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Stateline
Midwest
Vo l. 2 3 , No. 1 1 • Nove mb e r 2 0 1 4
THE MIDWESTERN OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS
INSIDE
CSG Midwest Issue Briefs 2-3
• Midwest-Canada Relations: Commercial-scale
carbon-capture plant opens in Saskatchewan
• Great Lakes: New mutual-aid agreement
strengthens cooperation on invasive species
• Agriculture & Natural Resources: States put
public dollars, resources behind state fairs
• Education: Minnesota emerges as national
leader in trying to close achievement gaps
Around the Region 4
A wrap-up of the 2014 elections and their
impact on partisan makeup of legislatures
Capital Closeup 5
A look at the structure, duties and importance
of nonpartisan legislative service agencies
Question of the Month 5
How are states and local governments
regulating ride-sharing services?
Profile 8
Wisconsin Sen. Sheila Harsdorf
FirstPerson 9
Illinois Rep. Elgie Sims on a proposal to close
the “resource gap” among schools in his state
CSG News & Events 10
CSG Midwest planning visits to all state capitols;
Great Lakes Legislative Caucus makes plans for 2015
Capitol Clips 12
• Michigan approves ‘right to try’ legislation
• Iowa implementing new teacher-pay model
• Nebraska starts new Water Sustainability Fund
• States adopt new tanning-bed restrictions
Stateline Midwest is published 12 times a year
by the Midwestern Office of
The Council of State Governments.
Annual subscription rate: $60.
To order, call 630.925.1922.
CSG Midwestern Office Staff
Michael H. McCabe, Director
Tim Anderson, Publications Manager
Cindy Calo Andrews, Assistant Director
Ilene K. Grossman, Assistant Director
Lisa R. Janairo, Senior Policy Analyst
Laura Kliewer, Senior Policy Analyst
Gail Meyer, Office Manager
Laura A. Tomaka, Senior Program Manager
Kathryn Tormey, Policy Analyst/Assistant Editor
Kathy Treland, Administrative Coordinator and Meeting Planner
Be ready for anything
Recent infectious-disease outbreaks serve as a reminder that
state public-health systems need to be strong before disaster hits
by Kate Tormey (ktormey@csg.org)
W
h e n e m e rge n c i e s st r i ke —
whether a disease outbreak or a
natural disaster — it can feel like
everything is out of the ordinary.
But public-health experts say that during
an emergency, the response should feel
as familiar and routine as possible. That’s
because in order to successfully handle a
disaster, the preparation and practice should
happen before trouble is on the horizon.
Take the recent outbreak of the Ebola
virus, a deadly disease that is ravaging western Africa. As of early November, there were
more than 13,000 cases of the illness there,
with a mortality rate of about 70 percent.
With nine Ebola patients having been
treated here in the United States, health
officials at the state and federal levels are
bracing to handle additional cases.
But Ebola is just the current threat to
public health in America. Recent outbreaks
of infectious diseases such as measles and
whooping cough, and natural disasters
such as tornadoes and blizzards, have long
tested preparedness measures in our region
and beyond. And the threat of man-made
disasters, including bioterrorism, is on the
minds of many emergency experts too.
‘Preparing for a variety of risks’
How do our states prepare for publichealth emergencies, and how can policymakers support systems designed to
prevent and address these events?
The federal government has a role in
handling large-scale emergencies that affect
multiple states or that involve national
security. But states are generally responsible
for the health and well-being of their own
citizens, because these powers are not specifically assigned to the federal government
in the U.S. Constitution.
State public health departments, however, receive the bulk of their preparedness
funding from the federal government,
through grants offered by the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of
Public Health Preparedness and Response.
Last year, the agency’s grants to 50 states,
four major cities (including Chicago) and
Public dollars spent on public health
State spending on public health budgets,
per capita, in FY 2013 (U.S. state ranking)
$65.75
(6)
$29.02
(24)
$39.30
(18)
$14.07
(43)
$13.37
(44)
$15.86
(39)
Federal grants for public health preparedness
and emergency response (FY 2013)
$3.9
million
$13.10
(45)
$4.0
million
$18.89
(33)
$22.32 $17.43
(28)
(36)
$14.35
(42)
$5.4
million
$11.5
million
$6.9
million
$11.0
million
$16.1
million
$26.3 $11.1
million million
$17.5
million
$6.7
million
Source: Trust for America’s Health
eight territories totaled $585 million. In fiscal year 2013, states in the Midwest received
more than $100 million in grants.
States can spend these funds on planning, training and other activities in order
to be prepared in 15 specific areas in which
the CDC tracks progress. Each year, the
center releases a report assessing how well
states are improving their capabilities in
everything from public information and
warning systems to laboratory testing and
epidemiological investigation.
The CDC’s goal is to provide guidance
and support to states using an “all hazards”
approach. In other words, states are encouraged to use the funding not just to react to
the latest public health threat, but instead
develop systems that could be used to
address anything from a pandemic to an
earthquake.
“That is the advantage to this funding
stream,” says Steve Boedigheimer, deputy
director of the CDC’s Division of State and
Local Readiness. “If it were earmarked
for the disease of the month, you’re only
prepared to address that disease. When it
comes to preparing for an emergency that
could put people in harm’s way, preparing for
a variety of risks that could emerge in our
communities is a good investment.”
Being strategic about investing this
funding has become even more crucial
in recent years because the CDC’s public
health preparedness grant program has
seen a dramatic decline (a 40 percent drop)
since its inception in 2001, when $1 billion
in federal funds was distributed to states.
This decrease in federal support, coupled
with states’ own fiscal challenges, has put a
strain on public health departments. In part
because of funding gaps, more than 45,000
jobs have been lost in state and local health
departments since 2008, according to the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6
Two health care workers
receive training in Ebola
response at the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention. Public health
officials are constantly
preparing for a variety
of health emergencies,
ranging from disease
outbreak and bioterrorism
to natural disasters. (photo:
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia/CDC)
CSG MIDWEST ISSUE BR IEFS
Issue Briefs cover topics of interest to the various groups and policy committees of CSG
Midwest, including the Midwestern Legislative Conference, Great Lakes Legislative
Caucus, Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission and Midwestern Radioactive
Materials Transportation Committee.
Midwest-Canada Relations
World’s first commercial-scale
carbon-capture coal plant opens
I
n early October, a facility in the province of
Saskatchewan became the first commercialscale coal-fired plant with carbon capture and
storage capability in the world.
The Boundary Dam Power Station is run by
SaskPower, a crown corporation — meaning it is
owned by the provincial government but operates
like a private company. The plant uses clean coal
technology to prevent most of its carbon dioxide and
sulfur dioxide emissions from being released into the
atmosphere.
It will provide power to about 100,000 homes
and businesses. Some of the carbon that is captured
will be stored underground, and some will be used
for enhanced oil recovery to help extract oil that is
difficult to reach.
Boundary Dam cost more than $1.2 billion (a mix
of provincial and federal funding was used); in the
future, the facility expects to offset higher costs by
selling the captured carbon for enhanced oil recovery.
At the facility’s opening, Bill Boyd, Saskatchewan’s
minister of the economy, said, “This project is important because it is applicable to about 95 percent of the
world’s coal plants.”
Like many states in the Midwest, Saskatchewan
has an abundance of coal, enough to last an estimated
300 years.
In 2014, coal was used for 39 percent of the
although coal use will drop over the next 15 years, it
electricity generated in the U.S. and continues to
will still be used to produce a third of the electricity
be the largest fuel source for electricity, followed by
generated in 2030.
natural gas (27 percent), nuclear (19
Developing and commercializing
percent) and renewables (19 percent).
%
of
electricity
CCS facilities is expensive, and while
In the Midwest, coal is the primary
generated
by
coal
many would like to see the U.S. move
source for electricity generation in
in
Midwest
away from fossil fuels, it will be a slow
most states (see table), with the lone
Jurisdiction
Percentage
process. Federal emissions regulaexceptions being Illinois (nuclear enIllinois
44.1%
tions may encourage the development
ergy) and South Dakota (hydropower).
of CCS facilities, but so far, many have
In the four Canadian provinces
Indiana
86.5%
required federal assistance.
affiliated with the Midwestern
Iowa
68.3%
According to the Massachusetts
Legislative Conference, coal is
Kansas
62.2%
Institute of Technology, large-scale
the major source for electricity in
Michigan
55.1%
power plants with CCS capability are
Saskatchewan and Alberta. Manitoba
Minnesota
51.6%
relies on hydropower almost exunder construction in Mississippi and
Nebraska
64.1%
clusively, and Ontario uses nuclear
Texas, with several others, including
North
Dakota
78.8%
power for more than 60 percent of its
FutureGen in Illinois, in the construcOhio
66.3%
electricity. Ontario, in fact, no longer
tion or planning stages.
South
Dakota
22.4%
generates electricity from coal, meetFutureGen, developed by a number
Wisconsin
63.1%
ing a commitment from the provincial
of coal companies and industry supgovernment to close all coal-burning
pliers, plans to capture and store 1.1
Alberta
67.1%
plants by 2014. (Provincial data in the
million metric tons of carbon per year.
Manitoba
0.4%
table are for 2013.)
The project will retrofit an
Ontario
4.7%
While commercial-scale carbon
existing
coal plant and sequester
Saskatchewan
74.5%
capture and storage (CCS) has not
the carbon in four underground
Sources: U.S. Energy Information
come to the United States yet, there are
Administration, July 2014; Canadian
wells. The facility is expected to
Electricity
Association,
2013
a number of projects in the planning
cost $1.65 billion, with $1 billion
and construction phases.
coming from the U.S. Department
These projects are likely to be needed, even as
of Energy. In September, the U.S. Environmental
the U.S. increases energy efficiency and the use of
Protection Agency authorized permits for the
renewables. The federal government projects that
facility to store carbon underground.
Brief written by Ilene Grossman, staff liaison to the Midwestern Legislative Conference Midwest-Canada Relations Committee. She can be reached at igrossman@csg.org. The committee’s
co-chairs are Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick and Saskatchewan MLA Wayne Elhard.
Great Lakes
States, provinces collaborate to
address invasive-species threat
I
n September, more than 60 people from across
the Great Lakes basin came to western Lake Erie
for three days of fishing.
But it was far from a pleasure trip.
Instead, these employees from 10 different
government agencies (state, federal and provincial)
were testing the region’s capabilities to respond to
future crises involving invasive species.
Ever since Asian carp were found to be dangerously close to entering the lakes, the region’s states and
provinces have been on high alert. And part of their
response has been to work more closely together — for
example, sharing personnel, expertise and supplies such
as Rotenone, the chemical used to stop the carp’s advance.
Earlier this year, at a meeting of the Council of
Great Lakes Governors, the region’s governors and
premiers signed a mutual-aid agreement that formalizes the process for how jurisdictions assist each other
when an invasive-species threat arises.
The September exercise in western Lake Erie focused
on the logistics for implementing an inter-jurisdictional
response through this aid agreement. What would be the
basinwide response, for example, if bighead and silver
carp were detected in this part of the basin?
The Michigan and Ohio departments of natural
resources directed the exercise, which had crews
using electrofishing and netting in the search for
grass carp, bighead carp and silver carp.
Earlier this year, Illinois and Indiana officials led
inter-jurisdictional crews on a search for Eurasian
ruffe — an invasive fish first discovered in Lake Superior
in 1986. This exercise was the first of its kind in which
provisions of the new mutual-aid agreement were used.
Pete Johnson, deputy director of the Council
of Great Lakes Governors, says that while the new
agreement was based in part on existing interstate
emergency-management pacts, there was no model
for a pact that addresses aquatic invasive species. The
new agreement focuses specifically on these species,
while also addressing issues ranging from communication protocols and the sharing of scientific
information, to liability and reimbursement.
By establishing these procedures ahead of time, he
How invasive species reach the lakes
• Canals and waterways
• Recreational boating and commercial shipping
• Illegal trade of banned species; release of
aquarium species and live bait; and spread of plant
species
Source: “Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Action Plan II”
says, states and provinces can then focus squarely on
an invasive-species problem when it occurs. And as the
recent exercises in lakes Erie and Michigan illustrate, the
agreement is not just designed to respond to a crisis. It
will also help states and provinces work proactively to
keep invasive species from entering the basin.
“Look at what we know and have seen with
invasives like zebra mussels, quagga mussels and sea
lamprey; they travel,” Johnson says. “What affects one
part of the lakes could affect all parts of the lakes.”
A basinwide threat such as invasive species, he
says, warrants a basinwide response.
Brief written by Tim Anderson, who can be reached at tanderson@csg.org. CSG Midwest provides staffing services to the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus, a nonpartisan group of lawmakers from eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The caucus chair is Minnesota Sen. Ann Rest. More information on the caucus is available at www.greatlakeslegislators.org.
2
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
Agriculture & Natural Resources
To keep state fairs thriving,
organizers tap multiple revenue
sources — including tax dollars
I
n Kansas, some visitors come to the State Fair
for the carnival rides, others for the food, music
and entertainment.
But organizers and legislators alike also don’t
lose sight of one of the fair’s more important
missions — as a source of boundless agricultural
education for the young and old alike.
The annual event is promoted as the “state’s largest
classroom,” and as Kansas Sen. Larry Powell notes,
legislators themselves are among those getting lessons
as part of an event that has them team up with a 4-H
member who teaches them the finer points of cattle
showmanship. A contest is then held, “much to the
delight of the crowd,” Powell says. Illinois has a similar
event with legislators driving harness horses in a race.
Beyond the fun and education, state fairs can
also help boost the economies of host cities and
surrounding regions. Some studies, for example,
have put the impact at over $100 million a year.
But state fairs also cost money to operate and
maintain, and in recent years, states in the Midwest
have had to grapple with this question: Should tax
dollars be used to help keep the fairs going?
“The key to long-term viability is maintaining
the infrastructure to put on a top-notch event,”
says Jim Tucker, president of the International
Association of Fairs and Expositions.
If this is true, Nebraska is leading the way.
In 2008, the Legislature agreed to move the
fairgrounds from Lincoln to the city of Grand Island.
Estimated daily attendance at 2014
state fairs in Midwest (length of fair)
35,556
(9 days)
35,078
(6 days)
30,455
(11 days)
35,500
(10 days)
152,069
(12 days)
91,900
(11 days)
93,710
(11 days)
22,500
(4 days)
76,333
83,534 58,824
(12 days)
(11 days) (17 days)
Source: CSG Midwest research
The new fairgrounds required a $50 million
investment — $21.5 million from the University
of Nebraska, $7 million from Grand Island and
$5 million from the state. Another $6 million was
invested this year by the university, Nebraska State
Parks and commodity groups to build a permanent
home for the fair and other exhibits.
And under a constitutional amendment approved
by Nebraskans in 2004, 10 percent of the state’s lottery
proceeds go to the fair’s operational or capital funds.
“This amounts to about $4 million, and Grand
Island, the host city, has to match it,” explains Joe
McDermott, the fair’s executive director. Lastly, individuals can donate to the fair on their income tax forms.
Nebraska is not alone in using multiple sources
of revenue to help its state fair thrive. In Indiana,
for example, the state devotes a portion of its
riverboat admissions tax to the fair (up to $6.2 million annually), and the General Assembly makes
a general-fund appropriation of about $600,000.
Another popular funding mechanism has been
the use of nonprofit foundations.
Since 1993, the Iowa Blue Ribbon Foundation
has raised more than $100 million to renovate and
preserve the state’s historic fairgrounds and buildings. That money has come from a mix of individual
contributions, grants and state appropriations.
The Wisconsin State Fair also operates a nonprofit foundation and gets $1.5 million annually from
the Legislature for capital improvements. In South
Dakota, the state budget provides $268,000 for operating
expenses, and a separate foundation is working to raise
$4 million to replace a building at the fairgrounds.
The Kansas State Fair, one of the oldest in the
nation, gets approximately $300,000 annually from
the state to match investments made by the fair itself.
The Illinois State Fair is one of the few fairs that operate as a part of a department of agriculture; as a result, it
receives funds for operations and capital improvements
as part of the department’s budget. (Illinois also runs a
second event, the DuQuoin State Fair.)
In contrast to other states, Minnesota Rep. Rick
Hansen says, taxes are not used to fund the fair in his state.
Held in the Twin Cities area, it attracts nearly 2 million
people every year (largest attendance in the region).
The lowest-attended state fair is in Michigan
(see map). In fact, it ceased to exist for a time when
Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed legislation in 2009
to fund it. Subsequent legislation (SB 515 and HB
4803) transferred the fairgrounds to the Michigan
Land Bank, which is overseeing its transfer to the
private sector. In 2013, the fair returned as a much
smaller and shorter, privately run event.
Brief written by Carolyn Orr, staff liaison to the Midwestern Legislative Conference Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee. She can be reached at corr@sarl.us. The committee’s co-chairs are
Indiana Rep. Bill Friend and Minnesota Rep. Rick Hansen.
Education
Minnesota making strides in
closing achievement gap
C
ompare the overall test scores or graduation
rates of students in the Midwest to the rest
of the nation’s, and most states in this region
fare quite well — sometimes even at or near the
top of U.S. rankings.
That certainly is the case for Minnesota, a highperforming state on traditional measures of student
achievement.
But as Greg Keith, director of school support
for the Minnesota Department of Education, notes,
that level of achievement is far from uniform among
different groups of students.
“We could look at our overall scores and say,
‘We’re in the top five [in the nation], so we’re doing
it right,’ ” he says. “It takes a whole change in our
mindset to understand we have to do better for our
underserved kids.”
Closing the achievement gap — between white and
minority students or low-income and higher-income
students, for example — is a top priority right now of
Minnesota legislators and school administrators alike.
At the start of the 2013 legislative session, Rep.
Paul Marquart called that gap “the No. 1 threat to our
future economic success and vitality.”
Part of the state’s strategy has been to invest more
in early-childhood education and to provide new
incentives for schools to implement “achievement and
integration plans” that focus on closing achievement
gaps. Also, under its No Child Left Behind Act waiver
with the federal government, Minnesota has set a goal
of cutting its achievement gap in half by 2017.
To meet this objective, the state has established
Regional Centers of Excellence to work with schools
where overall student achievement is low or where
achievement gaps are especially high.
State-trained staff from these centers work with
each school in developing leadership teams (administrators, teachers and others) and school improvement
plans (focused mostly on enhancing instructional
practices). Once these teams and plans are in place,
a regional center and the school itself use data to
track whether student achievement is improving.
“What’s successful in one school might not be
successful in another school,” Keith says, noting
the importance of customizing plans.
Thus far, the Regional Centers of Excellence
appear to be making a difference.
% of 4th-graders with scores at or
above basic in reading, by ethnic group
State
White
Black
Hispanic
American
Indian
Illinois
88%
59%
71%
*
Indiana
93%
71%
86%
*
Iowa
90%
54%
78%
*
Kansas
93%
71%
81%
*
Michigan
86%
47%
64%
*
Minnesota
95%
73%
73%
*
Nebraska
92%
53%
71%
*
North Dakota
92%
84%
87%
46%
Ohio
91%
62%
81%
*
South Dakota
91%
63%
70%
34%
Wisconsin
76%
35%
45%
*
* Not enough data to meet reporting standards
Source: “The Nation’s Report Card, 2013”
According to data released by the state in
October, gaps have closed in most of the schools
where the Regional Centers have worked. Overall
student achievement has improved in most of these
schools as well.
Brief written by Tim Anderson, who can be reached at tanderson@csg.org. The Midwestern Legislative Conference Education Committee’s co-chairs are Illinois Sen. Michael Frerichs
and South Dakota Rep. Jacqueline Sly.
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
3
AROUND THE R EGION
4
Nonpartisan legislature,
Republican governor
* Partisan control only shifted in two states as the result of the 2014
elections: Minnesota (due to Republican takeover of House) and Illinois
(due to defeat of incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn)
Estimated partisan seat gains in state
legislatures due to 2014 elections*
DEM
+1
GOP
+4
Indiana
8%
16%
Iowa
15%
12%
Kansas
16%
2.5% (1 special election held)
Michigan
40%
26%
Minnesota
35%
0% (no elections)
35%
North Dakota
14%
9%
Ohio
29%
12%
Citizen-initiated proposal can only amend
legislative article of Illinois Constitution
South Dakota
36%
31%
Wisconsin
24%
21%
* “New” members include those who have returned to the legislature or
are switching legislative chambers. Individuals who were appointed to
the legislature prior to the general election are not counted as new.
GOP
+1
GOP
+5
GOP
+4
GOP
+5
* Figures based on unofficial election results and are subject to
change
Democratic gains
Republican gains
Number of seats held by two major
parties in Midwest’s 20 partisan
legislative chambers (1993-2015)
1,000
800
600
400
2015
2%
GOP
+4
Nonpartisan
GOP
+5
2013
12%
GOP
+4
2011
Illinois
GOP
+11
2009
Senate
—
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
Republican control of legislature,
Republican governor
2007
House
Nebraska
Source: Ballotpedia and CSG’s “The Book of the States”
Split partisan control of legislature,
Republican governor
Estimated % of new members in 2015*
Proposed constitutional amendments, statutes
can be initiated by citizens and appear on the
ballot without legislative approval
Legislative approval required for measures to
appear on ballot
Split partisan control of legislature,
Democratic governor
2005
State
Democratic control of legislature,
Republican governor
2003
Turnover in Midwest’s legislatures
Seats controlled by Democrats
2001
Laws on direct democracy in Midwest
State controlled by Republicans
1999
• In Illinois, voters approved two constitutional amendments: one to better protect
voting rights and another to strengthen the
rights of crime victims in the state’s criminal
justice system.
• A new provision in the Wisconsin
Constitution will bar gas tax revenues and
vehicle registration fees from being used for
non-transportation purposes.
• A closely watched proposed constitutional
amendment in North Dakota was defeated. The
so-called “personhood amendment” sought to
recognize the “unalienable right to life of every
human being at any stage of development.”
• Illinois —House, 71-47, and Senate, 39-20,
Democratic majorities in both chambers;
• Indiana — House, 71-29, and Senate, 40-10,
Republican majorities in both chambers;
• Iowa — House, 57-43, Republican majority;
and Senate, 26-24, Democratic majority;
• Kansas — House, 98-27; and Senate, 32-8,
Republican majorities in both chambers;
• Michigan — House, 64-46, and Senate, 27-11,
Republican majorities in both chambers;
• Minnesota — House, 72-62, Republican
majority; and Senate, 39-28, Democratic majority;
• North Dakota — House, 71-23, and Senate,
32-15, Republican majorities in both chambers;
• Ohio — House, 65-34, and Senate, 23-10,
Republican majorities in both chambers;
• South Dakota — House, 58-12, and Senate,
27-8, Republican majorities in both chambers; and
• Wisconsin — House, 63-36, and Senate,
19-14, Republican majorities in both chambers.
Partisan control in Midwest’s states
entering 2015 legislative sessions*
1997
W
ith the notable exceptions of Illinois and
Minnesota, this November’s elections did
little to change the partisan balance of
power in Midwestern states.
When legislatures meet next year, the Republican
Party will continue to have control of them and the
governors’ offices in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan,
North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Democrats, meanwhile, lost single-party control in the
only two states where they had it. The GOP now holds
a majority of seats in the Minnesota House, and Illinois
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn lost his re-election bid.
Ever since the turning-point election of 2010 —
when Democrats lost nearly 200 seats in the Midwest’s
20 partisan legislative chambers — Republicans have
had firm control of power in most of the region’s states.
In fact, in the year ahead, the GOP will hold more
legislative seats in the Midwest than it did even after
the “wave” elections of 1994 and 2010 (see line graph).
Regardless of party, a large majority of legislative
incumbents won their races for re-election. However,
legislative turnover will still be quite high, in part
because of term-limits laws in states such as Michigan,
Nebraska and South Dakota (see table). Below is the
expected partisan breakdown for each Midwestern
state and legislative chamber in 2015. (Exact
numbers are based on unofficial election results
and subject to change.)
1995
D
ue to a mix of legislative actions and ballot
initiatives this year, the minimum wage
for workers has recently increased in two
Midwestern states and will rise in two others
starting in 2015.
Proposed wage hikes appeared on ballots in
Nebraska and South Dakota in November and
won by comfortable margins.
In Nebraska, the minimum wage will be $8
per hour in 2015 and $9 in 2016. South Dakota’s
will be $8.50 next year; the successful ballot
proposal also included a provision that requires
wages to be adjusted annually to account for
inflation.
Illinois voters this year approved a referendum question to raise the minimum wage to $10
per hour, but for any increase to take effect, state
lawmakers still have to pass legislation. Illinois’
current minimum wage is $8.25 per hour. The
federal requirement is $7.25.
In all, six Midwestern states — Illinois,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and
South Dakota — have laws mandating higher
minimum wages than the federal requirement.
The Michigan and Minnesota legislatures
approved the increases earlier this year. Both
of those new laws include automatic, inflationadjusted pay increases in future years for
the states’ lowest-paid workers. Ohio’s minimum-wage law, the result of a 2006 ballot
measure, also includes annual cost-of-living
adjustments.
Here are other results from the November
elections.
In most Midwestern states, GOP
expands legislative majorities
1993
Voters in 3 Midwest
states back higher
minimum wage
Seats held by Republicans
Seats held by Democrats
Sources: CSG’s “The Book of the States” and CSG Midwest research
CAPITAL CLOSEUP
Across the Midwest, legislators rely on the work of nonpartisan
staff, but the structure and oversight of these agencies vary
by Ilene Grossman (igrossman@csg.org)
M
ore than 100 years ago, the state of
Commission and a Legislative Research Unit.
Wisconsin started what has since become
Regardless of the structure, though, these
an indispensable part of the daily work of
agencies are typically given a host of responsibilistate legislatures — the nonpartisan legislative
ties: staffing committees, maintaining legislative
service agency.
websites, providing fiscal analysis on bills and
From bill drafting to a host of research services,
advice on legislative procedure, conducting
agency staff help make the legislative process work
program audits and performance evaluations,
in capitols across the country, as political scientist
maintaining legislative websites, and monitoring
Gary Moncrief noted this summer in a presentahow state agencies implement bills passed by the
tion to the Midwest’s state legislators.
legislature.
Since the 1970s, he said, state
Given all of these responsibilities,
legislatures have been professionalhow are these agencies overseen by the
Capital Closeup
ized and their role in public policy
legislature?
enhanced thanks to a series of reforms,
In the Midwest, oversight responamong them a rise in legislative staff.
sibilities are generally handled by a
For example, between 1979 and 2009,
joint committee of legislators, often
the median number of legislative staff
top legislative leadership, whose duper member of the legislature has risen
ties include hiring agency directors.
from 2.7 to 3.9. (That also includes
Legislative service agency staff may
partisan staff and staff for individual legislators.)
then be required to report to the oversight body, or
“These reforms were largely effective in
to its chair. In some states, the oversight committee
making legislatures co-equal branches of governrequires the service agency to issue an annual writment,” Moncrief told the Midwestern Legislative
ten report; in others, the process is more informal.
Conference.
Nearly all of these nonpartisan service agencies
But while all states rely heavily on nonpartisan
provide services to both legislative chambers, but
staff, the structure and duties of these agencies
there are exceptions. The Minnesota House and
can vary.
Senate, for example, have their own nonpartisan
In Indiana, Iowa and North Dakota, a full menu
support agencies that report to legislators in their
of services is offered by a single, centralized office.
respective chambers. In Michigan, the House and
In contrast, the other eight Midwestern states
Senate have separate fiscal agencies.
employ multiple nonpartisan agencies; Illinois, for
In states that have multiple legislative service
example, has 10 separate and specialized offices
agencies, legislatures have not established a formal
serving the legislature — from an Office of the
mechanism for communication among agencies.
Architect and a Legislative Service Bureau for
However, most directors and staff keep each other
bill drafting, to a Forecasting and Accountability
informed when working together to staff commit-
Structure, oversight of nonpartisan
legislative service agencies in Midwest
State
Summary
Illinois
Multiple agencies overseen by
joint legislative committee
Indiana
Centralized agency overseen by
joint legislative committee
Iowa
Centralized agency overseen by joint
legislative committee
Kansas
Multiple agencies overseen by joint
legislative committee
Michigan
Multiple agencies overseen by joint
legislative committee (House and Senate
have separate fiscal agencies)
Minnesota
Multiple agencies overseen by joint
legislative committee (House and Senate also
have separate support agencies)
Nebraska
Multiple agencies overseen by state
Legislature’s Executive Board
North Dakota
Centralized agency overseen by joint
legislative committee
Ohio
Multiple agencies overseen by joint
legislative committee
South Dakota
Multiple agencies overseen by joint
legislative committee
Wisconsin
Multiple agencies overseen by joint
legislative committee
tees or draft bills, and in some states, the directors
meet on a regular basis.
Previous articles from CSG Midwest’s Capital Closeup series
are available at www.csgmidwest.org. This article is based
on a survey of legislative service agencies in the Midwest.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
QUESTION: How are states and localities regulating ride-sharing
services?
In just a few short years, the presence of ride-sharing
companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar has spread
to more than 60 metropolitan areas across the country — 15 of which are in the Midwest.
With a simple tap of a button on a smartphone application, a passenger can connect with a driver. The
driver, using his or her personal vehicle, then provides
a ride to a desired location, oftentimes at much
cheaper prices than a traditional taxi or car service.
Should these ride-sharing companies fall under the
same licensing and insurance regulations as taxi and
limousine services? Should they fall under a new type
of classification of service, or not be regulated at all?
These are some of the questions that states and
municipalities have begun to address with the rise
in ride-sharing.
In 2013, California (home to Uber, Lyft and Sidecar)
became the first U.S. state to regulate ride-sharing
companies. The state’s Public Utility Commission
created the category of transportation networking
companies, or TNCs, and adopted licensing rules:
driver background checks and training, insurance requirements (commercial liability coverage of at least
$1 million per incident), and reporting requirements.
This year, nine U.S. states, including Illinois, considered new ride-sharing rules and regulations. Thus
far, though, only Colorado’s SB 125 has been passed.
Like California’s existing regulations, Colorado’s new
law designates ride-sharing companies as TNCs,
specifies insurance requirements for drivers, and
requires background checks and training.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed HB 4075 and HB 5331
earlier this year, saying he didn’t want the state to
impose a “one size fits all” approach on local governments. Together, the two bills would have required
ride-sharing drivers to carry commercial liability
insurance and undergo background checks. In addition, vehicles would have been subject to safety
inspections, and drivers working more than 18 hours
a week would have needed a chauffeur’s license.
The vetoes in Illinois left standing an ordinance set
by the Chicago City Council. Under that ordinance,
ride-sharing companies are considered “transportation network providers” and must pay an annual
registration fee of $25,000. The vehicles used for
the ride-sharing services are subject to annual
inspections, and drivers must hold commercial
liability insurance.
In Detroit, officials initially banned ride-sharing but
eventually signed a two-year agreement with Lyft
Inc. Under the agreement, drivers must undergo
background checks and have commercial auto insurance. Several other Midwestern cities, including
Columbus, Detroit and Minneapolis, have also taken
action to allow ride-sharing companies to continue
operating. Earlier this year, Seattle became the first
city to restrict the number of vehicles that a rideshare company can operate (150).
Article written by Laura A. Tomaka (ltomaka@csg.org),
senior program manager for CSG Midwest. Question of
the Month highlights an inquiry sent to the CSG Midwest
Information Help Line. To request assistance, please
contact us at csgm@csg.org or 630.925.1922.
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
5
COVER STORY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Bracing for potential for Ebola cases puts state public-health systems to the test
When funding erodes, it can be tempting to cut
back on investments in preparedness. But experts in
this area warn that recent history proves this strategy
can backfire.
“Public health preparedness needs to be seen
as part and parcel of everyday operations in state
and local government. It really is part of not only
the public health foundation, but also the larger
public-safety and emergency-response arms,” says
Paul Kuehnert, a former county health director
and deputy state health director now with the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
One of the ways states can improve their
preparedness is to make sure everyone who could
be involved in response efforts — from local health
directors to senior government officials — gets to
know one another by taking part in drills, training
and exercises together.
“People need to have these relationships in place
before a disaster or major outbreak strikes,” he says.
“Those don’t get built in the middle of an emergency.”
Boedigheimer agrees: “An emergency-operations
center is not the place to be exchanging business
cards.”
Good communication is something that the
Minnesota Department of Health’s infectious-disease
team practices each day in its morning meeting, says
division director Kristen Ehresmann. And she works
to stay connected with her counterparts in emergency
preparedness, environmental health and elsewhere.
She says that connection is possible in part
because Minnesota has invested well in its public
health infrastructure. She remembers reading
after 9/11 about the importance of infrastructure,
which she admits isn’t very “exciting.” But she tells
policymakers again and again that without it, the
state can’t successfully respond in an emergency; it
takes too long to figure out, for example, how and
where to find enough medical professionals to treat
an influx of patients.
“If you have not invested in public health in your
state, and then there is a crisis, there is no way you
can just say, ‘We’ll put money into it now’ and be able
to respond,” Ehresmann says.
Minnesota’s public health infrastructure has
already been tested this year. In April, a suspected case
of Ebola turned out to be Lassa Fever, which is also a
viral hemorrhagic illness. Word of the infection came
in on the department’s 24-hour provider hot line; state
officials then worked with the hospital to prevent
the illness from spreading and to get a specimen to
the laboratory for testing. The system worked well,
Ehresmann says, and it was a good test run for any
potential Ebola cases.
Last month, Minnesota health officials tested
at least five patients for Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome, or MERS, a severe viral illness with a 30
percent mortality rate. The state had put out an alert
to health providers around the state to be aware of
the symptoms and to ask about international travel.
All infectious diseases are logged in the state’s
real-time disease surveillance system, which allows
state officials to track trends in illness or suspected
cases. The system is tracking everything from measles
to foodborne illness. And despite the widespread
fear about Ebola, Ehresmann says, it doesn’t change
Minnesota’s public health strategy.
“The risk to public health really comes with
complacency about supporting the system,” she says.
“If we have a strong system, we can feel confident we’ll
be able to respond to anything.”
Where states in Midwest stand on
10 indicators of preparedness to prevent
and control infectious diseases
State met 7 of
10 indicators
State met 5 of
10 indicators
State met 4 of
10 indicators
State met 3 of
10 indicators
1) Increased/maintained public health funding between FY 2012 and
2013: Iowa, Michigan and North Dakota
2) Met federal goal of vaccinating 90% of 19- to 35-month-olds against
whooping cough: No states in Midwest
3) Requires HPV vaccine for teens or funds HPV vaccination efforts and
awareness: All Midwestern states except Kansas, Nebraska and Ohio
4) At least half of population vaccinated for seasonal flu (fall 2012 to
winter 2013): Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota
5) Climate change adaptation plan: Wisconsin
6) Facilities must report health care-associated infections: Illinois,
Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio
7) Public health labs capable of tracking novel disease outbreaks: All
Midwestern states except Nebraska and North Dakota
8) Public health labs have capacity to assure timely transport of
samples: All Midwestern states except Indiana
9) Functionality of public health labs evaluated during a real event or
exercise in FY 2013: Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and South Dakota
10) Covers routine HIV screening under Medicaid: Illinois, Kansas,
Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin
‘All disasters are local’
W
hile Minnesota has had success in turning
attention to public health by investing in
surveillance and response, other states
are now working to strengthen their systems.
In Indiana, public-health officials have been
working closely with local officials to prepare them
for emergencies.
“In a sense, all disasters are local,” says Lee
Christenson, director of public health preparedness
and response for the Indiana Department of Public
Health. “We think the best approach to defense is to
get those folks prepared as best we can.”
The department has built 10 health care coalitions
throughout the state — teams made up of hospitals,
Source: Trust for America’s Health, “Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases”
rural health clinics, local health departments,
emergency managers and even philanthropic
organizations such as the Red Cross.
“It is very important for them to get used to
working together,” Christenson says, “because in an
emergency they’ll have to do that quickly.”
Indiana’s approach to emergency management
focuses largely on using existing resources and private
partners, in part because the state has not traditionCONTINUED ON PAGE 7
How prepared is the Midwest? State scores on the National Health Security Preparedness IndexTM (maximum score of 10)
Category and description
National National
North
South
Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Nebraska
Ohio
Wisconsin
average
range
Dakota
Dakota
Health Surveillance: Systematic collection,
analysis and interpretation of data and
timely dissemination of these data to those
responsible for preventing and controlling
disease, exposure and injury
7.3
5.8 to 8.8
7.2
7.5
7.4
6.8
8.4
7.5
7.5
7.5
6.2
7.3
7.2
Incident & Information Management:
Ability to mobilize critical resources;
command and coordinate within affected
communities; provide necessary legal,
administrative and logistical support; and
exchange information, intelligence and plans
among multiple jurisdictions
7.8
5.1 to 9.3
8.1
8.2
8.1
6.3
8.4
8.1
8.4
8.8
7.7
7.4
6.7
Community Planning & Engagement:
Coordination across whole community
(organizations, partners and stakeholders) to
prepare for health incidents and to respond
and recover from them
6.1
4.1 to 8.3
4.7
6.5
4.6
5.4
5.5
7.6
6.5
6.8
6.6
4.1
7.1
Surge Management: Capability to rapidly
expand capacity of existing medical care and
fatality-management systems to provide
triage, transport and treatment to individuals
5.8
4.3 to 7.6
5.9
5.9
5.6
5.7
5.6
6.3
6.3
6.6
6.5
6.3
6.8
Overall index result
7.2
5.9 to 8.1
7.0
7.4
7.0
6.7
7.4
7.6
7.6
7.8
7.2
6.9
7.3
Source: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
6
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
FEATURE STORY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
ally received a high level of federal support for public
health preparedness. In FY 2013, Indiana ranked last
in the nation in terms of per-capita support from the
CDC’s programs in this area, according to the Trust
for America’s Health.
“If you have not been awarded those federal
grants, you have not had the opportunity to build
your infrastructure,” says Dr. Joan Duwve, chief
medical consultant for the Indiana Department of
Health. “But now that funding is contingent on that
infrastructure being in place. … We’ve missed out on
a lot of funding.”
Of the funds the state receives for health care
preparedness, about 85 percent goes to hospitals. But
recent cuts in federal funding — a 40 percent drop in
Indiana — hit hard, causing health care providers to
scale back their own training and drills.
So health officials at the state level are working to
fill in the gaps and to make resources stretch a little
further. For example, the state is looking to identify
a single emergency communications system for all
hospitals in the state, which would cost 75 percent
less than the current practice of each hospital choosing its own platform.
Meanwhile, they are also working to help elected
officials understand the importance of investing in
preparedness.
“A little bit of money on the front end to prepare
yourself can go a long way in a disaster,” Christenson
says.
States set Ebola monitoring policies
M
any state public-health systems are being
put to the test as they prepare for one of the
biggest public health threats in recent history: Ebola. As of early November, there had been
four cases confirmed in the United States and five
patients treated here after being diagnosed with
the virus while working in Africa. Two patients
were treated at the Nebraska Medical Center.
With travelers coming into the United States each
day from the center of the outbreak, officials in this
region are setting policies to monitor those who arrive
in their states. Flights from western Africa arrive at
one of five U.S. airports (including Chicago’s O’Hare),
at which point they are screened for symptoms. If
they’re free of any sign of the virus, they are asked to
provide information about where they’re going next.
States then receive information about travelers
entering their jurisdictions, and public health
officials set policies to closely monitor people with
potential risk of developing Ebola.
The CDC recommends that people potentially exposed to Ebola be sorted into one of four
categories. The highest-risk individuals would
include anyone who had direct contact with an
Ebola patient’s bodily fluids or who cared for a
patient without wearing proper personal protective equipment.
“Some risk” includes being within 3 feet of
someone sick with Ebola for an extended period of
time. “Low risk” includes situations such as shaking
hands with a patient or being on an airplane with
someone who is ill with the virus. Some travelers
will be deemed to have no risk: for example, if they
had contact with a healthy person who later showed
symptoms of Ebola.
The CDC says its guidelines are based on evidence
showing that unless a patient has physical symptoms
of Ebola, he or she cannot transmit it to other people
and is not a danger to the public. Most states have
chosen to closely follow those guidelines.
Minnesota, for example, uses risk categories
similar to those laid out by the CDC. The state’s active
State policymakers can play role in improving rates of vaccination
Many public health emergencies are unpredictable, but there is one important way that policymakers can prevent outbreaks of infectious
disease: ensure that citizens are immunized
against diseases that can be deadly.
Estimated vaccination rates in the
Midwest in 2013
Children are particularly vulnerable to diseases such as measles and pertussis (whooping
cough), and several areas of the Midwest have
seen outbreaks of these diseases in recent years.
Beyond encouraging providers to check for
needed vaccinations at every visit, states can
also review their scope-of-practice laws to make
sure that pharmacists are licensed to give a wide
range of vaccines to people of all ages.
Policymakers can also make sure their state
vaccination registry is functioning well and
that all providers are signed up to use it. In
addition to helping state officials determine
vaccination coverage in their states, these
registries can help providers and patients keep
track of which vaccines they have received, and
which they haven’t. They can also link up with
electronic medical records to prompt providers
or pharmacists to offer a vaccine to a patient
when they’re already at a visit.
Vaccination registries could also be a useful tool
in the case of a pandemic. Take, for example, the
case of a strain of flu that requires two unique
doses of vaccine for protection; a central registry
could track doses to make sure everyone gets
immunity as quickly as possible.
“This is a fabulous technology that really does
help us in an emergency,” says Dr. Melinda
Wharton, director of the National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wharton recalls that after Hurricane Katrina,
displaced families settled in many parts of the
country. For many children starting at new schools,
their immunization records were still available
because they had been logged in a centralized
system in Baton Rouge. As a result, there was proof
that their vaccines were up to date.
monitoring system is based on risk and exposure, and
as of early November, Ehresmann was not aware of any
high-risk residents or visitors. If any were identified,
the state would ask the person to voluntarily restrict
movement, avoiding mass transit and public places.
But going for a walk or doing other activities that
don’t involve contact with other people would still
be OK. Meanwhile, public health officials would be
checking in with the high-risk individual, either in
person or by video, to monitor possible symptoms.
But for now, lower-risk individuals are being asked
to monitor their own temperatures and symptoms and
to check in with state health officials.
The policy in Minnesota was crafted with the goal
of balancing individual rights with the public good,
Ehresmann says. And under Minnesota statute, the
state has to make a compelling case that an individual
represents a health threat to the public in order to
invoke mandatory quarantine or isolation.
“If you’re not following the science, then when
push comes to shove, you don’t have a leg to stand
on,” Ehresmann says. “You have to have data to
show someone is a health risk as you exercise your
quarantine and isolation authority.”
In Indiana, field staff from the state Department
of Health are visiting local health departments and
hospitals to provide information and answer questions about Ebola. They’re making sure, too, that
providers and local health departments are ready for
anything, from monitoring at-risk individuals for 21
State
MMR1
DTaP2
Hepatitis
B
Seasonal
flu3
Illinois
91.4%
82.7%
71.4%
43.4%
Indiana
92.0%
82.1%
82.8%
41.5%
Iowa
94.5%
89.6%
79.5%
48.6%
Kansas
89.4%
81.6%
77.2%
47.0%
Michigan
89.2%
79.6%
82.5%
42.9%
Minnesota
90.8%
90.5%
63.8%
51.7%
Nebraska
92.5%
88.3%
81.3%
51.0%
North Dakota
91.4%
78.6%
82.0%
48.9%
Ohio
86.0%
75.8%
78.1%
44.7%
South Dakota
93.1%
86.5%
70.9%
57.4%
Wisconsin
93.2%
84.0%
80.5%
42.3%
U.S.
91.9%
83.1%
74.2%
46.2%
1
2
3
Mumps, measles and rubella vaccine
Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine
For ages 6 months and up during the 2013-2014 flu season
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
One of the illnesses that can easily spread to
large numbers of people is influenza. Though
most people recover from the flu, tens of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands
die in the United States from the illness. The
CDC recommends a flu shot not only to protect
oneself, but to provide “herd immunity” to
protect certain populations (infants, the very
elderly) who cannot get a vaccination.
“Our best preparation for something like an influenza pandemic is to vaccinate as many people
as we can now [in order] to practice,” Wharton
says. “It gets manufacturing capacity up, it gets
our systems prepared, and it gets our providers
prepared and signed up to use the vaccination
registry.
“The more of these things we can work out in a
normal year, the better shape we’ll be in if we
have a new strain of influenza.”
days to isolating a patient until infectious-disease
experts can arrive.
Right now, the state is monitoring only low-risk
individuals, and local officials are using a variety of
methods — in-person visits, Skype and telephone
calls — to keep an eye on individuals who may have
been exposed to Ebola.
Providers have access to a 24/7 hot line for
questions or concerns. There is also a hot line for
the public to call with questions, which is important,
Duwve says, in quelling fears and providing fact-based
information to citizens.
Quarantine policies in the Midwest differ from
the high-profile announcements in states such as
New Jersey, where health workers returning from west
Africa will face a mandatory 21-day home quarantine.
Illinois has put in place a mandatory home
quarantine for individuals in the “high risk” category.
As of early November, no one returning to Illinois had
been deemed “high risk.”
While states sort out how to prepare for the
possibility of more Ebola cases in the United States,
many public health experts view the Ebola outbreak
as a good reminder of the importance of being ready
for anything.
“It could be Ebola this week and influenza next
week,” Boedigheimer says. “Epidemiology and laboratory expertise, emergency response planning and
practicing the basic tools: that gives us the resiliency
we need to be ready.”
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
7
STATELINE PROFILE
Wisconsin Sen. Sheila Harsdorf
Family farmer first ran to advocate for rural issues; more than 20
years later, goals include closing skills gap, reducing tax burden
by Kate Tormey (ktormey@csg.org)
W
isconsin Sen. Sheila Harsdorf grew up in
a family in which two things were part
of the fabric of daily life: farming and
public service.
Harsdorf was born on a farm in Minnesota,
but her family moved to River Falls, Wis., when
she was a teenager. In her youth, she was active
in her rural community through 4-H and learned
the importance of service from her father, who
was on the town board.
After completing her degree in animal science at
the University of Minnesota, and a short stint as an
agricultural loan officer, Harsdorf returned to River
Falls to fulfill her dream of farming. She joined her
father and brother Jim to run the family business.
Jim had been elected to the state Assembly and then
the Senate, and after 11 years of service, he decided
to leave the Legislature — and encouraged Sheila to
consider running.
“There were many issues being decided in
Madison that affected me both as a farmer and
as a rural resident, but they were being decided
by many who didn’t have a good understanding
of what our rural communities and agriculture
needed in our state,” she says.
Harsdorf was elected in 1988 and served 10
years in the Assembly. She was elected to the
Senate in 2000. Since then, Harsdorf ’s policy interests have expanded to include higher education,
fiscal issues and combating drug abuse.
Harsdorf serves as chair of the Senate University
and Technical Colleges Committee, where she has
worked specifically on ways to address the gap
between the skills of Wisconsin workers and the
needs of the state’s businesses. Her legislative
district includes two university campuses and two
technical college districts.
“It really is through higher education that
we provide opportunities for mobility in our
society and create opportunities for our youth and
citizens,” she says.
Harsdorf is also chair of the Midwestern
Higher Education Compact, an alliance of states
that brings together policymakers and education
leaders to promote interstate cooperation.
Harsdorf ’s northwestern Wisconsin district
borders the Twin Cities, which she says can be a tremendous asset in terms of drawing businesses to the
area. In fact, her district is one of the fastest-growing
in the Senate. But she also sees some challenges to
business growth. Next session, she plans to work on
addressing issues ranging from education to taxes.
“How we can maximize our investment and
outcomes in higher education?” she says. “We want
to make sure our graduates are ready to go to work,
and make [postsecondary education] affordable as
well as accessible.”
Last month, CSG Midwest talked with Harsdorf
about her commitment to service and leadership,
as well as her policy priorities. Here is an excerpt
from the interview.
8
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
Bio-sketch: Sen. Harsdorf
 first elected to Wisconsin Assembly
in 1988; served 10 years
 now serving fourth term in Senate;
chair of Senate Republican Caucus
 represents northwestern Wisconsin
district, along the Minnesota border
 grew up on a family dairy farm;
after college, she returned to River Falls
to run the farm with her dad and brother
 chair of the Senate Committee on
Universities and Technical Colleges and
member of the Joint Committee on Finance
 holds a degree in animal science from
the University of Minnesota
Q:
This session, you were the lead sponsor of a
package of bills aimed at preventing drug
abuse. Can you talk about the legislation and your
reasons for supporting it?
A:
Drug abuse is a huge issue in northwestern
Wisconsin. In 2013, in [the city of ]
Hudson alone — which is not a large community
— we lost seven young people to drug overdose.
That has been an important issue that our communities and our region are trying to address. …
I was the lead Senate sponsor on a package
of bills put together by Rep. John Nygren. It was
aimed at saving lives by [creating] the “Good
Samaritan” law, which provides immunity from
simple drug possession charges. Often when
someone is using heroin, they are with a group
of people — and if someone is overdosing, their
friends desert them. This law encourages them to
stick around and help the person.
One of the bills dealt with allowing firstresponders to carry Narcan, which is very effective
in countering an overdose. And we also dealt with
curbing abuse of prescription drugs, because we
know that is often how people start down the road
of drug abuse. In addition, we passed a couple of
bills dealing with treatment.
The Heroin Opiate Prevention and Education
legislation will help save lives and hopefully
prevent addiction. It passed with strong bipartisan
support. We tend to focus on the things that are
controversial, and consequently people think that
we never agree — so it’s always nice to also focus
on those things where there is bipartisan support.
Q:
A:
Your work in higher education has focused in
part on the skills gap. Can you talk about your
work this year to address that issue?
I was the lead sponsor on a couple of bills
this past session expanding apprenticeships, both for youth and adults, and encouraging
opportunities for collaboration between businesses
and our technical colleges. We put more resources
into our [existing] youth apprenticeship programs
to expand those opportunities. And we are working
closely with businesses to find out how we can best
address their workforce needs.
Q:
One of the controversial issues in this past
legislative session was legislation surrounding
DNA collection by law enforcement. Can you explain
the legislation?
A:
[The new law will require] DNA collection at
felony arrest rather than conviction. There is
a national effort to pass this in every state —“DNA
Saves,” which is led by Jayann Sepich of New Mexico,
who lost her daughter to a rape and murder. At
least 29 states have adopted it, as well as the federal
government.
I am convinced that this is a way of saving
lives, solving cold cases and minimizing future
tragedies. The DNA Saves measure passed in the
budget this past session. I advocated for it and had
also introduced similar legislation.
[Editor’s note: According to DNA Saves, legislation allowing law enforcement to collect DNA on a
felony arrest has also been passed in Illinois, Kansas,
Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota.]
Q:
A:
You have long been an advocate for rural
issues; what do you think the challenges are
for rural areas of the Midwest?
We have great opportunities in our rural
areas, but one of the things that is so very
important to maintain those opportunities is the
availability of high-speed Internet. We know that
is important in encouraging those coming out of
school to come back to their rural communities
and to agriculture.
Many of the issues affecting agriculture really
are governed at the federal level, but one of the
things that is important in our communities is
controlling taxes and maintaining affordability —
and not taxing people out of their homes and their
businesses. That is why reducing the tax burden
in Wisconsin is a primary focus of our efforts. …
One of the big challenges in my district is getting
access to Wisconsin news. Because of our proximity
to the Twin Cities, we are in that media market.
There are many parts of the district where people
do not get a Wisconsin TV station, myself included.
Q:
A:
What is one of the top concerns your constituents are bringing to you now?
One of the issues that comes up very
frequently is trying to reinstate the tax
reciprocity agreement with Minnesota. That border
is there on paper, but western Wisconsin and eastern
Minnesota really work together as a region. That is
an issue of tremendous concern to those who are
impacted: not creating excessive burden for people
who live in one state and work in another.
FIRST PERSON
A F O R U M F O R L E G I S L ATO R S A N D C O N S T I T U T I O N A L O F F I C E R S
Closing schools’ resource gap
Illinois legislators look to reform funding structure under which
richer, poorer districts diverge widely in educational outcomes
by Illinois Rep. Elgie Sims (repsims34@gmail.com)
B
enjamin Franklin once said, “An investment
in knowledge pays the best interest.”
These words exemplify efforts underway
in Illinois to reform the state’s education funding
system and improve the educational experience
for students and families.
Developments as significant as those of the last
six months regarding how the state funds elementary and secondary education have not been seen in
Illinois since the early 2000s, when the state made
major changes to its formula for general state aid
and created the Education Funding Advisory Board.
During the spring legislative session, the speaker
of the Illinois House authorized me and several other
members to begin examining and proposing reforms
to Illinois’ education funding structure. Additionally,
following months of hearings, the Illinois Senate
passed legislation, SB 16, with the goal of equalizing
funding for Illinois schools.
New opportunity for reform
These exciting developments constitute one of the
best opportunities in years to reform an education
funding system in which there are wide disparities
in the amount of resources and academic options
available to students.
For fiscal year 2015, 19 percent of Illinois’
general-funds budget is dedicated to elementary and
secondary education. When coupled with local and
federal spending, Illinois ranks fourth in the nation
in total education spending; however, because of the
regressive nature of the current funding system, the
disparity between wealthy and poor school districts
in overall education spending continues to grow.
During the 2012-13 school year, total per-pupil
spending by districts ranged from a high of $28,497
to a low of $6,353, depending on district type,
according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Pursuant to the Illinois Constitution, the state
bears the responsibility for providing “an efficient
system of high quality public educational institutions
and services” (emphases mine). The state fulfills this
Revenue sources for K-12 public schools
in Midwest, 2009-10
% of total funding from source
State
Federal
State
Local/
intermediate
Illinois
12.4%
28.4%
59.2%
Indiana
11.1%
47.2%
41.7%
Iowa
13.4%
40.0%
46.6%
Kansas
11.7%
52.7%
35.6%
Michigan
13.3%
54.2%
32.5%
Minnesota
12.5%
59.3%
28.2%
Nebraska
12.7%
33.0%
54.3%
North Dakota
22.1%
44.0%
33.9%
Ohio
10.8%
44.1%
45.1%
South Dakota
19.5%
31.1%
49.4%
Wisconsin
10.5%
44.8%
44.7%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
% of K-12 public school revenues
provided by property taxes in
Midwestern states, 2009-10
25.4%
18.0%
41.1%
41.2%
28.2%
47.7%
32.0%
51.8%
31.1% 36.8%
27.9%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
responsibility, in part, through local school districts
that are granted limited taxing authority.
Should a district be unable to generate adequate
income from local property taxes, it receives “equalization” funding. Unfortunately, state equalization funds
are often insufficient to compensate for differences in
local wealth, creating a structural imbalance and inefficiencies in the resources available to school districts.
The disparity in funding is the result of three
main factors: local property
wealth, local tax effort and
state equalization funding.
Under Illinois’ current
funding structure, the value
of real property determines
the amount of money a
school district can generate
for its schools from local
property taxes. Therefore,
property-wealthy districts
are able to invest greater
resources and provide more
academic options to their
students with less tax effort. Conversely, propertypoor districts are often forced to levy higher taxes
in an effort to meet local obligations, yet remain
unable to fully fund basic educational needs.
Illinois’ main source of state funding to school
districts comes in the form of general state aid,
which provides funding on a per-pupil basis to
school districts after accounting for what the
formula defines as “available local resources.”
Despite significant investments in general state
aid — for which over $4.5 billion is appropriated
in the fiscal year 2015 budget — a school district
relying on it as the primary source of funding has
far less resources at its disposal than a district that is
able to rely primarily on local property wealth for the
majority of the resources it invests in the classroom.
Ultimately, more resources alone will not create
a higher-quality education for students; however, equitable funding helps ensure that school
districts with a large percentage of low-income
students have the resources necessary to provide
them with the same academic opportunities that
students from wealthy areas receive.
In his dissent in Committee for Educational Rights
v. Edgar, an Illinois Supreme Court case addressing
issues of equity in education funding, Justice Charles
Freeman referenced two neighboring school districts,
one property-wealthy and one property-poor; in his
analysis he suggests that available resources have a
direct impact on all aspects of a student’s educational
experience, such as teacher recruitment and retention, course offerings, the age of textbooks available
and the physical infrastructure of a district.
One example of this situation is a recent salary study
of Illinois teachers, which shows that the lowest starting
salary for a teacher was $23,879, while the highest was
$57,456, depending on the type of district.
Disparities continue to grow
A
recent study by Stanford University’s Center
for Education Policy Analysis suggests that
the disparities outlined in Edgar still exist
and have gotten worse, as the achievement gap
between affluent and low-income students is now
four times what it was in the 1960s.
The structural inequities of the current education
funding system have been
debated for years. However,
recent developments show
real promise for implementing reforms that allow
Illinois to continue living
by our state’s constitutional
mandate: “the educational
development of all persons to
the limits of their capacities.”
The final resolution
will not be easy; it will require difficult discussions
regarding complex educational issues, including
the adequacy of education funding, the quality of
educational offerings, and how to equalize funding
and close the resource gap.
Despite these challenging discussions ahead, Illinois
is poised to make the reforms that are necessary to make
its education funding system more beneficial to taxpayers, parents, and most importantly, students.
The achievement
gap between
affluent and lowincome students
is now four times
what it was in the
1960s.
Illinois Rep. Elgie Sims, a Democrat from Chicago, was first
elected in 2012.
Submissions welcome
This page is designed to be a forum for legislators and
constitutional officers. The opinions expressed on this page
do not reflect those of The Council of State Governments or
the Midwestern Legislative Conference. Responses to any
FirstPerson article are welcome, as are pieces written on
other topics. For more information, contact Tim Anderson
at 630.925.1922 or tanderson@csg.org.
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
9
CSG MIDWEST NEWS & EVENTS
• Take part in CSG meetings and events — The
Midwestern Legislative Conference — a group of
all legislators from the 11-state Midwest — will
next meet July 12-15 in Bismarck, N.D. Next year’s
CSG National Conference will be held Dec. 10-13
in Nashville, Tenn.
CSG also regularly holds policy academies for
About CSG and CSG Midwest
ü CSG was founded in 1933 and is the nation’s
only nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
serving all three branches of state government
ü CSG has a region-based structure; its
Midwest Office is located in Illinois
ü CSG Midwest provides staff support for
the Midwestern Legislative Conference, a
bipartisan, regional association of all state
legislators from the Midwest
More than 30 members serving for first time
legislators on issues such as health care, education
and transportation. CSG Midwest brings customized
policy and professional development workshops to the
region’s capitols through its Under the Dome Initiative.
• Read CSG publications — Stateline Midwest
highlights policy trends from this region and is
published 12 times a year. CSG’s national publication,
Capitol Ideas, is produced six times a year.
• Take part in professional development
opportunities — Every year, CSG offers several
leadership-training programs. The Bowhay Institute
for Legislative Leadership Development, or BILLD,
is designed for lawmakers from the Midwest in their
first four years of service. The national Toll Fellows
leadership program is for longer-serving state officials
from all three branches of government.
• Get research assistance — Throughout the year,
CSG Midwest provides tailored research assistance for
legislators and legislative staff through its Information
Helpline (csgm@csg.org or 630.925.1922).
• Use online resources — All of CSG’s policy
research is available via its Knowledge Center
(knowledgecenter.csg.org). In addition, CSG’s eCademy
Series offers web-based seminars for legislators and
their staff.
• Tap into CSG’s policy expertise — CSG
advances public policy through its Justice Center
and the National Center for Interstate Compacts.
The Justice Center has helped many states improve
their criminal justice systems, while the Center for
Interstate Compacts provides a mechanism for states
to solve cross-border policy problems together.
• Get involved in an interstate committee,
caucus or task force of legislators — CSG Midwest
provides staff support for the Midwestern Legislative
Conference’s committees on agriculture, economic
development, education, health care and MidwestCanada relations. It also supports regional groups
focusing on the Great Lakes, passenger rail and
radioactive materials transportation. Please call
630.925.1922 to learn how to get involved.
•
Have the appropriate laws and policies for authorizing all accredited
postsecondary education institutions
that operate within their borders (in
most cases, this requires legislative
and statutory changes); and
Have reasonable processes for monitoring these institutions.
In this region, approval to join the agreement is administered by the Midwestern
Higher Education Compact.
Online enrollment as % of total
enrollment at degree-granting
postsecondary institutions (2002-2012)
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
2012
H
ere are some ways for legislators to take full
advantage of their membership in CSG (every member of the legislature is a member).
•
2010
CSG’s products, services and events
20 to 30 members serving for first time
2008
Illinois — Cindy Andrews, candrews@csg.org
Indiana — Ilene Grossman, igrossman@csg.org
Iowa — Ilene Grossman, igrossman@csg.org
Kansas — Laura Kliewer, lkliewer@csg.org
Michigan — Tim Anderson, tanderson@csg.org
Minnesota — Kate Tormey, ktormey@csg.org
Nebraska —Tim Anderson, tanderson@csg.org
North Dakota — Laura Tomaka, ltomaka@csg.org
Ohio — Laura Tomaka, ltomaka@csg.org
South Dakota — Cindy Andrews, candrews@csg.org
Wisconsin — Kate Tormey, ktormey@csg.org
10 to 19 members serving for first time
M
ore states continue to join an interstate
reciprocity agreement that holds the
promise of improving student access
to online degree programs while also simplifying the authorization process for schools.
As of early October, the State Authorization
Reciprocity Agreement, or SARA, had been approved in 12 states. Indiana, Nebraska and North
Dakota have been among the early joiners. The
agreement establishes interstate reciprocity in the
regulation of postsecondary distance education.
Participation in SARA is voluntary for states
and institutions. To participate, states must:
2006
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Estimated # of members who will be
serving in the state legislature for the
first time in 2015
2002
T
he new year will bring close to 250 new
legislators to state capitols across the region,
and The Council of State Governments is
committed to being a trusted resource for these
recently elected officials.
With that in mind, CSG Midwest staff will
travel to every state capitol in the region over the
first few months of 2015. One of the primary goals
of these visits will be to introduce new legislators
to CSG and its various products and services.
This personal outreach began in some states
only weeks after the election, through CSG
Midwest’s participation in legislatures’ newmember orientations.
For every state in the Midwest, CSG has a staff
person dedicated as the point person for providing
assistance (research or otherwise) to legislators
and legislative staff. These staff members also
organize the office’s annual visits to state capitols.
Please contact the staff liaisons below to learn
exact dates of the upcoming CSG Midwest visits.
Both new and veteran state legislators are encouraged to set up a time to meet with CSG staff.
Interstate pact on
higher ed expands
to more states
2004
CSG Midwest traveling to capitols to meet
new members, offer services to all legislators
Source: Babson Survey Research Group, “Grade Change: Tracking
Online Education in the United States”
The Council of State Governments is one of
several groups that played a part in developing
the agreement. CSG is the home of the National
Center for Interstate Compacts.
The center provides training and technical
assistance and helps states review existing
interstate compacts or consider creating new
ones. It is currently involved in the development of several potential interstate compacts
— for example, agreements on transmission
siting and professional licensing.
Information is available at www.csg.org/ncic.
Crady deGolian (cdegolian@csg.org) serves as
the center’s director.
The Council of State Governments was founded in 1933 as a national, nonpartisan organization to assist and advance state government. The headquarters office, in Lexington, Ky., is responsible for a
variety of national programs and services, including research, reference publications, innovations transfer, suggested state legislation and interstate consulting services. The Midwestern Office supports
several groups of state officials, including the Midwestern Legislative Conference, an association of all legislators in 11 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan are MLC affiliate members.
10
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
Great Lakes Caucus sets 2015 meeting
date, plans more training for legislators
T
he Great Lakes Legislative Caucus will meet
next year for the first time in New York and
also has plans in 2015 to continue expanding
the services that it provides to legislators.
Open to lawmakers from the 10 Great Lakes
states and provinces, the nonpartisan organization
provides a forum for the regional exchange of ideas
and information on Great Lakes protection and
restoration.
CSG Midwest provides staff support to the group.
The caucus’s annual meeting will be held Sept.
25 and 26 in Buffalo, N.Y. The event will begin
with a site visit and reception on Friday, Sept. 25;
an all-day meeting of the caucus will take place on
Saturday, Sept. 26. All legislators in the Great Lakes
region are encouraged to join the caucus and attend
the meeting; membership forms are available at
www.greatlakeslegislators.org.
Registration for the annual meeting will open
in early 2015.
Other planned caucus activities include Great
Lakes Policy Workshops for legislators in Ohio,
Ontario and Wisconsin and a series of webinars
on Great Lakes-related issues. The caucus will also
continue to maintain its legislative trackers on state,
provincial and federal bills and produce its quarterly
e-newsletter, Great Lakes News for Legislators.
To sign up to receive meeting and webinar announcements and the caucus’s e-newsletter, please
contact Lisa Janairo at gllc@csg.org.
Wisconsin Rep. Cory Mason will soon begin
duties as chair of the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus.
Minnesota Sen. Ann Rest, current chair of the caucus,
will continue to serve on the group’s Executive
Committee. Michigan Sen. Darwin Booher remains
Caucus officers in 2015
C ALENDAR
Wisconsin Rep.
Cory Mason, chair
Michigan Sen. Darwin
Booher, vice chair
UPCOMING MIDWESTERN LEGISLATIVE
CONFERENCE AND THE COUNCIL OF STATE
GOVERNMENTS EVENTS
LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTURAL
CHAIRS SUMMIT
January 2-4, 2015
Clearwater, Florida
Contact: Carolyn Orr (corr@sarl.us)
www.agandruralleaders.org
the vice chair. The Executive Committee includes
at least one legislator from each jurisdiction in the
Great Lakes basin.
In addition to its focus on strengthening the
role of states in Great Lakes protection, the caucus
also weighs in on federal programs and legislation.
Most recently, for example, close to 50 caucus
members signed on to a letter opposing a congressional proposal that would greatly limit states’
ability to regulate ballast water discharges from
transoceanic vessels.
Please visit www.greatlakeslegislators.org for
information on upcoming caucus events.
Directors, senior staff of Midwest’s legislative service agencies meet in Chicago
70TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
MIDWESTERN LEGISLATIVE
CONFERENCE
July 12-15, 2015
Bismarck, North Dakota
Contact: Gail Meyer (gmeyer@csg.org)
630.925.1922
www.csgmidwest.org
21ST ANNUAL
BOWHAY INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT (BILLD)
August 21-25, 2015
Madison, Wisconsin
Application deadline: April 8
Contact: Laura Tomaka (ltomaka@csg.org)
630.925.1922
www.csgmidwest.org
HENRY TOLL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
August 28-September 2, 2015
Lexington, Kentucky
Application deadline: April 15
Contact: Kelley Arnold (karnold@csg.org)
800.800.1910
www.csg.org/LeadershipCenter/TollFellows.aspx
GREAT LAKES LEGISLATIVE
CAUCUS MEETING
September 25-26, 2015
Buffalo, New York
Nonpartisan legislative service agency directors and senior staff from nine states in the
Midwest met in Chicago on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The annual meeting gives LSA directors and
staff the opportunity to share information about management and technology issues.
This year’s meeting focused on intergenerational management, strategic planning,
compensation plans and strategies, and the use of social media by nonpartisan
legislative agencies. The meeting traditionally includes a session on new technologies
being employed in the legislatures and by legislative service agencies. This year,
participants focused on ways to authenticate legislative documents and to
provide up-to-date bill information through the use of scanning technology.
Contact: Lisa Janairo (ljanairo@csg.org)
920.458.5910
www.greatlakeslegislators.org
CSG NATIONAL CONFERENCE
December 10-13, 2015
Nashville, Tennessee
Contact: Kelley Arnold (karnold@csg.org)
800.800.1910
www.csg.org
Gordon Self, the revisor of statutes in Kansas, is serving as chair of the group this year. CSG Midwest
provides staff support for the Midwestern Legislative Services Agency/Research Directors Group.
STATELINE MIDWEST NOVEMBER 2014
11
CAPITOL CLIPS
New Michigan law gives Iowa giving teachers
patients ‘right to try’
more leadership roles,
experimental drugs
and higher pay
Nebraska finds new
funding stream to
protect water resources
Laws in Midwest put
new limits on minors’
use of tanning beds
Michigan has become the fourth U.S. state
— and first in the Midwest — to pass a law
giving terminally ill patients the right to try
experimental medications.
Nebraska will be making a $32 million investment over the next two years in a new
fund designed to improve water management and sustainability. At least initially,
dollars for the Water Sustainability Fund will
come from the state’s cash reserves.
Minnesota has become the second state in
the Midwest to prohibit anyone under the
age of 18 from using indoor tanning beds.
Under HF 2402, tanning-bed owners and operators will be charged with a misdemeanor
for violating the state statute. Illinois’ under-18 ban (HB 188) was signed into law last
year.
Teachers in Iowa are getting a chance at more
leadership positions and higher pay under a new
system that began to be implemented this year.
State legislators established the Teacher
Leadership and Compensation system in
2013. When fully in place (in 2016), the system will cost the state $150 million a year.
Close to 40 Iowa school districts were selected
to participate in 2014.
SB 991 applies to drugs that have not yet
been approved by the U.S. Federal Drug
Administration, but have successfully completed Phase I of an FDA-approved clinical
trial. The bill provides liability protections to
drug manufacturers, and under a separate
measure (HB 5649), health care providers
cannot be sanctioned by the state for giving
patients access to the drugs.
For newer teachers, minimum salaries are
being raised (to $33,500 per year) and more
on-the-job support is being offered — for
example, additional time set aside to observe
other instructors or to take part in peer mentoring. Veteran teachers, meanwhile, have
a greater chance to take on leadership roles.
Those roles may include serving as an “instructional coach” for other teachers or as a leader
in developing the school’s curriculum. Higher
pay for these teachers comes with these additional responsibilities.
According to The Detroit News, insurance
companies will not be required to cover the
experimental treatments. And unlike clinical
trials, manufacturers may not cover the costs.
The two bills were signed into law in October after received overwhelming bipartisan
support in the Legislature. Some critics,
though, warn that the law will provide “false
hope” to patients and their families, and
that the drugs — because they are not fully
tested — could cause adverse reactions in
the patients who use them.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average U.S. teacher salary in 2012-13 was $56,383. In the Midwest,
the average ranges from a low of $39,580 in
South Dakota to a high of $61,560 in Michigan. Along with Michigan, teacher salaries
were higher than the U.S. average in two
other Midwestern states: Illinois and Ohio.
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
www.csgmidwest.org
E-mail: csgm@csg.org
Fax: 630.925.1930
Phone: 630.925.1922
Lombard, IL 60148-5095
701 E. 22nd Street, Suite 110
Midwestern Office
November 2014
The Council of State Governments
th
PERMIT NO. 1859
CAROL STREAM, IL
Stateline
Midwest
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
NONPROFIT
As of October, Colorado, Louisiana and Missouri were the other states with “right to try”
laws, according to the Goldwater Institute.
Creation of the fund came a few months
after a task force created by the Legislature
(LB 517) concluded that “Nebraska stands at
a critical juncture with water issues” — for
example, the depletion of aquifers, reduced
flow of surface water (due to groundwater
pumping), and an interstate dispute with
Kansas over use of the Republican River.
(That dispute has reached the U.S. Supreme
Court.)
In addition to creating a new funding stream
for water projects, LB 1098 (signed into law
this year) requires local natural resources
districts to work together on basinwide plans
for managing shared water resources.
The state’s Natural Resources Commission,
which will administer the new fund, has also
been restructured. The governor will now
appoint a majority of the commission members. Previously, most members were elected
to represent particular river basins across the
state, according to Unicameral Update (the
newsletter of the Nebraska Legislature).
According to the Melanoma Research Institute, six other U.S. states have under-18 prohibitions in place. Earlier this year, with passage of SB 50, Indiana joined Wisconsin in
banning the use of tanning beds for anyone
15 and under.
Other Midwestern states have chosen to
allow teenagers to use tanning beds, but
require some kind of parental consent. Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill this year requiring parents to accompany a child under
the age of 16 to a tanning bed. LB 132 also
requires parents to sign a consent form and
the tanning-bed owner or operator to post a
sign warning about the danger of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation.
In September, The Council of State Governments
published an issue brief on the dangers of over
exposure and state regulation of tanning facilities. It is available at the CSG Knowledge Center:
knowledgecenter.csg.org.