State officials got their first look of the massive economic package worth $825 billion that Congress promises to deliver next month to President-elect Barack Obama, and many liked what they saw.
When states are forced to slash their budgets, schools are considered so important they’re usually immune from cuts — but not this time. See what’s at stake for K-12 and higher education in this excerpt from State of the States 2009, Stateline.org's annual report on significant state policy developments and trends.
This story is included in Stateline.org's "State of the States 2009," which chronicles the significant developments of the past year and looks ahead to 2009. Order your print or PDF copy.
By Mike Zapler, The Mercury News (San Jose) (registration)
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were to fire every employee in state government tomorrow, it would easily patch California's enormous deficit, right? Not even close. But surely shutting down all state prisons would do the trick? That, too, would only get him about a quarter of the way there.
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Governor Deval Patrick is planning to use money from an expected federal stimulus package to jump-start private real estate development across the state, targeting improvements such as new roads and highway connections that the projects need to move forward.
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AZ: Napolitano is praised at her Homeland Security hearing
WASHINGTON - Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a vocal critic at times of the federal governments response to illegal immigration, faced little questioning Thursday on the topic as senators considered her nomination to be secretary of the huge Department of Homeland Security.
CA: Budget dominates Schwarzenegger's State of the State speech
Describing Californias monumental budget deficit as a rock upon our chest, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke from tradition in his State of the State address Thursday with a blunt vow not to advance any policy agenda this year other than resolving the states fiscal crisis.
IN: Unemployment insurance fix off to slow start
Fixing Indianas bankrupt unemployment insurance fund will take an unpopular mix of employer tax hikes and worker benefit cuts, state officials have concluded.
US: Colleges cut instruction spending
Most of the nations colleges are gradually paring back their investments in classroom teaching, an analysis of federal data shows. And all colleges have in recent years been spending a greater share of their revenue on expenses other than instruction, including computing centers, student services, administrative salaries and lawn care.
US: Disposal of coal ash rises as environmental issue
In less than a month, the question of how to dispose of coal combustion waste has gone from a largely ignored issue to a pressing national environmental concern that has already sparked legislative proposals and the prospect of new regulation.
US: New worries about meth trends
After a dramatic decline over several years, the availability of methamphetamine – a highly addictive stimulant cooked with chemicals from over-the-counter cold medications – began to creep up in 2008.
FL: Florida settles lawsuit; drivers get $1 each
Facing a $3.5-billion deficit next year, Florida desperately needs all the money it can get. But millions more will disappear because the state has settled a lawsuit that affects millions of motorists.
Stimulus could hurt transportation bill
If the planned economic recovery package is approved, officials worry Congress will lose interest in spending billions of dollars on a new multiyear highway and transit program.
New 'black gold' looms in Western states
New federal rules on oil shale exploration, which eventually could dwarf the dramatic changes that traditional oil and gas drilling has brought to Western states over the past five years, are heating up the debate over water policy and environmental impact in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.
Online sex offender info rapidly expands
Scrambling to comply with a federal anti-sex offender law before its July deadline, states are posting a trove of new details about convicted molesters — from their employment addresses to their shoe sizes — on publicly searchable registries. Offenders, civil libertarians and many members of the public question the expansion.
States swamped by spike in jobless rates
(Updated 11:10 a.m.EST, Jan. 9, 2009)In December alone, American employers shed 524,000 more jobs, shooting the unemployment rate from 6.8 percent to 7.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics reported today. Resulting jobless claims are overwhelming some state agencies.
Report: States need to fix military voting
While experts reported that the November elections went off with hardly a hitch, questions are being raised about whether all of the hundreds of thousands of military voters serving abroad were able to cast their ballots with the rest of the country.
Blagojevich is at least 14th impeached gov
IllinoisGov. Rod Blagojevich (D)(Updated 3:20 p.m.EST, Jan. 10, 2009)Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on Friday (Jan. 9) became at least the 14th governor to be impeached, after the Illinois House voted 114-1 to give the Senate the chance to remove him.
Governors to pare back agendas
Links to daily news Dates for state of the state speeches Full text of governors’ addresses going back to 2000 The $200 billion in deficits that states face over the next two years will put the brakes on most big-ticket items in governors’ 2009 wish lists as the new legislative year gets under way amid the bleakest economy in a generation. Republican Gov. John Hoeven of North Dakota Jan. 6 kicked off this year’s round of governors’ “state of the state” addresses.
States may defer to Obama on energy, environment
After being in the forefront of energy and environmental policymaking for nearly a decade, states may be thrust into a more subordinate role in 2009. President-elect Barack Obama’s ambitious plans, particularly on oil independence and greenhouse gases, seem likely to make federal policy the center of action.
Policy challenge - How to expand safety net
As job losses mount, states are likely to get more federal dollars to respond to growing demand for low-income aid. But welfare reform instituted in the 1990s has made it nearly impossible for people without a job or prospects of one to receive public assistance.
DAILY STATE NEWS
US: Lawsuits challenge 'right of conscience' rule
Attorneys general from Illinois and five other states filed lawsuits in federal court today seeking to block the government from implementing its new "right of conscience" rule. Chicago Tribune (registration) Read More
MD: O'Malley vows to work to end death penalty
Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he will do "everything in my power" to abolish the death penalty in Maryland this year and for the first time raised the possibility of allowing voters to decide the divisive issue through a constitutional amendment if legislative repeal efforts fail again. The Sun (Baltimore) Read More
NV: Chancellor -- 36 percent cut would shut down system
Chancellor Jim Rogers said Thursday that a 36 percent reduction in General Fund appropriations would "shut the system down" and turn Nevada's universities into community colleges. Nevada Appeal (Carson City) Read More
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If President Obama spends billions on infrastructure to spur jobs, here are two pieces of advice on how to avoid waste offered by Richard P. Nathan, a state policy expert and co-director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
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