After a year that started off with a wave of efforts to suppress the vote - many of which continue - more and more states are now looking at enacting significant reforms to modernize voter registration and protect and expand voting rights. Here's a roundup of recent developments:
|
Eight years ago, progressives were recovering from an Election Day that saw a full 11 states ban same-sex marriage at the polls. The environment in early 2013 could not be more different. Coming off of historic successes at the polls in four states in November, momentum behind marriage equality efforts continues to grow in state after state in advance of what is likely to be a landmark Supreme Court decision on the issue this term:
|
Since state legislatures around the country have started their sessions in 2012, legislators and governors alike have been recognizing the importance of broadband (or high speed Internet) to growing state economies. Governors in states as diverse as Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, and Wyoming highlighted broadband initiatives in their state of the state speeches, as more and more of our leaders are realizing that without broadband, the U.S. economy is not going to produce jobs or the highly-skilled workers needed to compete in a global marketplace.
|
Last week, the state of Hawaii approved its first roll-out of Feed-in Tariffs (FIT), a reward program that allows homes and businesses to get paid for building renewable energy systems such as rooftop solar panels and feeding that energy into the electric grid. To implement the plan, companies that install and maintain a renewable source device receive a Power Purchase Agreement from a utility, while the state government regulates the electricity tariff rate. The Hawaii FIT program roll-out will take place on all of the state's grids within six weeks. Hawaii joins Vermont, Washington, California, and Oregon in introducing statewide feed-in-tariffs.
|
As pundits attempt to digest what Colorado's primary on Tuesday night means for incumbents and insurgents alike, there is one thing everyone can agree on: voting by mail saved counties much-needed money while boosting turnout.
|
Results from Hawaii's recent all-mail special election for
Congress are in--and the clear winner was the mail voting system that
dramatically increased turnout and saved the state sorely needed money.
|
Who benefits from hyping criminal enforcement as the solution to the
immigration issue?
As a Service and Employees International Union (SEIU)
campaign
highlights, one key player profiting off the nation's broken
immigration system is the private prison firm, Corrections Corporation
of America (CCA). CCA operates and profits significantly from private
prisons across the country, many of which house immigrants in detention,
a kind of legal limbo in which immigrants are imprisoned while their
cases are being considered, or who are in the process of being deported.
|
Like the rest of the nation, the Hawaiian legislature made needed
reforms in order to balance the state’s $1.2 billion budget deficit.
The Democrat-led legislature used innovative ways to deal with the
crisis - such as raising the taxes on petroleum products, a measure that
lessens Hawaii’s dependence on foreign oil and reinvests in renewable
energy sources, and voting to reroute sitting monies from the Hurricane
Relief Fund terminate teacher furloughs and ensure that students remain
more days in the classrooms. Notably, the legislature had to override 11
out of 14 vetoes by their Governor.
|
This past week, the Dallas
Morning News revealed that a key figure who contributed to the
privatization of Texas' food stamp eligibility program is now
receiving taxpayer dollars to help fix the problems that the private
system created. regg Phillips, who was Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Health and Human
Services Commission (HHSC) and led the push for privatization a few
years ago, now heads AutoGov Inc., a company that has received $207,500
from the state government in the past four months to assist in
eliminating the errors in the provision and eligibility determination of
the state's food stamp program.
|
As the economic downturn progresses, American workers are facing a
disturbing rise in employers using credit ratings to determine job
worthiness. According to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management,
the number of firms using credit histories to screen applicants rose
from 25% in 1998 to 43% despite such inquiries often being
discriminatory and even illegal.
|
A contentious atmosphere during the general session lingered into a special session as legislators overrode a record total 38 of 53 vetoed bills by Gov. Linda Lingle. Despite the budget shortfall of over $600 million
(estimates differ) for 2010 and 2011, legislators were able to enact a
number of highly progressive reforms including a majority signup bill,
strengthening workers comp and family leave policies, requiring large
parking lots to have dedicated electric vehicle spaces with charging
stations, and reviving basic universal health insurance for children.
|
On Monday, March 23rd, the Vermont Senate overwhelmingly passed (26 to 4) a bill legalizing same-sex marriage,
making the state the first in the nation to take legislative rather
than judicial steps toward granting marriage rights to same-sex
couples. Although House Speaker Shap Smith was confident a majority of
representatives would vote in favor of the "marriage equality" act,
Governor Jim Douglas revealed in a press conference Wednesday that he
would veto the bill, though he did say he would accept a legislative
override.
|
Even with many states having short sessions, the 2008 state legislative
sessions have already had some impressive milestone victories for
families and communities across the country. This Dispatch
covers a few of the key issue victories this year -- and points out
that states are still taking the lead on issue after issue. Most of
the bills highlighted became law, while a few, falling short of final
passage, were innovative enough and showed enough movement to promise
greater things for 2009.
|
This session, the Hawaii state legislature made some substantial gains
in labor rights, election reform, promoting renewable energy, health
care, and a number of other areas, overriding four of the governor's 13
vetoes in the process.
|
Our Dispatch
and conference call last week highlighted ways in which states can
fight toxic toys. In case you missed it, the audio of the call can
be found here. Within a few days, several states came forward with additional bills protecting the health of our children, including:
|
A new ballot measure in California
would
change the way that California's 55 presidential electoral votes would be
allocated; not to make sure that every vote counted, but to make sure that any
right-wing candidate for President could lop off a significant number of that
state's electoral votes.
|
With
a similar partisan divide between a Democratic legislature and Republican
governor, Hawaii achieved solid progressive achievements with less rancor and
friction.
|
While the Bush Administration has reduced taxes on the wealthiest Americans
and undermined social welfare programs over the past 6 years, 5 million
more Americans have fallen into poverty, bringing the total to 37
million. That means at least one in eight Americans are now living in
poverty.
|
|
A new
United
Nations report this week, backed by scientists around the
world, confirms that not only is global warming real, but its effects are
already here and getting worse. And the hard fact is, the United States
consumes
far more energy than any other country, more than China and Russia
combined.
|
On April 3rd, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed into law HF 653, which provides
Iowans with the opportunity to register and vote on Election Day. Governor
Culver
stated,
Here in Iowa , we want to make it as easy as possible for Iowans to be
involved in the democratic process. This bill achieves this goal. I strongly
believe getting more people to vote is good for democracy and good for the
future of this state.
|
|
