Stateline

Recent Articles

• State Radon Programs May Lose Federal Funds
• Apr 2, 2012
• States worry that the federal government's 2013 budget will severely weaken, and in some cases, eradicate state education and testing programs for radon, which kills more than 21,000 Americans each year

• Charter-School Debate Takes Different Turns in Georgia, New Jersey
• Mar 29, 2012
• Legislators in Georgia want to the state to be able to create new charter schools without local approval, while legislators in New Jersey would like to slow down the process by requiring local consent.

• Business Playing Key Role in Gay Marriage Push
• Mar 21, 2012
• Corporations worried about recruiting a high-skill workforce to their states are gradually supporting the same-sex marriage movement, reports Stateline.org.
• 3 Comments

• GOP Legislatures Try to Limit Local Government's Power
• Mar 19, 2012
• Conservative state lawmakers who rail against federal mandates often find themselves using the same weapon in dealing with their own cities and counties, Stateline.org reports.
• 2 Comments

• West Virginia is First State to Put Tax Revenue Toward Retiree Health Costs
• Mar 13, 2012
• The state makes an unusual down payment on its massive health benefit debt to retired public employees.

• Fate of Ballot Measures Often Depends on the Wording
• Mar 9, 2012
• Stateline.org examines the priorities of the people who write the language describing proposals on ballots. Sometimes, it's more than simply making it clear.
• 1 Comments

• Crime Labs Struggle with DNA Test Demands
• Mar 8, 2012
• State laboratories are being asked to handle more DNA samples every year. They use federal funding to meet part of the expense, but backlogs persist nevertheless, Stateline.org reports.

• A Year After Japan Tsunami, U.S. Nuclear Plans Stalled
• Mar 7, 2012
• Safety concerns following the fatal Fukushima disaster are among several factors keeping the industry in limbo in the U.S., Stateline reports.

• Laffer's Supply-Side Economics Staging a Comeback
• Mar 6, 2012
• Arthur Laffer, who helped Ronald Reagan write federal tax policy in the 1980s, is a force to be reckoned with these days at the state level. A large group of Republican governors is listening to him.
• 2 Comments

• Election Is About Economics, Governors Say
• Feb 28, 2012
• The nation’s governors say that the 2012 presidential race will likely turn on how well the economy is performing by the middle of October, reports Stateline.org

• Pregnancy Medical Homes Gain Momentum in North Carolina
• Feb 24, 2012
• Linking high-risk mothers with caregivers earlier in pregnancy may be a way to save both lives and money.

• Tax Breaks for Films Go Undisclosed in Many States
• Feb 22, 2012
• States are eager to use financial incentives to attract Hollywood productions. But they're less enthusiastic about revealing which films got how much help.
• 1 Comments

• Illinois Tightens Medicaid Without Federal Approval
• Feb 17, 2012
• The 2010 federal health law has a so-called “maintenance of effort” requirement, which expressly prohibits states from doing anything that would reduce the number of people who qualify for Medicaid. But it’s not clear whether the ban includes measures aimed at winnowing out people whose incomes are too high or who don’t actually live within the state’s borders.

• What Do Record Low Natural Gas Prices Mean for States?
• Feb 17, 2012
• Thinned budgets and shifted energy production for some, Stateline.org reports.
• 1 Comments

• States Push to Shake up Personnel Practices
• Feb 16, 2012
• Civil service rules that haven’t changed in decades are being re-assessed by several governors bent on major changes in the system.