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State Support For Ending Cuban Embargo Growing
What do Illinois Gov. George Ryan and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura have in common with Arkansas chicken producers, Texas rice growers and Utah medical companies? They’d all like to see an end to the 40-year-old U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba. Although lifting the embargo is unlikely anytime soon, pressure is growing at the state […]
America Under Fire: Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon
When they assumed office, none of the state governors could have anticipated the kinds of problems and challenges they’ve faced since last September 11. Stateline.org is publishing their reflections on their role in America’s war with terrorism. In this installment, Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon talks about his response to the attacks and the recent anthrax […]
Oversight Lax Among Lawmakers, Study Shows
State legislatures that pride themselves on being portrayed as bastions of integrity often are in reality political bodies where hidden conflicts of interest and personal gain often win out over the public good, a new study concludes. The two-year study by the independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity found that 27 of the […]
America Under Fire: Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum
On September 11, Scott McCallum was only a few months into the job of Wisconsin governor and having a hard time proving he could be as good a leader as the beloved Tommy Thompson had been. He was catching hell on budget matters from Democrats and even a few of his Republican colleagues. The last […]
America Under Fire: North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven
Like most Americans, North Dakotans would like nothing better than to catch and punish those responsible for the September 11 attacks and the anthrax scare that has followed in their wake. But North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven believes there’s another way for citizens to come to terms with what’s happened to the nation. It’s simple, […]
America Under Fire: Engler of Michigan Reflects
On September 11, Michigan Gov. John Engler, ordered his statewide emergency management team into action as he has done many times before in his nearly 11 years in office. This time, it wasn’t a natural disaster his police, health and military experts were dealing with. As he watched the terrorist attacks on television, he had […]
Schweiker Takes Charge as Pennsylvania Governor
Serving as lieutenant governor can sometimes be a thankless job. Most state residents, polls show, can’t even remember the name of their second in command. But in Pennsylvania, Mark Schweiker doesn’t have that problem. If he’s not well known now, he will be soon since he drops the ‘lieutenant’ from the title he’s held for […]
Bush Taps Pennsylvania Governor to be Home Security Czar
When President Bush decided to create a Cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security, he turned to an old Harvard-educated friend of 21 years and a former Vietnam combat veteran to head it — Republican Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania. Ridge, who was scheduled to end his second four-year term as governor in January 2003, said he […]
State Lawmakers Hold Largest Meeting Ever
Dear World, lets have peace, kindness and freedom forever and ever. Well, delivering on that prayer might be a lot to hope for, but state lawmakers are here at the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures exchanging ideas on how to do a better job of governing. The prayer, scribbled on a […]
States Vary in Addressing Power Plant Construction
Putting an addition on your home can bring more regulatory hassles than building a power plant in many states. At least that’s the opinion of consumer activists in Indiana who pushed lawmakers this spring to pass a bill to give the state more control over the siting and operation of privately-owned electricity generating facilities. Their […]
States Struggle To Carry Out Governors’ Agendas
Improving schools had top priority on a long list of lofty goals governors laid out in their State-of-the-State speeches in January and February. But when revenues began to fall off, many governors found that their talk of big agendas was cheap compared to the cost of balancing the budget. Governors don’t normally rely on Post-it […]
Curbing Power of Money Vexes States
The U.S. Senate’s political drama over campaign finance reform has been performed many times across the country, and state lawmakers have had only mixed success themselves trying to control the influence of big money in elections. Although state laws setting donor and spending limits or allowing public financing of some campaigns have passed many states, […]