Federalism's Future
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LEGISLATIVE STAFF: WHY I LOVE THE LEGISLATURE PAGE 30 July/August 2017 Federalism’s Future Redistricting Cases POLARIZATION Budget Blues Civility Tips State Slogans 75% of heroin users first abuse prescription opioids. Ask a physicalDEPARTMENTS therapist about safer ways to manage pain. A National JULY/AUGUST 2017 VOL. 43 NO. 7 | CONTENTS Conference of State Legislatures Publication Executive Director William T. Pound Director of Communications Karen Hansen Editor NCSL’s national magazine of policy and politics Julie Lays Assistant Editor Kevin Frazzini Contributing Editor FEATURES DEPARTMENTS Jane Carroll Andrade Summer Intern Olivia Berlin THE STATE OF FEDERALISM TODAY Pages 10-15 SHORT TAKES ON NCSL NEWS PAGE 4 Online Magazine The state-federal relationship enters uncertain times, with a Connections, support, expertise and ideas from NCSL. Ed Smith Mark Wolf perspective from NCSL Executive Director William T. Pound and a conversation with Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Advertising Sales TRENDS PAGE 6 Manager North Carolina Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue. The latest on ranked-choice voting, suicide prevention, women in LeAnn Hoff (303) 364-7700 leadership, body art and powdered alcohol. [email protected] Contributors Max Behlke NEWSMAKERS PAGE 16 Neal Osten Molly Ramsdell A look at who’s making news under the domes. Katie Ziegler Art Director STATELINE PAGE 18 Bruce Holdeman Legislative news in brief—from a “brew-haha” NCSL President Senator Daniel T. Blue over cold beer in Indiana to the increase in North Carolina uncontested legislative races nationwide. NCSL Staff Chair Raúl E. Burciaga Director, Legislative Council Service WHAT STAFF KNOW PAGE 36 New Mexico 5 Things Legislative Communicators Want You to Know Denver Office ©2017 BRUCE HOLDEMAN 7700 East First Place Denver, Colorado POLARIZED, NOT PARALYZED Page 20 YES, NO, MAYBE SO | ETHICS IN THE WORLD OF STATE 80230 (303) 364-7700 By Karl Kurtz GOVERNMENT PAGE 43 Washington, D.C., Why states can get things done when Congress can’t. What are state legislatures doing to restore trust in government? Office 444 N. Capitol St. N.W., Suite 515 Washington, D.C. POWER OF PLACE Page 24 STATESTATS PAGE 44 20001 By Karl Kurtz There’s Gold in Them Slogans (202) 624-5400 Does the seating arrangement of a state legislative chamber play State tourism slogans help states pay the bills. State Legislatures (ISSN 0147-0641) is a role in its effectiveness? published 10 times a year by the National THE FINAL WORD PAGE 46 Conference of State Legislatures. CIVILITY Page 27 Why should NCSL’s Legislative Summit be on ©2017, All rights reserved. Reproduction By Angela Andrews every lawmaker’s calendar? in whole or in part What will it take to rebuild the respectful tone once common in Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo without permission is prohibited. Requests state capitols? “I always enjoy hearing speakers from for permission to reprint may be emailed other states, learning from them and taking to Julie Lays at: julie. [email protected]. WHY I LOVE THE LEGISLATURE Page 30 their ideas back home, and in some cases Opinions expressed in this magazine By Megan McClure implementing them, to make what we’ve do not necessarily reflect NCSL policy. Legislative staffers from around the country describe what drew done here even better.” State Legislatures is indexed in the PAIS them to the statehouse. Massachusetts Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg Bulletin and Expanded “It’s an opportunity to hear how different Academic Index. Annual subscription A TALE OF TWO RECOVERIES Page 32 regions of the country are dealing with the rates: U.S.—$49; foreign—$55; By Katie Quinn same problems you’re dealing with.” teachers—$25 (promo code SLMTEA). The states have not experienced the same slow but steady Single copy: $6.50. Periodically, NCSL growth the national economy continu es to enjoy. SL ONLINE rents mailing labels to other organizations. If Visit us on the web for more on the topics you prefer your name covered in these pages. not be included please WALKING THE LINE Page 38 send a written request. By Matt Domboski and Wendy Underhill Go to ncsl.org/magazine Postmaster: Send A decade’s worth of redistricting cases offer lawmakers a little address changes to: State Legislatures clarity with a lot of uncertainty. magazine, 7700 East First Place, Denver, CO 80230. STATE LEGISLATURES 3 JULY/AUGUST 2017 SHORT TAKES ON NCSL NEWS SHORT TAKES STRONG VOICE IN D.C. Leveraging Leadership Legislative leaders from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., in June. When they weren’t discussing leadership strategies, state-federal issues, the national political landscape and trends in polling, they were learning how to create a “command climate” from the first woman to fly an F/A-18 in combat for the Marine Corps. The leaders also met with Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Legislative leaders gather on the “Navy Steps” of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. EXPERTISE NCSL’s Molly Ramsdell accompanied Wisconsin House Speaker Robin Vos to “Legislators are asking, ‘How the White House for an infrastructure do we completely rethink our briefing. education system?’” Michelle Exstrom on how state budgets and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act are contributing to potentially big shifts in state SUPPORT education policy, in Education Week. Testimony to States “There are people in the world State trends in juvenile justice and families’ who think that no one innocent roles in caring for children affected by the has ever been executed, and heroin-opioid epidemic are just two of many others who think it happens all topics NCSL staff have testified about in recent the time.” months. NCSL policy experts offer testimony to Amber Widgery on the debate legislative committees regularly, in person and over capital punishment, in the Pittsburgh through Skype and videoconferencing. Post-Gazette. “Where does the wastewater go, and the trash? Those are novel problems you don’t have with a stand-alone restaurant.” Doug Farquhar on state efforts to regulate food trucks, in Stateline. Nevada Senator Tick Segerblom with Sarah “It’s not that women can’t get Brown, director of NCSL’s Criminal Justice elected, it’s that the number of Program, after she testified before the Nevada women running for elections NCSL’s Nina Williams-Mbengue answers Senate Judiciary Committee. The photos in hasn’t grown.” questions on kinship care trends during a the background include Segerblom’s mother, Katie Ziegler on efforts to hearing by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania at grandmother and great-grandfather—all former recruit women to run for the State Capitol. Nevada legislators. political office, in the Columbia Missourian. JULY/AUGUST 2017 4 STATE LEGISLATURES CONNECTIONS SHORT TAKES Laboring Over Licensing NCSL, along with the Council of State Governments and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, kicked off the “Occupational Licensing: Assessing State Policy and Practice,” project funded by the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The meeting set the stage for the three-year effort to study occupational licensing, workforce development, regulatory boards and population groups experiencing challenges entering the workforce. Experts were on hand to advise the group and will also serve as speakers for future meetings. For details, visit ncsl.org/stateslicense. Daryl Atkinson, a U.S. Department of Justice fellow, and Lisa Knepper, with the Institute for Justice, discuss trends and challenges in occupational licensing. Partners and experts convened in Washington, D.C., to kick off a new occupational licensing project. Focusing on Families Raising awareness about the financial circumstances and challenges facing America’s families was the focus of the Economic Opportunities for Families meeting, held in Denver in June. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the meeting was attended by 28 legislators, staff and others who developed state action plans designed to boost economic security. NCSL’s Katie Ziegler, far left, takes notes while the Maryland team—from left, Senate President Chief of Staff Vicki Gruber, Delegate Darryl Barnes, Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Senator Nancy King, Delegate Luke Clippinger and Senator Katherine Klausmeier— develops a plan to address affordable child IDEAS care, remedial Thought-Provoking Podcast education and NCSL’s new podcast, “Our apprenticeship American States,” offers compelling programs. conversations that tell the story of America’s state legislatures, the Health at Work people in them, the politics that Scope of practice was one of nearly a dozen health workforce issues covered during compel them and the important work NCSL’s Health Seminar for Newer Legislators, in Boston. NCSL’s Health Program also of democracy. Topics discussed so provides testimony, training, reports and answers to requests about myriad health far range from health spending and topics. For more information, visit ncsl.org/research/health. election security to leadership and brain science. To listen, visit ncsl.org/podcast. Questions and Answerers Every day, NCSL staff respond to information requests from state legislators, legislative staff and the media about policies being discussed in statehouses across the country. This year, our transportation team received its first media request about state regulation of flying cars. The answer: States aren’t regulating them … yet. At the other end of the spectrum, the transportation staff still answer questions about horse-drawn carriages. From left, Tennessee Senator Richard Briggs and Ohio Representative Theresa All in a day’s work. Gavarone talk with NCSL’s Sydne Enlund. STATE LEGISLATURES 5 JULY/AUGUST 2017 TRENDS Ranked-Choice Voting: Now You Don’t Have to Choose Just One ith the passage of a citizen Supporters say ranked-choice voting “This means the ballots of initiative last fall, Maine ensures that winning candidates have a became the first state broad base of support—a majority.