Capitol Comments

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.

CSG-WEST Discusses Constituent e-Relationships

By Mary Branham Dusenberry

State legislators can learn a thing or two about e-communication from the corporate world.

Julie Barko Germany, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at George Washington University, brought some of that information to Western state lawmakers during The Council of State Governments-WEST Annual Legislative Training Assembly July 17 in Anchorage, Alaska.

But, Barko Germany said, much of what the corporate world is doing to build one-to-one relationships with customers comes from what elected officials have been doing for some time. Developing relationships with constituents has always been important for elected officials, she said.

“Whether in Tammany Hall or Congress today, a lot of what goes on and a lot of the success you have as elected officials depends upon how your constituents view you and the work you’re doing for their community and sometimes, on a local level, it depends very much on building those one to one relationships with people,” Barko Germany said.

CSG Releases Report on State Medicaid Programs

Many state Medicaid programs spend almost 80 percent of their budgets treating individuals with chronic illness.

Some states are turning to disease management programs as a strategy to address cost and quality concerns, according to "Rural Medicaid Disease Management: Afterthought or Strategic Aim," a new report from The Council of State Governments. Disease management, which covers a range of activities designed to treat individuals with chronic illnesses, has been used in commercially insured populations to improve the quality of care and reduce costs associated with chronic disease.

CSG staff conducted a national survey of state programs to assess whether state Medicaid officials made any distinction in services provided to rural and urban residents, and whether the different needs of rural residents were addressed in program development and implementation.

States Can Get New Information on Mortgage Companies

Think your state should do more to monitor mortgage companies?

Now it can. The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System, an online database, will help states in their efforts to regulate those companies. If a mortgage company is punished in one state for fraud or predatory lending, other states in which that company does business will soon know about it.

When firms apply to open in new states, they are notified about infractions in other states, and could use that information to deny the company a license.

Seven states – Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York and Rhode Island – are participating in the registry, which kicked off Jan. 2. Another eight states are set to join by July; and more than 35 states are expected to participate by the end of 2009. Plans call for the public to be able to use the portal to see a company’s state record.

For more information on this story, visit Stateline.org.

Legislators Had Busy 2007

The 2007 legislative sessions brought new funding for schools in some states, new laws addressing illegal immigration in others, and more states considering expanded gambling to fatten the state coffers.

Here are some of the highlights:

Chipping In: California Could Ban RFID Implants

California legislators don't want their residents subjected to possible tagging with RFID tags.

If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the bill legislators passed recently, California would join Wisconsin and North Dakota in banning human implanting of these tags without consent. Lawmakers say the law is pre-emptive, while the industry that produces the radio-frequency identification tags call states' actions fear-mongering.

VeriChip Corp., the only manufacturer with an FDA-approved implantabable chip, said 2,000 RFID chips have been sold for implementation in humans. Tags are also used in passports, factory shipments and subway passes. VeriChip is focusing its technology on medical patient identification, and about 400 patients have chips implanted.

To learn more about the chips, see the story at stateline.org.

MLC Meeting Set to Begin

Later this week, Traverse City, Michigan will host one of the largest meetings in the 62-year history of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, a nonpartisan association that fosters collaboration and information sharing among the region’s state legislators.

Close to 800 people are expected to attend the MLC Annual Meeting, which will be held Aug. 26-29 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

During those four days, legislators will participate in an array of sessions and discussions focusing on key issues facing the Midwest and its states – from strengthening educational technology and protecting privacy, to bolstering state economies and promoting healthy lifestyles.

A full meeting agenda is available at www.csgmidwest.org.

Several highly acclaimed and well-known speakers are scheduled to address MLC meeting attendees. On Tuesday, Aug. 28, Fox News political analysts Fred Barnes and Juan Williams will talk about the race for the White House and the latest news from Washington, D.C.

This year’s meeting will kick off with a keynote address on Monday, Aug. 27, by best-selling author and innovation expert Daniel Pink, who will examine the effects that technology is having – and will continue to have – on society.

Lawmakers Urge Rejection of REAL ID

One state, by itself, cannot hold off the federal government.

That’s the message Missouri Rep. Jim Guest and South Carolina Sen. Larry Martin left with those in attendance at the plenary session on REAL ID at the Southern Legislative Conference Sunday.

Both are from states that have rejected outright the federal mandate to implement the new identification system. Four other states—New Hampshire, Washington, Montana and Oklahoma—have also rejected the national ID card.

Guest started the Legislators Against REAL ID in 2007 to get more states on board. He and others believe the unfunded mandate is too costly, not only financially but also because of the impact on citizen freedoms.

Concerns about Real ID

The Department of Homeland Security has addressed some states' concerns about Real ID in a new proposal, but four challenges remain.

Those challenges will be part of the discussion during the CSG Technology Working Group session from 8-10 a.m. Monday, June 11, during the CSG Spring National Committee and Task Force Meetings. The technology session will be held in the Grand Caribbean Salon-8, Lobby Level, at the El Conquistador in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The task force will discuss the regulation and focus on what states are doing or should be doing to meet the deadline for Real ID.

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and Thomas Jarrett, chief information officer/secretary of the Delaware Department of Technology and Information, will lead the discussion.

Comprehensive Smoking Prevention Programs

Smoking is the leading preventable cuase of death in the United States. Studies show it results in an estimated 438,000 deaths and $92 billion in lost productivity each year.

In addition, for every person who dies, there are 20 more living with a smoking-related disease.

A new policy brief from The Healthy States Initiative, a partnership of The Council of State Governments, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, provides state policymakers with key background information about smoking and identifies proven and cost-effective prevention strategies for states.

Policymakers can find, among other information, things they can do to help prevent smoking, such as: