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Eight bright ideas for states

Eight bright ideas for states

4 state government news november/december 2000

featuresfeatures

csg’s 2000 innovations awards

America’s Best Innovations 10CSG presents the 2000 winners in the country’s only state governmentinnovations awards program judged by states themselves.■ Delaware — Tapping technical expertise by Cindy J. Lackey

■ Massachusetts — Helping children learn by James Carroll

■ Michigan — Encouraging organ donation by Michele Bushong

■ Minnesota — Helping parents by Fred J. Vickers

■ Oklahoma — Treating drug-addicted inmates by John J. Mountjoy

■ West Virginia — Making children safer by Matt Tewksbary

■ Arizona — Eligibility fraud prevention by Fred J. Vickers

■ Utah — Foster care foundation by Fred J. Vickers

More great ideas 19CSG recognizes semifinalists in the competition.

economic development

An economic splash 22Hawaii prepares to ride the tide of technological change.

by Elaine Stuart

information technology

Bigger is better 24States with more resources have better Web sites.

by Kevin Kinnaird

healthAbortion pill raises questionsfor states 27Federal approval of RU-486 causes state officials to examine abortion laws.

by Catherine Cowan

nov/dec 2000 volume 43, number 10

on the cover:CSG honors eight bright state

solutions to pressing problems.Illustration by Skip Olson.

managing editorElaine Stuart

associate editorCatherine Cowan

graphic design coordinatorSkip Olson

production systems administratorConnie P. LaVake

contributorsJames Carroll

Ed JanairoKevin KinnairdCindy J. LackeyJohn MountjoyJulia Nienaber

Kristin RobinsonDave Scott

Allison Spurrier

proofreadersFred J. VickersNancy Vickers

advertisingKristi Swanson(859) 244-8118

reprint permissionsSusan Haney

(859) 244-8246

publication sales(800) 800-1910

[email protected]

fax(859) 244-8001

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internetwww.csg.org

A Publication of The Council of State GovernmentsA Publication of The Council of State Governments

G O V E R N M E N T N E W S

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the council of state governments 5

departmentsdepartments

6 statesnews■ leadership■ Missouri governor dies in plane crash.■ courts■ States have a lot at stake before the U.S. Supreme Court.■ fiscal■ State revenues climb again.■ crime■ Homicide rates are lower in states without capital punishment.

28 conference calendarMeetings and conference activities of CSG, affiliates and other associationsare listed.

by Allison Spurrier

30 excellence in actionCSG activities and events, and those of affiliates, are highlighted.

by Allison Spurrier

33 political protocolWhat’s with North Dakota?

by Alan Rosenthal

34 policy pageIs your state ready for the worst?

by Emily Bentley DeMers

36 inquiry lineState employees’ privacy rights.

by James Carroll

38 trendsLegislators enter computer age.

by Keon S. Chi

Executive CommitteechairDeputy Minority Leader Rep. Tom Ryder, Ill.

presidentGov. Paul Patton, Ky.

chair-electSenate President Pro Tempore Manny M. Aragon, N.M.

president-electGov. Dirk Kempthorne, Idaho

vice chairSenate President Pro Tem John Chichester, Va.

vice presidentGov. Parris Glendening, Md.

executive committeeSen. Pres. Brady Adams, Ore. • Rep. David Adkins, Kan. •Assemblywoman Elaine White Alquist, Calif. • Rep. RamonaBarnes, Alaska • Rep. Gail Beam, N.M. • Sen. John O.Bennett, N.J. • Treas. Marshall Bennett, Miss. • Carl Bianchi,Director, Legislative Services, Idaho • Rep. Dan Blue, N.C. •Rep. Dan Bosley, Mass. • Michele Brown, Commissioner,Dept. of Environment Conservation, Alaska • Sen. DavidCain, Texas • Rep. Deborah Capano, Del. • Rep. CharlieCapps, Miss. • Rep. Robert Clayton, Mo. • Rep. John Connors,Iowa • Sen. Jim Costa, Calif. • Rep. Paul Crowley, R.I. • Sen.Bob Cupp, Ohio • Rep. Bob Damron, Ky. • Speaker Jo AnnDavidson, Ohio • Gov. Howard Dean, Vt. • Sen. Bill Doyle,Vt. • Sen. Hugh Farley, N.Y. • Ed Ford, Deputy Secretary,Executive Cabinet, Ky. • Speaker Tim Ford, Miss. • Rep. SallyFox, Vt. • John Gillig, Counsel to the Speaker, Ky. • Sen.Maryellen Goodwin, R.I. • Ellen Gordon, Administrator,Emergency Management Division, Iowa • Sen. Toni NathanielHarp, Conn. • Treas. David Heineman, Neb. • Sen. DouglasHenry, Tenn. • Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, Ky. • AssemblymanLynn Hettrick, Nev. • Treas. Jim Hill, Ore. • Sen. Pres. LyleHillyard, Utah • Rep. Kip Holden, La. • Sen. John Hottinger,Minn. • Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ark. • Judge Bob Hunter, N.C. •Sen. Tim Jennings, N.M. • Sec. of State Bill Jones, Calif. •Lilia Judson, Executive Director, Division of State CourtAdministration, Ind. • Gov. Angus King Jr., Maine • SpeakerDouglas Kristensen, Neb. • Sen. Sue Landske, Ind. • Gov.Michael Leavitt, Utah • Rep. Victor Lescovitz, Pa. • Rep. PaulMannweiler, Ind. • Sen. Vice Pres. Pro Tem John J. Marchi,NY. • Sen. Kenneth McClintock, P.R. • Rep. Ed McKechnie,Kan. • Stan McKinney, Director, Div. of EmergencyPreparedness, S.C. • Chief Justice Robert A. Miller, S.D. •Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, Minn. • WilliamMontgomery, Director, Division of Research, Legislative Council,Del. • Sec. of State Ralph Munro, Wash. • Speaker Thomas B.Murphy, Ga. • Sen. David Nething, N.D. • Rep. MarcusOshiro, Hawaii • Gov. George Pataki, N.Y. • Ronald Penny,Director, Office of State Personnel, N.C. • Speaker ChuckPerricone, Mich. • Sen. Pres. Ray Powers, Colo. • VirgilPuskarich, Executive Director, Local Government Commission,Penn. • Mary Regel, Administrator, Division of InternationalDevelopment, Wis. • Heather Rein, Committee Administrator,Minn. • Speaker Jody Richards, Ky. • Gov. Pedro Rosselló,P.R. • Paula K. Roy, Executive Director, Health CareCommission, Del. • Gov. George H. Ryan, Ill. • Sen. JohnSandy, Idaho • Rep. Ray Short, Utah • Attorney General CarlaStovall, Kan. • Rep. Jessie Stratton, Conn. • Richard Thomas,Director, Real Property Management Group, N.Y. • Gov.Tommy G. Thompson, Wis. • Sen. Pres. Earl Ray Tomblin,W.Va. • Sen. Donne Trotter, Ill. • Ray Wahl, Juvenile CourtAdministrator, Utah • Lt. Gov. Olene Walker, Utah • GailWekenborg, Division of Information Services, Mo. • JeffWells, Counsel, Dept. of Labor and Employment, Colo. • Sen.Jeff Wentworth, Texas • Assemblyman Robert C. Wertz, N.Y.

STATE GOVERNMENT NEWS, ISSN 0039-0119, November/December2000, Vol. 43, No. 10 — Published monthly with combined issues inJune/July and Nov./Dec. by The Council of State Governments, 2760Research Park Drive, Lexington, KY 40511-8410. Opinions expressed inthis magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Council ofState Governments nor the views of the editorial staff. Readers’comments are welcome. Subscription rates — In the U.S., $39 per year.Other addresses, $45 per year, surface mail. Single issues are available at$6 per copy. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to State GovernmentNews, Sales Department, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910.

Advertising — Black and white, two-color and full-color advertisingavailable. For complete circulation and advertising information, contactthe advertising department at (859) 244-8118. Mailing lists are availablefor rent upon approval of a sample mailing.

Copyright 2000 by The Council of State Governments. Periodicals postagepaid at Lexington, Ky., and at additional mailing offices.

council offices

Daniel M. Sprague, Executive Director

headquarters2760 Research Park Drive

P.O. Box 11910Lexington, KY 40578-1910

(859) 244-8000

washingtonJim Brown, General Counsel & Director

Hall of the States444 N. Capitol St., N.W., Suite 401

Washington, DC 20001(202) 624-5460

easternAlan V. Sokolow, Director

5 World Trade Center, Suite 9241New York, NY 10048

(212) 912-0128

midwesternMichael H. McCabe, Director

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(630) 810-0210

southernColleen Cousineau, Director3355 Lenox Road, Suite 1050

Atlanta, GA 30326(404) 266-1271

westernKent Briggs, Director

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(415) 974-6422Denver, CO: (303) 572-5454

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Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan

issouri Gov. MelCarnahan died in a planecrash Oct. 17. Carnahan,66, was in his secondterm as governor;he had alsoserved asmunicipaljudge, statelegislator,statetreasurerand lieuten-ant governor.

Carnahan,who was in acloselycontested U.S.Senate race against Republi-can incumbent JohnAshcroft, was headed to acampaign event when hisplane went down. Also killedwere his son, Roger, 44, thepilot, and Chris Sifford, 36,his campaign adviser. Thegovernor is survived by hiswife, Jean, three children andtwo grandchildren.

In 1992, Carnahan waselected governor by thelargest margin of anycandidate on the ballot,leading a Democratictakeover of statewide offices.In the 1993 legislative

he U.S. Supreme Court in October heard arguments intwo cases involving whether the federal Americans withDisabilities Act applies to states. The cases raise the issueof whether Congress violated state sovereignty protectedby the U.S. Constitution when it allowed disabled publicemployees to sue states in federal court. University ofAlabama vs. Garrett consolidates two cases by Alabamastate workers who are suing for alleged employmentdiscrimination under the ADA. One involves a nursingsupervisor who was demoted after undergoing cancertreatments during a leave of absence, and the otherinvolves a security guard with severe asthma who wasassigned to work with smokers.

The Court will consider a number of other cases ofinterest to states in its term that opened Oct. 2. The Courtwill review a congressional redistricting case from NorthCarolina, Hunt vs. Cromartie, which could help clarify theCourt’s position on the role of race in drawing districtlines. The limits of federal regulatory authority may betested in a case involving the Clean Air Act, Browner vs.

AmericanTruckingAssociations.Congressionalauthority toregulateinterstatecommerce is atissue in a caseinvolving theClean Water

Act and regulation of intrastate wetlands, Solid WasteAgency vs. United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Other cases involve criminal law issues, including thelimits of search and seizure on drug testing of obstetricspatients at a municipal hospital.

ew Hampshire Chief Justice David Brock said he wasready to get back to work after the state Senate acquittedhim of charges in an impeachment trial. The House hadvoted to impeach Brock in July, which led to the state’s firstimpeachment trial of a justice. Following a three-weekSenate trial, senators said Brock’s mis-conduct was notserious enough to warrant conviction. Brock was accusedof lying to House investigators and giving another justiceinside information on that justice’s own divorce case.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Mock,a Republican, said the Legislature would look at measures torestore faith in the courts.

Chief justice acquitted

Find the latest state news on CSG’s Web site — www.csg.org

States’ rights before Court

California court orders recall

TT

NNAA state superior courtjudge in California ordered arecall of Ford vehicles sold inthe state. The Oct. 11 rulingmarked the first time a judgehas ordered a car recall.Judge Michael Ballacheysaid state law empoweredhim to issue the recall.

The judge agreed withplaintiffs in a class-action

suit who claimed the place-ment of ignition modules in1983-1995 Ford vehiclesexposed them to hightemperatures, causing thedevices to fail and the engineto stall. Ford officials denied itsignition systems were flawedand said the vehicles weresafe. The ruling only appliesto vehicles sold in California.

Gov. Mel Carnahan,1934-2000

session, he pushed througheducation reforms that

modernized schools,reduced class sizes,

set learningstandards and

fundedcomputertechnologyin schools.Re-elected

in 1996 byanother

landslide,Carnahan was

barred bystate lawfrom seeking

a third consecutive term.“Mel Carnahan was a true

public servant every day ofhis life,” said DemocraticState Treasurer Bob Holden,who is in a race for governorwith Republican U.S. Rep.Jim Talent.

Carnahan’s name willremain on the Nov. 7 ballotfor the U.S. Senate. Lt. Gov.Roger Wilson was sworn unas governor and will serveuntil Jan. 8. Carnahan alsoserved as president of TheCouncil of State Govern-ments in 1995 and on itsExecutive Board.

MM


TT

U.U. espite numerous tax cuts in recent years, states sawrevenues grow from 1998 to 1999, according to CensusBureau reports. The census pegs the revenue increase at5 percent.

This growth came despite the fact that states cut taxesby $7.3 billion in 1999, $7.1 billion in 1998, $2.6 billion in1997 and $4 billion in 1996, according to the NationalConference of State Legislatures, a nonprofit group basedin Denver.

The Census Bureau reports that states with the largestincreases in revenue were Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan,Nevada and Virginia. States that saw a decline were Alaska,Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Wyoming.

State revenues grow

tate courts across thecountry are struggling tokeep pace with growingcaseloads, according to anOct. 3 articlein TheChristianScienceMonitor. Onereason is a population boom,especially in suburban areas.

The number of casesfiled has mushroomed from

More judges neededless than 32 million criminaland civil filings in 1991 tomore than 91 million in1998. At the same time, thenumber of state judges and

magistrates has risenslowlyfrom

26,938 in 1991 to 28,793in 1998, according to theNational Center for StateCourts, a nonprofit groupbased in Williamsburg, Va.

S. Bank agreed to haltits practice of secretlyselling its customers’personal and confidentialfinancial information totelemarketers in a settle-ment with 38 state attor-neys general and theDistrict of Columbia. U.S.Bank and its parent holdingcompany, U.S. Bancorp,sold confidential informa-tion about hundreds ofthousands of customers,getting in return a commis-sion of 22 percent of netrevenues on sales fromtelemarketers.

U.S. Bank vs. privacyThe confidential infor-

mation included eachcustomer’s checking accountnumber, credit card number,Social Security number,date of birth, marital status,account status and otherinformation. At the sametime, U.S. Bank assuredcustomers that their infor-mation was confidential.

The settlement requiresU.S. Bank to pay $2 millionto the states and to allowcustomers to have theirnames removed from liststhat are shared withtelemarketers.

DD

SS

he Arizona Legislature met in special session Oct. 20to consider amoratorium ongenerous taxrebates for clean-fuel vehicles. Some20,000 residentswho boughtvehicles that runon natural gas,propane orelectricity beforemidnight Oct. 11 received a lump sum for 30 to 50 percentof the vehicle’s cost. State officials were concerned over costsestimated at $420 million.

Cheap clean vehicles

esearchers have announced their theory of whyMinnesota eighth-graders scored highly in science on a1995 international test, but were only average in mathscores. Minnesota eighth-graders ranked second in theworld behind Singapore in science on the 1995 ThirdInternational Mathematics and Science Study.

The National Education Goals Panel, an intergovern-mental bodybased in Washing-ton, D.C., com-missioned a studyto discover whythe students didmore poorly inmath thanscience. The studyhas nationalsignificance forother statesseeking toimprove teaching,

said its author, William Schmidt, national research coordina-tor for the study and a statistics professor at Michigan StateUniversity.

He attributed the stellar performance to standards forscience teaching that are demanding, challenging andfocused. Moreover, Minnesota has remained consistent inits science instruction, but has made sweeping changes inits reading and math education.

Minnesota mystery solvedRR


Wisconsin state capitol

New Hampshire Gov.Jeanne Shaheen

SS

GGunshot wounds anddeaths fell by 40 percentfrom 1993-1997, theDepartment of Justicereported in October. Thedepartment’s Bureau ofJustice Statistics re-viewed reportsof guncrime,hospi-tal-intake informa-tion, death certifi-cates and FBI uniform-crime reports. The studyshowed that 62 percent ofnonfatal gun injuries wereassaults and 17 percentwere accidental.

In more good news, areport by the U.S. EducationDepartment showed a na-tional decline in the number

tates that have the deathpenalty have higher homiciderates than states that do not,according to a survey by TheNew York Times releasedSept. 22. Homicide rates arebelow the national average in10 of the 12 states withoutcapital punishment, accordingto Federal Bureau of Investi-gation data. In half the stateswith capital punishment,homicide rates are higher

Death no deterrent

A second chance

Good news on gunsof student expulsions forbringing firearms to school.“The downward trend tellsus that we’re moving in theright direction,” said U.S.Education Secretary RichardW. Riley in October. The

report monitorsstate imple-

mentationof the 1994federalGun-FreeSchools

Act. Texashad the largest

number of gun-relatedexpulsions, 294, followedby California, 290, Georgia,208, and New York, 206.Hawaii, North Dakota,Rhode Island and Vermontexpelled five or fewerstudents for guns.

IInmates in several states are getting a head start on afresh start in life through prison job fairs. An October jobfair at the Plymouth Correctional Facility in Plymouth,Mass., attracted the largest number of inmates, 80, andrecruiters, 20, of any held in the state so far. In a state witha 2.6 percent unemployment rate, inmates convicted ofrelatively minor crimes are seen as good prospects forlabor-hungry employers. Job fairs at prisons have been held ina growing number of states, according to news reports.

WWisconsin’s 11 Ameri-can Indian tribes mightsoon gain representationin the state Legislature. Abill to allowone nonvot-ing tribaldelegate ineach housewill be readyfor action bythe Legisla-ture early in2001,according toRep. TerryMusser,chairman ofthe SpecialCommittee on State-TribalRelations. While theproposal now calls for two

Tribes seek capitol seatsdelegates, the tribes havesaid they each want adelegate. Musser saidspace might be a problem

as theAssembly hasroom to addone seat, butthe 33-memberSenatealready issqueezed intoits smallerchamber.Maine now isthe only statewith tribaldelegates in

its Legislature, havingdone so since statehood in1820.

than the national average.Michigan Gov. John

Engler, a Republican, saidthe state made a wisedecision 150 years agowhen it abolished the deathpenalty. Other stateswithout the death penaltyare Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa,Maine, Massachusetts,Minnesota, North Dakota,Rhode Island, Vermont,West Virginia and Wisconsin.

ortheastern states need to act to help residents getthrough a cold winter ahead, according to a task force

formed by the Coalition of Northeast-ern Governors. The committeeproposed ways the region can helpresidents cope with high prices forheating fuel.“Our region, our businesses and

our residents are too dependent onheating oil or diesel fuel for usnot to act,” said New HampshireGov. Jeanne Shaheen, head ofthe coalition. The RegionalHeating Fuels Task Force hasrecommended a variety ofactions, including tellingresidents and businesses tolock in fuel prices early and toadopt energy conservationmeasures. Other proposalswould increase the amount of

fuel stored in the Northeast and ease the movement offuel into the region.

Cold winter, high pricesNN


“It is one of the happy incidents of the federalsystem that a single courageous state may, ifits citizens choose, serve as a laboratory andtry novel social and economic experiments

without risk to the rest of the country.”— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis

“It is one of the happy incidents of the federalsystem that a single courageous state may, ifits citizens choose, serve as a laboratory andtry novel social and economic experiments

without risk to the rest of the country.”— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis

Share the wealthStates and territories are invited to share their most creative and effective programs with others through CSG’s

Innovations Awards program. Regional panels of state and territorial officials and staff will select next year’s winnerson the basis of the following criteria: newness, creativity, effectiveness, significance, applicability and transferability.

For information on submitting a program to the competition, contact Joan Humble at CSG, (859) 244-8225, or visitour Web site, www.csg.org.

Utah is findingparents for morefoster children thanever. Massachusettsis getting books intohomes of childrenwho don’t havethem. Minnesota ismaking it possiblefor low-income par-ents to stay at homewith their infants.Oklahoma is stop-ping the cycle ofdrug abuse amongprison inmates.

All of these stateprograms have suc-ceeded in solvingsignificant problems.The solutions theyhave devised canbenefit the rest of thenation. The Councilof State Govern-ments is proud to honor them as among the eight winnersof its annual Innovations Awards program. Other winningprograms come from Arizona, Delaware, Michigan andWest Virginia.

“States continue to lead Congress in crafting cutting-edge policy and programs to solve national and regionalproblems,” said Dan Sprague, CSG’s executive director.“Our Innovations Awards program provides a forum thatencourages states and territories to exchange their bestideas and solutions.”

Bob Silvanik, director of CSG’s Center for Leadership,

Innovation and Policy,said the InnovationsAwards program isthe only one in thecountry that is judg-ed by states them-selves.

CSG follows a rig-orous procedure toselect the winningprograms. CSG staffmembers evaluateeach submissionagainst criteria de-signed to select thebest and most crea-tive programs. Themost promising pro-grams are forwardedto each of CSG’s fourgeographical regions.State officials thenapply the criteria toselect two winnersfrom their region.

This year’s eight winners show that states are laborato-ries of democracy that are finding creative solutions totoday’s tough problems.

CSG congratulates the winners from Arizona, Delaware,Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah andWest Virginia. Winners will be honored at the CSG AnnualMeeting and State Leadership Forum, Dec. 7-11, inDearborn, Mich. CSG also thanks its corporate sponsorsfor their support of this program.

A list of semifinalists in the competition follows descrip-tions of the winning programs.

The Council of State Governments' 2000


Delaware created an office to takeadvantage of an untapped source of

scientific and technical knowledge: retiredprofessionals.

Delaware has discovered a valuable resource — thelarge community of technically trained retirees from thestate’s corporate and scientific community. The state isputting retired professionals to work as volunteers whoprovide research and analysis on scientific or technical issuesto legislators. The program fills the Legislature’s need fortechnical expertise and offers retirees an opportunity toapply their experience and training to serve the community.

The Technical Advisory Office of the Delaware LegislativeCouncil’s Division of Research was created to coordinatethe program. Volunteers are affiliated with the DelawareEnvironmental Alliance for Senior Involvement, the statechapter of a national nonprofit group that works to involveretirees in protecting the environment.

“We’re still proving our worth, but I’m getting good feed-back on the reports we’ve done, and I’m getting requestsfor more reports,” said William S. Montgomery, who admin-isters the program as director of the Division of Research.Since the office began operating in January 1999, the Leg-islature has accepted all recommendations made in thevolunteers’ three reports.

Montgomery assigns projects to the office. The office’stechnical coordinator, Paul E. Sample, then works with thevolunteers to collect and present the information requested.Team members conduct nonpartisan research and preparereports of their findings. The volunteers get information,interpret technical material and make recommendationsrelated to existing or potential legislative issues.

The office’s first assignment was to research toxicpfiesteria piscicida, a marine microorganism that kills fish.A five-member team issued an interim report in May 1999,which found that while the microorganism was not in thestate’s waterways, conditions were right for a toxic outbreak.The team recommended that the Legislature take preven-tive action, including starting a nutrient-management pro-gram to dispose of the waste generated by the state’s largechicken-processing industry.

In other projects, teams have assessed the analyticalcapabilities of two state laboratories and studied trafficnoise control. Teams currently are researching such issuesas salvage-yard reclamation and solid-waste recycling. Onevolunteer is serving on the committee considering how tospend the state’s share of the tobacco settlement.

The volunteers’ work doesn’t end with a report. Ongoingteams monitor issues, maintain contacts with key expertsand make recommendations as needed. In addition, the“volunteers are becoming a resource for quick answers tolegislators’ technical questions,” Montgomery said.

Delaware Republican Rep. Joseph G. DiPinto conceivedthe idea for the Technical Advisory Office. As a retiredchemical engineer, DiPinto was aware of the untappedresource of trained retirees. As a legislator, he recognizedthe legislative branch’s need for better analysis of techni-cal and scientific issues.

Sample is pleased with the response to the program.“The office has an astounding track record,” he said. “TheGeneral Assembly understands now that they have an in-house resource for technical assistance.”

Tapping technical expertise

Tapping technical expertise

Delaware

VolunteersprovideDelawarelegislators withresearch ontechnical issues.

The program expands the Legislature’s ability to addresscomplicated scientific subjects at a relatively low cost. Theoffice’s $35,000 annual budget covers the salary of thepart-time technical coordinator and such expenses as vol-unteers’ mileage reimbursement and conference fees.

For more information about the Technical AdvisoryOffice, contact Paul E. Sample, technical coordinator, 308Walden Road, Wilmington, Del., 19803-2424, (302) 656-3212,or e-mail: [email protected].

— Cindy J. Lackey, Eastern regional coordinator,CSG, Lexington


People can sign up to be organ donors whenthey receive or renew their driver’s licenses.

The 2,600 Michigan residents waiting for an organ trans-plant have a better chance of receiving life-saving surgerythan in the past. For years, the state’s Gift of Life Organ andTissue Donor Registry contained about 15,000 names. Nowthe list of potential organ donors has grown to include morethan 250,000 names. What has made the difference is theSecretary of State’s Organ and Tissue Donor Registry Enroll-ment Program.

Under the program, authorized by the Legislature in 1998,the Michigan Department of State mails self-addressed,stamped organ-donor enrollment cards to the 2.5 million stateresidents who receive driver’s licenses or state identificationcards each year. People who wish to become organ donorsmay simply sign the donor card and drop it in the mail. Peoplealso can sign cards available at the department’s 176 branchoffices, or add their names to the online organ-donor registryby visiting the department’s Web page.

Massachusetts distributes books donated bychildren who have them to children who don’t.

In an age of information sharing, the Massachusetts De-partment of Education is distributing knowledge in a uniqueway. Since 1996, Spread the Word has shifted unused booksinto the homes of children in need around the state.

“Spread the Word puts the books into the homes of young-sters, giving them the opportunity to develop their reading andwriting skills at home,” said Lynn Boston, coordinator of theprogram.

Gov. Paul Cellucci and his wife, Jan, a librarian, providedkey leadership and support to initiate Spread the Word. Afterrecognizing the disparity of home reading material amongchildren in Massachusetts, Cellucci, who was then lieutenantgovernor, and his wife kicked off the program, which distrib-utes books donated by children.

By adding a question to the Massachusetts Comprehen-sive Assessment Test, the state identifies students who havethe benefit of books at home. The state’s goal is to shuffle60,000 donated books to the 12,000 children most in need ofadditional reading material. Since the program began fouryears ago, more than half a million books have been distrib-uted throughout the state.

Spread the Word solicits book donations from every schooldistrict in the state. Schools wishing to help are provided with

Helpingchildren

learn

Helpingchildren

learn

Massachusetts

Encouragingorgan

donation

Encouragingorgan

donation

Michigan

administrative assistance, but are responsible for collectingthe books themselves. The Department of Education thenprovides courier services to take the books to children deter-mined to be at risk.

The program is a leader in part because of its funding struc-ture. Spread the Word was started at a cost of $9,000 alongwith a small amount of private-sector aid to cover publicityand shipping. Remarkably, the program continues to operateon an annual budget of $10,000. Private sponsors are an in-tegral part of its success, as they contribute and help distrib-ute books and provide marketing support.

Spread the Word is still growing. Cellucci recently an-nounced that the program received a $302,000 award fromthe state attorney general’s office.

“Ownership of books is important to a child’s educationaldevelopment, and we want to continue to provide our childrenwith this opportunity,” said Boston.

For more information, contact Lynn Boston, program coor-dinator, Massachusetts Department of Education, 350 MainStreet, Malden, Mass. 02148, (781) 338-3120 or visit its Website at www.doe.mass.edu/stwd.www/.

— James Carroll, Southern regional coordinator,CSG Lexington

Massachusetts children share their books with otherchildren.


The secretary ofstate’s office scans thecard’s image into a com-puter database and for-wards it to the Gift of Life,the agency that main-tains the Michigan Or-gan and Tissue DonorRegistry. The agencycan then tell hospitalsthe donor status ofsomeone who has died.Because the programuses personnel andequipment already in-volved in the routineprocessing of driver’slicense mailings, its ex-penses are kept to aminimum. Start-up costs

of about $40,000 included developing and testing the organ-donor enrollment card and programming the digital scanner.Annual operating costs of about $116,000 include $40,000for printing organ-donor registration cards, $64,000 for post-age and $12,600 for handling.

Michigan’s Organ and Tissue Donor Registry EnrollmentProgram has helped raise awareness of the importance oforgan donation and has greatly expanded the list of potentialdonors in the state. By identifying many more potential organdonors, the program greatly increases the chances of sur-vival of those who need an organ transplant.

For more information, contact Michigan Secretary of StateCandice Miller at (517) 373-2510, Dept. of State, TreasuryBldg., First Floor, Lansing, Mich. 48918-1195 or visit the office’sWeb site at www.sos.state.mi.us.

— Michele Bushong, health policy research associate,CSG’s Center for Leadership, Innovation and Policy

Minnesota has redistributed existing child-care funds to enable low-income parents to

stay at home with their babies.

As a family physician who had practiced for 35 years,Minnesota Rep. Richard Mulder knew it was crucial to help

HelpingparentsHelpingparents

Minnesota

Michigan seeks out donors.

parents. “The most important thing we’re developing is thebrain of the baby,” he said. Brain development depends onan infant receiving needed nurturing and bonding with aparent.

So in 1997, Mulder, a Republican, sponsored a bill, HF1362, that led to the formation of the At-Home Infant ChildCare Program. The program — the first of its kind in thenation — allows a low-income mother or father to stay athome with an infant child and receive state payments. Afamily may receive benefits for a lifetime total of 12 monthsand use the subsidy for one child or divide it between chil-dren. Parents qualify for the program based on incomeusing a sliding-fee schedule. The average income of par-ticipating families entering the program is $21,891. Minne-sota also provides subsidies for child care to low-incomeparents who choose not to stay home with an infant.

The program gives low-income families the opportunityto stay at home with their children during infancy, a criticaltime of development, nurturing and bonding. The programgives low-income mothers or fathers the incentive of re-maining with their children and receiving 75 percent of thesubsidy that formerly would have been paid to a state child-care provider. In this way, money already earmarked forworking families was redirected, with a savings to the stateof 25 percent. The only additional cost was for promotionalbrochures. The At-Home Infant Child Care Program is su-pervised by the state and administered by the counties.

Since the program began in July 1998, it has served227 families, 157 of them from July 1999 to June 2000.The program has helped to ease some of the struggles


that low-income working families face. Families are in-tended to participate in the program for an average of fivemonths. The average total subsidy is $1,469, with mostfamilies (44 percent) receiving $200 to $299 per month.“Everybody wins, especially the baby,” Mulder said.

Elizabeth Roe, acting supervisor of the Department ofChildren, Families & Learning, said that parents have re-sponded positively to the program. In evaluation surveys,parents said they participated so they could bond with theirbabies and help them develop. “Other states with child-

The Charles E. Johnson Correctional Centerrehabilitates inmates through work,

education and accountability.

Correctional boot camps and work camps are nothingnew. Neither are residential treatment centers for inmateswho are addicted to drugs or reintegration programs forinmates who are near release. But to combine them allinto one program and include course work and voluntaryaftercare? That is exactly what Oklahoma’s Charles E.Johnson Correctional Center does by providing a one-yearprogram of residential treatment for substance-abuse of-fenders between the ages of 18 and 35.

Started in 1995, the center’s program addresses thestaggering increase in offenders incarcerated for drug-re-lated crimes. Nationally, 50 to 75 percent of people arrestedhave drugs in their system at the time they are taken intocustody. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections reportsthat one-fourth of offenders in the state are serving sen-tences for drug crimes, and it estimates that 85 percent of

Treatingdrug-addicted

inmates

Treatingdrug-addicted

inmates

Oklahoma

care subsidy programs can learn from how Minnesota in-corporated this into a larger program that supported peoplewith infants,” Roe said.

“Parents are absolutely delighted, and the baby, some-day, will thank everyone,” Mulder said. But, he cautioned,“If states don’t have a current subsidy program, they mighthave to allocate new money.” Most states do have sometype of subsidy program such as Head Start, Early Child-hood Family Education or School Readiness in place, andcould change how their current funds are distributed. Mulderhopes to increase the time limit of the At Home Infant ChildCare Program from 12 months to 24 months in the nextlegislative session.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Roe, actingsupervisor, Minnesota Department of Children, Families &Learning, 1500 West Highway 36, Roseville, Minn. 55113,(651) 582-8562, e-mail: [email protected] or Rep.Richard Mulder, Minnesota House of Representatives, 515State Office Building, St. Paul, Minn. 55155, (651) 296-4336, e-mail: [email protected], Website: docmulder.com.

— Fred J. Vickers, senior editor, Information andMembership Services, CSG, Lexington

PlaceSEMCO ad

here

Low-income parents in Minnesota can get a statesubsidy.


state inmates have some dependency on alcohol or drugs.Nearly 30 percent of drug offenders end up back in prisonafter 28 months.

The men’s minimum-security facility at the Johnson Cor-rectional Center houses 443 inmates. The center providesregimented substance-abuse treatment. Inmates take partin an education program that focuses on basic skills andabilities. Through the program, inmates become moreaware of their actions and learn to take responsibility. Finally,inmates are rewarded for behavior that reflects their will-ingness to commit to long-term improvement and change.

The program begins with 12 weeks of regimented treat-ment, followed by nine months of skills training, public-works projects, which include picking up trash, working onroad crews and forestry work, in addition to substance-abuse treatment and educational programs.

Only 11 inmates at the Johnson Correctional Centerhave tested positive for drugs since it opened in 1995. TerryMartin, case manager coordinator/correctional programdirector at the center, attributes this to staff vigilance. “Weuse drug dogs in the housing unit and during visiting hours.We perform mandatory ‘shake-downs’ on all crews return-ing from the field and use drug dogs on work crews thatare away from the facility,” Martin said.

Inmates in the program have provided labor for workcrews for the U.S. Wildlife Refuge and state Department ofTransportation and several city, county and state projects.Inmates work more than 3,600 hours of community ser-vice monthly.

In a study by Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections,program graduates, who had participated in the yearlongaftercare program and had been out of prison for at least28 months, had a success rate of 88 percent, a nearly 19percent improvement since the program began. Research-ers from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 called the pro-gram “the highest-scoring prison-based substance-abuseprogram we have ever assessed.”

Innovations begun at the Johnson Correctional Centerare being replicated in other Oklahoma facilities and aretransferable to other states. States could combine the best

Oklahomatakes aboot-campapproach toreformingdrugoffenders.


A new state identification program ismaking children’s photos available toauthorities in case of an emergency.

When a child is reported missing, valuable time is oftenlost obtaining a recent photograph and forwarding it to theproper authorities. West Virginia’s Safekids Pix program isusing the latest technology in child identification to solvethat problem.

Under the program, parents with children between theages of 2 and 15 can go to any of the state’s Division ofMotor Vehicles offices and purchase a photo identificationcard created with the same digital-image technology usedin making a driver’s license. Then, with the parents’ con-sent, a digital photograph of the child can quickly be madeavailable to law-enforcement agencies anywhere over theInternet in case of an emergency. The program “gives policeofficers a readily accessible means to identify the children,”said David H. Bolyard, director of driver’s services.

To obtain a state-issued ID card from the DMV, parentsneed to bring the child’s birth certificate and Social Securitycard. The cost is $5, and parents should update the cardwith a new photo of the child every two years. The driver’slicense-sized card features the child’s picture, name andID number as well as the card’s issue and expiration datesand the toll-free phone number for the West Virginia StatePolice’s Missing Children Hotline.

Once the photo is in the state’s database, a biometricidentification system records the features of the child’s face,

creating a digital image thatcan be quickly compared toother records. Parents alsocan have their child’s fingerscanned for a print as anadditional tool for proof ofidentity.

To protect personal pri-vacy, the Safekids Pix da-tabase is housed behind acomputer firewall on its ownserver to protect its datafrom unauthorized access.Besides the photo, the da-tabase contains more in-depth information about thechild, including home ad-dress, Social Security num-ber and date of birth.

The child’s ID card canbe useful at any placewhere a secure form of identification is needed, such asairports, schools and banks. The information in the data-base also can be used to help identify runaways, childrentaken in custody disputes, lost or kidnapped children, or inmany other emergency situations.

Startup costs for the Safekids Pix program were rela-tively low because the technology was in place for driver’slicenses and state employee ID cards, and employees werefamiliar with the equipment and processes required. News

West Virginia

Makingchildren

safer

Makingchildren

safer

elements of existing programs they have already. Althoughthe initial costs of $3.6 million in Oklahoma included con-struction of a new facility, other states might be able toreplicate the program without building a facility.

The treatment program is no small undertaking, with121 full-time employees and an annual operating budgetof just under $5.4 million. The state also passed legisla-tion authorizing the establishment of inmate drug-offenderwork camps.

For more information, contact Warden Janice Melton at(580) 327-8000, Route 1, Box 48, Alva, Okla. 73717, or e-mail: [email protected].

— John J. Mountjoy, Policy Analyst, CSG, Lexington

West Virginia providesphoto-identificationcards for children.


State investigators visit the homes of peoplewho have applied for medical benefits to

verify eligibility.

Sharon Miller, senior manager of the Arizona HealthCare Cost Containment System, wanted to reduce the num-ber of fraudulent Medicaid and state medical-benefit claimsin hospitals. Her solution was the Eligibility Fraud Preven-tion Program, a joint state and county effort. Before anybenefits are paid, investigators visit the homes of peoplewho have applied for benefits within 24 hours to verify infor-mation submitted. They then submit a written report within48 hours to the hospital involved on whether the person iseligible. These investigations have greatly reduced theamount of money lost to fraud. The program also focuseson the most expensive cases so as to save the most money.

The goal of the program is to use taxpayers’ dollars morewisely. “We felt certain we would save money,” said Miller,whose agency ran pilot programs to test the approachbefore proposing it as a way to save money.

To get the program rolling, the Arizona Health Care CostContainment System had to forego $2 million in programfunds so it could get $150,000 in administrative funds forfour additional staff positions. The trade-off was worth it.Since July 1998, the program has saved taxpayers $11.6million, with $4.2 million saved in the first year and $7.4million in the second. Initial startup costs were $165,750,and operating costs are about $300,000 annually.

“The incentive to commit fraud is greater than what yousee in other programs,” said Miller. Many people try to abuse

the medical-benefitssystem because theydon’t have health in-surance, although oneperson with enoughassets to be a million-aire tr ied to claimbenefits fraudulently,she said. The mostcommon things peo-ple do to mislead in-vestigators on appli-cations include givingan incorrect address,hiding income sourcesand concealing U.S.resident status. In Ari-zona, which bordersMexico, many for-eigners also try toclaim benefits.

Miller thinks other states could benefit from a fraud-prevention program.

For more information, contact Sharon Miller, seniormanager, eligibility review, investigation and recovery, Ari-zona Health Care Cost Containment System, MD6100, 701East Jefferson, Phoenix, Ariz. 85034, (602) 417-4470, e-mail:[email protected].


EligibilityFraud

Prevention

EligibilityFraud

Prevention

Arizona

releases, advertising, promotional items, special child-sizedchairs for photography sessions and staff salaries addedup to $26,000.

The program began in July 1999 and required that leg-islation be passed to allow state residents to have state-issued photo-ID cards at age 2 instead of 16. Safekids Pixhas annual operating costs of $33,000.

For more information, contact Joe E. Miller, commis-sioner, West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, 1800Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, W.Va. 25317, (304) 558-2723, fax: (304) 558-1987, e-mail: [email protected].

— Matt Tewksbary, technology assistant,CSG, Lexington

Arizona checks medicalclaims before handingout benefits.


Utah combined the strengths of government,business and churches to address the

problem of the declining number of fosterparents.

“A labor of love” is how Dallis Pierson, president of the UtahFoster Care Foundation, describes his position. The founda-tion he heads is a unique public-private partnership that bringstogether government, religious and business communities torecruit, educate, train and retain more foster parents through-out the state.

The idea for the foundation originated when Utah Gov.Michael Leavitt and Lt. Gov. Olene Walker commissioned astudy in August 1997 on how to deal with the declining num-ber of foster parents. Legislation was passed in February 1998establishing a child-welfare foundation. Businessman Rich-ard Shipley spearheaded the private-sector’s involvement. TheUtah Foster Care Foundation was officially launched on Sept.1, 1999.

Leavitt envisioned letting state government do what it doesbest, and privatizing what others do best, to solve the prob-lem. By privatizing outreach efforts, the tax-exempt nonprofitfoundation could work side by side with church and businessleaders to expand recruitment of foster parents. In this way,the foundation gained access to communities from which thegovernment is normally restricted due to limited resourcesand the constitutional separation of church and state. The statehad resources to do casework, but not enough resources tofocus on recruitment. The nonprofit foundation could bring allthe important partners to the table.

The public-private aspect of the Utah Foster Care Foun-dation is what makes it innovative. Because it is a privatefoundation, it can provide training directly to church congre-gations. Its 600 volunteers provide foster families with ongoingtraining, “goodie” packages, books and other resources.Volunteers also meet monthly with five to 15 families basedon geographic area, business affiliation or church congre-gation to share ideas, successes and support.

FosterCare

Foundation

FosterCare

Foundation

Utah

Utah has increased the number of foster parents.

The annual operating cost of the program is $2.6 million.The foundation operates with both public and private funds.

The program is successful. In less than one year, the num-ber of foster families has risen from 944 to 1,201. Anothermeasure of success is how children in the system are served.“The child can be matched better to his/her cultural, religiousor geographic background” through the foundation, Piersonsaid. Foster children stand a better chance of resisting drugsand staying out of prison when they are placed with a familythat closely matches their former background.

The concept is very applicable to other states. By privatiz-ing areas where government lacks resources or jurisdictionand focusing on aspects it does best, the Utah Foster CareFoundation “expands what government already does,” saidPierson.

For more information, contact Dallis Pierson, president,Utah Foster Care Foundation, 136 E. South Temple, Suite960, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, (877) 505-KIDS, e-mail:[email protected], Web site: utahfostercare.org.



Delaware — Stay in School/Return to SchoolThis program serves in-school and out-of-school teen-agers

whose families are on federal welfare. It provides a broad array ofacademic, employment and counseling services to assist teens inobtaining a high-school education, equivalency degree or vocationaltraining, and in making decisions that will lead to self-sufficiency inadulthood. Contact Rebecca Varella, (302) 577-4450.

New Jersey — Technical Consultation and VocationalAssessment for Youth with Disabilities in Transitionfrom School to Adult Life – Transition Counselors inthe Schools Program

The goal of this project is to help local school districts preparestudents with disabilities for life after graduation in areas such aspostsecondary education, employment and other aspects of adultliving. Contact Leroy Webster, (609) 292-5987.

New Jersey — Preference/Choice/Decision: A Modelfor Limited Guardianship

This program uses established criteria to assess whether a per-son with developmental disabilities needs a part-time guardian.Contact Peggy Dervitz, (973) 648-4641.

New York — Clean-Fueled Vehicles ProgramThis program helps New York state agencies, authorities, and

universities to meet federal requirements for buying and using clean-fueled vehicles. Contact John Spano, (518) 474-5390.

New York — Creating Alternative Residential ServicesNYS-CARES seeks to eliminate the waiting list of people with

developmental disabilities who need to be placed in a permanentresidence. Contact Alden Kaplan, (518) 473-1311.

New York — The PRIDE Program (Plan of Recovery,Individual Development and Employment)

The PRIDE Program offers an integrated delivery of therapeuticand support services to veterans who are receiving public assis-tance and are recovering from substance-abuse problems. Theseservices are provided by several agencies and designed to helpveterans obtain sobriety, employment, permanent housing and in-dependence from the welfare system. Contact Ellen Nesbitt, (518)473-0681.

Pennsylvania — Coordination of DeregulatedElectricity Procurement for Commonwealth ofPennsylvania Agencies

To benefit from electricity deregulation in Pennsylvania, the De-partment of General Services has (1) streamlined the normal lengthy

contracting process, (2) organized commonwealth agencies to forma shopping consortium, (3) conducted a first-ever online auction forbuying electricity at competitive rates and (4) purchased a portionof the commonwealth’s electricity from clean and renewable sources.The program has saved Pennsylvania $6.3 million in electricity costs.Contact Thomas Rados, (717) 787-7519.

Pennsylvania — Senior Environment CorpsThis program addresses two major challenges of governments

today: encouraging older residents to become or stay involved intheir communities during their healthy, vigorous “retired” years, andincreasing the monitoring and remediation of natural resources toensure a clean, healthy environment for future generations. ContactChristopher Allen, (717) 787-9580.

Congratulations to these semifinalists in the 2000 competition.Congratulations to these semifinalists in the 2000 competition.

Illinois — Performance Based ContractingThe goal of this program is to give financial incentives to agen-

cies that successfully place children under state care in permanenthomes. Contact Mike Shaver, (312) 814-1711.

Illinois — Campaign DisclosureThis program manages campaign-finance data reported to the

state by political committees. Detailed information about campaigncontributors, contributions and expenditures is published on theInternet. Contact Steve Flowers, (217) 782-4141.

Illinois — Interactive MappingThis interactive Internet application is the first of a four-step initia-

tive to bring the power of computerized mapping tools to all person-nel in the Illinois State Police. Contact Jim Glass, (217) 557-2804.

Illinois — Eco Watch NetworkIn this program, volunteers who are trained and certified by the

Illinois Department of Natural Resources collect biological data atlocal ecosystems throughout the state. Illinois scientists then usethe data to monitor the condition of the ecosystems. Contact JohnNelson, (217) 782-0316.

Illinois — Disabled Outdoor Opportunities ProgramThis program gives the physically challenged the opportunity to

hunt for deer, turkeys, quail and pheasants, to fish and to participatein other outdoor activities. The program eliminates barriers, makesopportunities available, forms partnerships with other organizationsthroughout the state that can provide additional support, and usesinnovative approaches to give people access to the outdoors. Con-tact Charlie Pangle, (815) 929-1223.

Illinois — State Police Retiree Background ProgramThis program hires retired Illinois State Police investigators

to conduct background investigations. The program was created


to relieve field investigators of time-consuming work. Contact GeorgeA.P. Murphy, (217) 782-5423.

Illinois — Performance Management LeadershipAcademies

The academy provides a practical, hands-on learning experiencethat teaches local office administrators how to improve office perfor-mance. During these academies, administrators learn to understandperformance data, use the data to identify performance roadblocks,and develop intervention strategies to address these problem ar-eas. Contact James T. Dimas, (217) 782-1210.

Illinois — Sex Offender Registration and CommunityNotification

This program maintains a statewide registry of people who havebeen convicted of sex offenses. This information can be used toincrease public safety through aggressive monitoring and enforce-ment, community notification, mapping, and community and crimi-nal-justice training. Contact Mike Welter, (217) 785-0633.

Indiana — Reclamation Unit Price ContractingThis program achieves faster high-quality reclamation of land that

has been mined by providing an on-site project manager who hasthe authority to negotiate directly with the selected contractor on theentire scope of work and the cost of projects. Contact Steve Herbert,(812) 665-2207.

Kansas — Welfare-to-Work Senior MentoringInitiative

Called Mentoring Works!, this program uses mentoring by seniorcitizens to help people on welfare obtain jobs and independence.Mentors help clients remove obstacles to finding and keeping a goodjob. Contact Ardie Davis, (785) 296-4986.

Kansas — Application and Selection ProcessThe Division of Personnel Services worked with employment

managers from other state agencies to design an employee recruit-ment and selection process that uses a qualitative approach to iden-tify and measure the skills required for state jobs. The process fo-cuses on the quality of work, rather than the amount of time spenton it. Contact Bobbi Mariani, (785) 296-4278.

Michigan — Economic Development CorporationThis Michigan Economic Development Corporation is a new kind

of economic-development organization — a partnership betweenstate and local governments rather than a traditional state agency.State government and local governments throughout Michigan haveagreed to fund and support the corporation as a one-stop economic-development organization for 10 years, with automatic five-year re-newal periods. Contact Doug Rothwell, (517) 241-1400.

Ohio — Crafts with ConvictionThis program is a collaboration between the Ohio Department of

Rehabilitation and Corrections and Crayons to Computers, a non-profit free store for teachers in Cincinnati. Inmates at state prisonsmake flashcards, journals, book bags and other items from surplusproducts donated to Crayons to Computers. Teachers can take theseitems, at no cost, to students and classrooms in the area’s neediestschools. Contact William F. Thoroman, (614) 752-1158.

Ohio — Urban School Performance Audit ProjectThis program provides an intensive review of practices in 21 ur-

ban school systems in Ohio to identify common problems and “bestpractice” solutions. The purpose of the project is to help these sys-tems meet academic and financial challenges by redirecting as manyresources as possible into the classroom. Contact Kim Norris, (614)466-2468.

South Dakota — Governor Janklow’s Wiring andConnecting the Schools Program

Every public K-12 school, university, technical institute and par-ticipating private K-12 schools and universities has been wired forthe Internet and videoconferencing with telephone wire, televisioncable, conduit for fiber optics and substantial upgrades in electricalcapacity. These systems are being connected into one statewideDigital Dakota Network to provide cheap and fast e-mail, Internetaccess and videoconferencing for all the state’s students, educa-tors and others who use school facilities. Contact Jim Soyer, (605)773-3212.

Wisconsin — EEK! – Environmental Educationfor Kids

EEK! is the Department of Natural Resources’ online maga-zine with articles on natural history, environmental protectionand career information for fourth- through eighth-grade children.Contact Carrie Morgan, (608) 267-5239.

Wisconsin — BadgerCareThis program is Wisconsin’s State Children Health Insurance

Program. It uses the Medicaid benefit package and service-de-livery system to provide health insurance to uninsured low-in-come children and their parents, if their income is not more than185 percent of the federal poverty level. Families whose incomeis more than 150 percent of the federal poverty level pay amonthly premium of 3 percent of their income. Contact PeggyBartels, (608) 266-8922.

Arkansas — State Parks’ Traveling EducationNature Trailer

The TENT project allows individuals and groups of up to 25people to rent tents and equipment for camping trips in an Ar-kansas state park. Contact Steven Clifft, (501) 682-2187.

Florida — Metropolitan Environmental TrainingAlliance

METRA is a partnership between environmental agencies,local governments and businesses. The program’s objective isto provide free environmental training to local governments andsmall businesses. Contact Bob Snyder, (407) 893-3322.

Florida — Division of Regulation, MediationProgram

This program uses mediation to expedite the resolution ofconsumer complaints and reduce the costs of processing thesecomplaints. Contact Cynthia Lovett Burt, (850) 413-9646.


Kentucky — Spinal Cord/Head Injury Research TrustThis fund raises money through a surcharge on speeding tick-

ets to support promising research conducted at the state’s twomedical schools to find a cure for paralysis. An independent boardoversees the competitive awarding of grants to ensure that onlythe strongest research proposals are funded. Contact Sen. TimShaughnessy, (502) 584-1920.

Missouri — Environmental Management InstituteThe institute informs community leaders on how best to pro-

tect the environment. Contact Carl E. Brown, (573) 526-6848.

Oklahoma — Inmate Apprentice ProgramThis program teaches inmates the skills necessary to obtain

licenses in the construction trade, which will help them find jobswhen they are released. These skills and work habits will helpthem stay out of prison. Contact Jerry D. McConnell, (405) 527-5676, ext. 453.

Virginia — Health Outcomes Partnership AsthmaManagement Program

The goal of this program is to help asthma patients by im-proving the communication skills of health-care providers. Theprogram encourages physicians to use established guidelinesand appropriate medications in treating people who have asthma.Contact Louis Rossiter, (804) 828-5220.

West Virginia — Courtesy Patrol ProgramThis program provides emergency road-patrol service 24

hours a day, 365 days a year, on all of West Virginia’s interstateand four-lane controlled-access highways. Although this programis competitively bid and awarded to a private contractor, it re-quires the contractor to use qualified welfare-to-work participants,providing an avenue for these people to become self-sufficient.Contact James Hash, (304) 558-3191.

of the market within the confines of procurement law. ContactBill Knox, (916) 322-9838.

California — Mentor InitiativeThis program brings together government agencies, commu-

nity organizations and private businesses to increase mentoringservices for high-risk youth throughout California. Contact JamesM. Kooler, (916) 324-4398.

Colorado — Built Green ColoradoThis program promotes building of energy-efficient, environ-

mentally friendly homes in a state that has no statewide energyor building codes. It is the only statewide green-building pro-gram in the United States, and pays for itself through fundingfrom industry and program fees. Contact Kim Calomino, (303)778-1400.

Nevada — Task Force for Technological CrimeTwo regional task forces act as central clearinghouses giving

advice and training on how to curb crimes involving technology.These task forces include representatives from law enforcement,prosecutors’ offices, state agencies and private industry. Con-tact Tara Shepperson, (775) 688-1869.

Washington — Access Washington (http://access.wa.gov)

This Web site provides people and businesses an “any time,any place” avenue for communication and transactions with stategovernment. Viewed by more than 1 million people a month,Access Washington serves as a portal to more than 130 stateagencies, boards and commissions, indexing government infor-mation on the Internet in a manner friendly to users and addinga new level of transaction-based services. Contact Laura Parma,(360) 407-0127.

Washington — Investing Online Resource Center –www.investingonline.org

This groundbreaking center takes advantage of the power ofthe Internet to provide noncommercial online education for con-sumers and investors. The project, developed at the request ofWashington’s Securities Division and funded through settlementmoney from a lawsuit, provides basic investing advice to themillions of Americans who invest online. Contact DeborahBortner, (360) 902-8797.

Washington — Information Technology PortfolioManagement

This program directs agencies to manage their information-technology resources in the same way they manage investmentssuch as real estate or stocks, thus ensuring a close correlation be-tween an agency’s business goals and its expenditures on infor-mation technology. The program also helps high-level executivesand others understand their agency’s information-technologyinfrastructure, examine proposed investments in technology re-sources, and select information-technology solutions to businessproblems. Contact Dr. Paul W. Taylor, (360) 902-3572.

Arizona — School Report Card SystemThis system provides an eight-page report card to parents

and community members for every public school and public char-ter school in the state. The reports, which are also available onthe Internet, are meant to help parents and community mem-bers get information about specific schools, including eachschool’s student-achievement records, safety statistics, budgets,faculty profiles, and goals and accomplishments. Contact Dr. BillieJ. Orr, (602) 542-3504.

California — Natural Gas Services: Innovations inRisk Management

This program serves public organizations by managing thefinancial risk associated with gas-industry deregulation whilereducing the cost of gas. The program helps to protect partici-pants from market extremes even as it responds to the volatility

See the winners in Dearborn, Mich., Dec. 7-11


economic developmenteconomic development

Aneconomic

splash

he New Economy is seen as the wave of the future as statesscramble to catch up with high-tech pioneers California, Mas-sachusetts and Texas.

Hawaii hopes to make a splash with a legislative package passedthis year to join the worldwide economic transformation beingspurred by advances in technology. The package includes a broadrange of initiatives, such as tax incentives for high-tech businesses,venture capital for startups and improvements in the state’s pub-lic education and university systems.

Hawaii’s legislation gets kudos from Rob Atkinson, director ofa national project that in 1999 ranked each of the 50-states’ stand-ings in the New Economy. The study by the Progressive PolicyInstitute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, assessed states for17 indicators of New Economy activity, such as jobs requiring atleast a two-year degree, firms that export, foreign investment andworkforce education.

Atkinson said Hawaii’s legislation is “one of the most compre-hensive efforts a state has made in coming to grips with the NewEconomy and what it means for economic development.”

Hawaii makes some changes to

ride the wave of change.

BY ELAINE STUART

A cadre of Hawaii legislators teamed up with the governor to takeadvantage of the New Economy. Clockwise from left: Rep. SylviaLuke, Sens. David Ige and Les Ihara, Reps. David Morihara and EdCase, and Sen. Carol Fukunaga.


The PPI report’splacement of Hawaiiin the middle of thepack caught the eye ofa group of Hawaii leg-islators working toimprove the state’seconomic future. Oneof them, Rep. Ed Case,said that although the1999 Legislature hadstarted the ball rollingwith tax incentivesfor high-technologyfirms, the PPI report“helped us to organizeour thoughts aboutwhere we needed togo.”

Case, together withSen. Les Ihara, Sen.David Ige, Sen. CarolFukunaga, Rep. DavidMorihara and Rep.Sylvia Luke, devisedthe New Economylegislation. Gov. BenCayetano supportedthe legislators, lead-

ing them on a fact-finding trip toCalifornia’s Silicon Valley.

To get everyone on board, the groupinvited PPI’s Randolph Court to pre-sent the organization’s New Economystudy to Hawaii legislators, administra-tion officials, university officials andothers this past January.

“We used the planning of the eventto connect everyone,” said Ihara, Sen-ate majority leader, who added thate-mail enabled the group to send outinvitations quickly.

The legislators took ideas for theirproposals from laws that had beenenacted in Ireland, New Jersey andCalifornia. “This is an effort to pull to-gether the best that is offered elsewhereand put it in one package,” Case said.

While Hawaii long had relied onforeign investment, tourism and agri-culture, many in government and busi-ness realized the state needed to go ina different direction.

“Our challenge was to recognize the

ResourcesFor more on Hawaii’s program,

visit: http://www.newhawaii.org/nep.htm

For more on the ProgressivePolicy Institute, visit: http://ppionline.org.

ogy to eliminate the handicap ofHawaii’s distance from markets.Rather than being an obstacle, theyfound, Hawaii’s location could be abenefit.

Being in the middle of the PacificOcean is useful for businesses thatneed to communicate in real time bothwith Asia and the mainland, Case said.

The curvature ofthe earth limitssatellite telecom-munications be-tween the U.S.mainland andAsia. “Hawaii isprobably the onlyplace where onthe same day you

can conduct business in New York andTokyo,” he said.

Ige and Case said that high businesscosts and labor shortages in high-techcenters on the mainland also maymake Hawaii attractive to those look-ing for a different way of life.

Two months after the legislationtook effect June 30, more than a dozenhigh-tech businesses were starting up,relocating or retooling for the NewEconomy in Hawaii, they said.

“Most of them are intellectual-prop-erty related and can export by hittingsend on a computer,” Case said. “Pat-ents, copyrights and trade secrets —intellectual property — don’t requirephysical proximity to markets, sopeople can work anywhere.”

The legislators think Hawaii is onthe brink of catching the New Econo-my wave. Case said, “Word of this isspreading. We are getting increasinginterest.”

capabilities information technologymade possible, to decide what ourstrengths were and put together a pack-age that went after our … weak-nesses,” Case said.

Ige, a senator who also is an engi-neer, provided technical expertise tothe legislative effort. He said the legis-lation created a tax structure that sup-ports intellec-tual property bywaiving all stateand local taxeson income gen-erated by pat-ents, copyrights,trade secrets androyalties fromperforming-artsproducts, digital arts, music, film andtelevision.

“We are encouraging the people whocreate to create in Hawaii,” Ige said.

Hawaii also hopes to lure more ven-ture capital with incentives such as atax exemption for stock options andprograms to make venture capital avail-able, the legislators said. And the stategives profitable companies a tax breakfor buying qualified high-tech startups’net operating losses. The benefit is thatthe startup improves its cash flow tohelp the company stay in business.

Established firms are encouraged touse technology through a 10 percenttax credit to conduct research to de-velop a licensed high-tech process.

“We were able to offer these tax holi-days where other states could not be-cause they could not afford it,” Iharasaid.

The legislators are working with theDepartment of Taxation to identifyand assist high-tech firms that qualifyfor the new tax breaks.

Besides offering tax incentives, the2000 legislation also makes broad im-provements in Hawaii’s education sys-tem. It requires accountability andstandards-based reforms for schoolsand supports efforts to increase the useof technology, Ige said.

One major concern of legislatorswas how to take advantage of technol-

“We are encouragingthe people who createto create in Hawaii.”

Sen. David Ige


tates with larger populationstypically fared better thansmaller ones in a recent univer-

sity study of government Web sites.But smaller states with fewer re-

sources often had a hard time main-taining high-quality user-friendly sites,according to a study by Darrell M.West, a Brown University political sci-ence professor and director of the uni-versity’s Taubman Center for PublicPolicy and American Institutions.

A ranking of state Web

sites shows that states

with more resources can

afford to do a better job

in providing access to

public services and

information on the

Internet.

BY KEVIN KINNAIRD

Brown is leading a team of re-searchers on a three-year study thatwill examine more than 1,800 stateand federal government Web sites.The team began the analysis in thesummer of 2000.

The project was based on threesources of information: a survey tochief information officials about theinformation available online, an ex-amination of the sites by West andhis team, and the responsiveness of

_______________Kevin Kinnaird is Web page associate editor forThe Council of State Governments, www.csg.org.

information technologyinformation technology

Biggeris

better


each agency to a simple request for in-formation, such as the agency’s oper-ating hours.

The content of those sites was ratedon more than two-dozen features.Those features included the presenceof an office phone number and address,online publications, databases, a pri-vacy policy, audio clips, subject index,digital signatures and e-mail address,to name a few.

West, who teaches a course on me-dia and technology at Brown, said hegot the idea for the study after surfingnumerous government sites. What heand his team discovered was an elec-tronic frontier with little uniformity.

To see how states ranked overall,West and his team created an index foreach Web site based on a dozen impor-tant features pertaining to contactmaterial, services and information,and quality of access. Those featuresincluded offering phone contact infor-mation, addresses, publications, data-bases, foreign-language access, privacypolicies, security policies, an index, dis-ability access, services, e-mail contactinformation and search capabilities.

“We focused on these dimensionsbecause they are particularly impor-tant for citizen access to informationand services and the equity of the ac-cess available to people with specialneeds,” Brown said in his study.

Texas at the top

The team found that Texas, one ofthe most heavily populated states —and considered by some to be a majorhub of technology — had the best stategovernment Web site in the country.

Every Web site in offered by Texashad at least half the features the teamconsidered important for quality citi-zen access, according to the study.

Officials in the Lone Star state weredelighted with the ranking, saidCarolyn Purcell, chief information offi-cer and executive director of the TexasDepartment of Information Resources.

The Texas Web site, http://www.state.tx.us, has been providing infor-mation on the Internet since 1992,

Purcell said. “We’re kind of old handsat this,” she said.

Still, Web sites are constantlychanging.

For instance, Purcell said, Texasnow broadcasts its general legislativesessions and key committee meetingsin streaming adudio and video over theInternet. If anyone misses a session ora meeting, it is only a click away be-cause they are archived for easy access,she said.

“What has driven us in Texas is theLegislature has been very specific intheir instructions to the agencies anduniversities to put things online,”Purcell said.

The governor’s office also has sup-ported getting information online andmaking sure it’s accessible.

“The Internet has been a big dealdown here,” Purcell said.

The study also ranked highly Websites in Minnesota, New York andPennsylvania, which contained halfthe features important for public access.

Spread toothin

At the other endof the spectrum,the Brown studyranked Rhode Is-land, Delaware andNew Hampshirelowest. Also lowon the 100-pointscale, with just one-third the featuresconsidered impor-tant for public ac-cess, was SouthDakota’s Web site.

Bob Mercer,press secretary forGov. Bill Janklow,said the state isplanning soon toimprove its site athttp://www. state.sd.us. In recentyears, he said,South Dakota hasput its resources

into wiring public schools and offer-ing technology training to teachers.

“When you’re a smaller state likeSouth Dakota, it’s difficult to do manytechnology projects at the same time,”Mercer said. “Our major emphasis hasbeen on delivering technology to theschools.”

The team that helped modernizeSouth Dakota’s public schools has com-pleted wiring and connections, and cannow turn its attention to the state’sWeb sites, he said.

“The governor has made it a highpriority for allowing people to do asmuch on the Web as possible,” Mercersaid.

Janklow relies heavily on e-mail,which can be a very effective form ofcommunication for a small populationthat is spread out across a large state,he said.

Survey’s findings

Among the other findings by Westand his team:


ResourcesTo learn more about the Brown

University study, see it in its en-tirety at: http://www.insidepolitics.org/egovtreport00.html

• At a time when Americans are be-coming more concerned with onlineprivacy, only 5 percent of governmentWeb sites have some type of securitypolicy and a mere 7 percent have a pri-vacy policy.

• Just 15 percent of government sitesoffered any type of access to thedisabled.

• Only 4 percent of those govern-ment sites offered language-translationfeatures.

• Only 22 percent of governmentWeb sites offered the ability to conductan entire transaction with governmentonline. Simply allowing a consumer todownload a form and mail it to thestate didn’t count.

• Advertisements were on 2 percentof all government Web sites, usuallyburied well within the site. Those ad-vertisements often came from radioand television stations, hotels andother businesses.

• Government Web sites need more

consistent and standard designs.West said he was surprised by some

of the results. “I thought they wouldbe further along on privacy and secu-rity than they were,” he said.

On the other hand, West said he wasalso surprised by the responsiveness ofthe agencies his team studied. His re-search revealed 91 percent of stateagencies responded to general inquir-ies, 73 percent of them within one day.

West and his team also found thatmany Web sites maintained by the fed-eral government were of higher qual-ity than those maintained by states, al-though there was considerable varia-tion among federal departments andagencies.

In general, federal sites did a betterjob of offering information and ser-vices than the states.

One way smaller states with lessmoney could improve their Web sitesmight be to make cooperative arrange-ments with each other, West said.

“There’s no reason why every stateshould be reinventing the wheel,” Westsaid. “There seems to be a real econo-my of scale.”

Among the study’s key recommen-dations are that the government sitesneed to improve the organization andstructure of their Web sites, and thatthose sites need to include easily ac-cessible, basic information, such ashow to contact state officials.

Other recommendations includeincreasing Web site accessibility, andbringing the state legislative and judi-cial Web sites up to the standards ofthose in the executive branch.


ow that the Food and DrugAdministration has approvedthe abortion pill RU-486, many

state officials are examining how theirlaws might apply. Although states havea patchwork of laws regulating surgi-cal abortions, none of these addressdrug-induced, or medical, abortions.Also unclear is how many doctors willoffer RU-486 and how many womenwill want it. State officials need an-swers, both about the drug itself andabout how women, doctors, insurancecompanies, other states and Congressare responding to its approval.

Some state officials and abortionopponents have already sought to haveexisting restrictions on surgical abor-tions in many states extended to medi-cal abortions. Thirty-one states havelaws requiring that a parent or guard-ian be notified or consent before aminor can have an abortion; Virginiaofficials announced in October that thestate’s “parental-notification” law ap-plies to medical as well as surgical abor-tions. Other restrictions that might be

applied to medical abortions includelaws in 43 states that prohibit nonphy-sicians such as nurse practitionersfrom performing surgical abortionsand laws in 14 states that specify howdoctors who perform surgicalabortions must lay out and staff theiroffices.

Right to Life spokesmen quoted inThe Washington Post said they mightseek to amend a proposed “conscience-based exemption” law in Indiana toinclude hospital pharmacists whomight not wish to dispense the abor-tion drug, and a Michigan bill to re-move state-funded health-care cover-age for surgical abortions to includemedical abortions. And some havespeculated that a strict interpretationof laws such as one in North Dakotathat requires doctors to examine fetalremains might force women to collectthe products of their medical abortionsand take them to their doctors’ offices.

In approving RU-486, to be mar-keted under the name Mifeprex, the

Some state officials

are looking to apply

restrictions to the use

of RU-486, recently

approved by the Food

and Drug

Administration.

BY CATHERINE COWAN

Doctors may prescribe RU-486 to women in the first seven weeks of pregnancy.

healthhealth

Abortionpill raisesquestionsfor states

continued on page 35


This calendar lists annual meetingdates of associations serving stateofficials. For more information on aparticular meeting, call the numberlisted.

“CSG/” denotes organizationsaffiliated with CSG.

Direct new entries or correctionsby the first of the month to:

Allison SpurrierThe Conference CalendarCSGP.O. Box 11910Lexington, KY 40578-1910(859) 244-8113or e-mail to [email protected] CSG’s Web site, www.csg.org

or www.statesnews.org, to see up-dated information and links to otherorganizations and host cities.

NOVEMBER 2000November 15-18 —Wednesday-SaturdayCSG-WEST Annual Meeting —San Diego, CA — Hyatt Islandia(Duvauchelle, San Francisco) (415)974-6422November 15-19 —Wednesday-SundayCSG/Southern Legislative Confer-ence Fall Legislative Issues Con-ference — Coral Gables, FL —Hyatt Regency Coral Gables (Cousi-neau, Atlanta) (404) 266-1271,slcatlanta.org

DECEMBER 2000December 7-9 — Thursday-SaturdayConference of State Court Admin-istrators (COSCA) Midyear Meet-ing — Phoenix, AZ — By invitationonly (Rockwell, Williamsburg)(757) 259-1841December 7-11 — Thursday-MondayCSG 2000 Annual Meeting andState Leadership Forum — Dear-born, MI — Hyatt Regency Dear-born (Hines, Lexington) (859) 244-8103, [email protected]

JANUARY 2001January 7-10 — Sunday-WednesdayCSG/American Probation andParole Association (APPA) Win-ter Training Institute — Portland,OR (Swinford, Lexington) (859)244-8194

FEBRUARY 2001February 2-4 — Friday-SundayCSG/National Association of StateElection Directors (NASED) Win-ter Conference — Washington, DC— Capitol Hilton Hotel (Scott, DC)(202) 624-5460, [email protected] 2-5 — Friday - MondayCSG/National Conference of Lieu-tenant Governors (NCLG) State/Federal Meeting — Washington,

DC — Willard Inter-Continental(Manning, Lexington) (859) 244-8171, [email protected] or visitwww.nclg.orgFebruary 2-6 — Friday-TuesdayCSG/National Association of Sec-retaries of State (NASS) WinterConference — Washington, DC— Capitol Hilton Hotel (Reynolds,DC) (202) 624-3525, [email protected] 3-4 — Saturday-SundayCSG/National Association of StatePersonnel Executives (NASPE)Midyear Meeting — Burlington,VT — Radisson Hotel (Scott, Lexing-ton) (859) 244-8182, [email protected] 10-14 —Saturday-WednesdayCSG/National Emergency Man-agement Association (NEMA)2001 Mid-Year Conference —Crystal City, VA — Hyatt RegencyCrystal City (Switzenberg, Lexing-ton) (859) 244-8162 or e-mail [email protected]

MARCH 2001March 4-7 — Sunday-WednesdayCSG/National Association of StateTreasurers (NAST) LegislativeConference — Washington, DC —Willard Inter-Continental Hotel(Hamilton, Lexington) (859) 244-8174, [email protected]

APRIL 2001April 5-8 — Thursday-SundayCSG Spring National Committeeand Task Force Meetings —Santa Fe, NM — El Dorado Hotel(Hines, Lexington) (859) 244-8103,[email protected]

MAY 2001May 16-19 — Wednesday-SaturdayCSG and the University of Ken-tucky Martin School of Public Ad-ministration Virtual Connections:Linking State Capitols and PublicUniversities in an Era of e-Gov-ernment Meeting — Lexington,KY — Embassy Suites (Humble,Lexington) (859) 244-8225,jhumble@ csg.orgMay 22-25 — Tuesday-FridayCSG/National Association ofState Treasurers (NAST) Mid-western Conference — India-napolis, IN — The Omni Hotel(Hamilton, Lexington) (859) 244-8174, [email protected]

JUNE 2001June 9-13 — Saturday-WednesdayCSG/National Association ofState Facilities Administrators(NASFA) Annual Conferenceand Trade Show — Lexington, KY

(Stone, Lexington) (859) 244-8181,[email protected] 14-16 — Thursday-SaturdayState Debt Management NetworkAnnual Conference — Kenne-bunkport, ME — The Colony Hotel(Hamilton, Lexington) (859) 244-8174, [email protected] 17-20 — Sunday-WednesdayCSG/National Association of StateTreasurers (NAST) NortheastConference — Kennebunkport,ME — The Colony Hotel (Hamil-ton, Lexington) (859) 244-8174,[email protected] 27-July 1 — Wednesday-SundayCSG/National Conference of Lieu-tenant Governors (NCLG) AnnualMeeting — Louisville, KY — TheSeelbach Hotel (Manning, Lexing-ton) (859) 244-8171, [email protected] or visit www.nclg.org

JULY 2001July (Dates to be determined)CSG/National Association ofGovernmental Labor Officials(NAGLO) Summer Meeting —Minnesota — Hotel to be announced(Scott, DC) (202) 624-5460, [email protected] 7-11 — Saturday-WednesdayCSG/National Association of StatePersonnel Executives (NASPE)

24th Annual Meeting — Big Sky,MT — Big Sky Ski & Summer Re-sort (Scott, Lexington) (859) 244-8182, [email protected] (Dates to be determined)CSG/National Association of Sec-retaries of State (NASS) SummerMeeting — Little Rock, AR —Hotel to be announced (Reynolds,DC) (202) 624-3525, [email protected] 13-15 — Friday-SundayCSG/National Association of StateElection Directors (NASED)Annual Summer Meeting —Little Rock, AR — Hotel to be an-nounced (Scott, DC) (202) 624-5460, [email protected] 14-18 — Saturday-WednesdayCSG/Southern Legislative Confer-ence (SLC) Annual Meeting —Savannah, GA — Hotel to be an-nounced (Cousineau, Atlanta)(404) 266-1271, slcatlanta.orgJuly 25-28 — Wednesday-SaturdayCSG-WEST Annual Meeting —Whistler, British Columbia (Duvau-chelle, San Francisco) (415) 974-6422July 25-28 — Wednesday-SaturdayCSG/National Association of StateTreasurers (NAST) WesternConference — Sun Valley, ID — TheSun Valley Lodge (Hamilton, Lex-


ington) (859) 244-8174, [email protected] 29-August 1 —Sunday-WednesdayCSG/Midwestern LegislativeConference (MLC) 56th AnnualMeeting — Lincoln, NE — TheCornhusker (McCabe, Lombard)(630) 810-0210

AUGUST 2001August 17-21 — Friday-TuesdayCSG/Bowhay Institute for Leg-islative Leadership Development(BILLD) — Madison, WI — FlunoCenter (Tomaka, Lombard) (630)810-0210, [email protected] 25-30 — Saturday-ThursdayCSG/National Association of StateTelecommunication Directors(NASTD) Annual Conferenceand Trade Show — Charleston,SC — Hotel to be announced (Brit-ton, Lexington) (859) 244-8187,[email protected] 26-29 — Sunday-WednesdayCSG/Eastern Regional Confer-ence (ERC) Annual Meeting —Bartlett, NH — Grand Summit Re-sort (Stanley, New York) (212) 912-0128August 26-29 — Sunday-WednesdayCSG/American Probation andParole Association (APPA) 26thAnnual Institute — St. Paul, MN— Hotel to be announced (Swin-ford, Lexington) (859) 244-8194

SEPTEMBER 2001September 6-8 — Thursday-SaturdayCollege Savings Plan Network An-nual Conference — Santa Fe, NM— El Dorado Hotel (Hamilton, Lex-ington) (859) 244-8174, [email protected]

September 9-11 — Sunday-TuesdayCSG/Southern Governors’ Asso-ciation 67th Annual Meeting —Lexington, KY — Marriott GriffinGate Resort (Purdy, DC) (202) 624-5897, [email protected] 9-12 — Sunday-WednesdayCSG/National Association ofState Treasurers (NAST) 26thAnnual Meeting — Santa Fe, NM— El Dorado Hotel (Hamilton, Lex-ington) (859) 244-8174, [email protected] 13-15 —Thursday-SaturdayCSG/Council on Licensure,Enforcement and Regulation(CLEAR) Annual Conference —San Antonio, TXSeptember 20-24 —Thursday-MondayCSG 2001 Annual Meeting andState Leadership Forum — An-chorage, AK — The Captain Cookand Anchorage Hilton (Hines, Lex-ington) (859) 244-8103, [email protected]

September 29-October 4 —Saturday-ThursdayCSG Henry Toll FellowshipProgram — Lexington, KY —Hilton Suites at Lexington Green(Humble, Lexington) (859) 244-8225, [email protected]

JULY 2002July 6-10 — Saturday-WednesdayCSG/Southern Legislative Con-ference (SLC) Annual Meeting— New Orleans, LA — Hotel to beannounced (Cousineau, Atlanta)(404) 266-1271, slcatlanta.org

Statement of Ownership, Management andCirculation

Published in compliance with U.S. Postal Service regulations.1.Title: State Government News. 2. Pub. no.: 0039-0119 3. Filing date:9/29/00. 4. Frequency: Monthly, 2 combined issues: June/July andNov./Dec. 5. No. published annually: 10. 6. Annual subscription price:$39. 7./8. Mailing address publication/publisher: 2760 Research ParkDr., P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, Ky. 40578-1910; contact: Fred Vickers,(859) 244-8155 9. Publisher: The Council of State Governments,Editor/Managing editor, Elaine Stuart, 2760 Research Park Dr., P.O.Box 11910, Lexington, Ky. 40578-1910. 10. Owner: The Council ofState Governments, 2760 Research Park Dr., P.O. Box 11910, Lexing-ton, Ky. 40578-1910. 11. None. 12. Has not changed during preced-ing 12 months. 13. State Government News. 14. September 2000/Avg.no. copies each issue/Actual no. copies of single issue published near-est to filing date. A. Total No. Copies:16,919/14,500. B. (2) Paid out-side-county mail subscriptions: 15,548/13,317. C. Total paid and/orrequested circulation: 15,548/13,317. D. Free distribution by mail,(1) outside county 1,206/1,018. E. Free distribution outside mail: 0/0. F. Total free: 1,206/1,018. G. Total distribution: 16,754/14,335. H.Copies not distributed: 165/165. I. Total: 16,919/14,500. Percent paidand/or requested circulation: 93%/93%. 16. Nov./Dec. 2000 issue.17. Signature/title of editor:/s/Elaine Stuart, editor, Sept. 29, 2000.


ov. Jesse Ventura welcomedthose attending the 55th Annual

Meeting of the Midwestern LegislativeConference to Minnesota. More than640 legislators, staff, private-sector rep-resentatives and others gathered for the

Aug. 6-9 meetingin Minneapolis.

Hosts were the state of Minnesota andSen. John Hottinger, MLC chair. Themayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul,Sharon Sayles Belton and Norm Cole-man, also welcomed attendees.

Program highlights included a lookat the ways science and technology arereshaping society, delivered by future-trends expert Jeremy Rifkin, and an ex-amination of the Midwest’s role in theinformation-based economy, presentedby Wells Fargo’s chief economic officer,Sung Won Sohn. Pulitzer Prize-winningauthor Garry Wills discussed Americans’distrust of government, and presiden-tial historian and speechwriter JamesHumes shared practical tips on the lan-guage of leadership.

Ventura welcomes Midwestern legislators

the midwest

G

Garry Wills (seated) signs books while Minnesota Sen. John Hottinger, MLC chair, and Nebraska Sen.DiAnna Schimek, first vice chair, look on.

Sessions were held on state-tribalrelations, regulation of genetically modi-fied organisms and Internet sales taxa-

tion. Social eventsincluded eveningoutings to OrchestraHall in Minneapolis

and the Science Museum in St. Paul.The MLC Executive Committee wel-

comed the conference’s first affiliatemember, the province of Saskatchewanand its representatives. The 2001 MLCAnnual Meeting will be held in Lincoln,Neb., July 29-Aug. 1.

ith 42 states and Puerto Rico represented, the NationalAssociation of State Telecommunications Directors held

its 23rd Annual Conference and Trade Show in Boston, Mass.,Aug. 26-31. The NASTD 2000-2001 president is David Ballard,

executive director of the office of infra-structure services, Governor’s Office for

Technology, Kentucky. Other officers are Vice President BrendaDecker, Nebraska telecommunications director; Secretary/Trea-surer Hale Irwin, Vermont telecommunications chief; and PastPresident Gail Wekenborg, Missouri Data Center manager.

NASTD 2000-2001 regional presidents are Frank Burns, in-formation services manager, Massachusetts; Phil Thoben, deputydirector, Indiana Division of Information Technology; Jim Edman,manager of network technologies, South Dakota; and F. DeraldKirkland, assistant director of technical services, Louisiana. The2001 regional meetings will be held in New Orleans, India-napolis, Annapolis, Md., and Rapid City, S.D.

For more information, visit www.nastd.org or contact KarenBritton, association manager, at (859) 244-8187.

Telecommunications officersnamed at conference

nastd

W


pplications for the Midwestern Legislative Conference’s seventh annualBowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development are available. The

only program for leadership training designed exclusively forMidwestern legislators, the institute offers participants an op-

portunity to sharpen their skillswhile tapping the expertise ofpublic-policy scholars, senior leg-islative leaders and other pre-senters. Applications are dueApril 13 for the 2001 program inMadison, Wis., Aug. 17-21.

The 2000 program was madepossible by the generous contri-butions of the Ameritech Foun-dation, AT&T, Aventis Pharmaceu-ticals, Glaxo Wellcome Inc., GTE;Merck & Co. Inc., Novartis Phar-maceuticals, Pfizer Inc., BayerCorporation, Johnson & Johnson,Philip Morris Management Cor-poration and Enron Corporation.

Lawmakers invited to apply

the midwest

A

Midwestern legislators participated in the BowhayInstitute for Legislative Leadership Development’s class of2000 in Madison, Wis.

t a briefing on the InterstateCompact for Adult Supervision,

legislators and their staffs learned aboutthe legislation thatseeks to revamp

the 60-year-old agreement. The Councilof State Governments invited represen-tatives from all 50 states and five U.S.territories to participate in the Nov. 27-29 briefing in New Orleans.

CSG and the National Institute ofCorrections are working to update thecompact that governs the transfer of pa-rolees and probationers across statelines.

In 2000 sessions, eight states enactedthe legislation, and CSG anticipates morewill pass it in 2001. For more informationon the compact, contact John Mount-joy at (859) 244-8256 or [email protected], or visit the CSG Web site at:www. statesnews.org/clip/policy/isc.htm.

States considernew compact

clip

A

You can’t judge abook by its cover

For a FREE Adoption toolkit,call BOCA International at

1-800-214-4321, ext. 772.

If you know BOCA, Uniform or Standard Codes,you already know a lot about the 2000 InternationalCodes. Many provisions of the International Codesare the same provisions and referenced standardsthat you are already familiar with.

BOCA International offers code adoption supportso you can make the transition to the InternationalCodes with confidence.

www.bocai.org

embers of CSG-WEST’s Legislative Service Agency/Research Directors Committee met for their annual

professional-development seminar Oct. 12-14 in San Francisco.A session on creating positive and productive work environ-ments featured John Bouffard, senior staff consultant for the

San Francisco-based firm Great Place toWork Inc. The consulting company annu-

ally compiles the “100 Best Places to Work in America” list forFortune Magazine.

Nonpartisan staff managers learned how promoting trust onthe job increases innovation, improves service and productiv-ity, and lowers turnover and resistance to change.

Participants reviewed the status of redistricting and issues instates where a commission or the legislature draws the lines.They also worked on practical case studies in legislativemanagement.

Participants discussed a survey on policies for computer useand Internet access in Western legislatures. Copies of Com-puter Use and Internet Policies in Western Legislatures may beobtained by calling (415) 974-6422. The document is free toWestern legislators and staff.

Carl Bianchi, director of Legislative Services Office, Idaho,chairs the CSG-WEST LSA/RD Committee. Paula Tackett, direc-tor of Legislative Council Services, New Mexico, serves as vicechair.

Western legislative staffspruce up skills

the west

M


he National Association of StateTreasurers has announced its

formal affiliation with the National Asso-ciation of Unclaimed Property Adminis-

trators. NAUPA isa nonprofit orga-

nization of states whose membersmanage unclaimed or abandonedproperty programs. The membershipvoted in September to affiliate.

All states make a diligent effort tolocate the missing owners and reunitethem with their lost assets at no costto the owner. Unclaimed property con-sists of various types of intangible per-

Treasurers affiliate with unclaimed property group

nast

T sonal property, such as inactive savingsand checking accounts, uncashedchecks, securities, dividends, insurancerefunds or claims, oil royalties, wages,utility refunds or deposits, bail bondsand child-support payments.

“These programs serve a vital publicpurpose — returning property to itsrightful owner,” said NAST PresidentDavid Heineman, Nebraska treasurer.“This new alliance between policy-mak-ers and administrators sends a strongmessage that we will aggressivelychampion these state programs.”

NAUPA provides a forum for discus-

sions on interstate cooperation, educa-tion, training, uniform laws, reportingrequirements and public awareness ofthe state role in protecting property.

Stephen E. Larson, president ofNAUPA, said of the affiliation with NAST,“The association will increase the abil-ity of states to work together on un-claimed property issues. We will bebetter coordinated and more effective.”Larson is an executive officer in IowaTreasurer Michael Fitzgerald’s office.

“Unclaimed property programs areunder assault by a coalition of holdersand accounting firms intent on eviscer-ating this consumer-protection service,”said Marshall G. Bennett, Mississippistate treasurer. “This affiliation strength-ens our fight against the weakening ofunclaimed property laws and the non-compliance of holders throughout thecountry.”

For more information, contact PamTaylor, Director, NAST, (859) 244-8172.

he National Association of StateTreasurers is holding an educa-

tion symposium for newly elected statetreasurers Dec. 7-9, in Dearborn, Mich.,

concurrent withThe Council of

State Governments’ Annual Meetingand State Leadership Forum. Generalelections for state treasurer take placein nine states, with three open seats,Nov. 7.

“This is a crucial time for newlyelected state treasurers,” said VermontTreasurer Jim Douglas, who becomespresident of NAST on Dec. 1. “This sym-posium gives them a head start on theirjob. They get immediate access to theircolleagues from across the nation whoare willing and able to advise them withany challenges they face.”

The symposium will cover topics in-cluding transition issues, banking basics,state cash management, investment,debt issuance and management, pro-grams and innovations. Fellow statetreasurers comprise the faculty.

Head start for newtreasurers

T

nast


endorsed by voters in other states as doubling taxes.Term limits are comatose in North Dakota. A petition

to put a term-limits initiative on the ballot was circulatedrecently, but did not collect the 25,552 signatures required.

Indeed, for the first time in half a century,no popular initiatives at all appeared on theNovember 2000 ballot.

Apparently the people of North Dakotatrust their Legislature and their legislators.But why? This state, like Minnesota, has astrong populist tradition of distrust.Minnesota’s election of Jesse Ventura asgovernor suggests that it is still faithful tothat tradition, while North Dakota in thepast decade or so has followed a differentpath. Some people suggest that the NorthDakota public’s support for their Legisla-ture is attributable to Republican controlof both houses since 1994. Yet the GOP hascontrolled the legislatures in other stateswithout producing such a positive effect oncitizens’ attitudes.

I suspect that the positive attitudes ofNorth Dakotans are a consequence of three things. First,the Legislature is a very part-time body, which meets insession no more than 80 days every other year. Althoughtenure is relatively high and turnover is low, it is still a“citizen legislature.” Second, while the state is large geo-graphically, its population is small — only about 634,000people, with about 13,000 in each of 49 legislative dis-tricts. Politics can still be personal there.

Third, the North Dakota press is unusual in its under-standing of and support for the Legislature. Newspapersopposed term limits and supported a four-year term forHouse members. They also endorsed a pay raise for legis-lators. And several years ago, when the Legislature wasmeeting at the Capitol prior to the regular session, theBismarck Tribune editorialized: “To watch them (legisla-tors) in action is to be impressed not just with their seri-ousness of purpose but with their approachability. ... It is,in short, a legislature of which North Dakota can beproud.” It would seem that North Dakota is.

What’s with the people of this state that makes themmore trusting than people elsewhere? Maybe it’s some-thing else entirely — the cold and long winters, the drink-ing water … ._______________Alan Rosenthal is a professor with the Eagleton Institute ofPolitics at Rutgers University.

What’s with North Dakota?BY ALAN ROSENTHAL

mericans today view their political institutions andelected representatives with distrust and cynicism.That’s not news to most legislators, but nationalsurveys indicate just how bad the climate has got-

ten during the past 35 years.In 1998, only one out of three Americans

trusted government to do the right thingalmost always or most of the time; in 1964,three out of four did. In 1997, 70 percentsaid that government was run by a few biginterests looking out for themselves ratherthan for the benefit of everyone; in 1964,only 29 percent said that. In 1996, 43 per-cent believed that quite a few of the peoplerunning government were crooked; in 1964,the figure was 29 percent. In 1997, one outof five Americans expressed a great deal ora lot of confidence in Congress; in 1973, twoout of five felt that way.

Overall, the way people feel about the na-tional government and Congress is not verydifferent from the way they feel about stategovernment and state legislatures. Informa-tion on public opinion is very incomplete, but scatteredstate polls attest to public distrust and cynicism. Perhapsan even more compelling expression of public disaffec-tion is evidenced by term limits, which have been enactedin 21 states—and in all but one through (or under threatof) an initiative by citizens. Courts in three states over-ruled the initiative on constitutional grounds, so that termlimits are in effect today in 18 states. The popularity ofterm limits can be interpreted in various ways, but itsoverarching message is anti-legislative.

Only in two states — Mississippi and North Dakota —were term limits rejected by citizens. Let’s take a look atthe latter state’s defiance of contemporary mood and con-ventional logic. In 1992 the North Dakota electorate ap-proved an initiative limiting congressional terms, but itwas subsequently overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court.In 1996 two term-limits measures were put on the ballot,but both were defeated. At the same time that they re-jected term limits, voters approved a constitutional amend-ment put on the ballot by the Legislature. This measurelengthened the term of members of the North DakotaHouse from two to four years (making them as long asthose of House members in Alabama, Louisiana, Mary-land, and Mississippi). No other legislature, as far as I canremember, has come even close to extending House terms.Doubling legislative terms has as much chance of being

A

The North DakotaLegislature enjoyspublic support thatlegislators in otherstates might envy.


Akey test of state governmentis its reaction to a disaster.Whether the disaster is a hur-

ricane, a school shooting or a chemi-cal spill, residents expect a quick andeffective response. The public and themedia will scrutinize government’sresponse and years later remember anyreal or perceived shortcomings. Stateleaders must know how capable stateand local emergency management pro-grams are in mitigating against, prepar-ing for and responding to disaster.

Evaluating a state’s ability to re-spond to an emergency is not a simplematter. While each state has an agencyresponsible for emergency manage-ment, other government agencies, suchas transportation, environment, pub-lic health and the National Guard, arealso involved. Counties, cities andother political subdivisions handlesuch responsibilities in a variety ofways — and usually are first to respondto a disaster.

Strong state and local emergencymanagement programs are crucial tokeeping communities safe and protect-ing lives and property. Their successdepends on many things, includingplanning, training, leadership and re-sources. Most use commonly accepted

concepts and practices based on les-sons learned in previous disasters.However, officials at all levels need amethod to evaluate and improve thecapabilities and consistency of theiremergency management programs.

State emergency management direc-tors have been working to create sucha mechanism through the EmergencyManagement Accreditation Program.EMAP sets national standards toevaluate an emergency managementprogram’s capabilities, and it estab-lishes procedures for emergency man-agement officials to demonstrate theircompliance. The National EmergencyManagement Association and 11 otherorganizations, including The Councilof State Governments, National Gover-nors’ Association and National Confer-ence of State Legislatures, began workon EMAP in 1998.

EMAP will strengthen communities’abilities to respond to all types of haz-ards, from tornadoes and earthquakesto school violence and bioterrorism.Local, state and territorial governmentswill use the accreditation program tobring their emergency managementcapabilities in line with recognizedstandards.

The program’s pilot phase will be-gin in 2001, when several state emer-gency management agencies will com-plete the accreditation process. With

Is your state ready for the worst?EMILY BENTLEY DeMERS

advice from the pilot states, EMAP willrefine its procedures and then open theprocess to all state programs. In 2002,EMAP will pilot the accreditation pro-cess with local emergency manage-ment programs.

EMAP will provide a framework foraccountability and improvement inemergency management programs atthe state and local levels. Accreditationwill be voluntary and will not be tiedto any type of funding. EMAP willencourage emergency managementofficials to examine their programs’strengths and weaknesses and to takecorrective measures. The accreditationprocess will use available tools andexisting standards to evaluate pro-grams through self-assessment and on-site peer assessment, and will take acomprehensive approach to fostercommunication and collaborationacross government and communityagencies.

Readiness for a crisis involves fore-thought and planning as well as theability to put the right people and re-sources immediately into service. EMAPhas the potential to make a tremendousimpact on emergency managementcapabilities and on the security andresiliency of communities. ThroughEMAP’s national standards for accre-ditation, NEMA and its partners seekto assist state and local emergencymanagement programs in identifyingtheir strengths and correcting prob-lems, thereby providing state officialsthe tools they need to ensure that strongemergency management programs areready when they need them.

_______________Emily Bentley DeMers is accreditation

coordinator for NEMA, the NationalEmergency Management Association.

NEMA is an affiliate of The Council ofState Governments and is part of CSG’s

Center for Leadership, Innovation andPolicy. CLIP develops state problem-solving

initiatives with intergovernmental,philanthropic and corporate partners. Visit

CLIP at www.csg.org.

news from csg's center for leadership, innovation & policynews from csg's center for leadership, innovation & policy

A system for evaluatingemergency management

capabilities is onthe horizon.

FDA set relatively few restrictions ondoctors who want to prescribe it andon women who want to use it. Doc-tors must be able to determine thelength of time a woman has been preg-nant and must make sure she has readyaccess to a surgical abortion. Theymust also give the woman written in-structions on the drug’s use and sideeffects, and the woman must sign astatement saying she has read the in-structions, will comply with them ex-actly and will have a surgical abortionif the drug does not work.

To receive RU-486, a woman mustmake three visits to a doctor’s officeover a period of two weeks – the firstto determine how long she has beenpregnant, the second to receive the pillsand the third to determine that theabortion was successful. The drug maybe prescribed only during the firstseven weeks of pregnancy. In clinicaltrials, it was 95 percent effective, al-though 1 to 2 percent of women suf-fered side effects such as excessivebleeding.

Wide use not expected

Many question whether the abor-tion pill will be widely used across theUnited States. “People in the past haveperhaps created an exaggerated climateof expectations for RU-486,” David J.Garrow, a professor at Emory Univer-sity who is a historian of the abortion-rights movement, told The New YorkTimes. First, he said, many womenmight not discover they are pregnantand decide to abort in time to use thedrug; two-thirds of surgical abortionsoccur later than seven weeks. Second,he said many women might not be ableto make the three visits to the doctorthat the drug requires; currently, onein four women has to travel more than50 miles to get a surgical abortion.

Even for those women who acceptthese conditions, RU-486 may be hardto get. To prescribe the drug, doctorsmust be able to accurately determinethe date of a pregnancy; this is usually

done with an ultrasound machine,which most doctors don’t have in theiroffices. Doctors also must be able toquickly arrange a surgical abortion ifthe medical abortion doesn’t work, butthis may be difficult in areas wherefew, if any, providers offer the proce-dure. Currently, 86 percent of U.S.counties have no abortion provider atall. Finally, many doctors may shyaway from offering the drug, eitherbecause they don’t want to stir up con-troversy in their communities or be-cause they object to abortion on moralgrounds.

What’s next?

Still, many people are interested inthe possibilities that RU-486 opens up.In a June 2000 survey of doctors bythe Kaiser Family Foundation, 44 per-cent of gynecologists and 31 percentof family physicians said they weresomewhat or very likely to offer thedrug if it were approved by the FDA.Another study by the Population Coun-cil found that two-thirds of womenwho had received both medical andsurgical abortions rated their experi-ence with RU-486 as far preferable,citing the drug’s lackof invasive proce-dures and the pri-vacy it afforded.Several insurancecompanies, suchas Aetna, UnitedHealthCare and Cig-na, have said theywill cover it. Nordoes the drug nec-essarily herald anincrease in the to-tal number of abor-tions. In France,where RU-486 hasbeen available for adecade, the numberof women gettingabortions has fallenslightly, although29 percent are seek-ing medical oversurgical abortions.


Meanwhile, several members ofCongress have introduced legislationto tighten standards for doctors whoprescribe RU-486. A bill by U.S. Rep.Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, and U.S.Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Arkansas,would require such a physician to belegally able to perform surgical abor-tions, trained in the drug’s administra-tion and have admitting privileges at anearby hospital. The legislation isneeded, they said, because the FDA has“caved in” to abortion-rights groupsseeking easy access to abortion. KateMichelman, president of the NationalAbortion and Reproductive RightsAction League, disagreed, saying theproposed legislation would reducemedical abortion “to a non-option forwomen,” who could obtain it onlyfrom the declining number of doctorsthat perform surgical abortions.

RU-486 is a controversial drugwhose FDA approval came only after12 years of research, protests and poli-tics, and the controversy is not likelyto end now that the drug has been ap-proved. But armed with as much in-formation as possible, both about thedrug itself and about its social effects,officials can make the best decisionsabout its place in their states.

continued from page 27

Abortion pill raises questions for states


James Carroll is Southern regional coordinator with CSG’s States Information Center.James Carroll is Southern regional coordinator with CSG’s States Information Center.

State employees’ privacy rightsBY JAMES CARROLL

• Five states do not allow access to letters of reference(California, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan and Rhode Island).

• Four states explicitly deny an employee access toperformance evaluations (Iowa, Michigan, Nevada and

Oregon).• Two states restrict the frequency with

which an employee may examine his or herfile: Delaware allows access once a year andMinnesota once every six months.

• Eight states allow employees to submita rebuttal to any disparaging information orquestionable material (Connecticut, Dela-ware, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin).

Public records maintained by state em-ployees also are covered under privacy law.Every state has a statute that addresses ac-cess to public records, and most states grantopen access to any person. For example, inmost states, a mother who wants to find in-formation about the school her daughter is

attending will have free access to that school’s records.Because of space limitations, public-records laws for everystate cannot be listed here, but can be found in Compen-dium of State Privacy and Security Legislation: 1999 Over-view, published by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics,and Compilation of State & Federal Privacy Laws, 1997,published by Privacy Journal.

For more information, contact the States InformationCenter at (888) CSG-4SIC or [email protected].

ow confidential are state employee recordsand public records?

In an age in which a vast amount of informa-tion can be downloaded by the click of a mouse,

privacy is increasingly important. Ensuringthat private records remain private may seemdifficult if not impossible. This month,Inquiry Line will examine the privacy ofstate employees’ personnel files and pub-lic records that state employees maintain.

State employees’ personnel files fall un-der privacy law for several reasons. Whilethe state may feel it has the right to keepcertain managerial judgments from an em-ployee, the employee may feel entitled torefute any disparaging remarks in his orher record. The state also might need toconceal records of a criminal investigationfrom an employee who is being investi-gated. In both cases, each party’s rights areat stake, making this area of privacy lawhighly debated.

States have handled these issues in various ways.Twenty-five states allow public employees to inspect theirpersonnel files, and 11 of those allow employees to copyportions of their files. However, many states have somerestrictions on an employee’s access to his or her files.

• Eight states do not allow access to information re-garding criminal investigations of the employee (Califor-nia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon andWashington).

H

Get all your election results from CSG onStatesNews — www.csg.org

Get all your election results from CSG onStatesNews — www.csg.org

State employeesdon’t all enjoy the

same privacy rightsfor their personnel

records.


Keon S. Chi is a senior fellow in CSG’s Center for Leadership, Innovation and Policy.Keon S. Chi is a senior fellow in CSG’s Center for Leadership, Innovation and Policy.

Legislators enter computer ageBY KEON S. CHI

A CSG survey showslegislators and the

public expect toreap benefits from

increased use of theInternet and

computers, butexpect some pitfalls

as well.

S tate lawmakers are entering the Internet age indroves, according to a recent survey on the use ofcomputers by state legislators conducted by TheCouncil of State Governments.

While computer use is not widespread, all legislatorsin 28 states had personal computers on their chamberdesks during the 2000 sessions. The Southled the charge with 13 Southern states hav-ing personal computers on all legislators’chamber desks.

Legislators’ computer use while in ses-sion varies from state to state and chamberto chamber, CSG found. Most WashingtonHouse members use laptops on the floor totrack proceedings, while some senators usethem for e-mail. Every Missouri Housemember has a laptop in the chamber to accesslaws, introduce bills or amendments, andreceive information on open roll-call votes.

Some legislative chambers, such as theOhio House, have banned computer use bylegislators on the floor. Other states, suchas Florida, restrict the use of Internet e-mailduring proceedings.

Legislators in most states use computersin their capitol or district offices and athome. The CSG survey revealed positiveand negative comments on the use of com-puters by state legislators for legislativework and constituent services. CSG surveyed membersof the National Association of Legislative TechnologyInformation in the 50 states and directors of legislativeservice agencies in selected states. Respondents saw com-puters in legislatures as a boon for the following reasons:

• Laptops allow legislators to draft bills or proposeamendments at any time.

• Computers allow legislators and others to track a bill’sstatus without staff assistance.

• Fewer copies of bills need to be made when they areavailable online.

• The Internet gives legislators access to timely infor-mation.

• Legislators’ Web pages provide public information andconstituent services.

• Internet access opens the legislative process to thepublic. The public gains access to the same legislative in-formation as legislators and lobbyists have through theInternet. Legislative information that is available on theInternet promotes public awareness of and participation

in the legislative process.• Computer and Internet use by legislators can foster a

more positive public perception of the legislature.Respondents also mentioned some negative aspects:• The use of computers and the Internet tends to re-

duce face-to-face interactions.• Lobbyists can e-mail their comments

on floor debates and votes to online legis-lators, potentially increasing their influ-ence.

• Lawmakers using computers on thefloor may be less attentive and may not par-ticipate fully in floor debates, hurting thequality of deliberations.

• Legislators might have trouble dealingwith a heavy volume of e-mail messages.

• The use of e-mail messages might dis-rupt legislative sessions.

• E-mail messages might be less civil andlack nuances found in handwritten notes.

• Not all legislative information availableonline is accurate.

• Too much reliance on the Internetposes risks such as misuse, privacy violations,security breaches, power outages or systemfailures.

CSG’s survey found that every state an-ticipates increased use of computers and theInternet by state legislators. Major contrib-

uting factors to this trend include legislative leaders’ de-sire to meet the challenges of a new information age, avail-ability of information from online legislative-informationsystems, and an increased demand for electronic commu-nication among lawmakers, their staffs and the public.

On future use of computers by legislators, Iowa’s SandyScharf, director of the legislative technology office, said,“There will be a huge increase in usage. As current membersbecome more computer literate and as new members cometo the Legislature with computer skills, I see usage anddemand for specific programming growing exponentially.”

Don Flowers, director of the Mississippi legislative in-formation technology office, said, “My crystal ball showsthat the usage by members will increase over the nextcouple of years. It will then level out and stay fairly con-stant for five or more years.”

See the forthcoming report, “Technology in State Leg-islatures: The Impact of Computer Use by State Legisla-tors,” The Council of State Governments. To order, call(800) 800-1910.

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