The Thicket at State Legislatures

Footnote on the New York Senate Gay Marriage Bill

Karl Kurtz — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:27:27 -0700

by Karl Kurtz From a legislative junkie's viewpoint, one of the most interesting aspects of the surprisingly one-sided rejection by the New York Senate of a gay marriage bill on Wednesday this week was this comment in the New York...

Not Even a Record for a Deliberative Body Since Wisconsin in the Age of Eisenhower

Karl Kurtz — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:05:28 -0700

by Karl Kurtz I enjoy reading Gail Collins in The New York Times as much as I do any columnist, not because I always agree with her but because of her clever and engaging prose. Here's a recent example in...

California Civic Health Index

jgoehring — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:17:39 -0700

by Jan Goehring Californians have cut back on civic engagement in the last year and are suffering a "civic recession" according to the California Civic Health Index 2009 report released by the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). Nearly three in...

Thanksgiving Trivia

Meagan Dorsch — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0700

We are talking turkey on this Thanksgiving holiday. Before you sit down at the dinner table, stuff yourself full of some useful trivia to share with family and friends. Here are a few questions to whet your appetite. Which state...

Learn Civics Online

jgoehring — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:59:20 -0700

by Jan Goehring The Internet offers a wealth of sites for learning about civics and government. Through daily quizzes, interactive games and other tools, you can explore all sorts of great information. Here are just a few examples. Do you...

Civic Health Index for New Hampshire and Illinois

jgoehring — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:27:22 -0700

by Jan Goehring The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) just released reports about the civic health of New Hampshire and Illinois. New Hampshire civic health is strong, but Illinois citizens seem to be withdrawing from civic engagement. Findings from the...

There is a List for That Tweet

Karl Kurtz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:54:57 -0700

by Meagan Dorsch This month, Twitter unveiled a new feature called Lists. It's a way for you to organize your followers or the people you are following on Twitter. The National Conference of State Legislatures tweets daily under NCSLCOMM (this...

A Complementarity of Powers

Karl Kurtz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:39:12 -0700

by Karl Kurtz At a workshop for Algerian parliamentarians last week, our faculty team was emphasizing the separation of powers in the American system of government. An attorney for the Algerian Council of Nations (Senate) spoke up and said, "In...

Conjugating "to vote"

Karl Kurtz — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:54:13 -0700

by Karl Kurtz Sunday was election day for municipal offices in Kosovo, where I am spending the week with my NCSL colleague, Bruce Feustel, scoping out plans for a project to strengthen the Kosovo Assembly in partnership with NDI. Spray-painted...

Would you Let the KKK into your Town Hall Meeting?

Karl Kurtz — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:27:09 -0700

by Karl Kurtz Lee Hamilton has another excellent Commentary on Congress, "Whatever their Tone, We Need Town Hall Meetings." It begins: Years ago, when I was still in Congress, I pulled up one day to address a public meeting in...

State Legislation Opposing Certain Health Reform

Karl Kurtz — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:04:07 -0700

by Meagan Dorsch States have complicated shared power relationship with the federal government in regulating various aspects of the health insurance market and in enacting health reforms. In this edition of The Buzz, we sit down with Dick Cauchi, program...

Legislators Serve Military and State

Karl Kurtz — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:48:16 -0700

by NCSL Staff As the United States fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a handful of state legislators are serving in their state's National Guard or Reserve units while holding elected office, according to a new survey from the National...

Civic Health Index for Ohio and Minnesota

jgoehring — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:27:06 -0700

by Jan Goehring The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) recently released civic health index reports for Minnesota and Ohio. Both reports indicate the economy has had an impact on civic involvement, but to different degrees. The Minnesota Civic Health Index:...

Bipartisan Beltway Committee Seeks to “Modernize” U.S. Election System

Karl Kurtz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:59:32 -0700

by Tom Intorcio Voter registration can sometimes be a highly charged and partisan issue, so it is worth noting that advisers from recent Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns have recently aligned themselves to propose a new system. Trevor Potter, former...

Civic Education and 21st Century Skills

jgoehring — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:04:37 -0700

by Jan Goehring A new report shows that effective civic learning builds 21st century skills that are key to students' success in college, career and citizenship. The study, Paths to 21st Century Competencies Through Civic Education Classrooms, was sponsored by...

Republicans See Signs of a Comeback in Limited 2009 Elections

TimStorey — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:39 -0700

by Tim Storey The number of legislative seats up in 2009 legislative elections was the lowest of the decade with only two chambers up for grabs in the off-year part of the cycle. And even though no chambers changed hands...

Run Government Like a Business: Who has the Time?

bweberg — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:11:03 -0700

by Brian Weberg We don't seem to hear it as much as we used to, but the claim that government would be better if "run like a business" still lurks in political campaigns and in criticisms of government inefficiencies (we...

Rain in Death Valley, Party Voting in California, Congress and Tiddlywinks

Karl Kurtz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:19 -0700

by Karl Kurtz It's more likely to rain in Death Valley on any given day than it is for a California legislator to vote in opposition to the majority of his or her party on any given bill.... That's the...

Book Review: Fair, Balanced...and Dead

Karl Kurtz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:50:56 -0600

by Tim Hodson There is a new addition to that small genre of mystery novels set in state capitols and involving legislatures. Fair, Balanced …and Dead is the first novel by Steve Swatt, a long-time political reporter, now retired, for...

Fire Alarms and Police Patrols: Two Approaches to Legislative Oversight

Karl Kurtz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:46:54 -0600

by Karl Kurtz American legislatures don't devote enough time or attention to legislative oversight. That's a nearly universal complaint about both Congress and state legislatures. Legislative surveillance and control of the executive branch is hard work, not very rewarding and...

Top Ten for Back to School Program

jgoehring — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:11:54 -0600

by Jan Goehring Each summer, NCSL's Trust for Representative Democracy collects information about how many legislators participated in the America's Legislators Back to School Program the previous school year. The program encourages legislators to visit classrooms and bring civics to...

Town Hall Meetings: Building Trust Online

PamGreenberg — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:21:30 -0600

by Pam Greenberg Participants in a series of online town hall meetings with members of Congress reported significantly improved trust, agreement, and satisfaction with government. These online meetings, according to a new report by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and...

"My bills were my babies. I loved them all"

Karl Kurtz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:50:32 -0600

by Karl Kurtz In the middle of a day-long joint hearing by California's recently appointed Assembly and Senate select committees on improving state government, Bob Naylor, a former Assembly minority (Republican) leader, said, "This is the best prolonged discussion of...

New Surveys Provide Snapshot of Legislators' Use of Social Media

PamGreenberg — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:12:50 -0600

by Pam Greenberg Tracking the number of legislators using social media tools seems a daunting task. NCSL's chart lists legislative caucuses and agencies using these sites, and Karl Kurtz has previously blogged about legislators who tweet. Several recent surveys, however,...

The Fiscal Outlook for Higher Education

Karl Kurtz — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0600

by Brenda Bautsch 2009 was a tough year for states in terms of funding higher education, and 2010 does not look any better. The recession has made fiscal conditions worse in the states, and while the federal stimulus funds have...

Of Rituals, Swords and Cod: More Symbols of Authority

Karl Kurtz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:37:50 -0600

by Kae Warnock We human beings carry out a significant portion of our lives on the basis of little rituals. Birthdays are celebrated with candles on the cake, toasts are offered at wedding receptions, and commencement ceremonies are held for...

Florida Civic Health

jgoehring — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:57:48 -0600

by Jan Goehring The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) recently released a report about the civic health of Florida and there is room for improvement. Florida ranks 46th in the nation for overall civic life. The study, prepared by the...

What Federal Policies and Programs Can Help States Improve College Completion?

Karl Kurtz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:26:39 -0600

by Brenda Bautsch President Barack Obama recently announced his goal of having the United States become number one in the world in terms of the number of adults with postsecondary degrees. This is a spot the United States once held,...

Making Data (and Words) Fun

Gene Rose — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:49:45 -0600

by Gene Rose Policymakers deal with data on a daily basis. Every now and then, someone applies some creativity to that data and produces a fun and engaging product. A good example of this is a site called Congress Speaks....

How a Bill Really Becomes a Law, Part 2

Karl Kurtz — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:41:28 -0600

by Karl Kurtz Ever dissatisfied by those textbook cartoons that show the formal stages of the legislative process, I'm always on the lookout for new imagery of how the lawmaking process really works (see "How a Bill REALLY Becomes a...