Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
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Puzzling Part-Timers
One more item is itching to get out of my notepad after my trip to NCSL's annual meeting last week. I spoke with Michael Kellet, a representative of Scotland who works out of the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., promoting his homeland and forging links with American policymakers.
I asked him whether there was anything that struck him as strange about state governments in the States compared to Scottish government. He told me that the similarities outnumber the differences.
Both are responsible for many of the same things -- education, transportation, health care, etc. Like many states, Scotland is currently trying to position itself as a leader in promoting renewable fuels.
But the one thing that did strike Kellet as weird is that a state like Tennessee, with a population a few hundred thousand people larger than Scotland, could get by with a part-time legislature. He couldn't imagine Scotland doing the same.
MORE ON THE 13th FLOOR: Notes from the NCSL meeting:
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Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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