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North Carolina
Cracking Down on Wal-Mart's Favorite Tax Loopholes
At the beginning of February, we reported on an expose of special loopholes used by Wal-Mart to slash its state taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars per year.  The scam involves Wal-Mart and other companies dividing themselves into separate subsidiaries, buying land and buildings, then deducting the rent paid to itself as a business expense.  But states are moving to eliminate the loophole and reclaim the lost revenue:
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North Carolina
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) Advance in the States
As we first highlighted in our Dispatch last December, renewable energy portfolio standards (RPS) are a great way to stimulate renewable energy development.  By requiring that a certain percentage of a state's electricity come from renewable energy, RPS jump starts economic development and job creation.
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WA: Evergreen State Aims for Clean Elections
Washington State legislators are doing a one-two-three punch to get big money out of election campaigns.  House Bill 1360, Senate Bill 5278  and Senate Bill 5226 were introduced in January to adopt public financing for campaigns. 
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Health Care in 2007

As the first month of the 2007 legislative session comes to a close, expanding access to health care is clearly a top priority for governors and legislative leaders across the country. From comprehensive health care for all in California and Pennsylvania to incremental cover all kids in North Carolina and to targeted program expansions in New Mexico, the proposals represent an unprecedented focus in states to address the health care crisis that grips our families and businesses.

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What States Can Do for Darfur

Since the Bush administration first recognized the genocide in Darfur, over 250,000 men, women, and children have died. This number does not count the countless women and children that have been raped or attacked as a result of the Sudanese government's campaign to kill and drive out Darfur's ethnic African populations. The violence and genocide is now spilling over into Chad and the Central African Republic. Yet, even with such horrifying statistics, the situation deteriorates day by day.

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Election Day Registration

One of the biggest challenges in raising voter turnout is address the rate of voter registration. The vast majority of states have registration deadlines weeks before Election Day. The schedule poses problems for busy Americans who simply forget to register or re-register and find themselves unable to vote on Election Day. During the 2000 Presidential election alone, nearly 3 million voters were disenfranchised due to registration problems. Luckily, a simple solution is available: Election Day Registration (EDR).

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Child Care: A Valuing Families Campaign Issue
In state elections across the country, how to create quality, affordable child care has become a potent campaign issue.
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A Convenient Truth: States Can Seize the Lead on Global Warming

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.

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Progress on the Minimum Wage
After years of stagnating wages for working Americans and inaction by Congress, legislators and activists across the country are taking the lead in securing higher minimum wages on a state by state basis. They are achieving some outstanding results. Here's where the minimum wage fight stands in a number of states:
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New Latino Voters May Change Political Map
"Today we march, tomorrow we vote!" - the chant at the recent immigration rights rallies -- may translate into a changed electoral landscape in many states across the country.
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Feds Propose Gutting State Protections Against Predatory Lending
North Carolina was the first state to pass a law reining in shady predatory lending practices, such as steep prepayment penalties, balloon payments and the sale of high-cost loans to borrowers who could qualify for lower rates. Soon a number of other states followed with similar laws and the result, according to a new study, is that homeowners now save $9.1 billion per year.
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