Committee will also consider geographic balance and the diversity of the Executive Committee. Officer Duties The RACSS Executive Committee is responsible for:
Nomination Process Those interested in being considered for RACSS office should submit a letter of nomination to: Debbie Terlip, ChairNominations must be postmarked by Monday, May 15, 2000. For more information, please contact Bob Erickson at (775) 684-6825, or Debbie Terlip at (405) 521-3201. Legislative Staff Achievement Award NominationsNominations are being sought for the Legislative Staff Achievement Awards for 2000.Award History The Legislative Staff Achievement Award was instituted by the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee in 1996. Each of the ten NCSL staff sections may recognize up to two individuals or offices. Previous RACSS recipients include Joyce Honaker (KY), Carvel Payne (MD), Allan Green (CT), Larry Barish (WI), Diane Bolender (IA), and David Hite (CO). Awards Committee RACSS Chair Bob Erickson has named Joyce Honaker (KY) as chair of the Awards Committee, assisted by David Ortbahn (SD) and David Sallach (NJ) RACSS Award Criteria The Legislative Staff Achievement Award is bestowed upon individual legislative staff or offices that have demonstrated excellence in supporting the work of a state legislature and strengthening the legislative institution. Examples of accomplishments recognized by the Award include:
Please submit your nominations, along with a brief description of the accomplishments of the individual or office being nominated, to: Joyce Honaker, ChairNominations must be postmarked by Monday, May 15, 2000. For more information, please contact Joyce Honaker at (502) 564-8100. Award Presentation The 2000 awards will be presented at the NCSL Annual Meeting in Chicago in July. All award recipients will be recognized at the Legislative Staff Breakfast and RACSS recipients will be honored at the staff section business meeting. 2000 Skills Development Seminar FeaturesNew Focus on Research and Committee StaffingThe Research and Policy Track for the 2000 Skills Development Seminar continues to build on the foundation established with last year's new faculty team of Bryant Howe and Kirk Mlinek. Bryant is a Senior Research Analyst with the Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel. Kirk is Section Manager for Policy Research for the Colorado Legislative Council. The research and policy track is a day-and-a-half-long introduction to basic research and committee staffing skills. The Skills Development Seminar is scheduled for August 16 - 19, 2000, in Madison, Wisconsin. The seminar features four separate tracks: research and policy, fiscal, bill drafting, and program evaluation. In addition to the tracks, participants also attend two half-day plenary sessions on effective writing skills and making legislative presentations. This year's course outline for the research and policy track includes new segments on how to conduct research on different types of questions and the basics of how to staff committees. The segment on information resources is also being expanded to include both general and topical resources. The new research and policy track outline includes:
Brochures for the Skills Development Seminar were mailed to legislative staff in March. For copies of the brochure, contact NCSL's legislative management program at (303) 364-7700. For more information about the Skills Development Seminar, contact Bruce Feustel, at (303) 364-7700, extension 141, or email bruce.feustel@ncsl.org. Fall Senior Seminar Plans Underway"The Legislature of the Future- Challenges and Opportunities for Legislative Staff"Be sure to mark your calendars for the Joint Fall Training Conference of the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society (NLPES) and the Research and Committee Staff Section (RACSS). The seminar is being held at the Omni Hotel Austin Downtown, in Austin, Texas, Sept. 8 - 11, 2000. Note that the dates for the seminar have changed from what was previously published, so be sure to update your calendars. RACSS chair Bob Erickson heads this year's planning committee for RACSS, aided by immediate past chair Karl Aro of Maryland, Cora Chua of Connecticut, and Michael Nugent of Idaho. NLPES chair Craig Kinton of Texas heads a seminar planning committee for NLPES and is working closely with Bob Erickson to develop plenary programs that will interest members of both staff groups. This year's seminar will also feature three program tracks for workshop sessions. The tracks are New Work Demands, Technology, and Emerging Policy Issues. Each track will have a different focus, within the framework of legislative staffing for the 21st century, which will continue throughout the seminar. Participants may choose sessions from any of the workshop tracks. A preliminary agenda follows on the next page. Brochures with more information
and registration forms will be mailed in mid-July.
Joint RACSS/NLPES Fall Training ConferenceThe Legislature of the Future-Challenges and Opportunities for Legislative StaffAustin, Texas, Sept. 8 - 11, 2000 Preliminary Agenda Friday, Sept. 8, 2000 10:00 a.m. Texas State Capitol Tour and Staff Briefing (optional session)
Saturday, Sept. 9, 2000 7:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Sunday, Sept. 10, 2000 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Monday, Sept. 11, 2000 7:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
RACSS Programs at the ASI/AFIDecember 1999RACSS members enjoyed two most interesting and informative programs during the joint Winter meeting of the Assembly on State Issues (ASI) and the Assembly on Federal Issues (AFI) last December in Washington, D.C. Following are detailed summaries of both programs: Supreme Court Cases Affecting the States The first session was an annual update on U.S. Supreme Court cases of importance to the states. Richard Ruda, director of the D.C.-based State and Local Legal Center, gave an overview of the cases decided during the 1999 term that may have an effect on states. The presentation included case summaries, key issues for the states, holdings, and impact on the states. The cases decided in 1999 included those dealing with state sovereign immunity, false claims under the Eleventh Amendment, Congress' power to regulate commerce and grandparents' right to visitation. He also discussed pending cases involving states' rights and provided a detailed handout of both current decisions and cases pending before the Court. As always, Mr. Ruda offered a concise and insightful overview of the key issues for state legislatures, cutting to the heart of the issues of most importance to the states and making complex legal matters very understandable. The annual review of U.S. Supreme Court cases has become one of the most popular of the Fall ASI/AFI Meeting. The program was co-sponsored by RACSS and the Legal Services Staff Section. (note: for those who missed this program, a similar session is being planned by the Legal Services Staff Section for the Annual Meeting in Chicago.) National Archives Program and Tour The second program was a presentation and tour of the National Archives. The first speaker, Reginald Washington, a research consultant with the agency, explained that the National Archives is the keeper of public records for the government. While the Library of Congress maintains published documents or records that have been made public, the National Archives maintains government records that are generally unpublished documents. The nation's records are housed in the National Archives building in Washington, D.C., and in a separate facility in College Park, Maryland. There are also regional Archives facilities located throughout the United States and part of the collection is maintained in ten Presidential libraries. Records are arranged by agency, and then by subject and chronological order. A guide to National Archives records helps users locate the exact records they want to see and then the records are made available for viewing at the Archives' headquarters in Washing-ton, D.C. or at one of its regional branches. Records may not be removed from the Archives and are maintained under the strictest security. A second speaker, Ken Kato, who works with the Archives' Center for Legislative Records, focused on the documents and records the National Archives maintains for Congress. While Congress officially owns their records, the National Archives stores and protects them, organizing them according to rules of the U.S. House and Senate. Mr. Kato noted there are more challenges to gathering official records of 20th century documents than with 18th and 19th century documents. Simpler times generated less paper and resulted in more concise official records. Following his remarks, Mr. Kato displayed original historic records maintained by the Archives that he knew would be of particular interest to legislative research and committee staff. The documents are sealed for preservation purposes and aren't generally available for viewing by the public. It was the highlight of the program to see original documents that included:
Guests were also able to see the current "American Originals" exhibit, featuring photographs, letters, maps, posters and documents spanning our nation's history. The exhibit included:
For more information on the National Archives, visit their web site at http://www.nara.gov/. America's Legislators' Back to School DayThe America's Legislators' Back to School Day is a new program of the Trust for Representative Democracy, sponsored by NCSL and supported by education organizations."Your Ideas Matter" That's the message lawmakers will bring to students across the country when they visit classrooms during America's Legislators Back to School Day. Scheduled for September 15, 2000, and slated for the third Friday of every September, this special day gives elected officials in all 50 states and the territories the opportunity to meet personally with their young constituents and to answer questions, share ideas, listen to concerns and impart a greater understanding of the legislative processes necessary for developing effective public policy. Sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, America's Legislators Back to School Day is designed to teach young people-the nation's future voters and leaders-what it's like to be a state legislator: the processes, the pressures, and the debate, negotiation and compromise that are the very fabric of representative democracy. America's Legislators Back to School Day is an opportunity to provide young people with insights into the roles and responsibilities of state legislatures. Most important, it's an ideal way to establish a powerful connection with our nation's youth, get their thoughts and perspectives, and inspire their active involvement in the democratic process. Pilot Program Takes Off The Back to School Day concept was initially developed and carried out as a pilot project in 1999 in Arizona, California, Iowa, Massa-chusetts, Nevada and Ohio. The pilot program was a resounding success, reaching thousands of students. Now the program's outreach efforts are being extended to all of America's youth-to get them thinking and talking-because their ideas matter. NCSL's partners in this project include the Center for Civic Education, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. These organizations stand ready to send letters of endorsement to their members urging them to invite lawmakers to their schools. In the months to come, each participating legislature will appoint a legislative coordinator who will help set up school visits and provide program and evaluation materials. NCSL Contacts: For more information on the Legislators Back to School Day program, contact NCSL staff Jan Goehring, (jan.goehring@ncsl.org) or Karl Kurtz, (karl.kurtz@ncsl.org) at (303) 364-7700, or visit the Civic Education page on NCSL's web site at www.ncsl.org/public/civiced.htm. Resource and marketing materials for America's Legislators Back to School Day are available to legislators, schools, teachers and the media, through NCSL. Resources include talking points about legislators' roles and the legislative process, as well as age-appropriate material for student activities. There is also follow-up material for teachers' classroom use. Update From the LSCC Task ForcesThe Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee (LSCC) is the coordinating body for the various staff activities at NCSL. The LSCC is comprised of representatives from each of the ten staff sections, as well as legislative staff who are NCSL officers, members of the NCSL Executive Committee, and members appointed at the discretion of the Staff Chair of NCSL. The LSCC meets several times a year in conjunction with meetings of the NCSL Executive Committee.In 1999 Staff Chair John Phelps (FL) established three task forces and an advisory committee, comprised of members of the LSCC, to meet during the year and bring recommendations to the LSCC at the Annual Meeting this summer. The following is a brief summary of the assignments given to the task forces and a report of the activities at the second meeting in Tampa, Florida, in January. The first task force is the Legislatures of the Future Task Force, chaired by Max Arinder of Mississippi. This task force developed four different scenarios of state legislatures in 2025 during the last year. At the first NCSL Executive Committee last fall, the members of the Executive Committee and the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee divided into small groups to discuss the actions that state legislatures can take to ensure the viability of state legislatures and also the actions that NCSL can take. The task force during its second year is concentrating on finalizing a draft of its final report and, in addition, is developing a "how to" manual for state legislatures who wish to conduct their own individual assessments of the legislature of the future. The second task force is the Staff Development Task Force, chaired by Karl Aro of Maryland. This task force has been reviewing the attendance and evaluations of the professional development seminars that were conducted last fall by the various staff sections and the Legislative Staff Management Institute held last summer. The Task Force concluded that the evaluations of the professional development seminars were very positive. The Task Force also reviewed the Report concerning the Staff Information Booth that LSCC sponsors during the Annual Meeting. The Task Force has posted a survey on the NCSL website soliciting information about why individuals choose to work for state legislatures and what state legislatures can do to attract and retain talented employees. The Task Force hopes to develop an article for State Legislatures and to design a recruitment brochure. The third task force is the Promoting the Legislative Institution Task Force, chaired by Jenifer Noland of Kentucky. This task force is developing the criteria for a civic education award to be given annually to a state legislature that has made an outstanding contribution to education about representative democracy. Selection will be made by a committee composed of legislators and legislative staff appointed by the NCSL President and Staff Chair. The task force is also developing a hard cover book that will showcase legislative chambers and their histories. NCSL is assisting with fundraising for the costs of publication of the book. It is anticipated that the book will be available for purchase at the 2001 Annual Meeting. The advisory committee is the NCSLNet Advisory Committee, chaired by Steve Miller of Wisconsin. This advisory committee is assisting NCSL in its upgrade of the NCSL website, believing that an effective website adds to the strength of an organization. The advisory committee has created two subcommittees, one to make recommendations concerning the "MyNCSL" portion of the website, which provides legislators and legislative staffers' with their own individual bookmarks into the total NCSL website. Viewers will be able to set up their own calendars of NCSL events and meetings, develop contact lists through NCSL sources, and create internet page links from their MyNCSL page. They will also be able to save specific searches and by use of the "personal agent" setting, they can be notified of additions to the search topics. The second subcommittee is looking at strategies to reach out to members. Various strategies are being proposed, including advertising the website in State Legislatures, postcards to members as new features become available, encouraging state legislative sites to link to the NCSL website, and sending a mass e-mail to members describing the website. The LSCC and its task forces recently met in New York City.
Welcome to Two New Regional Coordinators With the Spring edition of the newsletter, RACSS welcomes two new Regional Coordinators. Kirk Mlinek, Section Manager for Policy Research in the Colorado Legislative Council, has taken over the Mountain Region, following the retirement of David Hite. The Mountain Region includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Jim Stembridge, Committee Administrator and Legislative Analyst for the Oregon Legislature's Policy Research, and Committee Services, is the new Regional Coordinator for the West Region, taking over for Anne Tweedt. The West Region includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. All of the Regional Coordinators are listed at the beginning of the Regional News column. If you'd like to contribute an article about your state, please contact the Coordinator for your region. Regional NewsRegions and Coordinators:New England
Mid-Atlantic
South
Great Lakes
South Central
Northern Plains
Mountain
West
The Territories
 New
England Region
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Connecticut-Increasing Legislative Oversight
The Connecticut General Assembly is just past the midpoint of the 2000 session. The bulk of the committee work is done and each chamber will be taking up a number of major issues before the May 3 adjournment deadline. They include measures to improve oversight and accountability in the Office of the State Treasurer after an investment scandal involving the former treasurer. Campaign finance reform, including legislation to establish public financing, is also on the table in the wake of the scandal. Another major question is whether to make changes to the second year's appropriations in the FY 1999-2001 biennial budget. Meeting deficiency appropriations, the loss of anticipated savings, and requests for increased funding must all be reconciled with a constitutional spending cap. The legislature will also act on proposals that would abolish the office of county sheriffs and reorganize their duties. A new proposal to develop Adriaen's Landing in Hartford and a football stadium for the University of Connecticut to be constructed in East Hartford had a public hearing at the end of March. Legislators will consider a plan that includes a convention center, convention center hotel, a retail and entertainment district, housing, and related parking facilities. Several bills deal with the financial health of the state's hospitals, including the University of Connecticut Health Center. And though the legislature enacted a comprehensive managed care reform act in 1999, the law did not address the issue of HMO liability. It remains alive this session. There's plenty of work remaining in this shortest possible "short" session.  Mid-Atlantic
Region
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia New Jersey-Gearing Up For Graduated Driver Licensing
The March 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that received national attention by reporting "compelling evidence" that an increasing number of passengers increases the crash fatality risk of young beginning drivers. An accompanying editorial stated that there was clear and convincing evidence that state graduated licensing (GDL) systems should include passenger restrictions during the initial stages of driver licensing. The creation of GDL systems is a reflection of national statistics that show drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 as three times more likely than any other age group to be involved in a crash and/or die in one. In New Jersey, drivers age 16 and 17 typically have accounted for four times as many fatal crashes as their numbers represent in the driving population. With GDL legislation introduced as early as the summer of 1997, New Jersey was one of the earliest states to propose this passenger-related life-saving measure as part of its GDL plan. The premise of the State's system-P.L. 1998, c.108, which will go into effect in 2001-and those of other states (some of which are already operative and showing statistically significant reductions in crashes and lost lives) is based on a three-stage framework. The least experienced drivers get the opportunity to practice their driving skills in low risk situations: with supervision from an older licensed resident, avoiding late night hours, and without youthful passengers, for example. As teens earn the right to advance through the stages, the restrictions are gradually removed-providing their driving record remains virtually clean. In New Jersey, that means no more than two points, or, for example, a minor speeding ticket at each stage. As of January, 2000, 24 states had adopted full graduated licensing systems with all three stages. However, only eight states besides New Jersey included any restrictions related to teenage drivers carrying passengers. New Jersey is also one of only 15 states that have matched or exceeded the provisions of a model GDL law drafted by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances. In New Jersey, the GDL law makes the following significant changes in the State's system of licensing new drivers:
by Kathleen Wise Since the 2000 legislative session began in January, the primary focus has been budget related. New York, for the sixteenth year, will begin the 2000-01 state fiscal year without an enacted budget. The budget disagreement focuses upon the amount of surplus and how it should be used. A 1998 law causing the 211 legislators' pay to be withheld until the budget is adopted was ruled constitutional by the courts. Emergency appropriations will be adopted to maintain government services and pay employees. Other significant issues receiving legislative attention this year include:
by Mike Gasbarre While the General Assembly is in election recess until April 10, the legislature is once again looking toward early adoption of the Commonwealth's budget well ahead of the June 30, 2000 deadline. The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, the apparent budget vehicle, on March 22, with the House of Representatives scheduled to begin debate with the amendment process when the members return in April. Due to continued state budget surpluses, the Governor has proposed that every Pennsylvania homeowner be given a $100 rebate in consideration of paying local property taxes. However, some legislators are proposing that the approximately $330 million that would be refunded to local taxpayers would be better spent by reducing state gasoline taxes in an effort to moderate prices at the fuel pumps while gas prices remain high. In addition to this effort, the Governor has proposed a phase-out of the state capital stock and franchise tax that is estimated to bring approximately $1 billion into the state coffers during this fiscal year. The first phase reduction will decrease revenues from this tax by over $256 million in FY 2000-2001, excluding an additional $33 million that will be eliminated by virtue of the abolition of the minimum tax payment, which is currently $200 for certain taxpayers. Also likely scheduled for debate in the House of Representatives will be House Bill 13, land use reform legislation that would bring consis-tency to municipal and county com-prehensive plans. The bill also would promote intergovernmental planning. Passage of this bill faces an uncertain future due to heavy opposition from the homebuilders association. Virginia-Legislature Establishes FOIA "Sunshine Office" within Division
of Legislative Services
After an extensive two-year legislative study authorized by HJR 187 (1998) and HJR 501 (1999), including work group participation representing a broad spectrum of interests, the Virginia General Assembly has established a Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council within the legislative branch of state government. The Council's primary responsibility is the publishing of advisory opinions and guidelines in response to queries from citizens, the media and state and local government officials concerning the requirements of Virginia's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Council will also conduct periodic training seminars and other educational programs throughout the Commonwealth on the requirements of FOIA. HB 551 and its companion bill, SB 340, passed both houses of the General Assembly and are now on Governor Gilmore's desk for review. The Governor is expected to sign both bills into law. The two-year FOIA legislative study subcommittee examined FOIA to determine whether revisions were needed to ensure public access to records and meetings at all levels of government in Virginia. After the first year of study, a comprehensive rewrite of Virginia's FOIA was enacted. The idea of a "Sunshine Office" was also conceived at that time, although formal deliberations of this issue were scheduled for the second year of study. During the course of the study, the Virginia Press Association conducted a random survey to ascertain the level of compliance with FOIA. The diversity of responses resulted in a major Associated Press news articles emphasizing the lack of FOIA knowledge and training of some government officials. As a result of the survey and two years of study on FOIA, the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government adopted the creation of a Sunshine Office as its number one legislative priority for the 2000 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. In addition to providing staff support to the twelve-member Advisory Council, the Director of the Division of Legislative Services is a member of the Advisory Council. The Division, which will house the Sunshine Office, has the responsibility of drafting and responding to all FOIA inquiries to the Sunshine Office. To enable the Division to provide this service, $191,000 in the first year of the biennium was appropriated to fund two full-time positions to staff the Sunshine Office. In an effort to reach agreement with the Governor's Office, the bipartisan co-patrons of HB 551 and SB 340, Delegate "Chip" Woodrum and Senator Bill Bolling, agreed to a two-year sunset on the statutory provisions creating the Sunshine Office. The Division will be devoting a great deal of time and energy this spring to planning and establishing the office, which should be fully operational by July 1.
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin Indiana-Fiscal Bills Vetoed, Renovation for Staff Offices
The Indiana General Assembly adjourned its annual session on March 3. It was a non-budget session, but fiscal issues became the major focus of attention in the waning days of the 2000 session. A review of the fiscal impact of a bill passed in the 1999 session indicated that the property tax relief bill would cost the state about $100 million more in the coming year than was estimated in 1999. The Governor vetoed nearly every bill enacted in the 2000 session that had a substantial fiscal impact. No significant legislation was enacted concerning property tax reassessment. The Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners is under a court order to rewrite its reassessment manual to more equitably distribute the property tax burden among property owners. Statutory law requires the next reassessment process to begin July 1, 2000. No bill to extend the deadline was passed by the Indiana General Assembly. The Indiana Tax Court will conduct a hearing on April 28, 2000, to determine whether the court should appoint a referee to rewrite the reassessment manual for the State Board of Tax Commissioners. The Legislative Services Agency is using the interim to remodel its workspace. Air circulation and temperature control equipment is being upgraded. The Office of Code Revision is moving from various rooms scattered about the State House to new leased space across the street. This will allow the Office to better handle its new responsibilities concerning the in-house printing of bills. It is possible that the renovation will also include new carpets, new office furniture, an electrical upgrade, and repainted walls. Interim study committee assignments will be made in late May. It is likely that study committees will begin meeting in mid-July. Michigan-Upgrades to the Legislative Web Site
Our legislative website (michiganlegislature.org) has "new and improved" features. We have added the 1999-2000 version of the Michigan Manual to our site and work on improving it is already underway. The Michigan Manual includes sections on Michigan History, the State Constitution, the Legislative branch (including biographies of current legislators), the executive branch with bios of current Constitutional officers and profiles of state departments, the Judicial branch with similar bios and general information, Michigan's Congressional delegation, Michigan's institutions of higher education, Local Government, Elec-tions and finally, General Infor-mation/Statistics, which includes a listing of newspapers, radio stations, televisions and cable systems, as well as an extensive list of associations in the state. We have improved our Michigan Compiled Law site, making it much more useful. The Michigan Compiled Laws are now available, offering full text search; printing of chapters, sections and acts; personal file cabinets for saving searches; and a custom document creation feature allowing users to assemble and print personalized selections of documents. There are also additions to the Michigan Legislative Council site, with more coming soon. There is a link under the above-mentioned site or you can go there directly via milegislativecouncil.org Wisconsin-Special Session, New Technology, Blue Book,
The Wisconsin Legislature completed its final general business floor period of the 1999-2000 legislative session on April 6. The legislature will meet again May 2-4 to consider only bills which had passed both houses by April 6. A veto review session is scheduled for May 23-24. With the senate controlled by Democrats and the assembly controlled by Republicans, there was a wide range of issues which were not settled. As a result, there is the possibility that the governor will call the legislature back into a special session or that the legislature will call itself back in an extraordinary session to deal with significant issues not resolved during the regular session. Tracking the Legislature on the Internet: The legislature has added a new service called "InSession". InSession will provide a direct link to legislative proceedings, including floor debate. When a house is in session, the left window on the InSession page will show the calendar for the day. The right window will show the documents related to the calendar item. Audio coverage will be available from a tab at the top of the page. The "display" tab shows the contents of the display board in the chamber, which indicates the current item and question. The left window will also contain links to roll calls of votes as they are taken and amendments as they are introduced. The page will contain all material formerly available to the public only in the Capitol building. (http: // www.legis.state.wi.us/insession/) The 1999-2000 Wisconsin Blue Book is now on the Internet. (http: //www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/bb/) On a staff note, the Joint Committee on Legislative Organi-zation announced the appointment of Terry C. Anderson as the Director of the Legislative Council staff. Terry has 23 years' experience with the nonpartisan South Dakota Legislative Research Council, serving as its Director for the past 17 years. He has also been very active in NCSL, serving as its staff chair, a member of the NCSL Executive Committee, and in numerous other capacities. Terry replaces David Stute, who recently retired from the Legislative Council.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee Kentucky-Special Session Looms If No Budget Agreement Passed
Legislators have returned to their respective legislative districts for a 10-day veto period as the clock winds down on the 2000 General Assembly. They will return April 11th and 12th for the final 2 days of the 60-day legislative session, which is held biannually in the state. While major legislation regarding early childhood development, environmental clean-up (a.k.a. the "Bottle Bill"), merger and consolidation of local governments, development of a "smart growth" plan for the state, tax reform, worker's compensation, prevailing wage, tobacco settlement fund disbursement, and public employee collective bargaining were a few of the subjects considered, the Senate and House have yet to pass a budget for the 2000-2001 interim. As the regular legislative working days and free conference work sessions ended, the two chambers were unable to come to agreement on the contents of the budget document. The House version contained a number of new state-wide projects and tax mechanisms for funding them. The Senate version removed most of the new projects and any new tax measures which had been proposed. If a budget has not been adopted by the scheduled adjournment date of April 12th, the Governor will have to call a special session to resolve the issue sometime during the summer months. Until then, provisions have been made for the state to operate on a continuing budget resolution. It is also possible that there will be additional special sessions called to deal with some of the other unresolved issues from the regular session. North Carolina-Capping Bonds Pending Appeals
In a special one-day session on April 5, 2000, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law placing a cap on the bond required to stay the execution of a judgment pending appeal, for judgements with non-compensatory (also called punitive) damages in excess of $25 million dollars. Rather than requiring a defendant to post a bond equal to 100% of the judgment for non-compensatory damages, this law requires the defendant to post no more than $25 million dollars for the non-compensatory portion of the judgment in order to obtain a stay. The cap enables companies having assets within the State to obtain stays of execution on judgments that include non-compensatory damages originating in any state or federal court. The new law was enacted in response to concerns about a large non-compensatory damages judg-ment expected to be entered in Florida against five major tobacco companies. North Carolina law had required that companies post a bond equal to 100% of the total judgment (which includes compensatory and non-compensatory damages). North Carolina legislators feared that requiring a company to post a bond equal to 100% of a non-compensatory judgment would bankrupt the company while the company was appealing the lawsuit. In passing this law, North Carolina created protection for the tobacco industry and other defendants of large punitive damages judgments similar to the protection recently afforded by Virginia, Georgia, and Kentucky.  South
Central Region
Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas Louisiana-New Approach to Member Orientation
A new two-phase, highly realistic orientation program was conducted in November and December for newly elected members of the Louisiana House of Representatives and members elected to fill vacancies in the last years of the previous four-year term. The first phase-the "Welcome Wagon"-brought new members to the capitol in very small groups for initial "how-to" sessions within the first few days after they were elected. Informal presentations by the House clerk, the director of legislative services, the public information officer, the chief sergeant-at-arms, and the counsel to the Speaker provided information on the nuts and bolts of House organization, services, and procedures. The House accountant, the director of human resources, and the purchasing agent provided detailed information about matters such as setting up district offices, hiring legislative assistants, and telephone service. The second phase was a three-day orientation conference, but one that was very different from the conferences that have been held every four years since 1968. Gone were the panels of legislators and staff explaining the role of the legislator, how to deal with the press and the lobbyists, and committee and floor procedure. This information was provided, but the format was very different. In the words of House Legislative Services Director Mary Quaid as she welcomed the members to the conference, it was not a spectator sport. In the format of a play entitled "There Oughta Be a Law", staff and new members acted out a script- with much ad-libbing in debate and comment-that took them through a full committee meeting, with a full dose of committee procedure, as well as floor procedure from the morning hour to floor consideration of several bills. With new members playing themselves and staff acting out the parts of members, lobbyists, executive branch personnel, and media representatives, the program moved at the rapid pace experienced in session, with all of the session confusion and distractions. Explanations were provided in "freeze frames" as the action was stopped to permit the members to focus on brief explanations by staff of some of the procedural details and constitutional requirements. The program also included short informative presentations by the Speaker Pro Tempore, Repre-sentative Peppi Bruneau, on how a member should organize for a session and what is involved in getting legislation through the Senate. A key element of the orientation conference were so-called "escort officers". A staff member, the escort officer or EO, was assigned to each new member to walk them through their conference participation, parti-cularly in the committee and floor sessions, to answer their questions, and to suggest motions and questions. The EO met the member upon arrival and stayed with the member throughout the conference. The new format was designed to keep the attention of new members and avoid the information overload associated with prior orientation conferences. It required extensive planning and practice. Staff was very enthusiastic in working to develop and script the innovative new approach to orientation and proved to be very effective in their roles as actors and EOs. There was some risk involved, in that the staff could not be sure how the production would play out and how well the members would participate. The combination of very real and extensive committee and floor procedure and short break-out presentations with explanation proved successful in getting the information across and received high marks from the new members.  Northern
Plains Region
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota Iowa-Many Issues, Little Time
The 2000 legislative session in Iowa has been one of lengthy negotiation between the Republican legislative leadership who control both chambers of the General Assembly and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, a Democrat. With relatively flat revenues projected, there is significant disagreement on priorities for new spending. As of the first week in April, there is some question by news media whether agreement can be reached in time for adjournment of the regular session during the third week in April. A number of controversial measures remain under consideration for this session relating to electric utility deregulation, abortion, child abuse information, local assistance for funding of major infrastructure projects, ethanol fuel requirements, tobacco settlement funding appropriations, education funding, and criminal sentencing reform. Minnesota-Surpluses, Tax Rebates, "Hot Dishes"
As this newsletter submission is being written in the last week of March, the Minnesota legislative session, which began on February 1, is probably three weeks from adjournment. There is no Consti-tutional date for adjournment in the second year of our biennial session. Even though Minnesota operates with a biennial budget, which is passed in the odd-numbered years, the fact that the state has a $1.8 billion budget surplus to deal with this year has meant that there are supplementary spending bills and tax cut bills before the Legislature again this year. The state capital budget bill is traditionally enacted in the even-numbered year; this year the Senate has passed a bill authorizing substantially more borrowing than the House proposal. Both houses have passed major transportation spending bills this year, focusing on state road and bridge construction projects. A recurring issue in the transportation area is the possible cancellation of spending authorized in 1999 for a light-rail transit line between downtown Minneapolis, the airport, and the Mall of America. This project is vigorously promoted by Governor Ventura and has the support of a majority of the Senate, but is adamantly opposed by a number of House members. Both houses have passed tax bills that provide for a second consecutive sales tax rebate-this, following two years of property tax rebates. The remainder of the House and Senate tax bills, however, are quite different from each other. The Senate bill focuses on increased personal income tax exemptions and a vehicle license tab reduction. The House tax bill's primary component is an income tax reduction that provides cuts in all three income tax rates. The Senate and the Governor claim that the level of tax reduction provided in the House bill is not sustainable in the future, while the House authors argue that future growth in the economy would sustain the amount of those tax reductions. Several bills imposing restrictions on the use of personal data by banks, telemarketers, government, insurance companies, and other businesses have been heavily debated during this session. Major emphasis has also been given to bills to provide funding for a statewide criminal justice information network and better technology for law enforcement officials, particularly to improve on the ability to track convicted sex offenders after their release from prison. As a reminder that this is the Minnesota Legislature that we are discussing here, ya know, I should point out that the issue of allowing the use of lighted fishing lures, although hotly debated, appears to be about to be resolved. Even more significantly, the "hot dish" bill recently passed the Senate on a unanimous vote and is awaiting action in the House. This bill would provide that food brought in by individuals attending a pot luck event would be exempt from Health Department regulation. In the previous year, the food offerings of at least two legislators had been rejected from pot luck events because their baked beans and pies had been prepared in their homes rather than in licensed kitchens. Nebraska-Fetal Tissue Research Bills
One of the most emotionally charged issues of the Nebraska Legislature's 2000 regular legislative session was abruptly resolved-at least for this year-when the introducer withdrew a bill that would have prohibited state-supported institutions from conducting research on fetal tissue harvested following elective abortions. Although opponents of the bill tried to avoid painting the bill as a pro-choice v. pro-life issue, it quickly became apparent that the bill was viewed as a referendum on abortion. On one side of the bill were abortion opponents who likened the research to medical experiments conducted in Nazi Germany. On the opposing side were senators who cited the emotional and physical toll taken by diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, diseases for which the fetal tissue research seeks cures. In withdrawing his bill, Sen. John Hilgert of Omaha conceded that, in the waning days of the session, senators had neither the time that would be consumed by a threatened filibuster nor the 33 votes needed to end the filibuster. A vote to end debate cannot occur at any stage of consideration until the discussion at that stage has gone for eight hours. Previously, 28 senators had voted to pull Legislative Bill 1405 from the Judiciary Committee after the committee deadlocked 4-4 on whether to send the controversial proposal on to the full Unicameral for floor debate. It takes 25 votes to advance a bill to the second stage of legislative debate. LB 1405 was a reaction to the November revelation that the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha has used fetal tissue from abortions in its research since 1993. The university Board of Regents voted in December to back the research. Officials and researchers from the university have said the research could not be conducted without using the fresh tissue available from elective abortions. However, bill supporters argued that tissue from recently deceased adults could be used instead of the aborted fetal tissue if the adult tissue was harvested using a method termed "rapid autopsy." At least one senator has vowed to introduce a similar bill in the 2001 session. South Dakota-School Finance, Property Tax, State Dessert, and Staff
Changes
The 2000 South Dakota Legislature adjourned for the year in the early morning hours of March 15, following a long day of deliberations regarding school financing. The Legislature, by the slimmest margin, passed legislation to restrict local school districts from using funds received from the state for capital improvements. Other attempts during the session to increase teacher salaries and increase funding for local school districts failed. That long final day was unique in an otherwise relatively quiet session. The Legislature for the third year in a row ended the session one day earlier than originally planned. Only 527 bills were introduced this year. This was the fewest number of bills to be introduced into the Legislature since the state went to annual legislative sessions in 1964. Of the bills introduced in 2000, only 253 were enacted. This was well below the average of 358 bills enacted during a normal 35-day session. Other noteworthy legislation passed this session includes legislation to reduce property taxes by another five percent, legislation to establish a people's trust fund for the deposit of tobacco settlement payments, and legislation to authorize the Governor to enter into a compact with other states to provide for a simplified sales and use tax collection system. Also, after being narrowly defeated in 1999, legislation was finally passed and signed by the Governor to designate kuchen as the official state dessert. If you don't know what kuchen is, you are obviously not of German descent. Finally, Terry C. Anderson resigned as director of the Legislative Research Council at the end of February to accept the position as director of the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council. Terry had served as LRC director for the last eighteen years. Terry did a fine job during his tenure of improving the working environment for our legislative staff. He will be greatly missed and we wish him the best of luck in his new position. A replacement will be named by mid-April.  Mountain
Region
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico Utah, Wyoming Colorado-Education Reform
During the 2000 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly has considered over 650 pieces of legislation. Many of the major issues facing the Colorado General Assembly are driven by the state's rapid population growth, urban sprawl and robust economy. In addition to demanding improvements to Colorado's network of highways and roads, citizens also want more access, quality, and funding of child care, as well as access to adequate health care coverage. People are also concerned with crime and public safety, prompting perennial gun control legislation. Also of prime interest by the General Assembly are the moneys received by the state under the tobacco settlement, with Colorado expecting to receive an estimated $2.7 billion over the next 25 years. Regarding education, legislators are focusing on K-12 education reform, and keeping at-risk students in school. A summary of Senate Bill 00-186, the recently enacted major education reform bill, appears below. Senate Bill 00-186, concerning education reform, was signed by the Governor on April 10, 2000, with provisions impacting school districts in Colorado beginning with the 2000-2001 school year. Major provisions appear below.
 West
Region
Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington California-Gas Prices, Privacy, and Identity Theft
Gasoline Prices-The price of self-serve regular gasoline in early spring approached $2 a gallon in California, where clogged freeways and long commutes are legendary. It turns out California residents pay more for gas than the rest of the nation does. State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who heads a task force that is investigating California gasoline pricing, says Californians shelled out $2 billion more per-gallon to fill their cars and trucks last year than the national average. Lockyer believes a dearth of com-petition is at the core of the pricing problem-that the Golden State is overly dependent on six in-state re-fineries that produce more than 90% of the gasoline used in California. Only two out-of-state refineries offer the reformulated gasoline required by California's clean-air standards and they're on the Gulf Coast. The only way to get that gasoline into the state is by ship, putting California on a par with Alaska and Hawaii when it comes to importing supplies to alleviate shortages caused by problems at refineries. When OPEC squeezes foreign supplies, it exacerbates the crunch. Pending legislation would create a state reserve of gasoline to help insulate California from price shocks and study the feasibility of constructing a state pipeline to California from the Gulf Coast. In the short term, Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa has proposed temporarily suspending a portion of the state's sales tax on gasoline to save motorists from seven to 10 cents a gallon. Senate leader Burton counters that the Legislature should address oil-company price gouging and explore alternative energy sources. Assembly Repub-licans have pushed for permanently cutting the gasoline sales tax. Privacy-A 1999 survey by the Privacy Journal ranked California first among the states in protecting personal privacy. But technological advances, consolidation of businesses that keep records, more aggressive marketing, government and private entities' collection of more personal information, and criminals' inno-vations still leave many Californians feeling their privacy is threatened. SB 129 (Peace), in a Senate-Assembly conference committee, may become an omnibus privacy bill. In its current form, it would create an office of privacy ombudsman under the secretary of state. The ombudsman would be authorized to issue administrative decisions on the unlawful release of personal information by commercial or governmental entities. The bill would authorize the subjects of this information to sue for damages. Identity Theft-The California Legislature made identity theft a state crime in 1997 (AB 156-Murray), and Congress made it a federal crime in 1998, but this problem continues to grow. Criminals are using Social Security numbers and other personal information to steal victims' identities and rack up large credit bills to them. If wary consumers suspect someone is trying to steal their identities, they must alert four separate credit bureaus of possible fraud in an effort to protect themselves. Eight California legislators have authored bills attacking identity theft. For instance, SB 1767 (Bowen) would require credit bureaus to accept fraud alerts from consumers via a toll-free telephone number. A consumer who has no intention of applying for credit could request a credit bureau to impose a freeze on release of any information from his or her file. The bill would prohibit any person, entity or public agency from requiring anyone to provide a Social Security number or from using anyone's Social Security number for identification, except for Social Security, tax, credit, or law-enforcement purposes. No one could acquire or distribute a person's Social Security number for commercial purposes without written consent. Nevada-Analysts are Tuned In and On-Line
In 2001, research and policy analysts with the Research Division of Nevada's Legislative Counsel Bureau (LCB) again will be using laptop computers in conjunction with their desktop computers to perform their committee staff duties. Since the 1997 Legislative Session, laptop computers have been used by legislative staff in committees to monitor the progress of key legislation, look up statutes and regulations online, conduct Internet research, and communicate with staff members and legislators. The laptop computers are connected to the LCB's main computer system through a wireless network so that an analyst can access documents, e-mail, and the Internet from virtually anywhere in the Legislative Building in Carson City or from meeting rooms and offices in the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas. Special dedicated network drives have been assigned to each analyst so that only the analyst can access the information on his or her drive by entering a unique user name and password. That same dedicated drive is accessible from the analyst's desktop computer so that work done in the office is accessible from a laptop computer when the analyst is in committee. Because questions that require research often arise during committee hearings, it is sometimes possible using the laptop computers to provide an almost immediate answer. Analysts can search the Research Division's central files, minutes of previous statutory committee meetings, or minutes of past interim study committee meetings and provide committee members with information that otherwise would generally only be available at the next meeting of the committee. Before the use of laptop computers in committee, a bill might be held and not processed for a day or two until an answer could be provided. While this sometimes still occurs, it is usually not the case unless the required research is extensive. Legislators have found the use of laptop computers to be helpful in committees and while they are conducting business during floor sessions. For example, during the 1999 Session, one legislator in particular was able to look up an agency's budget on his laptop computer during a committee hearing on a bill and question the witness's testimony about the affect of the bill on the agency's budget. In another case, a legislator was listening to a floor speech on a bill and, using the e-mail program on her laptop computer, was able to get additional information from an analyst who was in his office that allowed the legislator to provide virtually instantaneous clarification on the topic addressed by the bill. Laptop computers in the Nevada Legislature have proven to be useful, productivity enhancing devices. They are likely to be used in even more inventive ways in the future as technology leads to even faster and more versatile processors. In Nevada, such productivity enhance-ments are welcome, if for no other reason than there is much to be done within a 120-day biennial session. Oregon-Direct Democracy
Over 150 ballot initiatives have been filed with Oregon's Secretary of State for the November 2000 ballot. While many of them will probably not prevail by the July 2000 deadline for signature gathering, Oregonians may face more initiatives than at any time since the 1912 election, when there were 28 initiative measures. The proposed issues are wide-ranging-abolishing the death penalty, restricting union dues collection, school finance, criminal background checks at gun shows, and campaign finance reform, among many others. One initiative in circulation has received much attention. Republican tax activist Bill Sizemore has pro-posed an initiative that would allow Oregon taxpayers to fully deduct their federal income taxes from their state returns (current Oregon law sets a $3,000 maximum deduction). One primary source of concern about Mr. Sizemore's initiative is that it applies to the current 1999-2001 biennium. The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Office concluded cuts would total $767 million in the first six months of 2001, the equivalent of an immediate 30 percent, across-the-board reduction in services. Governor John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, has vowed to fight the initiative because of the possible budget cuts. Mr. Sizemore has until July 7 to complete signature gathering. Even if he is not successful, Oregon voters will still have the opportunity to address the issue: a legislatively referred measure already appears on the November ballot that would increase the federal income tax deduction to $5,000. Washington-Unemployment Benefits for Dislocated Workers
From 1991 to 1999, additional unemployment insurance (UI) benefits were available in Washington state to certain dislocated workers who participated in retraining programs. The program was allowed to expire as controversy over the program grew and as some employers raised concerns about the equitable distribution of the UI tax burden. During the 2000 legislative session, some of these issues were resolved when the Washington State Legislature enacted SHB 3077, a compromise package giving additional UI benefits to dislocated workers and revising the UI tax schedule. The expired training benefits program had made additional UI benefits available to dislocated timber workers (from 1991) and salmon workers (from 1995). Under the new program, all dislocated workers are eligible for up to one year of UI benefits while they complete a retraining program. Up to 74 weeks of benefits are available for dislocated aerospace, timber, and salmon workers for the first two years of the program. A dislocated worker is someone who is unemployed, has exhausted his or her regular UI benefits, and is unlikely to return to previous employment because of a diminishing demand for his or her skills. The program identifies the demand for skills in the individual's labor market area to determine the need for retraining. Local workforce development councils established under the federal Workforce Investment Act are given a role in determining which skills and occupations are in demand in the council's local labor market area. To give some certainty to employers, the cost of the program is capped with the maximum amount for the first two years set at a total of $60 million. The cap for each fiscal year thereafter is $20 million. Any amount unobligated in one fiscal year may be added to the maximum amount in the next fiscal year. The compromise package includes reductions in the UI contribution rates for some classes of employers and a new formula for calculating the taxable wage base. Changes were also made to increase the number of weeks necessary for an individual to requalify for regular UI benefits after a disqualifying event. The legislation establishes a joint legislative task force to review the UI program and make recommendations for further changes necessary to meet the needs of employers and workers in the 21st Century. The task force reports to the legislature by December 1, 2000. |
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