|
|
Click on the title to preview a
sample cover of any of our newsletters
|
|
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL
Drunken Driving
Missouri
governor calls for changing DUI laws
Gov. Jay Nixon has called for reforming Missouri's DUI laws in response to
news accounts exposing deals that allow drunken drivers to avoid conviction.
Nixon told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday he will ask legislative
leaders this week to change the state's laws on DUI by spring. He and others
called for reform in response to a story Sunday in the Post-Dispatch that
revealed a culture of deal-cutting in St. Louis-area courts handling DUI
cases. The newspaper reported that some repeat offenders are among those
avoiding conviction for DUI or related charges. Nixon said the system doesn't
hold offenders accountable.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL
Underage Alcohol program
Indiana underage alcohol program nabs 370 in 3 months
An Indiana State Excise Police initiative that uses underage customers to catch retailers selling alcohol to people under age 21 netted more than 370 violations across Indiana in only three months. The program sends people ages 18 to 20 into restaurants, grocery stores and other alcohol retailers with no identification. The underage shoppers are not allowed to lie if a retailer asks their age. "I don't think we had any idea what to expect because it was a new program," said Excise Police Officer Jennifer Fults said. "From an enforcement perspective, it's been enlightening to see where the problem areas are." One of those caught violating the law was bartender Ben Henry, who swears the man he served looked at least 30 when he ordered a beer at the Green Frog Inn in Fort Wayne in July. "He was the size of a moose with a bunch of tattoos," said Henry, who didn't ask for identification. The customer was only 20. He's now more vigilant about asking for identification. "It cost me $500. I don't want to go through that again. It was terrible," Henry told The Journal Gazette.
LOTTERY, PARIMUTUEL & CASINO REGULATION
Casino Table Games
Pennsylvania Senate OKs bill to allow casino table games
A bill to legalize table games at Pennsylvania's slot-machine casinos is past the Senate and on its way to the House of Representatives. The bill was expected to pass the Senate on Friday and is designed to raise $200 million from taxes and fees for the cash-strapped state government. But without agreement with the House on some of its provisions, changes are likely as negotiators work on it in the coming days. The Senate bill would impose a 14 percent tax on the games, such as blackjack, poker and craps, and require casinos to pay a $15 million fee for the right to operate the games. The House is considering a competing bill that calls for a 35 percent tax and a $20 million fee.
MOTOR VEHICLE REGULATION
Teen driving
Arkansas teen-driving campaign urges parents' involvement
For years, public service announcements warned parents to talk to their teens about alcohol and drugs. Now, a new campaign encourages parents to bring up something seemingly more benign, but ultimately more deadly: driving. "We start talking early about alcohol, drugs, tobacco and sex, and all those are critically important," said Dr. Mary Aitken, medical director of the Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas Children's Hospital. "But for some reason, we haven't engaged in that series of conversations ... that you need to have about the No. 1 killer of teenagers. It's disheartening." According to the Centers for Disease Control, car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for teens, killing more than 4,000 nationwide each year. In Arkansas, 71 teens died in car crashes last year, officials said Wednesday. A new campaign being tested in Arkansas and Columbus, Ohio, encourages parents to talk to their teens about safe driving and to establish rules for their teens who get behind the wheel. "In the past, I don't think we really understood what we could do to make it safer," Aitken said. "We know now that reducing the number of teen passengers in the car, reducing those distractions, and then limiting some of those more dangerous roadway situations can make a tremendous difference."
PROPERTY TAXES & SCHOOL FUNDING
Nevada state law blocks stimulus education funds
Nevada is ineligible to compete for millions of stimulus education funding because of a state law pushed by the teachers union. The law prohibits student achievement data from being used in teacher evaluations. That means the state isn't eligible to enter the Obama administration's Race to the Top, a $4.3 billion competition for states trying to turn around failing schools. State superintendent Keith Rheault says Nevada won't apply for the first round of funding because of the law, which would need a special legislative session to change. "If you're desperate for money and you get a credit card offer in the mail, you read the fine print to see what the interest rate is," Rheault said. "This to me is like a 35 percent interest rate, with all the federal reporting requirements and changes to regulations. But it just depends on how desperate you are for the money." The state can still work to resolve other issues in time for the second phase of funding, Rheault said. Rheault said changing the state law would not immediately make the state eligible for the federal funds because the competition requires states to have increased education funding between 2008 and 2009 and Nevada had to cut its funding. The state would also have to dedicate money for after the stimulus funds ran out. Rheault said the requirements for the competitive funding may soon become standard requirements for federal education money, meaning Nevada would have to change its laws regardless. The Nevada State Education Association has fought against linking student achievement data such as test scores to teacher evaluations. The union is not backing off that stance for a chance at the stimulus education funds, said Lynn Warne, president of the NSEA. "(The money) isn't a poke in the eye, but it is not going to help what ails Nevada schools," Warne said. "They haven't ever funded appropriately. And I haven't ever been in favor of changing state statute for one-shot, one-time, maybe money."
|
|
