Here are the issues busying state lawmakers nationwide, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures:
Immigration (32 states approved 84 new laws on immigration in 2006; expect more in 2007). Homeland security and standardized ID cards (states will have to spend at least $11 billion over the next five years to comply with the federal Real ID Act). Budget pressures. Health insurance. Sexual offenders and predators (Congress is requiring states to meet new requirements on how information about sex offenders is collected and shared). Energy and environment. Minimum wage (39 states now have a minimum wage above the federal requirement; Kansas has the lowest minimum wage). Higher education reform. Privacy (identity theft, Social Security number protection, etc.). Obesity (trans fat may be the new tobacco).
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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