Capitol Comments

CSG Brings Climate Change Debate to Omaha

When it comes to climate change, there’s never just one side to the debate.

Just ask John Christy of the University of Alabama, Huntsville, and Michael Schlesinger of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The two were co-recipients of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work in the area.

But that doesn’t mean they agree on the extent of global warming, its projected impacts and primary causes. In fact, Christy declined his share of the Nobel Prize.

Innovations Awards Honor Cutting-Edge State Programs

In the states innovation takes on several forms.

In Georgia, innovation is a 24-hour a day, seven-day a week hotline offering residents a way to get the mental health services they need. The Georgia Crisis and Access Line offers help for the depressed, the suicidal and those worn down from fighting a mental illness.

In Delaware, innovation takes the form of a workplace wellness program, offering state employees incentives to participate in health screenings and events such as run/walk races. DelaWELL helps nearly 68,000 state employees take charge of their health.

Those are just two of eight national Innovations Awards to be awarded by The Council of State Governments this year. Full features on each program will appear in the November/December issue of State News magazine. Tune in to special podcasts from State News editors to hear from each program.

The Innovations Awards winners featured in State News and in podcasts are:

East

• DelaWELL

• Pennsylvania Program Evaluation Research System (PERS)

 

Midwest

• Michigan Video Testimony Project

• South Dakota 24/7 Sobriety Program

 

South

• Virtual Alabama

• Georgia Crisis and Access Line

 

West

• Arizona Government University

• Washington Transportation Improvement Board Performance Dashboard

 

Gay Marriage, Abortion Issues on Ballot in Several States

By Kelley Arnold and Heather Perkins, CSG Elections Center

Voters across the country will head to the polls next week to make important decisions about a wide variety of issues. Two of the more controversial topics being taken to the voters in multiple states are marriage and abortion. Here’s a quick overview of how the electorate seems to be leaning:

Marriage

Arizona Proposition 102—This proposition would amend the constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Recent polls suggest the amendment will have enough voter support to pass next week. In 2006, voters rejected a similar proposal to define marriage, but it would have also denied partner benefits, which led to its defeat.  That provision is not included in the new proposal.

California Proposition 8—This proposition would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry and would define marriage as a union between a man and woman. Polls suggest support for the proposition has grown over the past month, with some even indicating that it now has enough backing to pass.

Florida Amendment 2—Recent statewide polls suggest there is not quite enough support for this amendment to pass. The amendment, which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, doesn’t seem to have the 60 percent approval that it needs to pass. Many say it won’t pass because the language of the amendment would open it up legal challenges that could jeopardize domestic partner benefits for both heterosexual and same-sex couples.

Abortion

California Proposition 4—This proposition would require parental or legal guardian notification and a 48-hour waiting period after notification for a minor to obtain an abortion. Polls indicate the proposition currently has enough support to pass, thanks to growing support from Latinos and women.

Colorado Amendment 48—This amendment would change the constitution to define the term “person” to include any human being from the moment of conception. Polls indicate the amendment does not have enough support to pass. Many voters have been influenced by talk that if passed, the amendment would lead to a ban on abortion, and outlaw birth control pills and in vitro fertilization because of the vague nature of its wording.

South Dakota Measure 11—If passed, this measure would prohibit all abortions except in the case of serious risk to the mother’s health or in cases of rape or incest before the fetus is 20 weeks old. State polls show voters are equally divided on their support for or against this amendment, which strongly suggests undecided voters may very well be the deciding factor on Election Day.

Additional CSG Elections Center resources
State-by-State Coverage
State Executive Races Overview
State Legislative Races Overview
State Judicial Races Overview
State Initiatives & Referenda Appearing on the Ballot
State Political Maps

State Supreme Court Seats on the Ballot

By Kelley Arnold and Heather Perkins, CSG Elections Center

More than one-third of the states will have one or more Supreme Court positions up for election on the ballot next week. Six states will be engaged in partisan races and 13 will hold nonpartisan races. Not surprisingly, an incumbent is running in all but seven of the 36 positions up this November to keep a seat on their states’ highest court. Fifteen of those incumbents are running unopposed; therefore more than 40 percent of the total races up have technically already been decided.

Many of the contested races have continued the recent trend of major spending for judicial positions. The extreme spending, along with the special interest and third-party involvement, has led to some tight races this election season. While a majority of the hotly contested races are for open seats, some states—including Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas—have incumbents that are also locked in competitive races.

It is interesting to note that even the nonpartisan races have not been absent of partisan politics. In Nevada, controversy has been brewing over one candidate’s appearance at a rally for Sarah Palin last month. In North Carolina, while the race is nonpartisan and publicly financed, many voters are aware of the candidates’ party affiliations. This race is particularly important because the outcome could affect the majority party control of the state Supreme Court.

In addition to the justice positions on the ballot, a dozen other states have Supreme Court justices up for retention vote.

Additional CSG Elections Center resources
State-by-State Coverage
State Executive Races Overview
State Legislative Races Overview
State Judicial Races Overview
State Initiatives & Referenda Appearing on the Ballot
State Political Maps

Few Legislative Races Feature Both Parties

By Kelley Arnold and Heather Perkins, CSG Elections Center

Despite more than 5,800 legislative seats appearing on statewide ballots, only 39 percent of those races will feature both a Democratic and Republican contender. The remaining 61 percent are races that are either uncontested or have only one major party candidate squaring off against one or more third party candidates. However, based on current majority controls, recent polls and the number of contested seats appearing, these are a few of the chambers that promise to be close:

11 States Will Choose Governors

By Kelley Arnold and Heather Perkins, CSG Elections Center

Voters in 11 states will choose a governor in the 2008 election. If current polls are any indication, Democrats will emerge victorious in gubernatorial races in Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and West Virginia. Republicans will see victories in North Dakota, Utah and Vermont.

Polls are mixed on the status of the Indiana governorship, but that seat will most likely remain in Republican hands. Missouri, however, will likely go to the Democrats. That leaves North Carolina and Washington as the two wild cards in the race.

How Much Can Americans Cut Back?

By Jennifer Burnett, CSG Senior Research Analyst

The current financial crisis has experts declaring the end to the era of easy credit. But to many, this isn’t entirely negative. For years, we have been warned that Americans are living beyond their means and engaging in irresponsible consumerism while saving and planning for the future less. It is certainly true: Americans are saving less and spending more than ever. Total consumer debt has nearly tripled since 1989. The savings rate of American households has declined over the past 10 years and in 2005 that rate actually turned negative, according to the Commerce Department.

So, if Americans can no longer live on credit, where will they cut back? Is it just a matter of a collective tightening of the belt, or are middle income Americans already stretched to the limit?

Ballot issues affecting legislators go before voters Nov. 4

By Kelley Arnold and Heather Perkins, CSG Elections Center

When voters go to the polls Nov. 4, they will not only be selecting legislators to serve in the state houses, they will also vote on measures that will impact the jobs of those same legislators. Issues such as marriage, energy and gaming tend to take center stage in the discussion of this year’s state ballot measures, but it is important to note that residents of many states will take to the polls to determine legislative pay, voter districts and session schedules. Below are a few of the issues affecting elected officials that are up for consideration on 2008 state ballots.

Border Legislators Encourage Continued Cooperation

By Edgar Ruiz, deputy director, CSG-WEST

Legislators attending the Border Legislative Conference in late September adopted a declaration that, among other things, encourages U.S. and Mexico federal and state authorities to cooperate on efforts to combat organized crime and enhance the security of the border region.

The declaration also:

• Promotes the development of joint, binational commissions to address human trafficking;
• Encourages private and public sector utilities to invest in energy conservation and efficiencies; and
• Encourages long-term planning regarding water resources and policies as they are affected by climate change.

State Unemployment Funds are Drying Up

Fallout from the weakening economy is hitting the states. Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance fund is not immune to the fallout. Hundreds of thousands of workers have exhausted their unemployment insurance and new applications for benefits are quickly outpacing the pace of last year’s benefits applications, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The news comes on the heels of General Motors Corp.’s announcement that it will speed up plant closings as demand for its trucks dwindles and a Janesville, Wis., factory is one of the casualties, according to Bloomberg News. The sport-utility vehicle factory has 1,200 union workers and will close Dec. 23, two years earlier than planned, the news agency reports. The plant makes the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban as well as the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL.