Days of Low-Cost Gas Are Over in N.J.; Flint’s ‘Chilling Effect’ on Mich. State Workers
Cars and buses wait to enter the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken, New Jersey Shutterstock
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Weekend news digest: McCrory to call special legislative session in North Carolina; Des Moines school bus seatbelt pilot project; and Connecticut’s drought warning.
Here are some state and local government news items that caught our eye this weekend …
BUDGET AND FINANCE | On Tuesday, drivers in New Jersey will see the first increase in the state’s gas tax since 1988. The Garden State had the second-lowest gas tax in the nation, but it will jump to the sixth-highest thanks to a deal legislators and Gov. Chris Christie made to bolster anemic transportation funding. [The Record]
PROBE | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon said the criminal investigation of Flint’s lead poisoned water crisis is having a “chilling effect” on state government employees. "Decisions they make are judgement calls done with sometimes limited information—many times following every rule in front of them," he said. Lyon is a focus of state Attorney General Bill Schuette’s probe. [MLive]
DROUGHT | Connecticut issued a drought watch for western and central counties, including Fairfield and New Haven, with the goal of getting residents, businesses and local governments to reduce water use by 15 percent—so long as three years of precipitation shortfalls continues. [Connecticut Post]
VOTER ID | Wisconsin Solicitor General Misha Tseytlin thinks the state’s “permissive” voter ID law should serve as a model for other states, arguing: "If we can create a system where it’s easy to get photo ID, one trip to the DMV, and people will have more confidence in the system, that is a good thing.” [The Capital Times]
CHILD WELFARE | The number of foster homes available in Washington state’s “dysfunctional” system has dropped to its lowest point in decade, which means that social workers often have to babysit children in their offices or work overtime to watch them in hotels. [Crosscut]
DISASTER RECOVERY | North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is planning to call a special session of the state legislature to address Hurricane Matthew relief to be held before the regular session starts in January. [The News & Observer]
PUBLIC SAFETY | In Iowa, the Des Moines public schools are trying out a pilot project to test seatbelts for use in school buses, paid with Iowa Department of Education funds. [Radio Iowa]
RENEWABLE ENERGY | In 2015, Colorado was one of 11 states that generates at least 10 percent of its electricity through wind generation, according to new federal data. Colorado generates 14 percent of its electricity from the wind. Iowa leads the nation with 31 percent from wind. [The Denver Post]
STATE LAWS | The Maine Restaurant Association is advising its member businesses in the Pine Tree State not to pivot away from the tipping system for servers, claiming that such an arrangement violates state law. The Maine Department of Labor says getting rid of tips and replacing them with a service surcharge is in a regulatory “gray area.” [Bangor Daily News]
ENERGY EFFICIENCY | The binational Niagara Falls Illumination Board is starting a $3.1 million upgrade of the current lighting scheme for the famous waterfalls that straddle the New York-Ontario border. The 21 xenon lights that currently illuminate the falls will be replaced with LED fixtures that will “provide twice the lighting levels, programmable features, and a broader and more robust color spectrum.” [The Buffalo News]
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