Cleaning up Pollution in Ports to Save Lives

Trucks carrying cheap imported goods are polluting the air and poisoning children who live near the ports where those goods enter the country.  Addressing that problem, the California Assembly on Tuesday approved SB 974, sponsored by Sen. Alan Lowenthal who represents the Long Beach port area, which will impose a new fee on containers entering and leaving the ports to fund programs to alleviate that pollution.

The problem is stark. As the Coalition for Clean Air highlights:

• The Air Resources Board estimates that 3,700 Californians die prematurely each year due to pollution from the ports and freight transportation.
• Pollution leads to 360,000 sick days for workers and 1.1 million missed school days for children in California.
• Traffic congestion due to the ports imposes significant costs on the state economy.

Bills that Made a Difference in 2008

Even with many states having short sessions, the 2008 state legislative sessions have already had some impressive milestone victories for families and communities across the country.  This Dispatch covers a few of the key issue victories this year -- and points out that states are still taking the lead on issue after issue.  Most of the bills highlighted became law, while a few, falling short of final passage, were innovative enough and showed enough movement to promise greater things for 2009. 

The list below is not exhaustive (we'll publish a more exhaustive list later in the year) and we'd be very interested in receiving additional nominations for key bills that were innovative and likely to impact politics both in your state and around the country.  Send any additional 2008 successes nominations to dispatch[at]progressivestates.org.

States Still Leading Feds on Minimum Wage

With food and gas prices rising rapidly, low-wage workers can at least welcome an increase in the federal minium wage to $6.55 per hour scheduled to go into effect on July 24th. Even better, a number of states will also be increasing their minimum wage rates even higher than the federal rate:

• $6.85 per hour in Nevada
• $7.15 in Pennsylvania (for smaller employers to match the rate already for large employers)
• $7.25 per hour in West Virginia and Illinois
• $7.40 per hour in Michigan
• $7.65 in the District of Columbia
• $7.25 per hour in Maine this October

Adding in states who have already raised their minimum wage, twenty-four states plus the Distrcit of Columbia, covering 59% of the U.S. population, will still have minimum rates above the federal rate. And even when the federal rate rises to $7.25 per hour next year, eleven states plus the D.C., covering 26% of the U.S. population, will still have a minimum wage rate higher than the federal level. Five states plus D.C. will have minimum wage rates of $8 per hour or more.

more...

Session Roundups: RI, SC, KS, IL

Contentious sessions in Rhode Island, South Carolina, Kansas and Illinois were marked by veto showdowns with their respective governors and often stalemate on key issues even between chambers in those states.

Session Roundups: NH and TN, plus Special Sessions in NV, WV KY, and WI

Today's Dispatch details session roundups from New Hampshire and Tennessee, along with updates on the results of special sessions recently concluced in Kentucky, Nevada, West Virginia and Wisconsin to address budget shortfalls.

Supreme Court and the States: Business Wins, Voting Rights Lose, and a Mixed Bag on Criminal Justice

As the Supreme Court marches to the Right, corporate interests continue to thrive at the expense of state regulatory powers.  “This has been a very successful year for the business community,” said Miguel Estrada, a Washington appellate lawyer who represents many key corporate interests before courts in Washington, D.C."  This session at the U.S. Supreme Court, as this Dispatch will highlight, had an almost uniform tilt towards business versus state regulatory authority.  In other areas like election law, the tilt was against poor voters who faced restrictions on their right to vote, though the term was a more mixed bag on criminal justice and other issues before the Court.

"Drill Now" Usual Rightwing Diversion from Real Energy Independence Policy

"Drill now" for oil off our state coasts may make for cute, well-polled political rhetoric, but it is sadly typical of the oil-industry-funded propaganda that has diverted attention from real energy solutions for decades. This particular campaign is the brainchild of Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives who resigned his office in disgrace, and now John McCain is aping Newt's rhetoric. Here's the reality of the proposal for offshore drilling:

Inside PSN: The 2008 Progressive States Network Annual Gala

Without the progressive movement in the states, for all intents and purposes the whole possibility of meaningful health care reform would be dead....  We will someday soon pass meaningful legislation providing health care for every single American, and it will have happened in the states, because of the Progressive States Network.     

- Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle

Last Wednesday, the Progressive States Network played host to national luminaries and state leaders from all over the country to celebrate the many victories achieved by the organization and its allies in the most recent  legislative session, and to build momentum for new victories in the coming year.

Illinois Legislature Passes Pay-to-Play Contracting Reform, Bill Awaits Governor's Signature

Illinois stands out as a state famous for corrupt politics.  For generations, patronage and pay-to-play politics have been raised to an art form by state and local politicians.  The state's last governor is in jail for racketeering.  The current governor is under federal investigation for allegedly giving jobs and no-bid contracts to campaign supporters, more than 200 of whom have given the governor checks for exactly $25,000.  Advocates of good government such as the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform have fought for years to bring the states' corrupt government officials to heel.

Now, it appears that they are on the cusp of celebrating their first major victory - a law that would ban campaign contributions from government contractors to elected officials who have control over giving out contracts.  Seven other states currently have some form of pay-to-play contracting law.  This bill, HB 824, would be a radical change in a state that doesn't put any limit on the size of campaign contributions.  It has passed each house of the legislature unanimously and now sits on the governor's desk.  He has expressed reluctance to sign the bill, claiming that he doesn't feel it goes far enough.  However, with the recent indictment of Tony Rezko, a major contributor, and the frequent mention of the governor at his trial, the pressure may just be too much to resist.  But even if he alters the bill or vetoes it, the lack of no votes in the legislature and statements from the leadership suggests that an override is likely.

Session Roundups: ME, MN, MO, OK

Minnesota

With a last minute deal to close a billion-dollar deficit, Minnesota had a good session that would have been a landmark one -- if the Governor had not vetoed more bills (34!) this session than in any other since World War II.  

The Budget Deal:  The deficit was dealt with through a combination of budget cuts, draining much of the rainy-day fund, and closing a corporate loophole.  $355 million in cuts to health and human services means state universities will probably be seeing tuition hikes, hospitals will be losing reimbursements, and courts will be cutting back on hours.  A tax break for businesses with overseas operations was restricted, raising over $100 million.  And half a billion was taken out of budget reserves.

The other part of the budget deal was a 3.9% per year cap on property tax increases for three years, although exemptions were allowed for certain fast-growing cities and if local referendums support an override.  Gov. Pawlenty's resistance to any significant revenue increases means, as advocates noted, the state still faces an additional $2 billion deficit in coming years.