The Thicket at State Legislatures

Can Children Conceived After A Parent’s Death Collect Social Security? States May Decide

Meagan Dorsch — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:36:02 -0600

By Lisa Soronen As summer approaches, U.S. Supreme Court decisions trickle out. One of the latest cases concerned the rights of children to inherit Social Security benefits after the death of a parent. The decision could spur statehouses across the...

A Majority of State Legislators May Have Two Years or Less of Experience in 2013

The Thicket — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:57:11 -0600

by Karl Kurtz and Tim Storey The combination of unusually high turnover in the membership of state legislatures after the 2010 election and anticipated high rates of churn after the redistricting election of 2012 makes it likely that approximately half...

State Hard Pressed to Address Drugged Driving

Meagan Dorsch — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:10:04 -0600

by Alex Fitzsimmons Everyone knows the dangers of drunk driving and every state in the country sets blood alcohol level limits. But state lawmakers have recently turned their attention to another deadly behavior: drugged driving. Colorado became the latest state...

What Role will Independent PACs Play in State Legislative Races?

The Thicket — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:49:33 -0600

by Karl Kurtz During a television interview on a California public affairs program recently, I was asked a question I was not prepared for and had not thought much about: How will the Citizens United Supreme Court decision affect state...

2012 State Legislative Election Preview and Other Tidbits from State Net

The Thicket — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:04:18 -0600

by Karl Kurtz State Net's ever-useful Capitol Journal last week carried an update by Lou Cannon of potential party-switching legislative chambers in this fall's elections--based at least partially on his conversations with NCSL's Tim Storey--and a couple of other interesting...

The American Democracy Game

jgoehring — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:19:17 -0600

by Jan Goehring Students can now step into the shoes of a lawmaker through NCSL's new online learning tool called The American Democracy Game. This interactive game, just released in 2012, teaches young people in middle school about the legislative...

It’s the Message that Matters Most

The Thicket — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:33:39 -0600

Telling your state legislator how you feel about a bill might be more effective than filling out a form. by Meagan Dorsch Growing up, my mother used to say, “Just tell me how you feel.” This usually allowed us to...

Acronym Acrobatics

Wendy Underhill — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:51:26 -0600

by Caitlin Rossiter I drove to NCSL this beautiful AM and listened to an NPR analysis of the SCOTUS oral arguments on the ACA. The story discussed the rulings of the AIA applicability and noted that the IRS ruled it...

Will the Next Veep Be a Former State Legislator?

Meagan Dorsch — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:03:14 -0600

by Alex Fitzsimmons With Newt Gingrich’s departure from the Republican presidential race, the Mitt Romney Veepstakes are in full swing. But if history is a guide, we’ll have to wait a few more months before the presumptive nominee picks a...

Early Indicators on Voters Blocked by ID Requirements

Wendy Underhill — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:40:29 -0600

by Wendy Underhill One of the big questions in the elections arena is, how many people who want to vote don’t have an ID? So far, the answers to this question have been partial, theoretical or politically calculated. NCSL does...

If Energy Inefficiency is the Problem, States Have the Solution

Meagan Dorsch — Fri, 04 May 2012 06:00:00 -0600

By Alex Fitzsimmons As the peak energy season approaches, people bring up words like “energy efficiency” and “renewable energy” as partial solutions for rising energy prices. But in many statehouses, energy efficiency isn’t just a buzzword – it’s public policy....

Good News About Civic Education in Tennessee

The Thicket — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:37:47 -0600

Peter Levine, director of CIRCLE, a professor at Tufts University and a passionate advocate for civic learning, posted news from the Tennessee Legislature on his blog: On April 27, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill that will require school districts...

Paltry Participation: 1.6 Percent Report Use Taxes

Meagan Dorsch — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:21:27 -0600

By Alex Fitzsimmons People who make out-of-state purchases, including over the Internet, are supposed to pay sales and use taxes on those purchases. But as a new study indicates, just a tiny number of people actually report the use taxes...

It's a Two-Party System...Arrrrrr!

TimStorey — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:09:12 -0600

by Tim Storey There are 7,382 state legislators making policy and laws for the 50 American states. And the vast, and I mean VAST, majority of them are from the two major U.S. political parties. According to NCSL's most recent...

Voter ID Costs, Considered

Wendy Underhill — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:29:00 -0600

by Todd Haggerty and Wendy Underhill What does it cost to implement a strict voter ID requirement? Many legislators would like to know. So would NCSL. Because we get this question frequently, we looked into it last month. First, we...

Pew: States Remain Popular, Feds Keep Falling

Meagan Dorsch — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:00:00 -0600

by Alex Fitzsimmons Conventional wisdom says Americans don’t trust government. But a new survey may have state and local governments telling the feds: Speak for yourself! While only a third of Americans view the federal government favorably, more than half...

Thinking about Economic Development? Mull it over with a Beer.

The Thicket — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:14:00 -0600

by Erica Michel Photo credit: nealhknapp.com When legislators think about expanding jobs and their economies, most probably don't immediately think of their neighborhood brewpub. However, according to a recent report by the Leeds School of Business at the University of...

Supreme Court Likely to Uphold Immigration Status Check

Meagan Dorsch — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:11:25 -0600

by Lisa Soronen Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Arizona v. United States. The Court will be deciding whether federal law preempts four provisions of Arizona’s immigration law. As NCSL’s Ann Morse pointed out to CNN, “[e]very state...

Homeless, but not Voteless

Wendy Underhill — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0600

by Wendy Underhill As the 2012 election draws closer, voter registration is becoming newsworthy, and with it comes the question of who is eligible to vote. The usual criteria apply: Voters must be U.S. citizens, over the age of 18,...

Is the Transportation Reauthorization Traffic Jam Opening Up?

Meagan Dorsch — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:33:00 -0600

by Ben Husch Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 4348 that extends authorization of the surface transportation program through September 30 and provides a path for the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Although the bill...

Balanced Budget Requirements

Meagan Dorsch — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:23:10 -0600

by Todd Haggerty Question: In 1842, what state became the first to adopt a balanced budget requirement (answer is at the end of this post)? Balancing the budget is widely considered to be the foundation of state fiscal practices. Keeping...

New Video Teaches Importance of Citizen Participation

jgoehring — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:16:11 -0600

by Jan Goehring A platypus, a robot and the ghost of James Madison star in a new animated video, Citizens Unite! A Helpful Guide to Being a Better Citizen, produced by the Center on Congress at Indiana University. This lively...

States Win in SCOTUS Ruling on Qualified Immunity

Meagan Dorsch — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:00:00 -0600

By Lisa Soronen While the country awaits the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on federal health reform, state and local governments scored a victory Tuesday on another issue at the high court. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled in Filarsky...

Unified Message For Congress: Reauthorize ESEA

Meagan Dorsch — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:27:28 -0600

By Lee Posey State and local organizations have a unified message for Congress: reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education act! NCSL has joined with nine other organizations to form a coalition to lobby for the reauthorization of the Elementary and...

Ranking City Flags

The Thicket — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:45:24 -0600

by Karl Kurtz Washington D.C. flag The North American Vexillology Association recently ranked 150 city flags and published a book, American City Flags, about them . Washington D.C.'s popular flag ranked first, followed in the top 10 by Chicago, Denver,...

The Fix Identifies the 10 Most Popular Governors

The Thicket — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:36:40 -0600

The Washington Post's Aaron Blake, writing in the political blog, The Fix, calls out the nation's 10 most popular governor, taking "into account all factors in determining how successful the governors have been — from approval rating to difficulty of...

You Forgot John Grisham!

The Thicket — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:53:41 -0600

by Karl Kurtz This month's issue of State Legislatures features a story, "Mystery Man," about Illinois Senate Counsel David Ellis who writes detective novels on the side. After reading a sidebar about other detective novels that are set in or...

Please Fill Out Your Name, SS Number and Facebook Password

Meagan Dorsch — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:44:55 -0600

By Meagan Dorsch When applying for your next job, you may need to submit the username and password for your personal social media accounts along with a cover letter, résumé and list of references. Several companies, and government agencies, have...

Washington Legislative Staffer Sues for $1.75 Million Over a Hostile Work Environment

The Thicket — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:37:52 -0600

One of the characteristics of the work environment of legislative staff that makes their jobs different from most others is the large number of bosses--legislators--that they may have to respond to. When staff come into conflict with one or more...

Congress Kicks Can on Transportation, Another 3 Month Extension

Meagan Dorsch — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:21:01 -0600

What it Means for States By Jon Kuhl On Thursday, March 29, the House and Senate agreed to kick the can down the road and give themselves a three-month extension before agreeing on a longer-term transportation bill. This latest deal...