South Carolina Reform Supports Private Investment
By Lucas Pappas
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has signed legislation that will redesign South Carolina’s economic development policy by allowing private sector input to lead public sector investment decisions. One key reform will enable the Coordinating Council on Economic Development to administer part of the Endowed Chairs program, granting private businesses greater influence over how state money is invested. The Endowed Chairs program will continue to use state funds to support research and innovation.

The legislation also includes tax incentives designed to spur job growth in the state’s manufacturing and green energy industries. These measures include a reduction in the industrial property tax on warehouses from 10.5 percent to four percent and a tax credit equal to 10 percent of qualifying investments in plants and equipment for renewable energy operations. Finally, the legislation clarifies the state’s tax credit policy so that credits are based purely on economic criteria, removing many of the special jobs tax credits that have been legislated over the years.
(Contact: Erin Lamos)

Arizona Establishes Business-Led Commerce Authority
By: Justin Heineman
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed an executive order establishing the Arizona Commerce Authority, an executive board of Arizona industry leaders, and committed $10 million to advance Arizona’s economy through its approach to economic development. The private-sector leadership board will help Arizona be more responsive to business needs and opportunities. Furthermore, the order starts the transition from the Arizona Department of Commerce to the quasi-public Arizona Commerce Authority.

The new executive board will be comprised of Arizona business leaders and chaired by the governor. The Arizona Commerce Authority was developed with best practices in economic development from around the world. The authority will coordinate and integrate the efforts of key partners like Science Foundation Arizona, universities, regional economic development groups and the member communities of Arizona’s Councils of Governments–working together to secure economic success for the State of Arizona.
(Contact: Erin Lamos)

Louisiana to Implement Letter Grades for Public Schools
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has signed a package of education bills. One of the bills will require the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to assign letter grades to public schools and school districts annually to help parents and the public understand how a school is faring. The state will share information on school performance publicly through school report cards and an honor roll recognizing high-performing schools. The bill provides BESE latitude in determining to what extent factors like student test results and attendance impact the determination of a school’s letter grade.

Another bill clarifies the charter school application process and makes it more transparent. School districts must now publicize the application process for charters and allow enough time for applicants to appeal. The law also requires charter school authorizers to develop uniform minimum performance expectations and renewal criteria. High performing charter schools with a record of success and growth will automatically be renewed.
(Contact: Amanda Szekely)

Connecticut Prepares Students for Green Jobs
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has signed a law which requires public institutions of higher education and regional vocational high schools to partner with employers in a coordinated strategy for preparing students for jobs in green technology. Under the law, higher education institutions will consult with regional workforce development boards in creating career ladders and lattices in the green technology industry. The Connecticut Department of Higher Education will publish an annual list of green technology courses and programs offered by public institutions to inform efforts to align curriculum with the needs of employers.
(Contact: Amanda Szekely)

Virginia Spurs Clean Energy Development at Public Universities
A Virginia law, effective July 1, has created college partnership laboratory schools with the state’s public institutions of higher education to promote the development of alternative fuels, clean energy technology and related technologies.

The legislation creates the Virginia Universities Clean Energy Development and Economic Stimulus Foundation, which is tasked with identifying, obtaining, disbursing and administering funding to support the following efforts:

• Research and development of alternative fuels, clean energy production and related technologies;
• Economic development projects in disadvantaged rural areas; and
• Commercialization of alternative fuels and clean energy technologies.

(Contact: Greg Dierkers)

Washington to Install Statewide Electric Infrastructure
Washington’s transportation and commerce departments have partnered to establish a network of public access electric vehicle (EV) recharging locations from border to border along Interstate 5. Funding is provided by the Department of Commerce and administered through the State Energy Program.

The electric highway will support plug-in electric vehicles and enable electric vehicle drivers to travel the length of the state along the 276 miles of I-5 between Washington’s borders with Oregon and Canada. As many as 300,000 electric vehicles are anticipated on Washington roads during in the next 10 years. Currently, about half of Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions come from tailpipes.
(Contact: Greg Dierkers)

Indiana to Secure Health Records
By: Josh Fangmeier
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office now has the authority to obtain and secure abandoned health records under a new law that went into effect on July 1. The security of abandoned records is a significant step toward enhancing the protection of private patient information.

The Attorney General’s Identity Theft Unit can now investigate the abandonment of the records to identify those responsible for the security breach, and health professionals who abandon records or leave them unsecured will now be subject to fines. Collected fines will be placed in a trust to pay for the costs of securing and maintaining these records. Once abandoned records are secured, the Attorney General’s Office may either return them to their owner or destroy them to protect the privacy and identity of the record owner.
(Contact: Stephanie Jamison)

New Mexico to Collect Child BMI Data
By: Josh Fangmeier
The New Mexico Department of Health will begin collecting BMI (Body Mass Index) information on children in kindergarten and third grade to analyze statewide and regional trends and provide individual schools with their own BMI profile. The BMI profiles will create a benchmark for elementary schools in a new pilot program that helps schools take the necessary steps to assess their environments, teach healthy lifestyles and develop connections with local resources to meet the health goals for their students.

Beginning with 50 schools this fall, the Department of Health will provide necessary equipment and training to school nurses to collect height and weight data. Previously, the state only had BMI data on a portion of children age five and younger and a portion of high school students.
(Contact: Jason Hsieh)

California Launches New Disaster Volunteer Program
By: Alisha Powell
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched a new program that enables the state to integrate and coordinate disaster volunteer efforts into its emergency management plan, Disaster Corps. Disaster Corps features professionally trained volunteers to assist state officials in the event of a disaster. Volunteers will be required to receive first aid and CPR training, certification and undergo background checks to be in compliance with the Disaster Corps program.

In addition, the state launched the Disaster Volunteer Resource Inventory, a statewide web-based tool that compiles and maintains individual contact information, training history, deployment history, availability, credentialing information, language skills and other vital information.
(Contact: David Henry)

Pennsylvania School District Launches Wireless Surveillance
By: Simon Minching
In Pennsylvania, the Franklin Regional School District has partnered with the Murrysville Police Department to implement wireless surveillance feeds within the area’s five schools. Approximately 128 cameras will be installed in combination with an upgrade to the local police force’s in-car laptops, giving law enforcement officers the ability to monitor points of interest in case of an emergency. In addition, Murrysville’s three fire departments and emergency management center will each have one laptop installed with the software.

To address privacy concerns about the enhanced surveillance capabilities, the county has a memorandum of understanding with the police department stipulating that law enforcement can only utilize the program at the school’s request. Further security measures, such as a virtual firewall and a system tracker that monitors remote access to the surveillance cameras, have been employed to safeguard the program’s integrity, ensuring that it is being used only to aid in its intended purpose of incident response. The program is expected to go live by January 2011.
(Contact: Allison Cullin)

Other News
Report Finds U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness Declining through 2015
A report shows that U.S. manufacturing is at a disadvantage in the global markets, and manufacturing competiveness will decline through 2010. The report is based on the 2010 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index (GMCI), which suggests that by 2015, Brazil will have overtaken the U.S. for fourth in the global rankings behind China, India and the Republic of Korea. To prevent such declines, the report recommends that the U.S. should focus on strengthening science and technology research, continue to build strong intellectual property rights (IPR), continue to support technology transfer policies and build more STEM initiatives across the country.

The report is the result of collaboration between Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte) and the U. S. Council on Competitiveness (Council). The report is based on data from CEOs and senior manufacturing business unit leaders collected in late 2009 and early 2010, and it represents the first major deliverable of a multi-year initiative by the Council exploring the issues of policy and capability development necessary for a nation to achieve superior manufacturing competitiveness.
(Contact: Erin Andrew)

Report Offers Lessons on Using Social Media for Public Safety
A new survey of more than 500 Gulf state agencies released by the Gulf States Regional Community Policing Institute (GSRCPI) examines how state agencies are using social media applications. The survey found that while states are discussing incorporating social media, they are lacking specific implementation plans. The GSRCPI identified three stages of social media implementation for an effective public safety communication strategy, including:

• Identify who will run the sites and decide what kind of information should be made available to the public;
• Encourage community involvement and educate users regarding appropriate content; and
• Demonstrate that public officials receive positive feedback after embracing social network sites, rather than shying away from them.

Established by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing, the GSRCPI trains law enforcement officers on public safety initiatives in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The GSRCPI has hosted numerous conferences, summits and focus groups aimed at improving utilization of social media at the state agency level. A follow-up study to examine policies, education techniques for the community, 911 protocols and legal issues with social media sites is also underway at the GSRCPI.
(Contact: Carmen Ferro)

Smart Meters Depend on Customer Feedback
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released a report which indicates that smart meters alone will not save customers money. To realize potential feedback-induced savings, advanced meters must be used in conjunction with programs that motivate people to cut their household electricity. ACEEE found that three of the most promising approaches in the short- to medium-term include enhanced billing, daily or weekly feedback and off-line and Web-based real-time feedback. Currently, no U.S. utilities are providing these types of feedback services.

Other key findings of the ACEEE report include:

• Energy-use feedback can reduce wasted energy and electricity consumption by four to 12 percent;
• Consumers could enjoy a cumulative net savings of $2-$35 billion or more over the next 20 years if Smart Metering is successful; and
• Providing households with persistent feedback has resulted in sustained savings over time.

The recommendations from the report are that utilities and policymakers should act now to ensure that U.S. households receive needed feedback by providing enhanced billing in the short-term and real-time feedback (in conjunction with smart meter deployment) in the medium-term. The authors noted that since 1995, feedback-induced savings have been higher in Europe than in the United States suggesting important differences in European policies and culture.
(Contact: Greg Dierkers)

National School Lunch Program Aides Educational Achievement
A study published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management finds that the National School Lunch Program, which provides subsidized lunches to qualified children, appears to have few long-run effects on health; but the effects on educational attainment are sizable.

The study, conducted at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, found that the program may have had short-run health effects that dissipated over time but that it facilitated higher educational attainment. The study also found that the low-cost, subsidized lunches offered through the program may have encouraged children to attend school.
(Contact: Amanda Szekely)

Report Identifies Coordination Lessons for Dual Eligibles
By: Josh Fangmeier
A report released from the Hilltop Institute examines the challenges of coordinating payments for dual eligibles enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. The report found the need for new models of coordinated payment for duals to provide quality, efficient care. To create a more organized payment system, the report recommends that Medicaid administrators and other state officials:

• Reach secure comprehensive data-sharing agreements with managed care plans to assess utilization, quality and integration of programs;
• Fully understand how the care utilization patterns for duals differs from other Medicaid enrollees; and
• Examine and account for Medicare savings due to reduced resource use because of Medicaid’s long term services and supports.

(Contact: Caryn Marks)

What's New
NGA Webinar: Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances
The NGA Center will host a webinar, Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances, on July 14, 2010, at 3:30-4:30 p.m. EDT. The webinar will feature a Drug Enforcement Administration representative who will discuss the new federal rule governing prescriptions for controlled substances, which will enable pharmacies to receive, dispense and archive electronic prescriptions. There will be time for questions and discussion following the presentation.

The webinar information is available below:

The Audio Portion:
Call in number: 1 (800) 697-5978 US Toll Free Alternative: 1 (630) 691-2750
Host Name: 110-450-4561 HHS eAlliance
Passcode: 7172 730#
Company: NGA

The Web Information:
Attendee URL: https://portal.nga.org/meeting/49611182 Password: VbRuYrV5
(Contact: Brad Finnegan)

NGA Webcast Will Highlight Child Welfare Financing Strategies
The NGA Center will host a webcast, Child Welfare Financing Strategies, which will bring together national and state experts to discuss strategies for flexible child welfare financing. It will provide an overview of financing strategies across the country and focus on the efforts of both Iowa and Massachusetts. In Iowa, the Decategorization Initiative pools state funds, providing them to localities and allowing local boards to create plans to invest these funds to safely reduce the number of children in foster care. In Massachusetts, child welfare funding is a broad appropriation that includes a wide range of family support and permanency services, providing flexibility in spending and reinvestment opportunities.

The Child Welfare Financing Strategies webcast will be held on Wednesday, August 4th, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT. To view the webcast, go to: http://ww.nga.org/webcast. Contact Jody Grutza for more information at 202-624-5253.
(Contact: Jody Grutza)

Update: More States Adopt Common Academic Standards
As of July 6, 2010, 20 states have either begun or completed the process of adopting the Common Core State Standards. Those states are: Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, Hawaii, Utah, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Wyoming, Nevada, Maryland, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arizona, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Louisiana.

The NGA Center and the Council of Chief State School Officers released the Common Core State Standards in June. The standards define the knowledge and skills students should gain in K-12 education to graduate high school fully prepared for college and work.
(Contact: Amanda Szekely)