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Utah economic outlook is improving
Last Updated on Friday, 20 May 2011 01:38 Written by rslcpol Friday, 20 May 2011 01:38
From DeseretNews:
The first economic outlook for Salt Lake County prepared by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce paints a picture of a state that’s on the up and up, economically speaking, but not completely out of the weeds.
“Although improvement has been gradual, Utah is among a handful of states leading the nation’s economic recovery,” the report states.
The report, released Thursday, includes data from state, federal and private entities, as well as analysis from the chamber.
The stable housing market has been a key component to the county’s economic recovery, the report states, though home prices could continue to decline as the market is slow to absorb excess homes for sale.
Read the Rest…
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TN: Senate Dems Considered Walking out to protest Budget Vote
Last Updated on Friday, 20 May 2011 01:32 Written by rslcpol Friday, 20 May 2011 01:32
From Tennessee Report:
Senate Republicans appeared to be barreling toward a vote to approve a $30.8 billion budget Thursday night — until Senate Democrats caucused.
The result: no budget vote in the Senate on Thursday.
Democrats simply weren’t in the mood to be rushed on the matter, as could be heard in the hallway outside the third-floor conference room at Legislative Plaza where they were meeting.
At one point, Sen. Joe Haynes, D-Nashville, said the Republicans couldn’t pass the budget without the Democrats present on the Senate floor.
“They can’t convene the session without us,” Haynes was heard telling his colleagues. “They can’t get a quorum.”
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Kentucky Secretary of State Race is set
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 May 2011 01:31 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 19 May 2011 01:31
From courier-journal.com:
Alison Lundergan Grimes, the daughter of a former chairman of Kentucky’s Democratic Party, handily beat incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Walker — who was Gov. Steve Beshear’s choice — to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
In November, she’ll face Republican and tea party favorite Bill Johnson, a former U.S. Senate candidate, who narrowly defeated Hilda Legg, a consultant and the former head of the federal Appalachian Regional Commission.
Johnson squeaked by Legg by little more than 1,000 votes in a neck-and-neck race he watched in Louisville
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Senate President Wins GOP Nod for Governor
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 May 2011 01:41 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 18 May 2011 01:41
From Kentucky.com:
Kentucky Senate President David Williams won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, clearing the way for an expensive, no-holds-barred brawl with Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear in November’s general election.
“I expect it will be close and very competitive, falling over into being nasty,” said University of Kentucky political science professor Donald Gross.
Beshear will run on his record of maintaining basic services to Kentuckians during hard times while Williams will argue for a fundamental change in direction for the state, Gross said.
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Redistricting delays 2012 House races
Last Updated on Monday, 16 May 2011 02:00 Written by rslcpol Monday, 16 May 2011 02:00
From USA Today:
But the Republican lawmaker has no opponent. His would-be rivals, it seems, are waiting for the Legislature to complete the once-every-decade process of redrawing political boundaries before they decide whether to challenge him in 2012.
Similar phantom campaigns are unfolding in other states where district lines and potential candidates have been slow to emerge. States are in the midst of drawing new political maps for congressional and legislative districts based on the 2010 census. The uncertainty surrounding the final lines is delaying candidates from jumping in to races on the ballot in November 2012.
“I have basically tried to keep whatever options I have open,” says Danny Tarkanian, a tea party supporter who lost the GOP Senate nomination in Nevada last year but is expected to run for Congress.
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WI: Proposal to Scale back the Secretary of State office
Last Updated on Monday, 16 May 2011 01:59 Written by rslcpol Monday, 16 May 2011 01:58
From LaCrosseTribune.com:
The duties of Wisconsin’s secretary of state’s office would be dramatically reduced under changes being considered by the Legislature’s budget committee.
The Joint Finance Committee is to vote Thursday on Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to transfer the office’s notary public and trademark duties to the Department of Financial Institutions. Other functions would be transferred to the Department of Administration.
Unlike in most states, Wisconsin’s secretary of state is not in charge of elections. Under Walker’s budget, the office would still maintain the official acts of the Legislature and affix the state seal to all official acts.
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WA: Redistricting is a complex task
Last Updated on Monday, 16 May 2011 01:56 Written by rslcpol Monday, 16 May 2011 01:56
From the News Tribune:
Washington’s political boundaries must change as a result of the once-a-decade remapping effort that adjusts for population shifts detected by the U.S. Census, and the public side of the job is just getting started.
The Washington State Redistricting Commission will hold the first of 17 meetings around the state this week – including a Wednesday evening public forum in Olympia at the Cherberg Building, next door to the Capitol.
“We will have maps of how things have to change,” said Cathy Cochrane, spokeswoman for the five-member citizen commission. “We want to get all the input we can by August. Then they are hoping to get a draft out for reaction in September and then make a final, proposed plan for the Legislature in early November.”
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Politicians: It’s all about the influence you have online
Last Updated on Monday, 16 May 2011 01:32 Written by rslcpol Monday, 16 May 2011 01:32
From CBSnews:
Eleven years ago, White House staffers thought Al Gore was weird for texting Tipper. But, the political times, they are a changin’.
A decade or so later, any politician who isn’t tuned into her email on a smartphone or doesn’t monitor what the media and voters are saying about him on social media platforms risks being judged out of step – or, worse, viewed as running behind on a crucial new item.
In 2011, in other words, the use of social media in government is no longer novel. Tweets, updates and viral videos matter. The Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency and first responders have testified in front of the United States Senate on the role of social media in crisis response.
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Tennessee Senate Passes Tort Reform Bill
Last Updated on Friday, 13 May 2011 01:33 Written by rslcpol Friday, 13 May 2011 01:33
From TimesFreePress.com:
Senators today approved Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to limit jury awards in civil damage lawsuits.
The 21-12 vote was largely along partisan lines and followed some four hours of often contentious debate.
It caps damages for noneconomic damages like pain and suffering at $750,000. In “catastrophic” cases such as severe burns or paralysis, the cap is $1 million.
House members passed the bill earlier this week, but the Senate version must go back to the House to deal with minor changes.
Republican proponents said the business-backed bill boosts job creation by promoting more predictability for companies.
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KY: Secretary of State Candidates Square off in Primaries
Last Updated on Friday, 13 May 2011 01:20 Written by rslcpol Friday, 13 May 2011 01:20
From Courier-Journal.com:
A Lexington lawyer, a former federal administrator, a rural businessman and a former mayor all vow to make elections more secure, streamline business filings and improve civics education as Kentucky’s next Secretary of State.
They’ll face off in Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic primaries, with the winners battling in November to see who will become Kentucky’s next chief elections officer.
The Democratic primary will pit Secretary of State Elaine Walker, the former Bowling Green mayor appointed in January by Gov. Steve Beshear, against politically connected attorney Alison Lundergan Grimes in a race that has divided top Democratic leaders.
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