Around the Nation

Kansas City Star, Feb. 18, 2007
"Shield Law bill faces uphill battle in Legislature"
New ideas often are a hard sell for legislators.
A case in point is shield law legislation languishing in the Senate. The intent is simple: protecting reporters from having to reveal their sources for stories.
While some question the need for such a law, supporters say it’s less about protecting reporters than protecting the public’s right to know, akin to state laws requiring most official records and government meetings be open to public scrutiny.
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West Central (Minnesota) Tribune, Feb. 19, 2007
"Dairy investment credit gains support in legislature"
A bill to provide tax incentives to dairy farmers who improve their operations is gaining momentum in the Minnesota Legislature.
Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, has again introduced legislation to give dairy farmers up to a $50,000 tax credit for investing in the acquisition, construction or improvement of dairy facilities. The bill has been included in Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget proposal. If passed, the program would cost $5 million in 2008.
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The Jersey Journal, Feb. 19, 2007
"Legislature uneasy about lease of roads"
The lease of New Jersey's toll roads will probably be an easier sell on Wall Street than it will be in Trenton.
As the Corzine administration continues to study the possibility of leasing the Turnpike, the Atlantic City Expressway and the Garden State Parkway - which analysts believe could bring the state billions of dollars - it's become clear there is strong opposition to the idea in the Legislature.
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Sacramento Bee, Feb. 16, 2007
"Drive seeks to revamp term limits"
Gov. John Lynch submitted a $10.2 billion budget proposal to lawmakers yesterday that included a request to scrap the existing education-funding formula. Instead of sending more money to some communities and less to others, Lynch called for a flat increase of 5 percent to all school districts while legislators work to define - and eventually pay for - the adequate education called for by the Supreme Court.
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St. Louis Today, Feb. 16, 2007
"State's clock ticking for St. Louis schools"
St. Louis Public Schools administrators will spend the next 12 days desperately combing years of student records in an effort to block an appointed board from taking control of the city schools.
Their goal is to improve the college placement rate enough to retain the district's provisional accreditation. But even if the district can pick up the accreditation point it needs, the state could intervene based on the district's financial picture. The decision is up to the State Board of Education.
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The Dallas Morning News, Feb. 16, 2007
"Texas companies plan wind, gas, coal power plants"
Several Texas energy companies offered Thursday to build a string of wind, gas and coal-fired power plants and transmission lines across the Panhandle that could lessen the state's future dependence on coal while supplying enough electricity for more than a million Texas homes.
More than 15 proposals were filed with the Public Utilities Commission to meet a Thursday deadline for competitive renewable energy zones, mostly in the Panhandle and West Texas.
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