gifts of life 2001 legislative actions leadership …the biltmore hotel csg spring meeting, coral...

Nov/Dec 2001

GIFTS OF LIFE 2001 LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS LEADERSHIP LESSONS

The Biltmore Hotel

CSG Spring Meeting, Coral Gables, April 3-7, 2002

T H E C O U N C I L O F S T A T E G O V E R N M E N T ST H E C O U N C I L O F S T A T E G O V E R N M E N T ST H E C O U N C I L O F S T A T E G O V E R N M E N T S

w w w . c s g . o r gw w w . c s g . o r gw w w . c s g . o r g

4 state government news november/december 2001 the council of state governments 5

departmentsdepartments

headquarters2760 Research Park Drive

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

(859) 244-8000washington

Jim Brown, General Counsel and Director

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

Washington, DC 20001(202) 624-5460

easternAlan V. Sokolow, Director

c/o CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution366 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3122(212) 949-6490midwestern

Michael H. McCabe, Director641 E. Butterfield Road, Suite 401

Lombard, IL 60148(630) 810-0210

southernColleen Cousineau, Director3355 Lenox Road, Suite 1050

Atlanta, GA 30326(404) 266-1271

westernKent Briggs, Director

121 Second Street, 4th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 974-6422Denver, CO

(303) 572-5454

council officesDaniel M. Sprague, Executive Director

Executive CommitteeChairSen. Manny M. Aragon, N.M.

PresidentGov. Dirk Kempthorne, Idaho

Chair-electSenate President Pro Tem John Chichester,Va.

President-electGov. Parris Glendening, Md.

Vice chairRep. Dan Bosley, Mass.

Vice presidentGov. Mike Huckabee, Ark.

executive committeeSen. David Adkins, Kan. • Sen. Richard Alarcon, Calif. • Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist, Calif. • Rep. David Alukonis, N.H.• Assemblyman Rich Bagger, N.J. • Linda Renee Baker, Sec., Dept.of Human Services, Ill.• David Ballard, Exec. Dir., Office ofInfrastructure Services, Ky. • Treas. Marshall Bennett, Miss. • Sen.John O. Bennett, N.J. • Carl Bianchi, Director, Legislative Services,Idaho • Sen. Leonard Blackham, Utah • Speaker ShaneBroadway, Ark. • Sen. Pam Brown, Neb. • Sen. Brenda Burns,Ariz. • Rep. John Connors, Iowa • Sen. Jim Costa, Calif. • Rep.Toni Crosby, N.H. • Rep. Susan Crosby, Ind. • Rep. Paul Crowley,R.I. • Sec. of State Henry Cuellar,Texas • Rep. Carol Donovan,Mass. • Treas. Jim Douglas,Vt. • Judge Susan Ehrlich, Ariz. • Sen.Hugh Farley, N.Y. • Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, R. I. • Speaker TimFord, Miss. • Sen. Karen Fraser,Wash. • Rep. Joe Green, Alaska •Gary Grimes, Dep. Dir., Div. of Architectural Services, Kan. • Sen.Toni Nathaniel Harp, Conn. • Treas. David Heineman, Neb. •Sen. Douglas Henry,Tenn. • Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick, Nev. •Sen. Lyle Hillyard, Utah • Sen. John Hottinger, Minn. • Rep. PennyHouston, Ga. • Rep. Deborah Hudson, Del. • Gene Hugoson,Commissioner, Dept. of Agriculture, Minn. • Judge RobertHunter, N.C. • Sen.Tim Jennings, N.M. • Lilia Judson, Exec. Dir.,Div. of State Court Administration, Ind. • Elisabeth Kersten, Sen.Office of Research, Calif. • Robert Kieffer, Member, QuebecNational Assembly • Rep. Matt Kisber,Tenn. • Sen. Sue Landske,Ind. • Gov. Mike Leavitt, Utah • Edward Lurie, Director, SenateResearch, N.Y. • Sen. Lisa Madigan, Ill. • Sen. John J. Marchi, N.Y. •Rep. John Martinez, Conn. • Gov. Judy Martz, Mont. • Gov. ScottMcCallum,Wis. • Sen. Kenneth McClintock, P.R. • Chief JusticeRobert Miller, S.D. • Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Del. • Sen. AngelaMonson, Okla. • Sen. Stephen Morris, Kan. • Speaker Thomas B.Murphy, Ga. • Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, Miss. • Sen. DavidNething, N.D. • Jane Nishida, Sec., Dept. of Environment, Md. •Patrick O’Donnell, Clerk of the Legislature, Neb. • Rep. MarcusOshiro, Hawaii • Gov. George Pataki, N.Y. • Gov. Paul E. Patton,Ky. • Ed Perry, Clerk of the House, Miss. • Sec. of State SharonPriest, Ark.. • Virgil Puskarich, Exec. Dir., Local GovernmentCommission, Pa. • Sen. Pam Redfield, Neb. • Mary Regel, Admin.,Div. of International Development,Wis. • Speaker Jody Richards,Ky. • Lt. Gov. Jack Riggs, Utah • Sen. Claire Robling, Minn. • Rep.Roger Roy, Del. • Rep.Tom Ryder, Ill. • Sen. Steve Saland, N.Y. •Sen. DiAnna Schimek, Neb. • Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer, Kan. •Attorney General Carla Stovall, Kan. • Assemblyman RobertStraniere, N.Y. • Sec. of State Ron Thornburgh, Kan. • EricTolbert, Dir., Div. of Emergency Management, N.C. • SenatePresident Earl Ray Tomblin,W.V. • Rep. Joe Toomy, La. • DonnaTraywick, Dir., Office of Human Resources, S.C. • Sen. DonneTrotter, Ill. • Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, Alaska • Jeff Wells, Counsel,Dept. of Labor and Employment, Colo. • Sen. Jeff Wentworth,Texas • Assemblyman Robert C.Wertz, N.Y. • Speaker DavidWilkins, S.C. • Assemblywoman Charlene Gonzalez Zettel, Calif.

STATE GOVERNMENT NEWS, ISSN 0039-0119,November/December 2001,Vol. 44, No. 10 — Published monthlywith combined issues in June/July and Nov./Dec. by The Council ofState Governments, 2760 Research Park Drive, Lexington, KY 40511-8410. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflectthe policies of The Council of State Governments nor the views ofthe editorial staff. Readers’ comments are welcome. Subscriptionrates — In the U.S., $45 per year. Single issues are available at $6 percopy. 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 (800) 800-1910. Mailing lists are avail-able for rent upon approval of a sample mailing.

Copyright 2001 by The Council of State Governments. Periodicalspostage paid at Lexington, Ky., and at additional mailing offices.

page 35

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Nov/Dec 2001

featuresfeatures

csg’s 2001 innovations awards

States hatch fresh ideas 10CSG presents the 2001 winners in the country’s only state governmentawards program judged by states themselves.• New Jersey — Supporting tax relief by Adam Rich• Pennsylvania — Growing greener by Cindy Lackey• Indiana — Ensuring children’s safety by Rachel Zietlow• Ohio — Creating revenue by Laurie Clewett• Florida — Treating mental illness by John Mountjoy• Maryland — Using the Internet by James Carroll• Idaho — Solutions for small business by Fred J.Vickers• Washington — Community Jobs by Michele Bushong

semifinalists

More fresh ideas 19Semifinalists for each region in the annual competition for innovative programs.

e-government

CSG recognizes state Web sites 22The Eagle E-government Awards highlight states that best provide servicesover the Internet.

by Ed Janairo

legislation

Trends in 2001 sessions 24Education, health and budget actions dominated debate in this year’s sessions.

by Elaine Stuart

health

Giving life 28States are looking at creative new ways of encouraging people to donatetheir organs.

by Trudi Matthews

page 10

page 13

managing editorElaine Stuart

associate editorCatherine Cowan

graphic design coordinatorFrances Park Bayer

contributorsJames Carroll

Ed JanairoKevin KinnairdJohn MountjoyJulia Nienaber

Kristin RobinsonDave Scott

Allison Spurrierproofreaders

Fred J.VickersNancy Vickers

reprint permissionsKristi Swanson

(859) 244-8118advertising and publication sales

(800) [email protected]

fax(859) 244-8001

[email protected]

internetwww.csg.org

on the coverThe 2001 CSG Innovations

Awards program recognizes eightfresh approaches to solving problems

in the states. Cover illustration by Frances Park Bayer. page 15

page 11

states news 6• States act on terrorism• State security chiefs named• Attacks hurt state budgets• Supreme Court refuses gun case

conference calendar 31Meetings and conference activities of CSG, affiliates and other associations are listed.

excellence in action 32CSG activities and events, and those of affiliates and other organizations,are highlighted.

inquiry line 36How do state kindergarten programs differ?

by James Carroll

political protocol 37Learning to be a leader

by Alan Rosenthal

perspective 38Reforming school finance

by Keon S. Chi

page 28


states news: find the latest news on CSG’s Web site – www.csg.org

More states have followed the leadof New York by passing anti-terrorismlegislation in the wake of the Sept. 11attacks on the World Trade Center andthe Pentagon.

Among states that have passed lawsthat increase the penalty for terrorism isMichigan, where a person convicted ofpossessing a chemical or biologicalweapon faces five years in prison and a$5,000 fine, while someone who caus-es a death with such a weapon faces lifein prison and a $25,000 fine; someonewho makes a false terrorist threat facesfive years in prison and a $10,000 fine.Michigan is also considering proposalsto make terrorism a separate felony,enable police wiretaps, criminalizefund-raising by terrorist groups, andincrease penalties for false threats.

New Jersey has passed laws making iteasier for families of Sept. 11 victims toget death certificates, relaxing unem-ployment eligibility and tax deadlines,and joining the Emergency Manage-ment Assistance Compact, which allowsstates to come to one another’s aid. NewJersey is also considering proposals to increase the penalties for terrorism andterrorist threats, expand the state wire-tapping law, authorize guards at nuclearplants to carry more powerful weapons,require background checks for flight les-sons, increase penalties for the sale offake driver’s licenses and establish col-lege scholarships for victims’ families.

In addition, New Jersey Acting Gov.Donald DiFrancesco has created the Of-fice of Recovery and Victim Assistanceto help state residents affected by theSept. 11 attacks, which killed an estimat-ed 2,000 state residents. The governoralso issued an executive order to protectsalary and benefits for state employeescalled into active military duty.

South Carolina approved a $500,000package to increase security at the StateHouse complex by hiring 10 new offi-cers, installing more barriers, requiringstate employees, lobbyists and media towear IDs, and requiring bar-codeddecals for vehicles entering the under-ground parking garage. The Legislaturewas also considering a proposal totoughen penalties for possessing orusing chemical, biological or nuclearweapons, and for falsely threatening touse such a weapon.

States act on terrorism

Several states haveappointed new direc-tors of homelandsecurity, patternedafter the federal postheld by former Penn-sylvania Gov. TomRidge. “If a state hasn’t done this, itshould,” RaymondKelly, former head ofthe U.S. CustomsService, told TheChristian ScienceMonitor. Iowa Gov.Tom Vilsack appoint-ed Ellen Gordon, administrator of theIowa Emergency Management Division,as the state’s new homeland securityadvisor. Missouri Gov. Bob Holdenappointed retired Col. Tim Daniel as spe-cial advisor on homeland security, a cab-

inet member who will lead the MissouriSecurity Panel. New York Gov. GeorgePataki appointed James K. Kallstrom,former assistant director of the FBI’sNew York division, as head of the newOffice of Public Security. North DakotaGov. John Hoeven appointed DougFriez, director of the state Division ofEmergency Management, as homelandsecurity coordinator. Tennessee Gov.Don Sundquist appointed Brigadier Gen. Wendell Gilbert as deputy forhomeland security to chair the newlyformed Council of Homeland Security.South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodgesappointed retired Army Maj. Gen. SteveSiegfried as his top security advisor.Acting Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swifthas also announced the creation of a cab-inet-level director of commonwealthsecurity, but as of press time had notappointed anyone.

Security chiefs named

Firefighters took a break from clearingrubble at the World Trade Center site in New York. Photo courtesy of FEMA

Many states are considering anti-ter-rorism legislation in the wake of theSept. 11 attacks. In Colorado, Sen. BobHagedorn plans to introduce a packageof bills that include a $1 million budgetfor a state coordinator of terrorismresponse, and background checks foranyone seeking flight training, a licenseto transport hazardous materials, or ajob at some biotechnology laboratories.Terrorism-related crimes would be clas-sified as felonies, and the penalty forfalse threats would be increased.

In Illinois, Attorney General JimRyan has proposed anti-terrorism legis-lation that seeks to expand wiretappingauthority for police, ease search-war-rant guidelines in emergencies, freezeassets of suspected terrorist groups andmake domestic terrorism a Class Xfelony punishable by the death penalty.

In Nebraska, Gov. Mike Johanns hasrequested $6.5 million to increaseCapitol security by building a $5 mil-lion wall and hiring and training morepolice officers.

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easleyhas proposed creating a new class ofpenalties for terrorism, increasing thepunishment for people who possess oruse chemical or biological weapons to20 years to life in prison, and increas-ing the punishment to five to 10 yearsin prison for false reports or hoaxes.

The Ohio Legislature is consideringbills that would help state NationalGuard members, military reservists andveterans by exempting military incomefrom the state income tax, increasingcompensation for state workers in mili-tary service, and waiving professional-license fees for veterans.

And in Wisconsin, Attorney GeneralJim Doyle has proposed a series of anti-terrorism measures, including increas-ing the penalty for someone who com-mits, assists in or threatens a terroristact, expanding wiretapping powers, andrequiring people to get court approvalbefore changing their names.

Anti-terrorism proposals abound

Anti-terrorism task forces activated

Former Penn-sylvania Gov.Tom Ridge be-gan his new jobas director ofhomeland secu-rity Oct. 8.

Many states have created new anti-ter-rorism task forces or commissions, orgiven new orders to existing ones.

Among them, California Gov. GrayDavis ordered the State Strategic Com-mittee on Terrorism to evaluate thepotential for a terrorist attack and thestate’s readiness, and to make recom-mendations for preventing and respond-ing to terrorist attacks.

The Florida Legislature created twospecial committees on state security. TheHouse committee will review the state’slaws and make recommendations for revi-sions to improve security, while the Senatecommittee will make recommendationsfor new laws to better protect the state’sresidents, infrastructure and economy.

Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne orderedthe State Domestic Preparedness Councilto assess disaster preparedness in thestate and report back in 45 days. IndianaGov. Frank O’Bannon created theIndiana Counter-Terrorism and SecurityCouncil to coordinate public-safetyefforts and identify and prevent terrorist

attacks. Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster cre-ated the Domestic Terrorism AdvisoryCommittee on Sept. 21 to assess thethreat of terrorism in the state and whatthe state needs to do to respond.

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns an-nounced that the Domestic PreparednessTask Force, the State Emergency Re-sponse Commission and the NebraskaBioterrorism Work Group will work to-gether to ensure preparedness. New Hamp-shire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen established theCommission on Preparedness and Securityto review the state’s readiness to respond toa terrorist attack and report by Nov. 27.

The New Jersey Legislature passedthe Domestic Security Preparedness Actof 2001, establishing and appropriatingmoney for a nine-member task force tointegrate planning and preparednessmeasures throughout the state. NorthCarolina Gov. Mike Easley created a taskforce to examine the state’s ability todeal with terrorist threats and devise amodel plan for responding. Ohio Gov.Bob Taft formed the Interagency Task

Force on Ohio Security to develop andoversee a coordinated strategy forresponding to terrorism. In Oregon, theHouse Special Task Force on StateEmergency Preparedness will assess thestate’s emergency management plan andcoordinate the work of state agencies.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed a 21-member task force to assess state and localpreparedness, aid coordination betweenagencies and make recommendations foridentifying and preventing terrorism. UtahGov. Mike Leavitt formed the HomelandSecurity Task Force to act as a state clear-inghouse for threats and intelligence infor-mation, identify resource needs and ensureresponse capabilities.

Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore created a 21-member Preparedness and Security Panelto analyze potential terrorist targets, assessthe state’s ability to respond, and make rec-ommendations by Nov. 30 for changes inlaws, policies and funding. And WisconsinGov. Scott McCallum created a Task Forceon Terrorism Preparedness to assess thestate’s readiness to protect residents.

Mike Harris, the Ontario premier bothloved and hated during six turbulentyears in office, announced Oct. 16 thathe will resign. He will formally stepdown as premier in March or April, butwill continue to represent his riding ofNipissing in Parliament. Harris deniedreports that his wife, with whom herecently reconciled after a two-year sep-aration, had pressured him to quit. “I didnot feel that (leading the party for five more years) was what I wanted to do

at this stage in mycareer,” he said.Harris’ main legacyis the “CommonSense Revolution”he led that balancedOntario’s budget forthe first time whilecutting personal andcorporate taxes. However, he was alsocriticized for shutting down hospitalsand overhauling the school system.

Ontario premier steps down

Ontario PremierMike Harris

Internet tax ban expires

A moratorium on Internet taxesexpired Oct. 21 after Congressdeclined to pass a two-year exten-sion because it has not sorted outhow state sales taxes should apply toe-commerce. While analysts saidstate and local governments are notlikely to impose taxes immediately,that could change with an increasingneed to raise money. Some lawmak-ers expressed concern that if tax offi-cials began interpreting a variety ofstate and local laws as applying tothe Internet, the economy could befurther weakened. The moratorium,imposed in 1998, banned any taxthat singles out the Internet. It did notaddress the issue of uncollected statesales taxes on e-commerce, estimat-ed at $26 billion in 2000.


Many states, already facing tough eco-nomic times, have been further hurt by thefallout from the Sept. 11 attacks on NewYork and Washington, D.C.

“We had a number of states that were al-ready concerned about their budgets andtheir revenues,” Don Hunter, manager ofinformation and membershipservices for The Council ofState Governments, told TheNew York Times. “What hashappened is that this series ofevents has removed even moreof their revenue base.”

According to Sept. 25 fig-ures from the National Associ-ation of State Budget Officers, 11 states werein a recession and 15 were near one before theattacks. After the attacks, 40 states reportedbudget problems and 15 had made or plannedto cut budgets or freeze spending, according toStateline.org. Arizona, Florida, Michigan,Ohio, Tennessee and Washington were facingdeficits of $1 billion or more; California’sdeficit might be $14 billion.

States are taking a variety of actions todeal with budget shortfalls. New York hasasked the federal government for a $54 bil-lion package of incentives, tax breaks andsubsidies to help rebuild its economy.

Florida and Hawaii, both highly dependenton tourism, have called special legislative ses-sions; Nebraska also met in special session,while Arizona planned a session for Nov. 13,

and Oregon was considering one. “I have nodoubt that we’re going to fulfill our constitu-tional duty to adjust our budget downward tothe tune of $1.3 billion,” said Florida Gov. JebBush. “Whether it happens in November, inDecember, when hell freezes over or any-where in between, we’re not leaving here

until it’s done. … It has to hap-pen.”The governors of Georgia,

Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina,Ohio and Oregon, among others, have ordered budgetcuts or hiring freezes. OhioGov. Bob Taft ordered budgetcuts to avoid a $600 million

deficit in June 2002, while Michigan Gov.John Engler vetoed $3.5 billion from the 2002 education budget and was consid-ering other cuts.

Meanwhile, the National Governors’Association has appealed to the federal gov-ernment for emergency assistance for states,including a stimulus package being consid-ered by Congress, relief from some federalregulations and suspension of state matchingrequirements on highway, airport and otherconstruction programs. The governors alsoare seeking more aid for laid-off workers.California, Florida and Virginia have alreadyacted on their own to aid unemployed work-ers, while the federal government has extend-ed unemployment benefits for those in 13states hardest hit by the Sept. 11 attacks.

Terrorist attacks hurt budgets

The Supreme Court refused Oct. 8 to heara Louisiana dispute over whether cities cansue gun manufacturers for the cost of crimes,protecting weapons makers from lawsuitsaimed at recouping millions of dollars spenton gun violence. New Orleans was the firstcity to file a lawsuit accusing gun makers ofselling unsafe products; dozens of cities andcounties around the country followed suit.The Louisiana Legislature blocked the law-suit by passing a law retroactively banningsuits against gun makers; 26 other states alsopassed similar laws. The Louisiana SupremeCourt upheld the law.

Also on the Supreme Court docket are

other significant cases involving states.Among them is the Cleveland school-vouch-er case, in which justices will decide whetherthe city’s program of providing vouchers tolow-income parents for use at parochialschools violates the constitutional separationbetween church and state. The court will alsohear a Virginia death-penalty case involving adefendant with an IQ of 59. In addition, jus-tices will rule on cases involving an affirma-tive-action plan for minority contractors,attempts to regulate child pornography overthe Internet, and efforts to get compensationfor property owners whose land is placedunder a moratorium on development.

States are taking a variety of actionsto fight terrorism.

Several states, including Florida,Missouri and New Jersey, have called orare considering holding special legisla-tive sessions. Some states, such asFlorida and Iowa, are seeking changes tothe open-records law that allows accessto government documents. Many stateuniversities, including those in Indianaand Washington, have handed over tothe FBI profiles of international studentsand people taking English as a secondlanguage — records they normallyguard closely.

Arizona has launched a 24-hour hotline for people to call with tips aboutpotential terrorists; it had logged morethan 600 calls by Oct. 10. California hasset up a database to track all terroristthreats and hoaxes in the state, and haslaunched hot lines for people to get infor-

mation about anthrax threats andto report hate crimes againstthose of Arab, Muslim or SouthAsian descent.

Maine Gov. Angus Kinghas requested federal funding formore National Guard troops atthe Canadian border. MinnesotaGov. Jesse Ventura stopped re-leasing his schedule to the mediafor a week in October, citingsecurity concerns, then began hand deliv-ering it the day before to Capitol reporters.Missouri Secretary of State Matt Bluntreported for active duty in the U.S. Navyon Oct. 9. New Hampshire has stepped uppatrols of the Portsmouth Harbor andPiscataqua River and has increased secu-rity at the Seabrook nuclear plant.

Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt assured resi-dents they will be safe during the 2002Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. “We

have in our scenario planningevery — at least what wethought was every — conceiv-able scenario since Sept. 11,” hesaid. “New ones are being devel-oped. But we will be prepared.”

Finally, the National Gov-ernors’ Association is workingwith the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency to com-pile a database of public- and

private-sector services and equipmentthat could be dispatched to help in anemergency in any state. At least 25 stateshave pledged everything from nurses andDNA technicians to dump trucks andbackhoes, said NGA database coordina-tor Ann Beauchesne. Offers of assistancewill be entered, categorized and updatedregularly in the NGA Inventory of State-Based Assistance for Relief andRecovery, she said.

Other action on terrorism

Utah Gov. MikeLeavitt

While anthrax continues to threatenfederal officials, postal workers andmembers of the media, states have notbeen immune. New York Gov. GeorgePataki was forced to vacate his Man-hattan office for nearly a week afteranthrax was discovered there. No em-ployees were sickened, but all, includ-ing Pataki, took the antibiotic Cipro.

Several employees at a Microsoftoffice in Reno, Nev., also were ex-posed after anthrax was found on apornographic picture mailed fromMalaysia. Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinnsaid he had no idea who might havecontaminated the photo.

Meanwhile, anthrax scares emptiedoffice buildings around the country,including state buildings in Nevada andNew Jersey, as letters and packagescontaining suspicious powders wereopened. Federal and state governmentsare taking action to combat hoaxes.One Connecticut employee wascharged with making false statementsto the FBI and faces five years in prison

and a $3 million fine after an anthraxhoax shut down a 808-person agencyfor two days.

The Virginia Department of Healthhas issued guidelines for anyone whoreceives a suspicious letter or packagecontaining an unknown powder.Among the recommendations:• Do not sniff, shake or empty the

contents.• Do not try to clean up powders or

fluids.• Put the envelope or package in a

plastic bag, or cover with anythingavailable.

• Leave the room, close the door or section off the area.

• Wash your hands with soap and water. Do not touch your face or skin.

• Report the incident to the police.• List all people who were in the

room.

Information is available on CSG’sWeb site, www.csg.org.

Anthrax threatens states N.C. passes patients’ rights

North CarolinaGov. Mike Easleysigned Oct. 18 whatstate officials calledthe toughest patients’bill of rights in thenation. The lawallows patients whohave been deniedservices or treatmentto take their case to anexternal review board, and gives them theright to sue their insurance companies instate court. “Too often, managed-care com-panies seem to place more emphasis on‘managed’ and less emphasis on ‘care,’ ”said Easley, who had championed the billduring his campaign. The new law, howev-er, will not apply to all of the 5.1 millionNorth Carolinians who have health insur-ance through their employers. About halfof those workers are in plans regulated bythe federal Employee Retirement SecurityAct, which is exempt from state mandates.

North CarolinaGov. Mike Easley

Minnesota workers settle

About 22,000 Minnesota stateemployees walked off their jobsOct. 1, after union and state nego-tiators were unable to reach agree-ment on new two-year contracts.Strikers included members ofCouncil 6 of the American Fed-eration of State, County andMunicipal Employees, which rep-resents 19,000 clerical, mainte-nance and custodial workers, theMinnesota Association of Profes-sional Employees, which repre-sents 10,500 technical, accountingand management employees.

The strike affected many sec-tors of the state economy. TheMinnesota Zoo was closed, aswere many drivers’ testing stationsand motor-vehicle offices. Workon freeways was limited to emer-gency repairs only, and NationalGuard troops were called in tokeep state hospitals, group homesand nursing and veterans homesrunning. Only prison guards andstate troopers were not allowed towalk out.

At issue in the two-year con-tract talks were pay and healthinsurance. Both unions said thestate’s annual raise offer of 2 per-cent was less than last year’s in-crease of 3 percent and below theinflation rate of 4.2 percent. Theunions also disputed the state’shealth-insurance plan, whichraised the cost of family coveragefrom zero to $600 to $8,800 ayear, depending on the plan.

The strike was settled Oct. 14,when AFSCME representativesagreed to 3.5 percent pay raisesand MAPE representatives agreedto 3 percent pay raises each yearfor the next two years. The statealso trimmed the maximumemployees would have to pay forfamily health coverage. Unionmembers were to vote on the con-tracts this month.

Supreme Court refuses gun case

hen you’ve tried the tried-and-trueand nothing seems to work, then

it’s time to seek out fresh ideas. That’swhy each year The Council of StateGovernments selects eight of the best newstate and territorial programs and policiesto share with officials nationwide.

This year’s winners of CSG’s 2001Innovations Awards are examples of howstates are finding new ways to deliver bet-ter government while saving tax dollars.

“CSG’s Innovations Awards is the onlycomprehensive, national awards programthat focuses exclusively on state pro-grams and policies and selects winnersbased on evaluations by state governmentleaders,” said Dan Sprague, executivedirector of CSG.

CSG’s method of selecting the win-ning programs is truly unique, calling onthe resources of the entire organizationand relying on the expertise of state offi-cials. After an initial review conducted byCSG policy experts of the hundreds ofapplications received, regional panels of

10 state government news november/december 2001

WW state officials select two programs fromeach CSG region, representing states andterritories in the West, East, South andMidwest, for an Innovations Award.

The Innovations Awards program is thepioneer of all such programs, havingevolved from CSG’s Innovations Transferprogram, which began in 1975. To bringeven greater visibility to exemplary stateprograms and policies, CSG establishedthe current Innovations Awards program in1986. The program also facilitates the trans-fer of successful programs to other states.

Each winning program will receive itsaward in ceremonies at its own state capitolin early 2002. In addition, CSG is show-casing this year’s winners and the runnersup in this issue of State Government News,as well as in other CSG publications and onCSG’s Web site, www.csg.org.

Congratulations to the 2001 InnovationsAward winners from Florida, Idaho,Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio,Pennsylvania and Washington, whichemerged from more than 350 applications,

and to the runners-up. As diverse as theyare, this year’s winners share several traits— they make good use of public-privateand state-local partnerships and providebetter public service. — Elaine Stuart

“It is one of the happy incidents of the federal

system that a single courageous state may, if its

citizens choose, serve as alaboratory and try 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 effectiveprograms with others through CSG’sInnovations Awards program.Regional panels of state and territori-al officials and staff will select nextyear’s winners on the basis of the fol-lowing criteria: newness, creativity,effectiveness, significance, applica-bility and transferability.

For information on the program orto apply for a 2002 InnovationsAward, contact James Carroll at (859)244-8257 or [email protected], orvisit CSG’s Web site, www.csg.org.Application forms will be available

the council of state governments 11

innovationsinnovations

hen former New Jersey Gov.Christine Todd Whitman convened

a panel in 1998 to work on property-taxrelief, she was the latest in a long line ofstate officials to take a crack at the prob-lem. With more than 1,600 local govern-ments, schools and fire districts supportedby local property taxes, state residents hadlong struggled to find a balance betweenlocal control and high tax rates.

“A new approach was needed, one thatoffered real incentives to local govern-ments for taking the at times difficult stepof merging programs, sharing servicesand working cooperatively,” said JaneKenny, commissioner of the stateDepartment of Community Affairs.

The panel proposed a creative andeffective two-pronged solution: theRegional Efficiency DevelopmentIncentive Program and the RegionalEfficiency Aid Program, signed into lawin 1999.

The programs encourage local govern-ments to consolidate services where appro-priate and to pass on the resulting savingsto residents as property-tax relief. Localgovernments may apply for REDI funds tostudy the feasibility of consolidating a par-ticular service, and to REAP to receivestate aid for property-tax reduction.

The types of services considered forconsolidation include emergency com-munications and dispatching, policepatrol, animal-control services andbeach-maintenance efforts. The biggestsuccess has been the consolidation of firedepartments in the Hudson County area.As a result, residents there typically save$215 in property taxes each year.

Local governments have submittedmore than 100 applications for REDI

funding as of August. REDI distributesloans and grants for local governmentsto conduct feasibility studies and cov-ers startup, transition and implementa-tion costs. REDI covers the first$15,000 and 90 percent of excess costs,with the local government providing a10 percent match.Applications areaccepted year-roundand applicants are noti-fied of funding deci-sions within 45 days ofsubmission.

Communities thatreceive REDI fundsare eligible to applyfor REAP. The actualsavings is determinedby formulas developed by theDepartment of Community Affairs andby the Department of Education ininstances where service consolidationinvolves school districts. Property-taxbills indicate the exact amount of sav-ings resulting from REAP aid.

Homeowners are not the only onesto benefit. Tenants in buildings withfive or more rental units also are eligi-ble for relief. So far, taxpayers havereceived $16.6 million in direct taxcredits.

The funding for these programs —REAP was launched with a $10 mil-lion appropriation and REAP is sup-ported by a $25 million annual appro-priation — is included as part of thestate budget. No direct operating costsexist, other than the salaries of fivefull-time employees in the programs.

The approach of REDI and REAPdiffers from previous tax-relief pro-

grams in two ways. “First, it promptslocal officials to make fundamentalchanges in service delivery that will leadto long-term property tax relief,” saidMarc Pfeiffer, deputy director of theDivision of Local Government Services.“Second, it demands that the savingsbrought about by sharing services bepassed on to the taxpayers. REDI andREAP promotes innovation at the locallevel by prompting local officials torethink the way they provide services.”

Other states struggling to reduce prop-erty taxes are likely to find inspiration inthe New Jersey model. Because NewJersey ranks 22nd, or near the middle, inthe number of local governments, itsexperience is relevant to other states.

However, some factors that facilitatedNew Jersey’s success might not existelsewhere. “To the extent that local unitsin other states are not as dependent on the

local property tax asNew Jersey’s coun-ties, municipalitiesand school districts,the use of property-tax credits may not beas great an incentive,”Pfeiffer said.Also, in New Jersey,

the municipality isresponsible for thebilling and collection

of all property taxes. “If there are multi-ple units that levy and collect taxes onlocal property, this could complicate theapportionment and distribution of aid in aREAP-type program,” Pfeiffer said.

Applications for REDI this fiscal yearare expected to increase by nearly 50 per-cent from last year, and the number ofcommunities benefiting from REAP isexpected to double. Kenny expects thatthe amount of property-tax relief provid-ed by the program will come close to themaximum $25 million allowed by thelegislation.

For more information about the REDIand REAP programs, contact MarcPfeiffer, deputy director of the Division ofLocal Government Services, Departmentof Community Affairs, at (609) 292-4584or [email protected].

Adam Rich, publications manager, CSGEastern Office

New Jersey encourages local governments to cut costsand lower property taxes.

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New Jersey’s REDI and REAP programshelped consolidate fire departments.



urning traditional regulatory ap-proaches upside down, Pennsyl-

vania’s Growing Greener program usesstate dollars to build local capacity tosolve environmental problems.

The Growing Greener program, signedinto law by then-Gov. Tom Ridge on Dec.15, 1999, provides $645.9 million over fiveyears to several state agencies for environ-mental projects, such as farmland preserva-tion, abandoned-mine reclamation andwater- and sewer-system improvements.

The commonwealth’s Department ofEnvironmental Protection is implement-ing the innovative watershed-restorationcomponent of Growing Greener. Overfive years, the department will awardnearly $240 million in grants to localefforts to protect and improve Pennsyl-vania’s watersheds.

State efforts to implement the federalClean Water Act are turning attention towatersheds, which are areas of land thatfunnel rainwater into streams, rivers andlakes. With pollution from identifiable“point sources” such as drain pipes undercontrol, states are tackling “nonpoint-source” pollution, such as runoff from urbanareas, farmlands and abandoned mines.

Since nonpoint-source pollution ac-counts for 96 percent of poor water qual-ity in Pennsylvania’s streams, watershedcleanup is key. In a 1998 report, the gov-ernor’s 21st Century EnvironmentCommission recognized that standardregulatory approaches were not suited tocleaning up watersheds.

The Department of EnvironmentalProtection awards grants to local agenciesand associations that undertake watershedprojects, such as organization of watershedgroups; watershed assessment, restoration

and protection; and watershed demonstra-tion, education and outreach. Recipientshave two years to spend the grants.

By funding local projects, the depart-ment hopes to build the capacity of localgroups to tackle environmental problems.“Under the traditional regulatory approach,work stopped when fund-ing ran out,” said David E.Hess, department secre-tary. “In contrast, Grow-ing Greener gives tools toclean up watersheds andbuilds capacity for futureenvironmental projects.”

Evidence of localcommitment is the out-pouring of matching con-tributions by grant recip-ients — even though theprogram has no matchrequirement. By August2001, the department hadawarded $86.6 million instate funds, which had been matched by$127.1 million in local contributions,including private donations, in-kindassistance and local government funds.

“Other agencies thought we were nuts”to encourage rather than require matchingfunds, Hess said. “We thought there wereenough groups with good local partner-ships to generate the matching funds.Still, the amount of matching funds hasexceeded our expectations.”

The department also made it quick andeasy for local watershed groups to applyfor grants from Growing Greener. Withinthree weeks of the program’s approval inDecember 1999, the DEP passed outapplications at grant-writing workshopsacross the state. Groups could fill out a

one-page, front and back, application orapply online. The DEP received morethan 800 applications for the first-yeargrants by the February deadline andannounced the winners April 18, 2000.

Although it streamlined the applicationprocess, the department has not sacrificedaccountability for those who receivefunds. With the help of county conserva-tion districts, the DEP carefully screensapplicants and requires recipients to attendgrant-administration training. The depart-ment also assigns an advisor to every proj-ect to provide technical assistance andkeep the project on track. More than 300department staff serve as project advisors.

Administrative costs are capped at twopercent. Eight full-time employees pro-vide services to Growing Greener as wellas several other grant programs. In addi-tion, the department’s watershed man-agers, local watershed specialists and

project advisors providestaff support.

Through GrowingGreener, the DEP part-ners with numerous localofficials, residents andgrassroots organizationsto tackle the common-wealth’s environmentalconcerns. Building effec-tive partnerships is fun-damental to success.

This summer, Hessvisited projects in 29counties, including Ket-tle Creek in Potter Coun-ty, where the Kettle

Creek Watershed Association is leading thefirst-ever attempt to clean up the populartrout stream. Volunteers, including anglers,environmentalists and local officials, areworking together to restore the creek usingnatural stream-design methods.

“The Kettle Creek project demon-strates the spirit of Growing Greener —partnership,” Hess said.

For more information about GrowingGreener, contact David E. Hess, Secretaryof the Pennsylvania Department ofEnvironmental Protection, at (717) 787-2814 or [email protected], or visitwww.GrowingGreener.org.

Cindy Lackey, Eastern regional coordina-tor, CSG Lexington

An innovative program promotes community-based efforts to protect and improve watersheds.

David E. Hess, left, secretary ofthe Pennsylvania Department ofEnvironmental Protection, joinedvolunteers from the Kettle CreekWatershed Association to plantwillow bundles that will help sta-

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facilities, local health departments andparents then meet to decide how manystars the facility should get. After a facilityreceives star recogni-tion, IDEM arrangesfor media coverage tolet everyone in thecommunity know afacility has gone aboveand beyond in provid-ing a healthy environ-ment for children.

The 5-Star Envi-ronmental Recognition Programnot only recognizes safe facilities,it also provides assistance to facili-ties that need to make improve-ments. If a facility needs immediateon-site assistance, IDEM personnelvisit and assess its situation.

Paula Smith, director of theOffice of Planning and Assessmentin IDEM, said one of the 5-Starprogram’s greatest strengths is thatit costs child-care facilities virtual-ly nothing. There is no applicationfee, and IDEM contracts with a lab-oratory to provide risk assessments.Brochures, videos and other pro-motional items about the program are provided to the facilities atno charge.

Since the creation of the 5-Star pro-gram, 66 facilities have earned recogni-tion. All of them have implemented pestmanagement using baits and traps ratherthan pesticides. Four are among the firstin the nation to participate in a pilot pro-gram studying the effectiveness of suchpest management at child-care facilities.

The 5-Star Environmental RecognitionProgram is also a model in terms of col-

laboration and partnership, both acrossstate agencies and between the public and private sectors. Because IDEM does not license and regulate child-carefacilities, it works with the agency thatdoes, the Family and Social ServicesAdministration. Other partners includeparents, children’s associations, solid-waste-management districts and the fed-eral Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration.

The 5-Star Environmental RecognitionProgram is highly transferable to otherstates, Smith said. New legislation wasnot required to implement it. “Existingrules and regulations may be different inother states, requiring minor adjustmentsto the program,” she said. All promotion-

al and informational materials are avail-able from IDEM.The program’s biggest impact, Smith

said, is that children are becomingaware of hazards and telling their par-ents. “This program has educated chil-

dren by day and by night. Kids comehome and point to things that may not besafe,” she said.

For more information about the 5-StarEnvironmental Recognition Program,contact Paula Smith, director, Office ofPlanning and Assessment, at (317) 233-1210, or visit the program’s Web site atwww.state.in.us/idem/kids.

Rachel Zietlow, policy analyst, CSGLexington


ndiana is helping to keep children inday care safe from pesticides and otherchemicals. Recognizing that many

childhood problems such as hyperactivi-ty, learning disabilities and asthma aredirectly related to environmental hazards,the Indiana Department of EnvironmentalManagement has created the 5-StarEnvironmental Recognition Program forChild Care Facilities. The program is partof the state’s commitment to giving allchildren, from birth to age 4, the opportu-nity to develop their greatest potential.

Many childhood behaviors, such ascrawling on the floor, placing objects inmouths and playing in the dirt, exposechildren to environmental risks. Childrenare more susceptible than adults to prob-lems in the environment. Because mostbrain development occurs before age 4 and 100,000 children are placed inchild-care facilities each day in Indiana,IDEM has created the 5-Star program torecognize facilities that reduce healththreats. Under the program, the agencyrates the safety of facilities based on a 5-star system.

To find out whether the program wasneeded, IDEM surveyed several child-care facilities in various socioeconomicsectors across the state. When the agencyasked directors and staff of the facilitiesabout environmental hazards, it learnedmany of them had never received anytraining on these types of threats.

To get a rating from the program, child-care facilities must fill out an applicationand receive an IDEM staff person for anon-site visit. A review committee made upof representatives from IDEM, Family andSocial Services Administration, stateDepartment of Health, various child-care

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A new environmental program recognizes the state’s safest child-care facilities

Above: Indiana First Lady Judy O’Bannon, left, vis-ited children at Robin’s Nest Child Care Center, a 5-Star facility. Volunteer Mr. Sam, center, participated.Top left: Kathleen Hruby, director of My School inCrown Point, Ind., received a 5-Star plaque fromIDEM Office Director Adriane Blaesing.



hio has found a simple way to makemoney while ensuring its assets are

invested equitably throughout the state.BidOhio, an online, competitive auctionof interim funds in the state treasury, hasproduced more than $5 million in extrarevenue since it began in October 1999.

“The purpose of BidOhio is to, No. 1,spread the money more equitablythroughout Ohio’s banks. But secondly,while maintaining the same parameters of risk, we have earned a lot more money for the state,” said Ohio TreasurerJoseph Deters.

Like other states, Ohio invests its inter-im funds in short-term financial instru-ments, such as certificates of deposit, toearn revenue. Interim funds are fees,taxes, and the like that have been collect-ed by the treasury but aren’t yet needed tomeet state obligations. By making thebidding process “live” over the Internet,Deters and his staff have been able tomake it more competitive, efficient, equi-table and profitable.

The state contracted with Muni-Auction, now called The Grant StreetGroup, a Pittsburgh-based Internet com-pany, to develop the necessary softwareand to operate the Web site. Once amonth, banks can bid online for $42.5million in funds. The banks can makemultiple bids of up to $5 million each,and they can update their bids as often asnecessary to remain competitive duringthe 30-minute auction. The state awardsthe funds to institutions offering the bestrates of return on six-month CDs. Theminimum bid rate is the equivalent of thecurrent six-month U.S. Treasury Bill.

Going online has allowed more institu-tions to join the bidding process, which

makes it more competitive. “What I foundwhen I came into office was that most ofthe banks that were getting the moneywere near the Capitol, and the smallercommunity banks were not enjoy-ing the deposits of the state,”Deters said.

When a bank wins a bid forinterim funds, its loan-depositratios increase, which means thebank can lend more money toindividuals and investors in thecommunity. By spreading thefunds throughout the state, theprogram has benefited more com-munities. The number of biddinginstitutions has increased from 7to 57 in the past two years.

Since the more competitiveprocess results in better interestrates and higher revenue for thestate, the one-time startup costs of$25,000 to develop the initial pro-gram have been more than reim-bursed. The Grant Street Groupoperates the site, and winning bid-ders pay the company a fee of0.01 percent of the principalamount of the CD to cover ongo-ing administration costs. “Theprogram is funded by fees the par-ticipating banks pay, so taxpayersaren’t paying for it,” Deters said.“The response has been over-whelming.”

Deters said the idea for the programcame from Sue Hamilton, one of his staffmembers. “I think the most importantthing in terms of the success of BidOhiois that officials really work to empowertheir employees to come up with greatideas like this, and move on them when

they make sense,” he added.More than 30 states have contacted the

Ohio Treasury for information aboutBidOhio. Indiana, South Carolina, Texas,and Allegheny County, Penn., havealready replicated the program and areconducting regular auctions.

Deters noted that online auctions willwork best in states with large bankingcommunities. “We have a very large anddiverse banking community in Ohio,which encourages competition,” he said. “If that exists in a treasurer’s state,then BidOhio, or BidNevada, orBidIndiana — whatever it is — is goingto be a big success.”

For more information about BidOhio,contact Sue Hamilton, investment coordi-nator, Treasurer of State, State of Ohio,

30 E. Broad St., 9th Floor, Columbus, OH43266-0421, phone (614) 466-6546, fax(614) 466-2499.

Laurie Clewett, Midwestern regionalcoordinator, CSG Lexington

BidOhio helps the state make money whilehelping its communities.

“We have earned a lot more money for the state,” saidOhio Treasurer Joseph Deters.

OO



growing problem in our nation’scriminal-justice system is the arrest

and imprisonment of people who sufferfrom mental illness. The numbers arestaggering. According to the Bureau ofJustice Statistics, more than a third of amillion offenders across the country suf-fer from some sort of mental illness.About 300,000 mentally ill inmates arecurrently in prison, most in state and localfacilities. The strain these inmates placeon an already-strained system is shock-ing, both in terms of cost and administra-tive difficulties.

Recognizing this strain on the correc-tions and criminal-justice systems,Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit has estab-lished the Criminal Mental HealthProject, a comprehensive program toidentify and treat those arrested andimprisoned who suffer from mental ill-ness. The program pulls together courts,corrections, law enforcement, mental-health agencies and health and humanservice agencies to address, with onevoice and one program, the needs of thisdistressed population.

In the first step of the program, pre-booking diversion, a Crisis InterventionTeam made up of specially trained law-enforcement officers responds to callsinvolving people with mental illness. Theteam determines whether to take a defen-dant to a receiving facility known as aCrisis Triage Unit for evaluation, treat-ment and referrals. Previously, a mentallyill offender would have been placed in ajail and could have spent weeks therewithout proper mental-health services ormedication for a noncriminal offense. Byplacing mentally ill defendants in a CrisisTriage Unit, however, officers can more

effectively evaluate, treat and respond totheir unique needs.

The next step, post-booking diversion,takes place within 24 to 48 hours of arrest.Mentally ill offenders held for misde-meanors are sent to community healthfacilities for treatment. Again, theCriminal Mental Health Project seeks toensure mentally ill offenders are evaluatedand stabilized, rather than ignored andpossibly made worse by combining themwith other, non-mentally ill offenders.

Next, mentally illoffenders are placed in anAdult Living Facilitywith intensive case man-agement and treatment.This not only ensurestheir safety and that ofthe public, but also offersa continuum of care byproviding appropriate liv-ing situation that is coor-dinated with theDepartment of Familiesand Children. Throughsuch housing, the Crim-inal Mental Health Pro-ject can provide casemanagement, medicationand more for mentally illpeople who previously had cycled in andout of the criminal-justice system.

Besides helping to provide housing formentally ill offenders, the Department ofFamilies and Children has also assigned acourt case management specialist to theMiami-Dade County Jail Division to linkmisdemeanor offenders with substance-abuse services and the mental-health sys-tem. By collaborating with other agencieson an ongoing rather than case-by-case

basis, the Criminal Mental Health Projectcan take advantage all services and optionsavailable for treating mentally ill offenders.

At any given time, the Miami-DadeCounty criminal-justice system housesabout 800 inmates who suffer from seri-ous mental illness. The average dailyinmate population is about 6,800, mean-ing about 12 percent are mentally ill.These inmates cost more than double thenational average to incarcerate — about$98 each per day, or $78,400 for Miami-Dade daily. Further, county authoritiesthink at least 400 more inmates sufferfrom undiagnosed mental illness.

By establishing the Criminal MentalHealth Project, Florida’s 11th Circuit hasfound an innovative way to address whathas been a timeless, if not recognized,problem in the criminal-justice system.By identifying, treating and housing mentally ill offenders through a compre-hensive, multi-agency approach, Miami-Dade County is promoting public safety,preserving the safety of the offenders,reducing overall costs to the taxpayer andultimately saving lives.

For more information about the Crim-inal Mental Health Project, contact SteveLeifman, associate administrative judge,Miami-Dade County, Richard E. GersteinJustice Building, 1351 N.W. 12th Street,Room 617, Miami, FL 33125, telephone(305) 548-5394, fax (305) 548-5552, e-mail [email protected].

John Mountjoy, public safety and justicepolicy analyst, CSG Lexington

Miami-Dade County has a new program for ensuring mentally ill offenders receive care.

AA

The Criminal Mental Health Project sends mentally ill offendersto treatment instead of jail.



tates are constantly expanding theiruse of the Internet to simplify gov-

ernment procedures and better serve resi-dents. Under the leadership of Gov. ParrisGlendening, Maryland plans to provide80 percent of its services online by 2004.

To meet this goal, the state Departmentof General Services launched eMarylandMarketplace in March 2000. The Web site,at www.emarylandmarketplace.com, isfast becoming the online hub for the state’s$6 billion in annual procurements. Thissite allows state agencies to buy quicklyfrom private vendors. While it once tookdays or weeks to solicit bids and buy prod-ucts and services, it now takes just minutesby using the online system.

“eMaryland Marketplace is one of theboldest undertakings in the state’s e-Government portfolio, and by using theInternet we are re-engineering time-con-suming, paper-dominated procedures,”said DGS Secretary Peta N. Richkus.

In just 30 months, Maryland trans-formed its paper-driven state procurementsystem into the nation’s first statewideInternet-based, interactive system.

In 1998, Maryland issued a request forproposals for a self-funded procurementsystem that maintained the business rulesand security standards required by publicprocurement regulations while remainingflexible enough to be used by all agenciesin the state. The request also specified thatparticipating agencies, universities, coun-ties, cities, and certain nonprofit organiza-tions would not require extra personnel orfunds to maintain the system.

After a three-month pilot phase, the statesigned a three-year contract with ScienceApplications International Corporation toprovide eMaryland Marketplace as the one-

stop procurement shop for state and localagencies. The program, which began withtwo state agencies, 12 bidding vendors and20 users, has grown to include 61 state andlocal agencies, more than 900 bidding ven-dors and more than 400 trained users.

“The state has adopted eMarylandMarketplace and continues to increase itsuse of the Internet for procurement,” saidWilliam E. Culen, director of the DGSOffice of Procurement and Contracting.“Our vendors are learning that this newtechnology provides an efficient means toimprove their access to state procurementinformation. eMaryland Marketplaceprovides greater opportunities forsmall businesses, secures competitiveprices for the state and enhances theefficiency and timeliness of the pro-curement process.”

eMaryland Marketplace wasdeveloped and continues to functionat no cost to Maryland. The fundingformula is simple. First, businessesthat subscribe to the site’s interactivebidding service pay an annual sub-scription fee of $150 for basic serv-ice or $225 for premium service.Premium subscribers are notified imme-diately of bid opportunities in the cate-gories they identify. Second, vendors mayplace their catalogs on the site and pay a$3.50 fee for each transaction.

The system’s integrator, SAIC, incursall costs associated with the Web site andreceives all revenue up to $5 million. Afterprofits reach $5 million, revenue-sharingformulas provide money to the state.Although the state has yet to make anymoney from the marketplace, the site post-ed more than $10 million in contracts in itsfirst year; as of Sept. 15, 2001, that figure

had grown to more than $70 million.Although the system has not made

money for the state, it has saved agenciesmoney. The state’s procurement organiza-tions saw a reduction in average adminis-tration costs of $100 per order. One countysaved $12,000 through 27 bid solicitationsduring its first month of participation.

eMaryland Marketplace already hasbeen recognized as a leader in online pro-curement by the National Association ofState Chief Administrators, civic.com, anonline magazine for government e-com-merce, and the International ElectronicGovernment Conference and Exposition.The system is the first to offer bidding,contracting and purchasing functionsalong with the capacity for comprehen-sive reporting and auditing. It is also thefirst e-procurement program to includelocal governments in its startup.

In response to interest by others,Maryland has provided more than 20states considering similar initiatives with acopy of its original request for proposals.

Moreover, eMaryland Marketplacecontinues to grow. The DGS plans tolaunch the eMaryland Connection pro-gram, which will provide additional

access to the system by placing computerstations in DGS-operated buildings acrossthe state. This will allow more vendors totake advantage of the e-procurement por-tal to bid on goods and services sought bystate and local governments.

For more information about eMarylandMarketplace, contact Dave Humphrey,director of communications, Maryland Department of General Services, at (410) 767-4652 or [email protected].

James Carroll, Southern regional coordi-nator, CSG Lexington

A new Web site acts as an online hub for state procurements.

SS



daho has a new way to help prospectivesmall-business owners get the answers

they need from government. The state haslaunched a new Web site, Small BusinessSolutions at www.idahobizhelp.org, toanswer most questions a potential entre-preneur might have about local, state andfederal regulations and permits.

The site is unique because it allowsprospective owners to ask questions incommon business language and matchesterms with government lingo. It does thisby using an interactive decision-treecalled Business Wizard, designed by thestate’s Reducing Idaho’s Bureaucracygroup. The group, made up of businessowners, agency heads and staff, has takenon a number of projects to improve serv-ices to Idaho’s business owners. In creat-ing the Business Wizard, staff membersplayed a key role by communicatingquestions asked by potential businessowners to system designers, who incor-porated their responses in the final prod-uct. A steering committee of agencyheads provided oversight.

To use the Web site, potential ownersmust answer questions about the type ofbusiness; licenses, permits and specialregulations; whether it will use employ-ees or independent contractors; the typeof business entity; and whether it willhave an assumed business name. Thedatabase then provides a list of agencies,forms, publication numbers, phone num-bers, Web sites and comments the poten-tial owner may need in each area.

The site can help potential owners savea huge amount of time and energy, espe-cially in a state that has a widespread andlargely rural population. “One of the mostfrustrating things for starting a business is

not knowing who regulates what,” saidMarguerite Mason, director of the pro-gram. Instead of having to travel fromremote areas of the state to Boise to visitmany different agencies, potential busi-ness owners can find out up-front whatlicenses, permits and forms they need andhow much these requirements will cost.

The Small Business Solutions site wasfunded in April 1999 and went online inJuly 2000. Startup costs were $120,000,and annual mainte-nance costs are$36,000, although thestate actually pays lessthan that because$17,000 of that comesfrom the contribution oftime by agency staff. Anew feature is plannedfor mid-2002, when alist of potential fundingsources for new busi-nesses will be added tothe information current-ly compiled by theBusiness Wizard.

The public use ofthe program is evidentby the number of hitsthe Web site receives.In July 2001, forexample, the site counted more than132,000 hits and 4,000 user sessions, or130 people per day. Users stay on the sitefor an average of seven to eight minutes.Thirty percent of Web sessions occurafter normal business hours, and 11 per-cent take place on weekends.

“We hope that we are growing newbusinesses in the state, especially in therural areas,” Mason said. “A rural legisla-

tor commented that it was just what shehad been asking for — a one-stop reposi-tory of information.”

Although Idaho sees the program interms of businesses and jobs, Mason said,it also helps reduce people’s frustrationwith government. The Web site allowspotential business owners to know what isrequired before starting a business, insteadof incurring a costly problem afterward.

Mason thinks that the program is trans-ferable to other states. Idaho has beencontacted by several other states consid-ering implementing a similar program.

By adopting a customer-serviceapproach that focuses on the problemfrom the business owners’ point of view,Idaho has made government more effec-tive. Organizing its Web site by “businessissue, not agency function” is an innova-tive solution that gives potential ownersthe information they must have to decidewhether to start a new business.

For more information about Idaho’sSmall Business Solutions, contactMarguerite Mason, state director of

research and training, Idaho Small Busi-ness Development Center, 1910 UniversityDrive, Boise, ID 83725-1655, telephone(208) 426-1511, fax (208) 426-3877, e-mail [email protected], or visit theWeb site at www.idahobizhelp.org.

Fred J. Vickers, senior editor, CSGLexington

A new Web site helps prospective owners find answers to common questions.

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The site, at www.idahobizhelp.org, tells people what it might costto start a new business.



n 1996, the federal PersonalResponsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act, also known as theWelfare Reform Act, required states to cre-ate welfare-to-work programs. Washingtonresponded by creating the WorkFirst pro-gram to help welfare recipients move asquickly as possible into the job market.

Many welfare recipients, however,were not being helped by conventionalwork-transition strategies. Some couldnot find jobs because they had limitededucation, a poor work history or difficultfamily situations. Others who did findjobs lost them for reasons such as spouseor partner abuse, poor work habits, lackof communication skills, lack of educa-tion, substance abuse or undiagnosedmental, physical and learning issues.

To help these hard-to-employ welfarerecipients gain confidence and skills sothey can find work, Washington createdCommunity Jobs. The program, adminis-tered by the state Office of Trade andCommunity Development, provides tran-sitional employment for welfare recipi-ents who have had difficulty finding andkeeping work by placing them in jobs atone of the work sites, often a nonprofitagency, contracted from around the state.

Once in the program, participants work20 hours per week for nine months at thestate minimum wage, currently $6.50 perhour. Caseworkers in Community Jobshelp participants find ways to reduce theirdebts, reinstate their drivers’ licenses andplan career ladders, among other things,so they are ready to work. Most partici-pants (93 percent) also choose to receivelife-skills and vocational training, wherethey learn skills such as parenting andbudgeting, receive training in areas such

as nursing and first aid, or obtain high-school equivalency and associate of artsdegrees.

The idea, said Julie Wilson, managingdirector of Community Jobs, is to fostersuccess by providing beneficial workexperience, life skills, job training, fre-quent contact, and individually tailoredcareer plans, mentoring and support.

“The Community Jobs program phi-losophy is that participants should deter-mine their long- and short-term goals,both personally and professionally,”Wilson said.

The initial startup cost for CommunityJobs was $3.8 million, not includingwages. Current annual operational costsare $13.8 million, including wages. SinceMay 2001, Community Jobs has enrolledmore than 5,505 people. The program hasexpanded to help people who havereached their lifetime welfare-assistancelimit, and serves teen-age welfare recipi-ents by teaching important work skillswhile emphasizing an education.

Since its inception, Community Jobshas expanded to provide job placementsin the private sector and apprenticeshipswith the state labor council, thus broad-ening career prospects for participants byopening doors that were once closed.These opportunities help establish long-lasting positive outcomes by moving par-ticipants into permanent jobs at higherwages, all while saving the state money inwage subsidies.

A recent evaluation by the EconomicOpportunity Institute and the NorthwestPolicy Center at the University ofWashington confirmed the effectivenessof the program. The evaluation found that67 percent of Community Jobs partici-

pants obtain unsubsidized employmentand 85 percent successfully completenine months of work in the program.

Community Jobs is the first and mostadvanced of its kind in the United States,Wilson said. It continues to be an excel-lent model for serving people with diffi-culty in getting and keeping a job, andwas the first program funded by the stateand operating statewide.

While most states could start a programlike Community Jobs, some states mayhave trouble finding adequate funds to provide similar services. However,the return is worthwhile, as seen in thenumber of Community Jobs participantswho have obtained permanent employ-ment and left the welfare system inWashington. “Community Jobs continu-ously evolves to optimize success for par-ticipants,” Wilson said.

The program’s uniqueness, particularlyits use of wages, intensive support andnine-month duration, initially made ithard to sell to partner agencies. TheDepartment of Community, Trade, and

Economic Development, one of fouragencies that oversees the program,worked diligently to smooth out adminis-trative issues and educate officials, first bysharing anecdotal success stories and laterby gathering statistical proof of the pro-gram’s success.

For more information aboutCommunity Jobs, contact Julie Wilson,managing director, at 128 10th Ave. S.W.,P.O. Box 42525, Olympia, WA 98405-2525, phone (360) 725-4147, [email protected]

Michele Bushong, health policy analyst,CSG Lexington

Washington has made a commitment to help those most in need move into jobs.

II

Washington’s Community Jobs programhelped Lynn Noriega find work.

SAFE Homes is a statewide program inConnecticut that addresses the specialneeds of youth who are experiencing theirfirst out-of-home placement. It offers animmediate safe haven for children and pro-vides stability for future placement by help-ing the Department of Children andFamilies decide future living arrangements.For more information, contact Kristina Polyat (860) 550-6421.

The Maine Parents as Scholars Programprovides money and support to low-incomeparents so they can receive postsecondaryeducation necessary to help them get self-sustaining employment. Families who areeligible for welfare may apply to this pro-gram. For more information, contact JudyWilliams at (207) 287-3106.

The Massachusetts Access to Jobs Initia-tive provides a statewide transportationservice and subsidy for up to 12 months topeople moving off welfare and into theworkforce. The program has successfullyprovided transportation to these people sothey can work, and it serves as the newtransportation element of welfare reform inthe state. For more information, contactMargo C. Blaser at (617) 348-5855.

The Special Projects Unit of New Jerseyseeks to collect taxes from unregistered out-of-state transient and itinerant businessesoperating in the state. The unit is made upof four teams of investigators who use allstatutory authority granted to them to obtaintax compliance. For more information, con-tact Tom MacDonald at (609) 633-3646.

New Jersey EASE (Easy Access SingleEntry for Senior Service) is a partnership


semifinalistssemifinalists

between the state and counties designed tocreate local single-entry systems for senior-citizen services. Each county designs its ownsystem with technical assistance from thestate. The systems provide core services tosenior citizens such as information, outreachand care management. For more information,contact Barbara Fuller at (609) 292-7874.

The Corporate Emergency Access Sys-tem provides New York businesses with avoluntary system for issuing police-recog-nized credentials to essential employees,allowing them to access their workplaceduring emergencies. Government officialscan activate the system, enabling businessesto perform critical functions during times oflocal or regional emergencies. For moreinformation, contact Edward F. Jacoby Jr. at(518) 457-2222.

New York Energy $mart increases energyefficiency by promoting solutions for the pri-vate sector in areas such as energy-marketcompetition, consumer education, and re-search and development. It also emphasizestechnologies that protect the environment andprovides affordable energy to low-incomehouseholds. The program is paid for througha charge on the electricity transmitted anddistributed by the state’s investor-owned util-ities. For more information, contact WilliamM. Flynn at (518) 562-1090.

The Vermont Marketing & PromotionalPartnership is a group of 10 state depart-ments that have entered into a joint, three-year contract to market their products andservices collaboratively. The group uses asingle advertising agency, call center andtechnology-development firm. The programcovers many areas, including Internet tech-nology, market research, advertising andoutreach. For more information, contactSybil Chicoine at (802) 828-3671.

Florida’s Satellite Centers Initiative pro-duces satellites of elementary schools thatoperate in business, government and com-munity agencies. They offer fifth-grade stu-dents a place to complete academic courseswhile working with employees who act assupervisor-mentors. For further informa-tion, contact Tom Zutell, director of theOffice of Education and CommunityPartnerships, at (850) 487-8555.

The Elder Ready Communities and ElderFriendly Businesses program of Floridabrings together county and city leaders, anetwork of groups and agencies involvedwith the elderly, local and faith-basedorganizations, private businesses and gov-ernment agencies. Together they plan anddesign infrastructures that serve the wholecommunity while allowing elders to agewith dignity, security and purpose in elder-friendly environments. For more informa-tion, contact Gema G. Hernandez, secretaryof the Department of Elder Affairs, at (850)414-2000.

Created to better protect Florida’s diningpublic and reduce the number of food-borneillnesses, the Risk-Based Food SafetyInspection Program is based on the feder-al Food and Drug Administration’s HazardAnalysis Critical Control Points system ofregulating food-service establishments. Theprogram identifies the risks and hazardswithin certain food-service processes. Forfurther information, contact Diann S.Worzalla, special programs administrator,at (850) 922-8850.

Maryland’s Smart Growth andNeighborhood Conservation initiative isa statewide, incentive-based, comprehen-


sive effort to discourage “sprawl.” It usesthe state’s $21 billion budget as an incen-tive to encourage less costly, more environ-mentally sensitive and better-plannedgrowth. For more information, contactJohn W. Frece, Office of Smart Growth, at(410) 260-8112.

The Reaching for the Stars program ofOklahoma provides recognition and finan-cial incentives for child-care providers whovoluntarily meet quality criteria. It wasdesigned to improve the quality of childcare, increase access to care for low-incomefamilies and provide parents with a methodfor evaluating care. For more information,contact Nancy von Bargen, division admin-istrator, Oklahoma Department of HumansServices, at (405) 521-3561.

The Precious Cargo Program of Texasworks to ensure the safest possible trafficenvironment for schools located along oradjacent to state highways. The program’sgoal is to address potential traffic problemsbefore they occur by encouraging schooladministrators and others who may beinvolved in building new schools to ask theTexas Department of Transportation forhelp with traffic-control planning at the ear-liest stages of construction. For more infor-mation, contact Emily Margrett, evaluationspecialist, Quality Management Branch,TxDOT, at (512) 486-5469.

The Texas Information Technology (IT)Academy is a collaborative effort betweenstate government and the private sector tohelp the state recruit, train and retain infor-mation-technology workers while alsoexpanding the private IT labor pool inTexas. The Texas IT Academy providesintensive training to people with non-ITbackgrounds; in return for their training,participants commit to two years of stateemployment. For more information, contactBilly C. Hamilton, chief deputy comptrol-ler, at (512) 463-4002.

The Virginia Commonwealth Competi-tion Council was created to ensure stategovernment is competitive in cost andeffectiveness. The council’s mission is toprovide a permanent forum for continuousimprovement so that government does nothave to reinvent the “competitive govern-ment” wheel with each administration orpassing fad. For more information, contactPhil Bomersheim, executive director, at(804) 786-0240.

The Illinois Department of Children andFamily Services in collaboration with theState Board of Education has begun worktoward providing every child in the welfaresystem with a stable structure of support soeach young person can succeed in the class-room. The Illinois Educational AccessProject combines all school systems at everylevel to ensure the best possible learning envi-ronment is achieved. For more information,contact Mark Cole at (815) 753-6018.

Illinois’ Family Option: PermanentPlanning for HIV Families is a four-stepprocess that helps mothers and other care-givers plan for the death of a single motherinfected with HIV. The process addressestopics such as education, planning, legalissues and after-care. This program is a firststep in addressing the needs of these childrenwho will enter foster care when their parentdies. For more information, contactElizabeth Monk at (312) 328-2285.

The Illinois Department of Human Servicescreated the Coordination Rewards IllinoisBabies to help reduce the number of chil-dren with very low birth weight, reduceinfant mortality from high-risk groups, andstreamline health costs for poor families.Illinois’ two largest programs, Women,Infant and Children and Family CaseManagement, are now combined with thisprogram. For more information, contactMichael R. Larson at (217) 782-5946.

Through the Domestic Violence/SubstanceAbuse Task Force, Illinois brings sub-stance-abuse and domestic-violence profes-sionals together to address the critical lackof coordinated services and treatment forclients with co-occurring issues. The taskforce has established an annual conferenceon these issues, published a manual of “BestPractices” and implemented four demon-stration projects. For more information, con-tact Carol Brigman at (217) 524-6034.

Illinois’ Mental Health and JuvenileJustice Initiative links agencies serving chil-dren to better serve those in the juvenile-jus-tice system who suffer from mental illness.Normally, delinquent children are prohibitedfrom receiving treatment. This program helpsexpedite the treatment needed by children instate custody. For more information, contactGene Griffin at (312) 814-4963.

The Illinois Urban Systems of CareProgram links agencies that provide socialservices and mental-health treatment to fam-ilies in the Chicago Housing Authority. Thissystem helps remove barriers that preventedfamilies from receiving help in the past, suchas lack of transportation, unemployment andgang warfare. For more information, contactPeter Nierman at (773) 794-4895.

The Illinois Interagency Committee onEmployees operates the Internships forCollege Students with DisabilitiesProgram in an effort to bolster the numberof disabled workers in state government.This program links college students thathave disabilities with state agencies forbrief internships. At the end of the intern-ships, the agencies are encouraged to hirethese workers. For more information, con-tact Audrey Crimson at (312) 793-2406.

The Indiana Department of Corrections cre-ated the Women’s Prison “Offender-Mother Summer Day Camp” to provideincarcerated mothers with quality time withtheir children. State employees from vari-ous agencies, volunteers and even inmateswithout children collaborate to offer thisannual, five-day camp. For more informa-tion, contact Dana Blank at (317) 639-2671.

The Employer Partnering in ChildSupport program was created to linkemployers across the country with the IowaChild Support Recovery Unit. This collabo-ration has helped children in the state obtainmuch-needed financial support from non-custodial parents. For more information,contact Nancy Thoma at (515) 281-5647.

Iowa citizens and state employees now canshare ideas and success stories with stateagencies to improve customer servicethrough the Reconnecting Iowans withtheir Government program. Gov. TomVilsack hopes the program will boostmorale of state employees and eventuallychange attitudes by focusing on what gov-ernment does right. For more information,contact Mary Milz at (515) 281-3322.

Kansas created the Workforce PlanningProgram to study future economic trends,enabling the state to adjust its workforce tomeet the changing demands of the econo-my. By linking several agencies, theDepartment of Personnel Services devel-oped a multiphase strategy to streamlinethe human-resource process. For more



information, contact Bobbi Mariani at (785)296-4278.

Through Kansas’ Project 2000-Putting theCustomer First, a revitalized Department ofRevenue streamlined taxpayer filing require-ments while improving customer service.The tax-operations division split into fourmain units — channel management, cus-tomer relations, compliance and enforcement— while the revenue department was able toreduce its workforce. For more information,contact Tim Blevins at (785) 296-3973.

People with learning disabilities often havea hard time finding and keeping jobs. TheKansas TANF Learning DisabilitiesInitiative screens welfare recipients in anattempt to diagnose and treat learning dis-abilities that prevent them from finding per-manent employment. For more information,contact Sandra Hazlett at (785) 296-6750.

Under the Michigan Prison Build Pro-gram, inmates build components for use inthe construction of Habitat for Humanityhomes. Once an inmate is released, the stateworks with Michigan contractors to employthose who have gone through the prisonbuild program. For more information, con-tact Bill Martin at (517) 373-1944.

The Michigan Childhood ImmunizationRegistry created a statewide database ofchildren’s immunization records that author-ized users may access anywhere in the state.This database will help alert officials if anyarea has a decrease in immunization, and itwill inform the public of places where vac-cines are needed. For more information,contact Bob Swanson at (517) 335-8159.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rightsstreamlined procedures to provide faster,better and expanded service to residentsthrough the Problem Resolution Process.This process allows for a more timelyresponse to the civil-rights concerns ofclients. This initiative has eliminated abacklog of 4,300 cases in two years. Formore information, contact Nanette LeeReynolds at (517) 334-9335.

The Region 10 Quality Assurance Projectwas designed and piloted by Minnesota’sQuality Assurance Commission as an alter-native licensing system that incorporates aperson-driven, value-based program thatsignificantly enhances the quality of life forpeople with developmental disabilities. For

more information, contact Cindy Ostrowskiat (507) 876-3011.

Nebraska started the Warner Institute forEducation in Democracy to help educatestudents on the importance of a representa-tive democracy and its role in our society.The Internet-based program provides sevenlearning projects geared to provide studentsand teachers throughout the state with a bet-ter understanding and appreciation of repre-sentative democracy. For more information,contact Tracy McKay at (402) 471-2788.

The Student Accountability InformationSystem (SAIS) is a unique real-time systemthat connects K-12 schools, districts and theArizona Department of Education andtracks school enrollment, academic and fis-cal information. Its standardized formatsprovide instant, accurate and secure infor-mation over the Internet to school-fundingagencies. For more information, contactSteve Holzinger, development project man-ager, at (602) 542-7394.

Under the Arizona Privatized Lease-to-Own program, a private-development teamfinances, designs, constructs, operates andmaintains state office buildings on theArizona Capitol Mall. The private developerleases the new office buildings to Arizona ata rate below current state appropriations forleasing private office space; the state thenowns the buildings at the end of a 20- to 25-year lease. For more information, contactRobert C. Teel, assistant director, ArizonaDepartment of Administration, GeneralServices Division, at (602) 542-1920.

GS $mart® (pronounced “G-S Smart”) is anefficient, open, and organized financial mar-ketplace for state and local governments inCalifornia to make installment purchases.This Internet-based program allows transac-tions to be completed quickly and conve-niently by eliminating the length and com-plexity of the previous financing process. Forfurther information, contact Patrick Mullen,GS $mart® manager, at (916) 327-2600.

MyCalifornia provides a framework forenterprise development in state governmentand gives online access to governmentinformation and to a suite of new applica-tions ranging from buying a fishing licenseto renewing vehicle registration. The portal

is central to the state’s ability to deliverhigher levels of customer service through e-government — that is, to make doing busi-ness with government easier, less expen-sive, more flexible and faster. For moreinformation, contact Arun Baheti, directorof e-government, at (916) 445-1176.

The MALAMA A’o O’i program of Hawaiiwas launched to solve the problem of replac-ing old, dilapidated furniture in schoolsbecause the state has no funds to do so.Inmates under the supervision of the HawaiiDepartment of Public Safety refurbish chairsand desks for the Hawaii Department ofEducation with materials provided by theHawaii Department of Accounting andGeneral Services. For more information,contact Lynn McAuley, correctional indus-tries administrator, at (808) 488-4883.

The Oregon Lifespan Respite CareProgram is a system of community-basednetworks that serve families and caregiverswho seek a temporary break from the inten-sive demands of providing ongoing care toa loved one. Access to respite resourcesallows families to help themselves, therebyreducing stress, preventing abuse and neg-lect, and decreasing the risk of out-of-homeplacement. For more information, contactDebbie Bowers, respite administrator, at(503) 945-6815.

The Plant Operation Support Consor-tium is an innovative, self-sustaining pro-gram that combines technology and opera-tional savvy to enhance stewardship of pub-lic facilities and serve as “resource central”for Washington state government. A smallcore staff supports a family of public-facili-ties managers, providing solutions, projectmanagement expertise, resource brokering,procurement assistance and a broad array ofengineering and architectural assets for over-worked facility staff. For more information,contact Bob Mackenzie, Plant OperationsSupport, at (360) 903-7257.

Consumer Health Services was created toestablish a simple, unified and up-to-datefood-safety system for Wyoming. Its pri-mary objectives are to keep up with currentscience, create a single food-safety agency,and form a partnership between state agen-cies of public health and agriculture. Thisprogram brings together public-health andfood-science tools to combat food-borne ill-ness. For more information, contact LaurieLeis at (307) 777-6587.


The Best Legislative Branch Web siteaward went to the Minnesota StateLegislature (www.leg.state.mn.us). Thissite offers many valuable features includ-ing a bill-status tracking function and liveWeb casts of legislative sessions. It has anarchive of past Internet broadcasts as wellas legislative calendars and a wide rangeof legislative information, including com-plete biographical and contact informa-tion for each legislator. The Alaska StateLegislature and the Louisiana LegislatureWeb sites also won Awards of Excellencein this category.

The Best Judicial Branch Web site

well-designed home page and wide rangeof online services offered to people andbusinesses. Visitors to this site can searchfor and register corporate names, obtainvoter information and voter registrationforms, search for registered charities and renew professional licenses online.Other sites that won an Eagle Award of Excellence in the Executive Branchcategory are Illinois’ Criminal JusticeInformation Authority, Virginia’sVATAXOnline, and eMaryland Market-place. eMaryland Marketplace also won aCSG Innovations award this year (pleasesee accompanying article).

e-governmente-government


eorgia, Minnesota, North Carolinaand North Dakota are among the

award-winning states in The Council ofState Governments’ Second Annual EagleE-Government Awards program.

The Internet is drastically changing theway state governments do business.Because of these changes, states canreach out to more people and deliver bet-ter service to constituents and businesses.CSG’s Eagle E-Government Awards pro-gram identifies outstanding e-governmentinitiatives each year and highlights howthe states are successfully meeting thegrowing demand for online governmentservices.

A recent report by the Council forExcellence in Government, a nonprofitorganization that promotes good govern-ment, shows that 73 percent of Amer-icans think our leaders should make e-government a domestic priority. TheEagle E-Government Awards programreveals that many states already are making great strides in using the Internetto create a more responsive and accessi-ble government.

Here are the winners in the categories ofBest Executive, Legislative and JudicialBranch Sites, and Best State Portal.

Georgia’s Secretary of State Web site(www.sos.state.ga.us) won the BestExecutive Branch Web site award with its

award went to the North Dakota Supreme Court(www.court.state.nd.us). This site has a fully searchabledatabase that contains nearly a decade’s worth of opin-ions. A unique feature is the use of hyperlinks in onlinepublished opinions, allowing the visitor to easily accessrelated legal sources. Other judicial branch sites winningan Eagle Award are the Arkansas judiciary and Utah statecourts sites.

North Carolina’s NC @ Your Service (www.ncgov.com) took the Best State Portal award. This site, which haswon many awards, employs a citizen-centered design andwas lauded for its easy navigability and access to servicesand information. Its wide range of functions and ability tobe personalized make the site suitable for use as a homepage by any North Carolinian. The state portalsMyCalifornia and New Jersey Home page also receivedAwards of Excellence in this category.

CSG’s Eagle E-Government Awards program is uniquein that it focuses on all three branches of state governmentand relies on a panel of judges who are practitioners instate government. The judges are elected state officials,

state government staff and CSG’s private-sector associ-ates, so the choice of winners reflects the expectations anddemands that state government officials and other usershave of e-government. The selection of winners alsoreflects the judges’ belief that Internet technology canmake state government more accessible and relevant to thelives of its constituents.

Sites were judged on several criteria including ease ofuse, design, accessibility to the public, technological inno-vation, and how effectively it streamlines government anddelivers better customer service. Judges also reviewed thesites to determine whether they had features essential forgood e-government, such as state officials’ contact infor-mation, foreign-language translations, a help page, asearch function, a site index, an alternative text-only siteand other features that make it accessible to the disabled.

More information about the Eagle E-GovernmentAwards program and links to the award-winning sites canbe found at www.csg.org/eagle.

Ed Janairo is a technology analyst at The Council ofState Governments.

GG

CSG recognizes state Web sitesThe Eagle E-GovernmentAwards highlight states thatbest provide services over the Internet.

BY ED JANAIRO

A recent report by the Council for Excellence

in Government shows that 73 percent of Americans think our leaders should

make e-government a domestic priority.

The Best Executive Branch Web site award went to Georgia’sSecretary of State (www.sos.state.ga.us).

The Best Judicial Branch Web site award went to the North DakotaSupreme Court (www.court.state.nd.us).

The Best Legislative Branch Web site award went to the MinnesotaState Legislature (www.leg.state.mn.us).

North Carolina’s NC @ Your Service (www.ncgov.com) took the Best State Portal award.


legislationlegislation

udgets, education and health issuesdominated debate in most state capi-

tols before September’s horrific events. Allstates met in legislative sessions in 2001and enacted thousands of laws touchingtheir youngest to oldest residents andeveryone in between. Items on state agen-das included redistricting, electionreforms, electricity supplies, privacy,social issues and fairness of executions.Space permits this review of the sessionsto cover only limited highlights. (For stateresponses to the terrorist attacks, see“StatesNews” in this issue and the Octoberissue of State Government News.)

Budget battles

In 2001, many states faced their worstfiscal problems in a decade, fueling con-tentious sessions. The economic down-turn and massive layoffs in various sec-tors after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacksonly added to states’ budget woes.

Seven states missed their statutory orconstitutional deadlines for passing budg-ets: California, New York, Massachusetts,North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee andWisconsin.

In a July 26 ceremony in Californiathat Republican lawmakers shunned,Democratic Gov. Gray Davis signed thebudget into law, 26 days past deadline.

Minnesota came within a day of a gov-ernment shutdown June 30 before a spe-cial session agreed on budget and taxbills. The new budget transferred respon-sibility for funding schools to the stateand provided $1.5 billion in property-taxrelief. In addition, Minnesota taxpayersreceived $700 million in sales-tax rebatesin August. However, 23,000 Minnesotaworkers went on a 14-day strike thatended Oct. 14 when they won better payand health benefits.

New York lawmakers passed a pareddown version of Gov. George Pataki’sbudget Aug. 3, four months after thestate’s April fiscal year ended. On Aug.17, the governor sued the Legislature,contending it illegally deleted his formu-

las for spending Medicaid and schoolfunding. Assembly Speaker SheldonSilver responded, “We have a right tomodify his proposals.”

To solve the budget cri-sis, the New YorkAssembly and Senate inOctober approved thegreatest expansion ofgaming in the state’s history. The legislationallows six new Indiancasinos, slots at horseracetracks and the multi-state Powerball lottery tooperate in the state. “Wedesperately need revenue. It doesn’t giveme any great pleasure in what we’re

doing,” Senate Majority Leader JosephBruno said of the measure.

New York was not the only state to turnto gaming. To implement a constitutionalamendment approved by voters inNovember 2000, South Carolina lawmak-ers approved a state lottery sold as a wayto raise money for college scholarshipsand scheduled to start Jan. 7, 2002.California approved a law allowingresidents to bet on horse races overthe Internet and by telephone. TheNevada Legislature approved a studyof Internet gambling. West Virginiaapproved video gaming to fund raisesfor teachers.

North Carolina legislators endedtheir longest-ever session Sept. 26after enacting a $620-million taxincrease, including higher sales andincome taxes.

In Tennessee, legislators turneddown Gov. Don Sundquist’s request toadopt an income tax. In an anti-taxprotest inspired by talk-radio hosts,several thousand people stormed thestate Capitol in Nashville during a July12 legislative budget vote. TheGeneral Assembly ended its longestrecent session when it overrodeSundquist’s budget veto. The governorobjected to the Legislature balancing thebudget by using $560 million, or fouryears’ worth of tobacco-settlement funds,in one budget year. “It is hard to convincepeople that we need more taxes when thestate has more than a half-billion dollarsof tobacco-settlement money collectingdust in a bank,” Lt. Gov. John Wilder said.

Besides Tennessee, several other statesincluding Michigan, Missouri, Ohio andWisconsin, used tobacco money to helpbalance the books. According to an Augustreport by the National Conference of StateLegislatures, states are spending only 5percent of their funds from the 1998 set-tlement on antismoking programs. Theorganization found that slightly more thana third of the $21 billion allocated from thetobacco settlement since 2000 has gonetoward health services.

In Wisconsin, the Democratic Senateand the Republican Assembly agreed July26 on a budget that increased the cigarettetax to fund a prescription-drug assistanceprogram for seniors. Of a provision thattied future spending to growth in person-

al income, Assembly Speaker ScottJensen said, “We are on our way to get-ting Wisconsin out of the top 10 taxingstates in the nation.”

More bad news

Even before Sept. 11, at least 26 statesfaced budget cuts as tax revenues

declined with the economy. State tax rev-enues grew at their slowest rate in eightyears from April to June 2001, accordingto a September report by the Nelson A.Rockefeller Institute of Government.About a third of states had to deal withbudget shortfalls in the first six months of2001, according to a report released inJuly by the National Conference of StateLegislatures.

In more bad news, the 45 states thatlevy sales taxes lost an estimated $13.3billion in 2001 from uncollected taxes ongoods sold over the Internet, according toa study commissioned by the Institute forState Studies, a nonprofit group based inSalt Lake City. A 1992 U.S. SupremeCourt decision prevents states from col-lecting taxes on mail-order or Internet-sales outside their jurisdiction.

The $1.35-trillion federal tax cut alsowill reduce state revenues. The repeal ofthe federal estate tax effectively eliminat-ed estate taxes linked to the federal levyin 40 states and reduced correspondingestate taxes in 10 other states. States willlose at least $50 billion over the coming

decade as a result, according to theNational Governors’ Association.

Not all budget news was bad. Oil- andgas-producing states saw their revenuesincrease as oil and gas prices rose in thespring and summer of 2001. Oklahomahad a $260 million boost in revenue, andAlaska a surplus of $87 million. NewMexico, Louisiana, Wyoming and

Montana also benefited from the oiland gas windfalls. Falling prices inOctober, however, while welcomed bymotorists, could reduce those states’revenues.

School funding fights

Education topped governors’ agen-das as reflected in their State-of-the-State messages at the beginning of2001 sessions. Funding for publicschools also was at the heart of manybudget battles. Legislatures increasedstate aid to public schools in morethan 30 states in 2001. In addition, atleast 20 states approved pay raises forteachers. Legislatures also passedmeasures aimed at increasing schoolaccountability, dealing with studenttesting, enhancing teacher quality and

recruitment, and improving early child-hood learning.

Tight budgets generated debate overeducation funding. Legislatures and gov-ernors in Alabama, Arizona, Minnesota,Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire,New York, New Mexico, North Carolina,Vermont and Virginia all struggled overschool finances.

In Alabama, legislators spent a lot oftime on education cuts but authorized$110 million in bonds to soften theimpact. Settling a battle that pittedkindergarten-12 schools against highereducation, the Alabama Supreme Courtruled June 29 that the two sectors wouldhave to have to share in budget cuts.

Maine Gov. Angus King finally wonlegislative approval for his proposal topay for laptop computers for all studentsin 7th grade. The state set aside $30 mil-lion for the first-in-the-nation plan. ByOctober, however, the state faced adeficit, causing some to question whetherthe program would be funded.

Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura wonapproval for comprehensive reform shift-

BB

Trends in 2001 sessionsEducation, health and budget actions dominateddebate in this year’s sessions.

BY ELAINE STUART

New YorkAssemblySpeakerSheldonSilver

Among the measures states passed in 2001 were more funding for schools, prescription-drugaid, expanded children’s health programs and voting changes.

More than 30 states increased aid to public schools thisyear, while at least 20 approved pay raises for teachers.

blame cell phones for distracting driversand causing accidents.

Several states, including Florida,Connecticut and Missouri, passed laws toban the execution of mentally retardedinmates. Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoed aban on such executions. Maryland, Texasand Virginia were among states thatpassed laws allowing inmates to takeDNA tests to appeal their convictions.

Mississippi voters April 17 endorsedthe state flag, which displays theConfederate emblem, favoring it over aproposed new design. Mississippi isalone in displaying a flag consideredoffensive to some Americans.

A powerful earthquake hit Washingtonon Feb. 28, causing damage to the stateCapitol and governor’s mansion. TheLegislature recessed for a few daysbefore moving to nearby buildings.

In the only such state job in the nation,Paula Houston began her duties as Utah’sfirst ombudsman charged with curtailingpornography.

In addition, states received new Censusdata and proceeded with the task ofredrawing legislative and congressionaldistricts in 2001. More than a few plans

were being challenged in court at presstime, among them plans in California,Colorado, Georgia, Oregon, Texas andVirginia.

With budget problems likely to intensi-fy in coming months, states face difficultand contentious sessions again in 2002 asthey deal with growing demands for stateservices, rising health costs, larger unem-ployment rolls and increased anti-terror-ism efforts.

Elaine Stuart is senior managing editorof State Government News.

Medical use of marijuana is not allowedunder federal law, after a May 14 ruling bythe U.S. Supreme Court. However, theCourt did not overturn laws in eight statesallowing medical marijuana. Despite theCourt’s decision, the Nevada Legislaturepassed a law in June to allow approvedpatients to smoke marijuana for medicalreasons. Nevada voters had approved aninitiative calling for the action.

Patients’ rights in health-maintenanceplans were protected under new laws inNew Jersey, North Carolina and WestVirginia. Similar laws protect patients in44 states.

In move that affects37,000 low-level drugoffenders in the state eachyear, California imple-mented a voter-approvedmeasure July 1 that makesnonviolent drug offenderseligible for treatmentrather than jail. Voters inArizona mandated a simi-lar program in 1996. The OregonLegislature became the first law-makingbody to pass a measure in 2001 providingtreatment for drug offenders as an alter-native to jail. “In dollars and effective-ness, I saw a huge savings for gettingfolks out of prison and investing in edu-cation,” said Oregon Sen. Ryan Deckert,who sponsored SB 914.

States in the Northeast, Southeast andMidwest took measures to control mosqui-toes after birds tested for the West Nilevirus. The virus can cause an inflammationof the brain in humans and lead to death.

To protect against accidental release oftoxins in the environment, Oregon bannedthermostats, thermometers and other prod-ucts containing mercury, which can causebirth defects and other health problems.

Punch cards banned

Irregularities in Florida’s voting proce-dures and equipment that delayed the out-come of the 2000 presidential election ledstates to re-examine electoral systems andequipment.

Florida, Maryland and Georgiaapproved sweeping reforms, includingoverhauling voting equipment statewide.Other states enacted laws or approvedrules that seek to avoid problems revealed

passing laws or programs to aid the poorand elderly. Those acting includedCalifornia, Florida, Maine, Missouri,New Hampshire, New Jersey, RhodeIsland and Wisconsin. Prescription-drugprograms for the needy exist in more thanhalf the states.

In a bit of good news for states, theBush administration Sept. 18 approvedFlorida’s law requiring drug manufactur-ers to provide discounts if they want theirproducts included on a list of preferreddrugs for recipients of Medicaid, the jointstate-federal health program for the poor.However, the drug industry has sued tostop the Florida program. The drug indus-try also appealed lower court decisionsupholding Maine’s first-in-the-nation pre-scription-drug program, which allows thestate to negotiate for lower drug prices onbehalf of its residents, and to impose pricecontrols if negotiations don’t work.

Expanded health care

While all states have State Children’sHealth Insurance programs, at least 16states improved or expanded these pro-grams this year to provide health insur-ance for low-income working familieswho do not qualify for Medicaid.

Arizona, Texas and Wisconsin stream-lined their SCHIP programs to enrollmore children. Reform was needed inArizona, where 25 percent of childrenlack health insurance. By contrast, 93percent of children in Vermont havehealth insurance, according to a 2001 sur-vey by the Children’s Defense Fund.

In other action, 19 states improvedmental-health or substance-abuse laws orprograms, 18 enhanced public-health andprevention programs, and 20 expandedhealth coverage for women, according tothe National Governors’ Association.

Idaho gave teachers pay raises andraised the minimum pay to $25,000 annu-ally. Louisiana tapped gambling taxes tohelp fund $2,060 teacher-pay raises.Texas will provide health insurance forteachers and school employees for thefirst time under a new law estimated tocost $1.2 billion its first year. Faced witha veto threat from Gov. Mike Johanns,Nebraska lawmakers backed off fundingteacher raises with a sales-tax increase.

Ohio adopted a new system of studenttesting and statewide academic standardsin addition to overhauling school finance.Idaho also adopted statewide academicstandards for lower grades. Coloradochanged from school report cards withletter grades of A to F to descriptiveaccountability reports. Alaska delayed thedate for requiring students to pass a grad-uation exam to 2004. Maine requiredlocal districts to have exit exams linked tostate standards by 2007.

Georgia called for an end to social promotion in five years. Missouri scaledback its ban on social promotion for students who read below grade level,applying it only to grades 4 to 6. A vari-ety of teacher-quality and school-accountability measures such as funds forteacher certification and performancestandards for schools passed inCalifornia, Florida, North Dakota,Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina,Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Utah andWest Virginia.

Colorado districts must develop policiesagainst bullying under a new law inspiredby the 1999 slayings at Columbine HighSchool. Nevada banned harassment orintimidation in public schools.

Early education and kindergarten pro-grams received boosts in Arkansas,Delaware, Maryland, Indiana, Louisiana,Nebraska, New Hampshire, SouthCarolina and Wyoming.

Prescription drugs

Of the $881 billion states spent in fis-cal 1999, $238 billion was on health care.Medicaid alone accounted for a 9 percentrise in state spending in the past year.This makes states watchful of rising costsfor health care.

At least 16 states addressed the risingcost of prescription drugs this year by


ing public-school costs from local prop-erty taxes to the state. The new law alsogives extra aid to property-poor districts.

Mississippi teachers did not get payraises, which the governor vetoed, eventhough lawmakers last year had approveda five-year plan to raise teacher pay by$7,000 to match the Southeastern average.

New Hampshire legislators dismissedGov. Jeanne Shaheen’s proposal toimpose a first-ever sales tax to help payfor schools, and instead made permanentthe statewide property tax for schools andraised business and telephone taxes.

In New Mexico, Gov. Gary E. Johnsonvetoed a comprehensive education reformproposal that included teacher raises, say-ing it was too expensive.

North Carolina Gov.Mike Easley praised theLegislature for passing taxincreases that will provide$25 million to reduceschool class sizes and raiseteachers’ pay.

Ohio’s new school-finance system got clear-ance from the stateSupreme Court in a Sept.6 decision that ended a decade-long courtfight. The Court ruled that additionalspending of $800 million over two yearswould decrease disparities between richand poor districts.

Vermont legislators debated formonths but made no changes to the state’s1997 law that established a statewideproperty tax instead of local taxes to fundschools. The problem of how to adjust aidformulas to fund schools in times offalling enrollments puzzled legislators inMontana and South Dakota, who plan totake the issue up again in 2002.

Teachers and tests

While many states approved raises forteachers, Hawaii teachers won 20 percentraises after staging a two-week strike inApril that kept 183,000 children out ofschool. Arizona teachers staged sickoutsto press for higher pay, while theLegislature remained deadlocked overschool finance. Iowa will base pay onperformance rather than seniority andincrease the minimum salary for teachersto $28,000 a year.

in Florida. Because punch-card machinesin Florida had failed to clearly registervoter intentions, Florida, California,Georgia and Maryland all outlawed them.California legislators approved placing a$200 million bond on the March ballot tohelp counties pay for new votingmachines.

A new Tennessee law established astatewide standard for recounting punch-card ballots. Ohio, Nevada, Tennesseeand Virginia passed bills that define whatconstitutes a vote on a punch-card ballot.Colorado, Kansas and Washington clari-fied rules for recounts. Iowa and Oregonappropriated money for the creation of astatewide voter-registration database, butbudget problems forced Oregon to with-hold spending for its system.

Fiscal problems threatened otherreforms as well. Georgia lawmakerspassed legislation requiring a uniform,statewide voting system, but failed tofund the effort. Indiana Gov. FrankO’Bannon froze $9 million earmarked forthe purchase of a statewide voter-registra-tion system and for localities to buyupgraded voting machines.

Other items

California was rocked by soaring elec-tricity prices and blackouts in early 2001.The state intervened in electricity marketsand spent $11.3 billion to keep electricityflowing. Many blamed the crisis on flawsin the state’s landmark law to deregulateelectricity markets. The law’s price freezeon retail electricity and sky-high whole-sale power costs wrecked the creditwor-thiness of the state’s major utilities, whichhad been forced to sell off their powersupplies. In a move that reversed thestate’s deregulatory law, the CaliforniaPUC suspended retail choice Oct. 1.

In response to the California powercrisis, Nevada repealed its 1999 deregula-tion law, and Arkansas and New Mexicodelayed deregulation for up to five years.However, Illinois, Maryland, New York,Texas and Virginia remained on track toallow price competition in 2002.

New York became the first state to bandrivers from using hand-held mobilephones. At least 38 states consideredmeasures to restrict cell-phone use bydrivers. Advocates of such restrictions

NorthCarolina

Gov. MikeEasley

Oregon Sen. RyanDeckert

States addressed prescription-drug costs.

Florida, Maryland and Georgia approvedsweeping reforms in voting procedures.

edical advances over the past twodecades have enabled many peo-

ple suffering from life-threatening dis-eases to return to productive lives throughorgan and tissue transplants. Yet one ofthe unrecognized tragedies in the UnitedStates is the number of people who couldbe helped by an organ or tissue transplant,but who never receive one because adonor’s wishes are not honored when heor she dies.

Indiana Rep. Peggy Welch knows first-hand how easy it is for grieving familymembers to override the wishes of a deceased family member. As a regis-tered nurse and a board member of theIndiana Children’s Organ TransplantAssociation, she knows of instances inwhich family members went against adeceased person’s express wishes andrefused to allow donation.

That is why Welch sponsored legisla-tion that requires family members to honor a deceased loved one’s wishesconcerning organ donation. “Living willsand other documents are not worth thepaper they are written on, if doctors and family members can override thedecision,” Welch said. “If you want to bean organ donor, your decision should be honored.”

Nationwide there is a shortage ofdonor organs, which means only a frac-tion of those on the waiting list receive atransplant. “There are more than 77,000men, women and children on the waitinglist for an organ, and there were only23,000 transplants last year,” said LynnWegman, director of the Division of

about 50 percent of families consent todonating a loved one’s organs when giventhe opportunity.

In recent years, states have acceptedthe challenge of increasing awarenessabout donation and improving donationprocedures.

Ohio passed legislation in 2000 that provided funds for a media campaign, reorganized its donation advi-sory committee and created a donor

continued on page 30

Transplantation at the U.S. HealthResources and Services Administration.About 15 people die each day waiting fora donated organ.

Underlying the shortage of donatedorgans and tissues is the disparitybetween how many people say theybelieve in donation but how few trans-plants happen in real-life. Figures from anational Gallup survey indicate that 85percent of Americans support organdonation. Yet studies show that only

healthhealth


MM

Other practices from statesStates are often at the forefront of providing leadership, structure and support for organand tissue donation. Some examples of extraordinary state initiatives include:

Pennsylvania’s Act 102, published in TheCouncil of State Governments’ 1997Suggested State Legislation

Illinois’ “Live and Learn” legislation, passed in1993

Kentucky’s “Trust for Life” legislation, enactedin 1992

Virginia Transplant Council, established 1986

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompsonestablished an annual Gift of Life Medal cere-mony for families of organ donors in 2000

Michigan Secretary of State’s Office honoredwith a 2000 CSG Innovations Award for itsOrgan and Tissue Donor Registry EnrollmentProgram.

• Pennsylvania’s Act 102, published in TheCouncil of State Governments’ 1997Suggested State Legislation, requires hospi-tals to routinely notify organ procurementorganizations of all deaths and impendingdeaths so families can be offered the optionof donation. The 1994 law created an OrganDonation Advisory Committee and a dona-tion awareness trust fund financed by vol-untary contributions obtained through statetax returns and applications for driver’slicenses or identification cards. New Jerseyand Delaware passed similar laws in 1995and 1998. Between 1994 and 1999, organdonation in the eastern half ofPennsylvania, southern New Jersey andDelaware rose by 59 percent, compared to a14.6 percent increase nationally.• Illinois’ “Live and Learn” legislation,passed in 1993, raises $2 million annuallyfor organ- and tissue-donor educationthrough vehicle title and transfer fees. Underthe leadership of then-Secretary of State,now Gov. George Ryan, Illinois establisheda statewide advisory panel to coordinateeducation activities, including the “LifeGoes On” multimedia campaign. CurrentIllinois Secretary of State Jesse White hassponsored special conferences to increaseawareness, developed materials to encour-

age donation in minority communities, andestablished a Web site and 24-hour comput-erized donor registry. More than 5 milliondriver’s license and identification holdersare in the state’s donor registry, and organdonation has risen 54 percent since 1993.• Kentucky’s “Trust for Life” legislation,enacted in 1992, allows citizens obtaining adriver’s license to contribute $1 to an organ-donor awareness fund administered by cir-cuit court clerks. By 1999, 50 percent ofKentuckians with a driver’s license hadcontributed, $3 million had been raised, andorgan donation had increased 62 percent.• The Virginia Transplant Council, estab-lished by Virginia’s General Assembly in1986, has contributed to the development oflegislation requiring Virginia hospitals toestablish donation protocols, has developeda statewide educational curriculum forhealth and driver education students, creat-ed promotional materials for Department ofMotor Vehicle branch offices, and hasestablished a donor registry.• Former-Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thomp-son established an annual Gift of LifeMedal ceremony for families of organdonors held at the Executive Residence;distributed flyers in state employee pay-checks to encourage them to become organ

and tissue donors; signed a law allowing forpaid leave of absence for state employeeswho serve as living organ donors (30 days)or bone marrow donors (5 days); signed alaw requiring driver-education classes tospend at least 30 minutes on organ and tis-sue donation; and proclaimed May 1-5,2000, as Life Planning Week in support ofan initiative by the State Bar of Wisconsin,the State Medical Society of Wisconsin,Wisconsin Health and Hospital Associationand Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center tohelp the public with advance planning,including organ and tissue donation.• The Michigan Secretary of State’s Officewas among eight state programs honoredwith a 2000 CSG Innovations Award for itsOrgan and Tissue Donor RegistryEnrollment Program. The program offers aconvenient method for Michigan residentsto become registered organ donors.Through prepaid postcards and Internetsign-up, Michigan residents can add theirname directly to the Gift of Life’s Organand Tissue Donor Registry. Michigan legis-lation was passed in 1998 that authorizedthe donor registry and the new enrollmentprocess. Since the program began, thenumber of registered organ donors hasincreased by over 1,000 percent.

Giving life

More than 77,000 people are on waiting lists for an organ, but only 23,000 got one last year.

States are looking at creative new ways of encouraging people to donate their organs.

BY TRUDI MATTHEWS

a national forum on the issue. “Almost allstates give residents the option to consentto donation on their driver’s licenses, butmost states do not have access to that

information,” said Weg-man. HRSA is looking at state donor registriesand how they are beingimplemented — whetherthere is online registra-tion and access, how registries across statesmight be linked and howto capture the informationabout donation frommotor-vehicle records.

As director of the Division of Transplanta-tion, Wegman has had a

bird’s-eye view of organ-donation policyat the state level and has seen what works.“Awareness and education is a key part ofencouraging donation,” said Wegman,“People who consider donation and whodiscuss it with their family are more like-ly to become donors.” State leaders canplay a key role in helping to raise aware-ness, educate the public about donationand improve donation rates in their states.

Trudi Matthews is a senior policy analystat CSG.

istries and how they operate, see thereport Analysis of State ActionsRegarding Donor Registries at www.organdonor.gov/aspehealth. html.)

Thirty-nine states haveenacted laws that treat anindication of intent todonate by donor card ordriver’s license as anadvance directive thatrequires no further con-sent. Although this is thecase in most states, hospi-tal personnel usually stillrequest permission fromthe next of kin before pro-ceeding with donation.Since time is of theessence in donation, act-ing quickly upon a decedent’s wishesmight increase donation by reducing thetime spent locating and obtaining consentfrom next of kin. In recent years, somestates, such as Indiana and Ohio, havepassed legislation that strengthened thelanguage regarding intent to donate to doaway with the need to get the approvalfrom the next of kin.

At the federal level, officials are alsoworking to increase awareness of theimportance of donation and to developsound donation strategies. TommyThompson, secretary of the U.S.Department of Health and Human

Services, was a vocal advo-cate of organ and tissuedonation as governor ofWisconsin. In his new role,Thompson has urged moregovernors and states to getinvolved in recognizingdonors and their families. Thompson has also encour-

aged corporations and stategovernments to help educatethe work force about theneed for donation through hisWorkplace Partnerships forLife initiative. He is workingwith Congress to create anational Gift of Life medal to

honor donors and their families. A modeldriver’s education curriculum on dona-tion is in the works as well.

The Health Resources and ServicesAdministration has studied best practicesregarding donor registries and is planning

continued from page 28registry, a computerized record of organdonors available any time to authorizedpersonnel. Ohio’s new legislation alsodesignated donor cards and driver’slicenses as binding legal documents for donation.

Since the legislation was passed,Ohio’s Second Chance Trust FundAdvisory Committee has been busyworking with Department of Health andBureau of Motor Vehicles personnel. Thecommittee oversaw an opinion survey ofOhio residents regarding donation, devel-oped a strategic plan donation in the stateand is currently developing rules for thedonor registry.

“In Ohio’s opinion survey we foundthat nearly 95 percent of respondents said they believed in organ donation and that if a loved one wanted to donate,they would comply with the decision,”said Barb Petering of the OhioDepartment of Health. “Therefore, thedonor registry was an important compo-nent of informing families of their lovedones wishes.”

In addition to efforts in Ohio andIndiana, states have used a number ofother initiatives in recent years to encour-age donation:

At least 16 states have established dona-tion advisory boards or committees,including Colorado, Delaware, Florida,Georgia, Illinois, Iowa,Maryland, Missouri, Mon-tana, New York, Ohio, Okla-homa, Pennsylvania, SouthCarolina, Texas and Virginia.

Twenty-three states haveenacted laws requiring emer-gency personnel to search atthe site of an accident forindication of donation intent.

Fourteen states havepassed legislation that offi-cially created state donor reg-istries. These includeArkansas, Connecticut, Del-aware, Florida, Illinois,Louisiana, Michigan, Mis-souri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Ifa deceased person is a candidate for organor tissue donation, authorized personnelare able to access the donor registry. (For further information on donor reg-


Former Wisconsin Gov. TommyThompson encouraged organdonation.

Michigan’s Donor Re-gistry won a 2000 CSG

ResourcesTo help address the critical shortageof organ donors, CSG has joined withthe U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, the NationalConference of State Legislatures andother organizations to provide timelyinformation to public officials onorgan and tissue donation. A forth-coming publication on organ dona-tion for state officials called StateStrategies for Organ and TissueDonation: A Resource Guide forPublic Officials brings together whatCSG, HHS and NCSL have learnedabout innovative state approaches toincreasing donation and saving lives.For more information on this publica-tion, please contact Trudi Matthews,senior policy analyst at CSG at (859)244-8157 or [email protected].


conference calendar

This calendar lists meetings asdesignated by CSG’s AnnualMeeting Committee. For details ofa meeting, call the number listed.“CSG/” denotes affiliate organiza-tions of CSG. Visit CSG’s Website, www.csg.org, for updates.

Other meetings have value to stateofficials. Purchase a meeting list-ing by calling 1 (800) 800-1910 oremailing [email protected]. Exposeyour meetings to thousands in thestate-government market throughan advertisement, a Web listing, ora banner ad in In the News, CSG’sweekly electronic newsletter. Getyour free subscription to In theNews at www.csg.org.

DECEMBER 2001December 5-7 National Conference of StateLegislatures Joint AFI/ASIMeeting — Washington, DC —Hotel TBA

December 12-15American Legislative ExchangeCouncil States & Nations PolicySummit — Washington, DC —Renaissance Hotel

FEBRUARY 2002February 7-9CSG/National Conference ofLieutenant Governors StateFederal Meeting — Washington,DC — Willard Inter-Continental.Contact Gail Manning at (859)244-8171 or [email protected] see www.nclg.org

February 10-13National Association of StateTreasurers Legislative Confer-ence — Willard Inter-ContinentalHotel. Contact Adnee Hamilton at(859) 244-8174

February 10-13American Probation and ParoleAssociation Winter TrainingInstitute — Myrtle Beach, SC—Kingston Resort. Contact KrisChappell at (859) 244-8204 [email protected] or see www.appa-net.org

February 23-26National Governors’ AssociationWinter Meeting — Washington,DC. Contact Susan Dotchin (202)624-5327

February 23-27CSG/National Emergency Man-agement Association 2002 Mid-Year Conference — Washington,DC — Grand Hyatt Washington.Contact Karen Cobuluis at (859)244-8143 or [email protected]

MARCH 2002

March 14-17State Legislative Leaders Foun-dation Leaders Emerging IssuesProgram “America Unplugged?Meeting the Energy Demands ofthe Future” — Las Vegas NV —University of Nevada/Las Vegas.Contact Evelene Corrigan orDebbie Buckler at (508) 771-3821,(800) 532-3375 or [email protected], [email protected]

APRIL 2002

April 3-7CSG Spring Meeting — CoralGables, FL — TBA. ContactWanda Hines at (859) 244-8200 [email protected]

MAY 2002

May 16-18College Savings Plans NetworkAnnual Conference — Biloxi,MS — Beau Rivage Hotel. ContactAdnee Hamilton at (859) 244-8174

May 19-22National Association of StateTreasurers Annual Conference— Biloxi, MS — Beau RivageHotel. Contact Adnee Hamilton at(859) 244-8174

JUNE 2002June 6-9State Legislative LeadersFoundation Leaders AdvancedManagement Program “Meetthe Press: Understanding andResponding to the ModernMedia” — New York, NY —Columbia University. ContactRoberta Duane or Janice Govoni at(508) 771-3821 or (800) 532-3375

June 26-30CSG/National Conference ofLieutenant Governors AnnualMeeting — St. Croix, VI — DiviCarina Bay. Contact Gail Man-ning at (859) 244-8171 or [email protected] or see www.nclg.org

JULY 2002July 13-16National Governors’ AssociationAnnual Meeting — Boise, ID.Contact Susan Dotchin at (202)624-5327

July 16-19 CSG-WEST Annual Meeting —Lake Tahoe, NV — Hotel TBA.Contact Cheryl Duvauchelle at(415) 974-6422

July 22-28National Conference of StateLegislatures Annual Meeting —Denver, CO — Hotel TBA

AUGUST 2002August 3-7CSG/Southern Legislative Con-ference Annual Meeting — NewOrleans, LA — Sheraton NewOrleans. Contact Colleen Cousineauat (404) 266-1271 or see www.slcat-lanta.org

August 7-11American Legislative ExchangeCouncil Annual Meeting —Orlando, FL —Hotel TBA

August 18-21CSG/Midwestern Legislative Con-ference 57th Annual Meeting —Fargo, ND — Holiday Inn. ContactMike McCabe at (630) 810-0210

August 25-28American Probation and ParoleAssociation 27th Annual TrainingInstitute — Denver, CO — Adam’sMark Hotel. Contact Kris Chappellat (859) 244-8204 or [email protected] or see www.appa-net.org

August 30-September 6CSG/National Emergency Man-agement Association 2002 AnnualMeeting — Asheville, NC —Grove Park Inn. Contact KarenCobuluis at (859) 244-8143 [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2002September 28-October 3 CSG Henry Toll Fellows Pro-gram — Lexington, KY — HiltonSuites at Lexington Green. ContactAllison Spurrier at (859) 244-8249or [email protected] or seewww.csg.org

DECEMBER 2002December 5-8CSG 2002 Annual Meeting andState Leadership Forum —Richmond, VA — RichmondMarriott. Contact Wanda Hines at(859) 244-8200 or [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2003

February 22-25National Governors’ AssociationWinter Meeting — Washington,DC. Hotel TBA. Contact SusanDotchin at (202) 624-5327

MAY 2003

May 15-18CSG Spring Meeting — U.S.Virgin Islands — MarriottFrenchman’s Reef. Contact WandaHines at (859) 244-8200 [email protected]

JULY 2003

July 21-27 National Conference of StateLegislatures Annual Meeting —San Francisco, CA — Hotel TBA

AUGUST 2003

August 9-12CSG/Southern Legislative Con-ference Annual Meeting — Ft.Worth, TX —Hotel TBA. ContactColleen Cousineau at (404) 266-1271 or see www.slcatlanta.org

August 16-19National Governors’ AssociationAnnual Meeting — Indianapolis,IN. Contact Susan Dotchin (202)624-5327

August 24-27CSG/Midwestern LegislativeConference 58th Annual Meeting— Milwaukee, WI — Hyatt.Contact Mike McCabe at (630) 810-0210

OCTOBER 2003

October 23-26CSG Annual Meeting —Pittsburgh, PA — Hotel TBA.Contact Wanda Hines at (859)244-8200 or [email protected]

Statement of Ownership, Management and CirculationPublished in compliance with U.S. Postal Service regulations.

1.Title: State Government News. 2. Pub. no.: 0039-0119 3. Filing date: 10/18/01. 4.Frequency: Monthly, 2 combined issues: June/July and Nov./Dec. 5. No. publishedannually: 10. 6. Annual subscription price: $45. 7./8. Mailing address publication/pub-lisher: 2760 Research Park Dr., P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, Ky. 40578-1910; contact:Amy Lindon, (859) 244-8220. 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 of State Governments, 2760Research Park Dr., P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, Ky. 40578-1910. 11. None. 12. Has notchanged during preceding 12 months. 13. State Government News. 14. October 2001.15. Avg. no. copies each issue/Actual no. copies of single issue published nearest to fil-ing date. A. Total copies:14,766/16,000. B. Paid and/or requested circulation (1)Paid/requested outside county subscriptions: 13638/14105; (2) Paid in-county sub-scriptions: 0/0; (3) Sales through dealers and carriers: 0/0; (4) Other classes mailed:1215/1895. C. Total paid and/or requested circulation: 14,853/16,000. D. Free distri-bution by mail (1) Outside county: 5/0; In-county: 0/0; Other classes: 0/0. E. Free dis-tribution outside mail: 0/0. F. Total free: 5/0. G. Total distribution: 14,858/16,000. H.Copies not distributed: 0/0. I. Total: 1,858/16,000. Percent paid and/or requested cir-culation: 100%/100%. 16. Nov./Dec. issue. 17. Signature/title of editor/s: Elaine Stuart,managing editor, Catherine Cowan, associate editor, Oct. 16, 2001.

excellence in action: spotlighting CSG activities, events, resources and affiliated organizations.


Applications will be available inDecember for the 2002 Bowhay Institutefor Leadership Development, to be heldJuly 12-16 in Madison, Wis.

Each summer, The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Officeselects legislators from the region to participate in BILLD at the University ofWisconsin-Madison. Participants devel-op leadership skills through a curricu-lum of professional development andpolicy-analysis seminars, and meet peersfrom neighboring states.

Last August, 35 Midwestern andCanadian legislators became the seventhgraduating class of BILLD after five

days of intensive training. The Fellowsparticipated in such policy sessions asteacher compensation and studentachievement, Midwestern electricitymarkets and manufacturing in the globaleconomy. In addition, the programincluded professional development seminars on time management, commu-nicating with the public, legislativestrategies, creating win-win public poli-cies and media relations.

The following foundations and corpo-rations sponsored the program: GoldSponsor, Ameritech Foundation; SilverSponsors, AT&T, Aventis Pharmaceu-ticals, Bayer Corp., Merck & Co. Inc.,

Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc and Verizon Communications; BronzeSponsors, Enron Corp., Johnson &Johnson, Pharmacia Corp., PhilipMorris Management Corp., UnitedParcel Service and USX Corp.; andPatron Sponsor, Koch Industries Inc.

Lawmakers are chosen to be fellowsby the BILLD Steering Committeethrough a competitive, nonpartisanprocess. To receive application materi-als or for more information, call Laura A. Tomaka at (630) 810-0210 or visit the program’s Web site atwww.csgmidwest.org/MLC/BILLD/BILLD.htm.

Midwest: Bowhay Institute taking applicationsMore than 300 state leaders from

around the Northeast met in Bartlett,N.H., Aug. 26-29 to discuss a host ofissues ranging from electric deregulationto health insurance and trade. The eventwas the 2001 Annual Meeting of TheCouncil Of State Governments/ EasternRegional Conference.

“Working with our colleagues fromaround the region always proves to beenormously helpful and productive,” saidNew Hampshire Reps. David Alukonisand Toni Crosby, ERC’s 2001 co-chairs.“We’re all concerned with similar issues,and there’s a lot to gain by taking whathas worked elsewhere and applying it toour efforts here in New Hampshire.”

Other issues delegates tackled inclu-ded agriculture, juvenile justice, trans-portation policy and education finance.

In addition to discussing state policy,delegates passed a number of resolutionsto support federal policies that benefitthe Northeast. Among them wereincreased Amtrak capital funding, con-tinued support for the Low IncomeHome Energy Assistance Program,renewed advocacy for Northeast agricul-

tural concerns in federal policy, andenvironmentally friendly water policy.

Delegates to the conference also participated in skills workshops focus-ing on using the Internet to facilitatetheir work and effective time-manage-ment techniques.

Several nationally known speakersaddressed the group. ABC NewsCorrespondent Bettina Gregory moder-ated a discussion on media that includedHoward Fineman, senior editor atNewsweek, and Pete Hamill, editor ofthe New York Daily News. LowellBergman, the correspondent for TheNew York Times and Frontline portrayedby Al Pacino in the 1999 movie TheInsider, spoke about his reporting onCalifornia’s electricity crisis.

The Eastern Regional Conference wasestablished in 1937 and includesConnecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massa-chusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico,Rhode Island, Vermont, the Virgin Islands,and the Canadian provinces ofNewfoundland and Labrador, NovaScotia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island.

East: Annual Meeting a success

2001 Fellows participated in the Bowhay Institute for Leadership Development last summer in Madison, Wis. From left to right were: Row1: Rep. Mary Ekstrom (N.D.), Sen. Grace S. Schwab (Minn.), Rep. Christine Sinicki (Wis.), Rep. Kitty Rhoades (Wis.), Rep. Lana Gordon(Kan.), Rep. Jennifer Shilling (Wis.), Rep. Jean Hunhoff (S.D.), Sen. Ray Aguilar (Neb.), MLA Doreen Eagles (Sask.), Rep. Mary Glenski(S.D.), Rep. Cynthia Soto (Ill.); Row 2: Rep. Glenn Anderson (Mich.), Rep. Phillip D. Hinkle (Ind.), Rep. Carol A. Pitts (S.D.), Rep. ChrisKolb (Mich.), Rep. Alexander C. Lipsey (Mich.), Sen. Adrian Smith (Neb.), Rep. Doug Gatewood (Kan.), Rep. Debra Hilstrom (Minn.), Rep.David E. Miller (Ill.), Rep. Bryan J. Sievers (Iowa), Sen. Dick Dever (N.D.), MLA Deb Higgins (Saskatchewan), Rep. Jerry Kooiman (Mich.);Row 3: Sen. Thomas L. Fiegen (Iowa), Rep. Mark D. Smith (Iowa), Rep. Randall M. Hultgren (Ill.), Rep. Stephen Reinhard (Ohio), Rep.John P. Hagan (Ohio), Sen. Derek Schmidt (Kan.), Rep. Harry Osterman (Ill.), Sen. Matt Connealy (Neb.), Rep. Eric Lipman (Minn.), Rep.Chet Pollert (N.D.); Not pictured: Sen. David H. Johnson (Minn.). Photo courtesy of the Eastman Kodak Company

East: ERC has temporary office

The Eastern Regional Office ofThe Council of State Governments,which was destroyed during the ter-rorist attacks on the World TradeCenter in New York, has found tem-porary office space for the next twoto three months.

You may reach Alan Sokolow,Pam Stanley, Cynthia Valle andRenee Brackett at the CPR Institutefor Dispute Resolution, 366Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y.,10017-3122. The phone number is(212) 949-6490, and the fax num-ber is (212) 949-8859.

When calling, be aware that the phone will be answered by the CPR Institute because theseERC staff members are sharing the institute’s receptionist. Also,please address mail to CSG East,c/o the CPR Institute for DisputeResolution.

Staff not listed above are stillworking from home and can bereached on their cell phones.

The Canadian province of Saskatch-ewan will host the MidwesternLegislative Conference’s AnnualMeeting in 2005. The conference’sExecutive Committee made the deci-sion to allow an MLC affiliate to hostthe event for the first time during theMLC’s 56th Annual Meeting inLincoln, Neb.

While welcoming Midwestern law-makers, Saskatchewan plans numerousother special events during 2005 to celebrate its 100th year as a Canadianprovince.

Also at its annual meeting, held July 29 — Aug. 1 in Lincoln, Neb., andattended by almost 600 people, the MLCheard from several renowned speakers,passed 13 resolutions and welcomedOntario as the newest Canadian affiliate.

Several resolutions approved byMLC members dealt with agriculturalissues, including one calling for anationwide ban on the use of MTBE as a fuel additive and several othersaimed at finding ways to help familyfarms. One resolution, proposed by thenewly formed Elections Task Force and approved by the full MLC, voicessupport for maintaining local and statecontrol over elections. The MLC alsosupported resolutions by its Health and Human Services Committee deal-ing with federal reauthorization ofTemporary Assistance for NeedyFamilies and the treatment of peoplesuffering from mental illness and substance abuse. For a copy of the reso-lutions, call Ilene Grossman at (630)810-0210.

The meeting ended with delegateshearing historian Stephen Ambrose,author of books on Lewis and Clark, thetranscontinental railroad, D-Day andWorld War II, speak about past U.S.leaders and what made them great.

Attendees also heard presentations byspeakers Mark Shields, a political com-mentator for CNN and PBS, and clinicalpsychologist Mary Pipher, author of TheNew York Times No. 1 best sellerReviving Ophelia. Throughout the con-ference, legislators participated in ses-sions dealing with important regionalpublic policy issues.

In 2002, members of the MLC will meet Aug. 18-21 in Fargo, N.D. The Annual Meeting will be held in Milwaukee, Wis., in 2003 and in Iowain 2004.

Midwest: Saskatchewan to host 2005 meeting


Welcome to the first of our CSG Associate profiles. Each month,we will highlight a CSG Associ-ate and its work in the states. We will also hear from Associatemembers on the trends affecting their industry.

Becton, Dickinson & Co.For more than a

decade, health-careprofessionals, elec-ted officials and the public have been in-creasingly concernedabout two majorissues — the expo-sure of health-careworkers to blood-borne pathogens through needle-stick injuries and the possibility that workers may make mistakes in administering medication or col-lecting blood samples. Becton,Dickinson & Co., a global medical-technology company, addresses theseissues through a broad range of prod-ucts and services.

“As the world’s largest manufac-turer of hypodermic needles andsyringes, plus a broad array of othersharps products, BD has been work-ing hard to provide safety-engineeredsolutions that protect health-careworkers from accidental needle-stickinjuries,” said Ted Juraschek, directorof government relations. “Weapplaud the federal government andthe many states that have recentlyenacted legislation to ensure thatproducts with safety-engineered fea-tures are available for use by allhealth-care workers.”

To address the problem of med-ical errors, BD and other companiessell handheld, software-based sys-tems that significantly reduce thenumber of medication and collectionerrors. “Hospitals are facing suchtight margins and shortage of capital

that most cannot afford to purchasethese systems,” Juraschek said.“States and the federal govern-ment can help by appropriating anddesignating funds that can be used to help purchase these effective systems.”

Juraschek predicts that in comingyears, his industry will address the cost of health care and medical technology. America is in the midstof a revolution in medical techno-logy that will yield major break-throughs in areas such as artificialorgans, tissue engineering, DNA-based testing and diagnostic imaging,Juraschek said. Advances in medicaltechnology have allowed morepatients to receive better care at alower cost. Americans older than 65are living longer, more productivelives. Advances such as coronarystents, implantable defibrillators and minimally invasive heart sur-geryhave helped cut the mortality ratefrom heart disease by 40 percent over the last 20 years,Juraschek said.

BD manufactures and sells a broadrange of supplies, devices and systems for use by health-care pro-fessionals, medical-research institu-tions and the general public. Theseinclude such diverse products andservices as anesthesiology products,antibodies, diabetes-care accessories,elastic bandages and braces, infec-tious-disease analysis units, surgicalblades, scalpels and scrubs, prefill-able drug-delivery systems, labequipment and health-care consultingand services.

Headquartered in Franklin Lakes,N.J., the company also has facil-ities in California, Connecticut,Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska,North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah, and has a significant presence in more than 65 countriesworldwide.

CSG Associate Profile: Becton, Dickinson & Co.

Emerging leaders from the legisla-tive, executive and judicial branches ofstate government who are looking for achance to improve their leadershipskills and gain a greater appreciation forthe public service challenges that lieahead should apply for the 2002 HenryToll Fellowship Program.

Each year since 1986, 40 leadersselected from across the country havegathered in Lexington, Ky., for theHenry Toll Fellowship Program, the pre-mier leadership development programfor state government officials, sponsoredby The Council of State Governments.

The program was named for Henry

Toll, a Colorado Sen-ator and foundingfather of CSG, whowanted to provideinformation and contacts to state officialsacross the country.

Toll Fellows are selected competitive-ly based on their leadership potential andaccomplishments to date. The 2002 pro-gram is scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 3.The application deadline is Jan. 7, 2002.

To request an application or for moreinformation regarding the program,contact Allison Spurrier at (859) 244-8249 or [email protected], or refer toour Web site at www.csg.org.

West: Californianreceives award

Former California Assembly-woman Denise Moreno Duchenywas awarded the 2001 BettyeF a h r e n k a m pAward for leg-islative leader-ship in the Wes-tern region atC S G - W E S T ’sannual meetingin Whistler, Bri-tish Columbia,this summer.The award isnamed for lateAlaska Sen. Bet-tye Fahrenkamp of Fairbanks,who served inthe Alaska Se-nate for manyyears and was a tireless advocate ofWestern states working together toachieve regional interests.

CSG-WEST leaders cited Duchenyfor her efforts as founding chair of thejoint CSG-WEST/Southern Legis-lative Conference Committee on theSouth-ern Border. That committeeprovides a forum for legislators fromfour U.S. states and six Mexicanstates to discuss common issues alongthe shared 2000-mile border. Since itscreation, the committee has examinedenvironmental, transportation, healthand water issues in a dynamic regionundergoing dramatic change.

Ducheny, a San Diego resident,represented an assembly district that borders Baja, Mexico. As a legislator, she achieved notable suc-cesses in convening cross-bordercoalitions of legislators and otherelected officials. Legislators from all10 U.S. and Mexican border statesenthusiastically greeted her proposalto create a Southern BorderCommittee, and many attended itsmeetings during the four years whenshe served as its chair.

CSG State Directory II — LegislativeLeadership, Committees & Staff 2001and CSG State Directory III —Administrative Officials 2001 are nowavailable.

Directory II includes the name,address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail and Web addresses of officers andprincipal staff and selected standingcommittees of the Senate and House ofeach state and U.S. jurisdiction. Thedirectory lists entries both by state andby position or issue area for all states.

Directory III provides name, address,phone and fax numbers, and e-mail and

Web addresses forelected and appoint-ed officials with pri-mary responsibilityin more than 150state governmentfunctions. Sample categories includeadministration, banking, chief of staff,debt management, elections administra-tion, facilities management and highereducation, to name a few.

To order, contact CSG’s publicationsales order department at (800) 800-1910 or access CSG’s online store atwww.csg.org/store/.

TedJuraschek

NASTD sets new toneCharleston, S.C., welcomed more than

300 attendees of the 2001 NationalAssociation of State TelecommunicationsDirectors Annual Conference and TradeShow this past August.

During its annual business meeting,NASTD passed a motion to change theassociation’s motto to “NASTD: The As-sociation for Telecommunications andTechnology Professionals in State Govern-ment.” The change reflects a new effort toinclude more state executive-branch tele-communications and information-technolo-gy officials as a part of the organization.

NASTD also agreed to work to increaseits promotional activities, emphasize spe-cial-interest groups and expand member-ship. The new leadership also committedto build upon this year’s Charleston meet-ing as it prepares to meet next Septemberfor the 2002 Annual Conference and TradeShow in Anchorage, Alaska.

Former Califor-nia Assemblywoman DeniseMoreno Du-cheny won the2001 Betty Fah-renkamp Awardfor legislativeleadership.

National: Toll Fellows program taking applications

National: Publications available

Henry Toll NASFA: Annual conference held

The NationalAssociation ofState FacilitiesAdministratorsheld its 2001 An-nual Conference& Trade-show,June 9-13 in Lex-ington, Ky. Theconference pro-vided attendeesfrom 34 statesand 27 companies the opportunity to shareinformation on facility issues affecting thecountry’s state facilities administrators.

CSG Executive Director Dan Spragueaddressed the conference as did keynotespeaker Dr. Carl Hurley. The highlight ofthe meeting was the awards banquet whereArizona, Michigan, Missouri, andWashington were recognized for outstand-ing state facilities programs. OutgoingPresident Gary Grimes of Kansas also pre-sented the 2001-02 president’s plaque toLamar Holland of Georgia.

The National Association of State Per-sonnel Executives held its 2001 AnnualMeeting in Big Sky, Mont., July 7-11. Arecord number of more than 200 attend-ed. The conference allowed people from31 states and 22 companies to share infor-mation on human-resource issues affect-ing the country’s state personnel agencies.

Presentation topics included hiringand retaining employees, leadershipdevelopment, compensation, human

resources over the Internet, work-forceplanning, and workplace violence. Ohioand Wisconsin were recognized for out-standing human resource programs, andMollie Anderson, director of the IowaDepartment of Personnel, was honoredfor her leadership in human-resourcesmanagement at the annual awards din-ner on July 10.

NASPE will hold its midyear meet-ing in Oklahoma City on Feb. 1-3, 2002.

NASPE: Big meeting at Big Sky

Outgoing NASFA Pres-ident Gary Grimes presented a plaque toLamar Holland ofGeorgia.

inquiry line


ust as in other aspects of public education, state gov-ernments control the kindergarten programs withintheir boundaries. These programs vary among the 50

states in such aspects as whether kindergarten is mandatory,how long the school day lasts, and how old children must beto enter.

Children entering kindergarten face myriadchanges. Many things such as developmentalopportunities in the new environment can sig-nificantly affect a child’s reaction to thesechanges. While experts agree that kinder-garten is a critical time in a child’s develop-ment, they have no shortage of theories aboutwhich programs are most effective. Here arethe major differences in how the 50 states dealwith five major issues in kindergarten.

Is kindergarten attendance mandatory? Only 15 states and the District of Columbia

require children to attend kindergarten beforestarting first grade. Of those, Louisiana andWest Virginia allow some students to enterfirst grade by passing a readiness test in lieu of attendingkindergarten.

Are schools required to offer kindergarten?Although a majority of states do not require children to

attend kindergarten, most do force local school districts tooffer the program. In fact, 42 states impose this requirement.The eight states that do not are Alaska, Colorado, Idaho,Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota andWashington. Although not required, all districts in Idaho andNew Jersey do have kindergarten programs. Meanwhile, inArizona, where kindergarten is required, school districts canmake an exception if the Department of Education approvesa formal exemption claim.

What states require full-day kindergarten?Of the 42 states that require kindergarten, 12 must offer

full-day programs. These are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi,North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Oklahoma,where legislation was signed in May. New Mexico alsopassed a law this year that will phase in full-day kinder-garten programs until they are required in 2004. In Illinois,the state will fund full-day programs, but the decision onprogram length is still left to the local districts. Another 12states require that kindergarten classes be offered at least

half a day. These include Arizona, Delaware, Kansas,Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire,Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The remainingstates leave the decision to local school districts.

Are state funds available for kindergartenprograms?

Despite variation in the requirements thatstates impose on local districts, all 50 statesprovide at least partial funding for kinder-garten.

How old must a child be to enroll in kindergarten?

In 36 states a student must be 5 years old bysome time in August, September or October toenroll in kindergarten. Connecticut andVermont require a student to be 5 by January1, while Indiana sets the date at June 1. Fivestates (California, Hawaii, Michigan, NewYork and Rhode Island) require a student toturn 5 by a set day in December. The other six

states allow local school districts to set the age for kinder-garten entrance. In Pennsylvania, state law allows studentsas young as 4 to attend, but each district sets the age require-ment for its schools.

For decades educators and educational experts havelooked at kindergarten as the first stage of a child’s educa-tional development. However, researchers are increasinglyemphasizing children’s development at younger ages. Somestates are replacing their K-12 (kindergarten through 12thgrade) educational systems with ones that coordinate educa-tion from preschool through undergraduate college work, orP-16 systems. In fact 13 states are working to create a seam-less system of education that begins with preschool andextends through college. These states are Alabama, Florida,Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts,Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, RhodeIsland and Wisconsin. Vermont’s preschool component iscurrently being developed.

For more information on these and other issues, contactthe States Information Center at (888) CSG-4SIC [email protected].

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

JHow do kindergarten programs differ?

BY JAMES CARROLL

States take a variety ofapproaches to children’s

development.


political protocol

hane Broadway was elected to the Arkansas House atthe age of 23. His career in that body will end in 2002,before he turns 30. No doubt, term limits is ridding the

legislatures of old geezers in Arkansas.Broadway is currently speaker, having assumed that

office in January 2001, after only four years as a memberof the House. Elected from a competitive district, his main

goal was re-election, not the speakership. But when the time came, he ran and won thetop job.

How does a legislator learn to be a leader?And how does one do it in the short timeavailable in Arkansas?

Legislators, like everyone else, learn fromexperience. In term-limited states, legislatorshave less experience to draw on than do theircounterparts elsewhere. Broadway had a fewyears under his belt before becoming speaker.He had gone through a special session inwhich the House, Senate, and governor buttedheads and came away with very little. Fromthis he learned an important lesson, which ledhim to build a good working relationship withthe Senate president.

While experience helps, it is also true as Broadway saysthat, “No other capacity prepares you for this job.”Nevertheless, Arkansas should be credited with figuring outways to help train leaders. The former speaker, BobbyHogue, set procedures in motion to bring legislators up tospeed. He and his successor lengthened the orientation ses-sion for new members.

Broadway has developed continuing education programsthat encourage members to learn from legislators in otherstates at conferences conducted by CSG and the NationalConference of State Legislatures. (As speaker, Broadwaywas most impressed with a program conducted by the StateLegislative Leaders Foundation at Harvard’s KennedySchool of Government.)

The continuing education programs and other activitieshave tended to separate those members motivated to learnabout the legislative process and policy issues from thoseless inclined or with less time. The motivated members par-ticipated regularly and diligently. The experience helpedBroadway decide which of his colleagues he wanted on hisleadership team.

To prepare for the office of speaker, Broadway made fulluse of Arkansas’ speaker-designate system, which had beenin place before term limits to accommodate the state’s tradi-

tion of rotating speakers for each biennial GeneralAssembly. Florida is the only other state with a similarspeaker-designate system.

Broadway was chosen speaker-designate in March 1999,affording him one-and-one-half years to learn as much as hecould and to think seriously about how to be a good speak-er. If a legislator’s principal objective is simply getting the

votes to be elected speaker, that crowds outany thought of learning much about the jobitself. Broadway acknowledges that he could-n’t have both campaigned and learned aboutleadership at the same time, saying, “Whenyou’re running, you’re so committed to it.”

The time as “speaker in waiting” allowedBroadway to concentrate on learning. Hespent much of his time during the interimperiod traveling the state and talking with col-leagues, legislative staff and experts.

Above all, he was able to put issues into astatewide framework and he developed aknowledge and respect for the legislature asan institution, essentials for legislative lead-ers. He was mentored by his predecessor, Bob

Johnson, and benefited greatly. As speaker, Broadway ismentoring his designated successor, Herschel Cleveland,and has taken him to an executive committee meeting ofCSG’s Southern Legislative Conference to meet and learnfrom other leaders in the region.

The speaker-designate system is not without problems. InFlorida, the power of the speaker declined in the lame-duckyear, while that of the speaker-designate increased. InArkansas, however, House designates have tried to guardagainst this. When legislators approached Broadway lookingfor a cue when he was speaker-designate, he referred themto the sitting speaker for advice in order to protect the powerof the office.

Arkansas doesn’t have all the answers. But, impelled byterm limits, the House has crafted a few: continuing pro-grams for legislator education and the speaker-designate sys-tem to prepare a new speaker for the job. Education pro-grams ought to be instituted and/or beefed up in every statelegislature. The speaker-designate innovation, however, isapplicable only when a speaker is term limited — whetherby statute, rule or convention. That appears to be the situa-tion in a growing number of states.

Alan Rosenthal is a professor with the Eagleton Institute ofPolitics at Rutgers University.

SLearning to be a leader

BY ALAN ROSENTHAL

States can do more toensure legislators are

prepared to lead.

perspective

tate policy-makers are anxious to find out how theCongress will respond to President George W. Bush’seducation blueprint that calls for a larger federal role in

improving primary and secondary education. The presidentwants to increase accountability for student performance,enhance teacher quality, increase flexibility in funding andempower parents to choose the school their children attend.

However, state and local governments, notthe president or Congress, play the primaryrole in public education in the United States.After all, the federal government contributes amere 7 percent to public-school financing.

Litigation: Since the California SupremeCourt held in Serrano v. Priest in 1971 that thestate’s school system, with its uneven tax burdensand disparate spending patterns, was unconstitu-tional, many states have been subject to similar litigation. Of suits decided by high courtsin 36 states, 18 school-finance systems were heldconstitutional and 18 ruled unconstitutional.Litigation is pending in several other states.

While it is difficult to pin down exact reasonsfor school-finance litigation across the UnitedStates, experts often cite school-finance systems that have notkept up with changing social forces such as enrollment increas-es, demographic changes, higher expectations of studentachievement, especially in comparison with other countries,and marginal growth in state aid for public education.

Legislative responses: In the past three decades, manystate legislatures have come under intense pressure from thecourts to reform public-school finance systems. Legislativestrategies to deal with court rulings may be grouped intothree types: increasing spending in poorer districts, modify-ing school-finance formulas, and diverting revenues fromwealthier districts to poorer districts.

What appears to be lacking in these strategies is explicit-ly linking school funding to student performance. The ques-tion is whether legislators should think about school financebeyond equity and adequacy. Pouring more money intoschool districts would not meet the public’s expectationsunless clearly defined and measurable student achievementstandards are in place.

Challenging questions: No matter which strategies reform-minded legislators choose to adopt, it is important to pay atten-tion to three broad aspects of school finance. Specific questionspolicy-makers might address include: Philosophical. Whatshould the funding system accomplish in terms of equity, ade-quacy, efficiency and local control? What connections should

there be between the funding system and student and schoolperformance goals? How can the school-funding system pro-vide incentives to improve student and school performance?Technical. How should the funding formula allocate state andlocal money? What strategies and information should be usedto set a base student-funding level? How should the funding for-mula adjust for high-cost students and other factors out of the

district’s control? Political. What state dollarsshould be available for education compared withother state programs? How can state leaders bal-ance the needs of the districts they representwith other districts in the state? What changes infunding levels and policies are politicallyacceptable? How and to what extent should stateleaders control district spending and tax levels?

Policy options: Although the mandate forschool-finance reform varies from state tostate, legislators encounter issues common tothe process of redesigning school-finance sys-tems. The following policy options reflectthese central issues.

First, legislators need to create a school-finance system that works. They should strive

to ensure adequacy, promote equity and improve efficiency.Second, legislators need to consider school finance as part

of an integrated approach to reforming public schools.School finance cannot be dealt with independently of educa-tional programs and outcomes. School finance must evolvefrom educational needs and programmatic responses ratherthan political judgment. Also, while school finance shouldbe flexible enough to permit experimentation, its primaryfocus should be on improving public education.

Third, legislators should ensure that all school districtshave the resources to meet the educational needs of their stu-dents. They might want to adopt a higher baseline fundinglevel, limit local funding systems and provide additionalfunds to reduce spending disparities between districts.

Finally, necessary supplemental programs should be fund-ed by categorical means or by the weighted pupil approach.States must guarantee that all districts have the necessaryfunds without inappropriate or unrealistic demands on thelocal tax base. States also must engage the public by devel-oping a formula that is easy to understand and that addressescommonly perceived needs and expectations.

Keon S. Chi is a senior fellow with The Council of StateGovernments and editor of Spectrum: The Journal of StateGovernment.

S

States need to link schoolfunding to school and student performance.

Reforming school financeBY KEON S. CHI


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The Council of State Governments

2002 Annual Meeting and State Leadership Forum

December5-8,2002

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