The Thicket at State Legislatures

Irving Stolberg, Speaker of Connecticut House and ex-NCSL President

by Karl Kurtz

Irving J. Stolberg, former speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives and president of NCSL in 1986-87, died last week after a long bout with leukemia.  An article in the Hartford Courant captures his impact on the Connecticut General Assembly:

Stolberg was a liberal New Haven Democrat who introduced the sophisticated and hard-edged brand of politics that has helped give Democrats an unbroken string of House majorities since 1986.

And he was one of the leaders who brought the legislature into a new era by overseeing the construction of the Legislative Office Building on the expanded grounds of the state Capitol.

"Connecticut is saddened by the loss of Speaker Stolberg, a man who served during a crucial transition period when our state Legislature was redefining itself and reshaping its mission," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Sunday. "In many ways his imprint can still be seen today on the General Assembly in both its physical offices and role in governing."

The opening of the Legislative Office Building in 1988 gave rank-and-file lawmakers their first offices and provided space for expanded staff and public hearings that the 1878 Capitol could not accommodate.

"He really is a primary architect, though not alone, of the way the legislative branch functions today," said George J. Jepsen, who witnessed the changes as a legislative aide and Senate majority leader.

Under Stolberg, legislative pay and prestige increased, as did the number of members who saw legislating as their primary occupation. Stolberg was among them.

The legislature began to function as a co-equal branch of government, rather than a poor relation of the executive branch. To emphasize the change, Stolberg once locked gubernatorial aides out of the House chamber when they lobbied against one of his bills.

"He is the father of the modern legislature," said Jonathan Pelto, who helped implement Stolberg's then-cutting-edge vision for electing legislators using direct mail shaped by shared polling.

But Stolberg, who practiced politics with confidence and pride, also will be remembered as the victim of his own hubris — and the target of an audacious, bipartisan plot that denied him an unprecedented third term as speaker on the opening day of the 1989 legislative session.

Meeting in secret over a period of weeks in late 1988, two dozen moderate and conservative Democrats enlisted minority Republicans to help them to unseat Stolberg and install a moderate Democrat, Richard J. Balducci.

Stolberg was president during NCSL's one and only transition of executive directors and chaired the selection committee that chose Bill Pound to replace Earl Mackey, who stepped down after 11 years as executive director.  Irv was as strong and forceful a leader of NCSL as he was of the Connecticut House.

A curious and personal sidelight to Irv's and my relationship: He and I were often mistaken for each other.  Frequently at NCSL meetings, people walk up to me and, with an uncertain look in their eye, ask if I am still serving in the legislature.  I immediately know that it is someone who thinks that I am Irv.  Whenever Irv (right) saw me (left), he would say, "Hi, Irv," and I would say, "Hi, Karl."

We will miss him.

Ex-NCSL President--and Mayor of Cleveland--Joins U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's Staff

by Karl Kurtz

In an unusual move, Jane Campbell, a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1985-96) and a two-term mayor of Cleveland, has recently become chief of staff to U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana).  Campbell served as president of NCSL in 1996.  She vaulted into this position after Missouri Rep. Karen McCarthy was elected to Congress and was unable to serve out her term as president.

Campbell and Sen. Landrieu met through the Women's Network of NCSL when they were both state legislators.  A nice story in the Baton Rouge Advocate discusses the relationship between the two women and speculates on how well-suited a former elected official is to serve as staff to another.

We know Jane Campbell well and are sure that she will do a good job.  Welcome back to the legislative branch, Jane!

AP file photo from The Advocate.

Have a Heart: States Look at Disparities in Cardiovascular Health Care

by Meagan Dorsch

February is American Heart Month and cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women across all race and ethnic groups. States are examining disparities in cardiovascular health care for racial and ethnic minorities.

In this edition of The Buzz, we sit down with Martha Saenz and Ashley DePaulis, policy analysts from NCSL's health division. We discuss what actions states are taking to prevent disparities in cardiovascular care and how these disparities could end up costing states. We also highlight several programs across the country aimed at reducing disparities in health and heart disease.   

Listen to our podcast (6:54) and you can order a copy of NCSL's LegisBrief on Disparities in Cardiovascular Health. Additional information on Heart Disease and Stroke Overview and Heart Disease and Stroke: 2011 Update of State Policy Options can be found on NCSL's website.

*Links were updated and added on Oct. 27, 2011.

Anniversary of the Gerrymander

by Karl Kurtz

This message arrived today on NCSL's redistricting listserv from Kim Brace at Election Data Services, Inc.:

Happy Anniversary to all those involved in redistricting:

On this date in 1812 - Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signs a redistricting law that favors his party — giving rise to the term "gerrymandering."

The shape of the legislative district that Gov. Gerry supported resembled a salamander.  Here is Wikipedia's etymology of the word:

Printed in 1812, this political cartoon illustrates the electoral districts drawn by the Massachusetts legislature to favor the incumbent Democratic-Republican party candidates of Governor Elbridge Gerry over the Federalists, from which the term gerrymander is derived. The cartoon depicts the bizarre shape of a district in Essex County, Massachusetts as a dragon. The painter, Gilbert Stuart, likened it to a salamander, and the editor, Benjamin Russel, advised "Better say a Gerrymander." The name stuck.

Beep-Beep: States Pass Move-over Law

by Meagan Dorsch

A day at the office for a state trooper, tow truck driver and others who work along the nation’s highways can involve speeding vehicles whizzing past them as they work to enforce traffic laws and help motorists.

Too often, these workers are unintentionally struck and killed or seriously
injured by the very drivers they’re attempting to help and protect.

NCSL's transportation expert, Melissa Savage, joins us for this edition of The Buzz (4:33). We discuss Move-over laws that have already passed in 43 states, like South Dakota. Melissa explains what this legislation requires motorists to do behind the wheel and what it could mean if you don't change lanes. 

Backstage on YouTube

by Pam Greenberg

Do your state legislative rules need to be changed to accommodate new methods of communication between legislators and their constituents?  Congress found this to be the case.

In January, YouTube.com opened two new web channels that help citizens find and view videos posted by members of Congress.  YouTube calls the sites a "backstage pass" to the U.S. Senate and House, where others on YouTube can engage directly with their representatives. 

However, there's more to the story than is apparent from the sites themselves.  Last year, Mother Jones blog reported that Congress was struggling to reconcile antiquated franking  rules with social networking sites like YouTube and Twitter:

Suppose you're a congressman, and you'd like to post a periodic video message on your website updating constituents on your activities. You film it, post it on YouTube, and embed a link on your homepage. It's that easy, right? Wrong. By including YouTube content on your page, you'd find yourself in violation of policies that pre-date the Internet by a couple hundred years.

The Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, or the "Franking Commission" oversees rules requiring that government funding is not used for partisan or campaign purposes.  According to Mother Jones, the Chairman of the Franking Commission, Rep. Michael Capuano:

…set forth a series of suggestions for changes to House rules, recommending that video be permitted, but that it "not be posted on a website or page where it may appear with commercial or political information or any other information not in compliance with the House's content guidelines." Translation: members of Congress would be prohibited from using YouTube unless the website creates a separate channel that meets "whatever requirements are established by the House administration committee."

The separate channels are now available, with a note on each page stating "The content in each Representative's YouTube channel is controlled by each Congressperson's office.  The House Hub is maintained by YouTube.com, as a way for you to engage directly with your Representatives on YouTube."

Congress Daily's TechDaily Dose provides more of the back story behind the rules changes for the sites:

Social Networking Sites Raise Security and Policy Questions

by Pam Greenberg

The Baltimore Sun reported that the Maryland General Assembly has blocked access to Facebook and MySpace from its legislative networks as a precautionary measure against the growing threat of viruses and malware that spread through social networking sites.  Virus fighting tools can’t always keep up with fast-propagating malware that can shut down networks and threaten the privacy and security of computer users.  Some social networking tools also use up bandwidth (the amount of information that can be transmitted on computers over the Internet) needed for other applications. 

However, social networking sites can raise a host of questions that may be even more difficult to resolve than the technical ones.  Some surveys have reported that close to fifty percent of employers block access to social networking sites, primarily because of concerns about job productivity.  Job seekers, employers and managers also have reasons to be cautious about sharing personal information and about the potential liability of using information gleaned from social networking sites.  Legislative policies and rules that govern the use of government-owned equipment for campaign purposes may need to be updated to account for social networking sites.  Similarly, lawmakers may want to consider whether and how state public records laws may apply to messages sent via social networking sites.

These concerns, however, don't mean that legislators and legislative agencies can't or shouldn't use social networking tools--there are many reasons.  An online guide from leaders of the Federal Web Managers Council, called "Social Media and the Federal Government: Perceived and Real Barriers and Potential Solutions," developed for federal agencies, provides some recommendations and information that may also be helpful to state legislative and executive branch agencies.

Education Meeting You Can't Miss

by Meagan Dorsch

For almost two decades, The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has been delivering the best ideas in finance and policy solutions at its annual education meeting.

The name of the meeting has changed for 2009, but the quality of content has not. The National Education Seminar (Feb. 27 - Mar. 1, 2009) will provide ideas and solutions on designing education budgets, preparing for changing demographics and competing in a global market.

In this edition of The Buzz, we are joined by Julie Bell, an education policy expert with NCSL. Julie talks about their upcoming meeting and tells us why everyone from the freshman legislator to the tenured veterans will gain insight by attending this meeting.

Listen to our podcast (7:23) and for more information on the National Education Seminar meeting, flip through the online brochure. Register today!

How Many Women Governors? (Update)

by Karl Kurtz

In the nearly three year history of The Thicket, one of the most frequently visited posts has been "How Many Women Governors?".  It has information from the Center for American Women in Politics on the total number of women who have served as governors and some trivia about them.  That information is now out of date, so we thought we would update it. 

In 2009 there are eight women serving as governors (compared to nine in 2008).  The new ones are Gov. Beverly Perdue (left) in North Carolina and Gov. Jan Brewer (above right) in Arizona.  Continuing are Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.  See the National Governors Association for a complete list of governors.

That brings to 30 the total number of women who have served as governor in 22 states, plus one more in Puerto Rico.  With Jan Brewer succeeding Janet Napolitano as governor of Arizona, that state now has had four consecutive female governors.

Answers to questions I'm sure that readers are asking:  Why does that particular post get so many hits?  I'm not sure other than the fact that the title is worded like most people would enter a question in a search engine.  Is this a cheap trick to get more hits to The Thicket?  Probably.  Is it a slow day otherwise for posts?  Definitely.

April 28, 2009 update: With Senate confirmation yesterday of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of women governors declines to seven.  Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson was sworn in as governor of Kansas yesterday evening.

New Speakers in Florida and Massachusetts

by Karl Kurtz

In an unusual turn of events, two house speakers have stepped down in the last week.  Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom joins Massachusetts Speaker Sal DiMasi on the leadership sidelines for similar reasons of pending investigations into ethical wrongdoings.  Here's the story from the Tallahassee Democrat:

Embattled House Speaker Ray Sansom's political future continued its freefall Monday as his replacement announced a major staff change and his party's members set the stage to replace him permanently.

Sansom on Friday stepped aside as speaker and said his second-in-command would take over temporarily as he dealt with legal issues. Republican members late Monday night replaced him permanently save for a formality vote in four weeks.

Rep. Larry Cretul (photo right), a Republican from Ocala and the speaker pro tem, was voted leader of the Republican conference, tantamount to his election as speaker when regular session starts March 3. Earlier in the day, Cretul named a new chief of staff, former Rep. Dudley Goodlette of Naples.

Goodlette is a former member of NCSL's Executive Committee while he was a member of the Florida House.

In a belated followup to our previous post on Sal DiMasi, Rep. Robert DeLeo (photo left), who had been chair of the Ways and Means Committee, was elected speaker of the Massachusetts House on Wednesday last week.