The choice of whether or not to establish
high-risk insurance pools represents the first major decision that
states are facing with the March 2010 passage of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). While twenty-nine
governors -- 22 Democrats and 7 Republicans -- decided to create the
pools themselves, most conservative governors failed to take advantage
of the option to shape health care for their constituents and instead
just kicked the issue back to the federal government, which will
establish its own high-risk insurance pool in states that fail to take
action.
|
Unlike most
states in the country, Alaska was able to increase spending
and maintain a surplus due to increased gas and oil tax revenue.
However, the state has not been immune from the economic impact of the
downturn as the unemployment rate has increased over the past year and
reached 8.6
percent in March. Nevertheless, the state took significant steps
to protect children, expand health care access, and establish a
statewide energy efficiency plan.
|
The Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission
(FEC) decision earlier this year gave corporations the same First
Amendment rights as citizens with regard to advocating for or against
political candidates, unleashing
a flood of new corporate cash into state races and a range of new
state policy initiatives that aim to protect the integrity of their
elections. In response, states are pursuing other reforms, such as
requiring shareholder approval for corporations spending election cash,
tighter public disclosure and attribution in ads, public financing of
elections, and calling for a federal constitutional amendment to reverse
the Citizens United decision.
|
Alaska's 2009 legislative session was full of strife between lawmakersand Gov. Sarah Palin, but resulted in little legislative action otherthan passage of the state budget. Much of this session was spentdeliberating about what to do with the budget, the federal economicstimulus plan and funding.
|
While the financial crisis has received more of the headlines, there has been a growing unemployment crisis over the last year.
With unemployment at a five-year high, nearly 10 million Americans were
officially unemployed last month, with nearly 500,000 workers applying
for benefits each week. And the problem doesn't stop there, with
long-term joblessness rising:
|
Milwaukee has a paid sick leave referendum
on the ballot for November that would allow employees to take leave for
medical treatment, preventive care, or diagnosis for themselves, as
well as to care for a close family member who is sick or who needs
diagnosis or preventive care. Additionally, employees would be allowed
to use the time to deal with domestic violence or sexual assault (for
example, using accrued time to flee to safety.) Employees at firms
with 10 workers or less could accumulate up to 40 hours, whereas larger
companies would have to provide up to 72 hours of paid sick leave.
|
We may say as a country that we value families and mothers, but a rise in job
discrimination complaints by moms highlights how far most workplaces are from
that ideal. Yesterday, to help clarify the responsibilities of
employers, the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) issued
new
guidelines on what kinds of discrimination against parents is
illegal.
|
Even as progressives are making major headway in this session on issues
ranging from renewable energy to the minimum wage to voting reform, the
corporate Right, led by the American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC) and its associated "research" front groups, is still out
there in the states pushing their model bills and corporate-funded
propaganda.
|
In state elections across the country, how to create quality, affordable child care has become a potent campaign issue.
|
|
In the groundbreaking film An Inconvenient Truth, Vice President Al Gore makes an impressive case that it is now essential that the world act to prevent the potentially catastrophic implications of global warming. The film could not come at a more critical time. While the planet warms, Washington dawdles. The nation's political elite remains mired in a debate manipulated by powerful energy interests.
|
The Western Governors Association on Sunday acknowledged an
inconvenient truth. The bipartisan group of Governors from West Coast,
Rocky Mountain, and Great Plains states came together to unanimously
pass a resolution (PDF) that says that global warming is real, at least partially human-caused, and that now is a time for action.
|
Instead of looking in Alaska for a massive source of energy, look at New York City.
|
