State News
South Dakota Launches New Health Inspection Score Website
The South Dakota Department of Health launched a new website where consumers can find health inspection scores for nearly 6,000 food service, lodging, and campground establishments. Although inspection reports are already public records, putting them online makes them much easier to access and meets the transparency and accessibility goals of Gov. Dennis Daugaard's Better Government Initiative. The website allows consumers to search by name, location, or facility type to find the latest inspection scores and whether violations were critical or non-critical for a licensed venue. In 2013 the website will expand to include not only inspection scores, but full reports as well.
(Contact: Kelly Murphy)
Missouri Commission to Oversee New Parole Rules, Including Good Behavior Credits
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has signed a bill which allows probationers and parolees to end their period of supervision early for good behavior. The law also provides probation and parole officers new options for dealing with violations. The only tool available to officers before the new law was a full hearing where a judge would decide whether or not to revoke the parole or probation. Now, officers can incarcerate the offender for a few hours or days without a hearing. If the officer decides more is required, the law allows the judge to require participation in a 120 day program at the Department of Corrections instead of completely revoking probation or parole and requiring the offender to complete their original full sentence.
The law also establishes a Sentencing and Corrections Oversight Commission to monitor and assist with the implementation of the new rules. The 13-member commission will determine ways to reinvest any savings in efforts to reduce recidivism and will explore restitution programs for crime victims. The commission also suggests evidence-proven strategies and policy recommendations to change existing statutes in their effort to keep up with the state's criminal justice challenges. Commission members include a circuit court judge appointed by the chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate, and a victim's advocate. The commission meets twice a year and members do not receive compensation for their duties.
(Contact: Vijay Das)
Pennsylvania Allows Public-Private Partnerships for Transportation
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has signed a bill into law that authorizes the development of public-private partnerships for the financing, operation, and ownership of transportation infrastructure. The new law allows the state to consider a public-private model both for new transportation projects and for leasing existing infrastructure, with the exception of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which would require a separate act of the legislature. The law also creates a Public Private Transportation Partnership Board, consisting of the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of the Budget, and private citizens appointed by the governor and the legislature. The board will determine criteria for applications and then be responsible for selecting projects. Board decisions do not require prior legislative approval, but the legislature can pass a concurrent resolution rescinding awards made by the board. The law also requires that the state use any privately-collected toll revenue it receives to meet other state transportation needs.
According to a report published by Gov. Corbett's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission in August 2011, the state has approximately $3.5 billion in unfunded transportation needs and this amount was expected to grow to as much as $7.2 billion in the next 10 years without action. The aim of the new law is to attract private financing to help overcome some of that funding gap.
(Contact: Andrew Kambour)
Missouri Increases Sponsors' Responsibility for Charter School Performance
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill into law that will allow charter schools to expand statewide while at the same time requiring greater accountability from the schools and their sponsors for academic performance and financial viability. The new law increases standards for charter schools sponsors, and gives the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) greater oversight to make sure sponsors and charter schools meet academic and financial standards. Prospective new sponsors of charter schools will now be required to go through an application and approval process with DESE, as well as enter into legally-binding performance contracts with the schools they sponsor.
(Contact: Emily Slack)
New Agencies Protect Families and Promote Health in Kansas
Gov. Sam Brownback and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, M.D. opened two new state agencies focused on protecting children, families and vulnerable populations in Kansas. The Department for Children and Families (DCF) is replacing the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). DCF's mission includes protecting children, promoting healthy families and encouraging personal responsibility. The agency will operate on an annual budget of $600 million. The Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) will be created by merging the former Department of Aging, the Disability and Behavioral Health Services Division of SRS and parts of the Health Occupations Credentialing Division. KDADS will administer services to older adults and will be the second largest department in the Kansas state government with a budget of $1.7 billion for 2013.
(Contact: Kelly Murphy)
Council to Coordinate Veterans Services in Nevada
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval authorized the creation of the Governor's Interagency Council on Veteran Affairs. The council is tasked with identifying and prioritizing the needs of Nevada's veterans. Members of the council will be appointed by the governor and will represent several state agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Public Safety. The council members will work to coordinate efforts among federal, local and non-profit agencies serving veterans and will submit a report outlining their activities and recommendations on how to improve veteran services across state agencies by December 2013.
(Contact: Rebecca Rabinowitz)
Illinois Simplifies Professional Licensing Procedures for Military Families
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, joined by First Lady Michelle Obama, recently signed the Illinois Military Family Licensing Act into law to help active military members and their spouses find jobs after they have been relocated. Also known as Senate Bill 275, the law allows active duty service members and their spouses to obtain temporary professional and educational licenses in order to seek employment and practice their profession. Additionally, the bill allows the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to consider all relevant experience gained through military service when awarding a professional license, in order to reduce the time it will take to obtain a permanent professional license.
Illinois is the 23rd state to pass legislation improving license portability for military families. An additional seven states have legislation pending.
(Contact: Rebecca Rabinowitz)
Report Highlights Connecticut Government's Progress in Reducing Energy Use
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has released a report to the state legislature that tracks the progress of the state's "Lead by Example" program to reduce energy use in government buildings. The report highlights three elements of the state's program: dedicated bond funding, a standardized energy savings performance contracting program, and increased energy monitoring leading to more efficient daily operations. DEEP found that the energy efficiency projects funded through state bonds will reduce the state's energy consumption by 45 billion British Thermal Units (BTUs), the equivalent of taking nearly 1,500 Connecticut homes off the electric grid. That reduction is projected to save the state over $1.5 million per year, with an average project payback time of less than six years.
The state is also developing a comprehensive energy savings performance contract (ESPC) program to be rolled out soon. Under an ESPC program, a state agency enters into a contract with a private energy services company (ESCO) to make energy efficiency improvements to a building, with a certain level of energy savings guaranteed by the ESCO. To develop the program the state investigated best practices in ESPC programs from other states and then created a thorough stakeholder review process that included state agencies and outside experts. The state is working to develop a list of pre-qualified vendors and pre-approved contracts as part of the ESPC program so that each state agency seeking to make energy efficiency improvements does not need separate legal approval for each contract.
The report also includes progress in developing the state's energy monitoring program. The state is currently working with a contractor to identify state buildings with high energy consumption and then install a monitoring system that includes individual electric meters, real-time energy data displays, benchmarking tools, and analysis of energy consumption. The state hopes to have at least 80 buildings participating by January 1, 2013.
(Contact: Andrew Kambour)
New York to Disclose Teacher Evaluation Data to Parents and the Public
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will require the public disclosure of teacher evaluation data while also respecting teacher's privacy. The new law will allow parents and guardians to review the evaluations of their own child's teacher, but only teacher evaluations without names attached will be released to the general public. The teacher evaluations, which were agreed to as part of New York's Race to the Top grant and strengthened by legislation signed earlier in the year by Gov. Cuomo, are on track to be completed by schools within the next year.
(Contact: Emily Slack)
Governor Martinez Unveils New Anti-DWI Campaign
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has launched a new state anti-DWI campaign known as ENDWI to help decrease drunk driving in the state. The campaign will include television commercials, billboards, a smartphone application, and other media efforts. The ENDWI campaign will build off the previous success of New Mexico's "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose" advertising campaign but will focus more on targeting repeat drunk drivers, which represent a larger portion of DWI offenders in the state in recent years.
The launch of the campaign comes after a recent report commissioned by Gov. Martinez found that in 2011, roughly 60 percent of DWI-related fatalities involved repeat offenders. That is up from about 30 percent just five years ago. Additionally, the report found that while New Mexico has decreased DWI-related fatalities from a peak of over 200 per year the downward trend has stalled at about 150 deaths per year for the last four years.
(Contact: Alisha Powell)
Other News
Annual Energy Outlook Shows Growth in Efficiency, Renewables, and Natural Gas
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the full version of its 2012 Annual Energy Outlook, updating the version released in January. The report estimates that between now and 2035, energy consumption in the U.S. will grow 0.3 percent annually, remaining below the growth levels experienced before the 2008 recession. The report cites moderate population growth, slow economic growth, and the availability of more efficient technology for electricity and transportation. The report also estimates that domestic natural gas production will continue to increase, leading the U.S. to be a net exporter of natural gas shortly after 2020. Electricity generation from renewable sources and natural gas will also grow: natural gas generation is predicted to grow from 24 percent to 28 percent by 2035, while renewable energy will increase from 10 percent to 15 percent of electricity generation.
The full release also includes 29 alternatives to its reference case projections that reflect potential changes in policy, technology adoption, and economic conditions. Alternative scenarios include different levels of economic growth, oil and gas recovery, oil prices, or electricity prices relative to the base case. The alternatives also include stricter federal fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, accelerated deployment of advanced battery technologies, advanced nuclear power, and carbon prices at both $15 and $25 per ton. Updates to the reference case from the January release include the impact of EPA regulations regarding mercury emissions on coal plants.
(Contact: Andrew Kambour)
Health Assessment Demonstrates Benefits of Strong Nutrition Policies
The Pew Charitable Trusts and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report on the results of their health impact assessment (HIA), which sought to better understand how nutrition standards for competitive foods and beverages (those sold in addition to meals including a la carte lines, vending machines and school stores) might affect student health and school finances. The HIA was meant to meet four goals: to synthesize relevant data on health impacts; inform national and state deliberation regarding costs and benefits; identify health disparities and inequities; and ultimately, lead to recommendations to USDA regarding competitive foods. The HIA found that implementation of strong policies that meet the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will decrease students' consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages while also increasing their consumption of healthier choices at school. Two additional findings from the report are that changes in policies would not reduce the school district's revenue, and that vulnerable populations in particular would benefit from stronger nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in schools.
(Contact: Kelly Murphy)
CSBG ARRA Funding, Data Requirements Improved State Job Programs
The Urban Institute released a report on outcomes of the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) ARRA initiative, which provided $1 billion to the CSBG network to enhance existing programs or create new programs with the goal of alleviating poverty and strengthening poor communities. The report finds that the grants were most commonly used to create and grow service programs for clients and for organizational capacity building through partnerships with local entities. It also finds that the programs benefitted from coaching provided to local agencies by their state and from having higher quality data available because of ARRA reporting requirements. The eight sample states spent around 44 percent of their funding on employment programs, followed by education (12 percent) and housing (9 percent). Grantees were required to track the number of jobs created and retained through the 1512 data reporting system established by ARRA, and overall the system shows that CSBG ARRA funding led to the creation or retention of over 18,000 jobs.
The report also provides an overview of the structure of the CSBG network in different states and highlights implementation challenges. Factors contributing to successful programs included assistance provided by the Office of Community Services teams, as well as the use of technology to help disseminate information. Additional factors that helped programs succeed included states' ability to coach and support local agencies, and the better quality of data available as a result of the enhanced reporting requirements established under ARRA.
(Contact: Rebecca Rabinowitz)
Report Examines Building and Sustaining Talent in High-Poverty Schools
A new report from the Education Trust examines efforts to make high-poverty, low-performing schools a satisfying, attractive place for teachers to work, and finds that the work environment is especially important for struggling schools in need of high-quality teachers. The report notes that although many states are attempting to improve teacher quality through stringent evaluation systems that identify poorly performing teachers, too few are attempting policy or culture changes in schools and districts that would improve the teaching environment. The report's authors find that the environments in which teaching and learning occur are critical to teacher satisfaction, putting schools serving high-need students at a greater disadvantage in recruiting, retaining, or developing high-quality teachers. They recommend that states:
- Remove policy barriers that undermine the goal of improving teaching environments;
- Monitor data on placement of effective teachers between and within districts, requiring action wherever inequities exist; and
- Identify districts and schools that are using innovative strategies to improve school environments and hold them up as examples of best practices.
The report highlights districts in Louisiana, North Carolina, Massachusetts and California that have succeeded in recruiting and retaining quality teachers to low-performing schools. Those districts explicitly focus on access to quality teaching for low-income students and take additional steps beyond evaluating teachers to increase quality.
(Contact: Emily Slack)
