USApp Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in U.S. state blogging

Gilson, Christopher

LSE Research Online

blogs.lse.ac.ukhttp://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2015/08/15/new-yorks-uneven-recovery-alabamas-hostage-budget-and-idahos-busy-senator-us-state-blog-round-up-for-8-14-august/New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Credit; Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons BY SA)New York’s uneven recovery, Alabama’s ‘hostage’ budget andIdaho’s busy Senator: US state blog round up for 8 – 14 AugustUSApp Managing Editor, Chris Gilson, looks at the week in U.S. state blogging . Click here for our weeklyroundup of national blogs. Northeast On Saturday this week, Blue Mass Group writes that the Bay State is a model for President Obama’s clean powerplan, announced last week. They comment that state’s similar Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, begun in2009, has led to the state having nearly 100,000 clean energy jobs.Heading south, RINPR has 17 things that we need to know about Rhode Island politics and media for the week.These range from falling unemployment, compelling local political theatre, and the lack of municipal coveragefrom the Providence Journal. State of Politics writes that a new report has found that New York State’s recovery has been an uneven one;despite more new jobs overall in the state, many areas outside New York City have experienced low or evennegative job growth.Moving over to New Jersey,PolitickerNJ reports on Mondaythat the state’s Senate President,Democrat Steve Sweeney, hasheavily criticized RepublicanGovernor Chris Christie after theGovernor vetoed legislationwhich would make the statemake use of $300 million of thisyear’s budget surplus as aprepayment for 2016 into thestate’s pension system. Stayingin the Garden State, Save Jerseysays that new Rutgers-Eagletonpoll has shown that 54 percent ofvoters in the states want Christieto resign, and also that about halfof voters polled think thatLieutenant Governor, KimGuadagno is ready to take overfrom Christie.This week saw special elections in three seats in the Pennsylvania State House. PoliticsPA has the news that thestate’s Democratic Party was able to retain the three seats, meaning that the state’s House of Representatives willcarry on with 84 Democrats and 119 Republicans. SouthOn Wednesday, North Carolina’s NC Policy Watch has an interesting graph of what the state’s budgets wouldhave looked like if a budget bill currently being debated had been put in place in 1992. They say that the budgetCredit: Truthout.org (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0)regime would have led to massive revenue shortfalls which would have meant that 15 percent of the publicinvestments made since 1992 would not have been possible.Heading down to the Peach State, Better Georgia reports that a progressive Democrat beat the incumbentRepublican in a special election for the state House’s 80th District. They say that the win now means that the GOPno longer have a supermajority in the state’s House of Representatives.This week the Florida legislature met ina special session to redraw the state’sCongressional districts in response to aJuly state Supreme Court ruling that theprevious Congressional map (drawn upby the GOP) violated the state’sconstitution. The Shark Tank says thatsome of the state’s Democrats arepushing back against the redistricting,claiming that the new proposals mightactually hurt representation in somedistricts. Staying in the Sunshine State,Saint Peters Blog writes Thursday thatthe state is being sued for refusing toacknowledge same-sex couples asparents on birth certificates.Moving on to Alabama, leftinalabama comments that the state’s government is in a ‘hostage situation’, where thestate’s population are the hostages. They say that the state is heading towards its second special legislativesession in two or so weeks, which will debate a budget which slashes millions from the state’s Medicaid and otherstate agencies. The budget is very similar to the one that Governor Robert Bentley already stated wasunacceptable earlier this spring.Over in the Natural State, Arkansas Times says that nearly 50,000 have lost their health insurance underMedicaid despite the fact that many actually remain eligible, mostly because of errors in the new program’sverification process.MidwestProgress Illinois has the news on Monday that $4 million in salary costs for the staff of Governor Bruce Rauner isactually being up by state agencies, and not the governor’s office.Heading up to Wisconsin, Blogging Blue examines Governor Scott Walker’s record of government reform –something that Walker is touting as he runs for the Republican presidential nomination. They say that in the caseof the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, over four years the agency has had two chief executives,five chief financial officers, and $126 million in loans that were not properly underwritten or vetted.On Friday, Bleeding Heartland of Iowa looks at the state’s refugee crisis, whereby federal support for refugeesruns out after 90 days. They bemoan the fact that Governor Terry Branstad has vetoed funding for a pilot programof ‘community navigators’ to further help refugees.Taking a left turn in South Dakota  writes this week that while increasing teachers’ pay in the state will not solvestaffing shortages, it will help by attracting more qualified applicants to the positions.Jumping north, Say Anything blog of North Dakota says that a state House Representative has expressed dissentfor the state university system’s latest strategic plan. They comment that North Dakota does not really have agood university system, and that more lawmakers need to speak out about getting better value for money fortaxpayers from university spending.Idaho Senator Mike Crapo Credit: Talk Radio News Service (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0 )West and Pacific While state’s like Massachusetts (mentioned above) will suffer little effect from President Obama’s new emissionsregulations, some, such as Montana will not be quite so lucky. The Flint Report says that the Treasure State facesthe most drastic emissions cuts of any state according to the new rule.WyoFile reports this week that a medical marijuana initiative has launched in the state. If campaigners can gatherat least 25,000 signatures from registered voters by February, then the measure will go on the 2016 ballot.Talk Radio News ServiceIdaho’s US Senator Mike Crapohas been busy – holding morethan 100 town hall meetings,reports Eye on Boise. They saythat Crapo has held more townmeetings in 2-15 than any othermember of Congress, with 154scheduled through September.Washington’s StrangeBedfellows has the news thatSeattle has moved to require thatall city buildings and places ofbusiness have all-gender, single-stall restrooms.In the Golden State. FlashReportwrites on a plan that would bethe perfect public pensionsolution that the state’s unionscould support – but won’t. Theyargue that all that needschanging is the taxpayer guarantee on the funds’ return earned and paid out.Heading out to the Aloha State, Honolulu Civil Beat looks at why Honolulu rents are getting more expensive.Featured image credit: MPD01605 (Flickr, CC-BY-SA-2.0)Please read our comments policy before commenting .Note:  This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of USApp– American Politics and Policy, norof the London School of Economics.Shortened URL for this post: http://bit.ly/1KnFIocCC BY-NC 3.0 2015 LSE USAPP

New York’s uneven recovery: Alabama’s ‘hostage’ budget andIdaho’s busy Senator: US state blog round up for 8 – 14 August

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

LSE Research Online