State News Shot

32 U.S. Senators join 20 States in ObamaCare Suit

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:23 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:23

From LJWorld.com:

U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, both Kansas Republicans, have joined a legal challenge of the new federal health care reform bill.

A legal brief, signed by 32 Republican senators, was filed in the lawsuit brought by Florida and 20 other states against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The senators contend that the congressionally approved requirement that people purchase health insurance oversteps the bounds of the commerce clause in the U.S. Constitution.

“Indeed, in more than 200 years of debate as to the proper scope of the Commerce Power, the Supreme Court has never suggested that the Commerce Power allows Congress to impose affirmative obligations on passive individuals, or to punish individuals for failing to purchase a particular product,” the legal brief states.

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At Least 11 Democrats have Flipped to Republican Since Election Day

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 November 2010 10:14 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 23 November 2010 10:14

Democrats’ woes continue. So far, they’ve lost lawmakers in Georgia, Maine, Alabama, and Louisiana.

From National Review Online:

In Georgia: “The final shoes from the Nov. 2 election in Georgia may have just dropped. This has arrived from the office of House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge: State Representatives Ellis Black and Amy Carter today announced that they are joining the House Republican Caucus and resigning from the House Democratic Caucus.” Earlier, “In the past week, Reps. Alan Powell of Hartwell, Bob Hanner of Parrott and Gerald Greene of Cuthbert have all left the Democrats for the Republicans.”

In Maine: “A Democratic legislator from Aroostook County has announced that he has switched his affiliation to the Republican Party. Michael Willette of Presque Isle, who was elected to a second term in the Legislature on Nov. 2 as a Democrat, told the Bangor Daily News on Friday that he has labored over his decision to switch since he couldn’t convince himself to support a tax reform proposal earlier this year that was supported almost exclusively by Democrats.”

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TN: GOP House Speaker Nominee to Focus on Jobs

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 05:12 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 02:53

The Republican nominee for House Speaker, Representative Beth Harwell, talks Jobs.

From Knoxnews.com:

The Republican nominee for Tennessee House speaker said today that job creation tops her agenda and that she has full support from incoming freshmen with strong conservative views.

Beth Harwell of Nashville met with reporters and fielded questions about her expectations for the upcoming session.

The 53-year-old would become Tennessee’s first female speaker if elected by full membership of the lower chamber in January, which appears all but certain given the GOP’s 64-34 advantage and state party bylaws that allow for the expulsion of Republican members who don’t support the nominee.

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AL: Party Switchers give Republicans Super Majority in House

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 02:52 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 02:52

From DecaturDaily.com:

When four Democrats announced Monday they were switching to the Republican Party, the move also signaled that Republicans can pass any bill they want and Democrats can’t stop them.

The reason is that the party switch means the House has 66 Republicans, a “supermajority” that gives them the votes needed to pass or block any legislation they want. With Democratic Party ranks reduced to 39 in the House, their numbers are too small to block bills or pass their own if all Republicans vote together.

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VA: Lt. Governor’s Job includes Growing Jobs

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 02:47 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 02:47

From Roanoke.com:

When it looked as if Martinsville Speedway could lose one of its two NASCAR Sprint Cup races earlier this year, officials in one of Virginia’s most economically troubled regions turned to Richmond for help.

Track operator International Speedway Corp. had decided to add a second Sprint Cup race at its Kansas City track, shifting an event from one of its other 12 venues on the Cup circuit. It was not the first time Martinsville faced the prospect of losing one of its races. But, as Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said, “This time it was serious.”

“It was not just a rumor or speculation,” Campbell said. “It was fact it was going to happen from somewhere, and we certainly didn’t want it come from here. It could have been a devastating blow, not only to our economy here locally, but to the state, as well.”

Enter Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, the “chief job creation officer” in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration. Bolling traveled to Daytona, Fla., in March with Campbell and a delegation of officials from Martinsville and Henry County to meet with International Speedway Corp. executives.

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GOP Won More than Seats in Congress

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 02:43 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 02:43

From SunSentinel.com:

Media attention has focused mainly on the slam-dunk GOP congressional victories, but the more important results in the long run may involve what happened in state races.

The GOP registered a net gain of 680 legislative seats nationwide, with seven of them coming in Florida. Before Nov. 2, Democrats controlled 27 legislatures to 14 for Republicans. The remainder were split between the two parties, save for nonpartisan Nebraska, which has a unicameral legislature. The election nearly flipped those totals, with Republicans now in complete control of 25 legislatures and Democrats, 16.

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ND: AG Says Obamacare Challenges are Justified

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 02:27 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 02:27

From the Dickinson Press:

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says state-supported lawsuits against new federal health care law haven’t stopped it from taking effect.

North Dakota is one of a group of states taking part in a federal lawsuit in Florida against the law. It challenges a provision that requires people to buy health insurance.

Fargo Democratic state Sen. Tim Mathern is one of a group of lawmakers who are joining a court brief supporting the new law.

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Iowa State Senate Recount to Resume

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 01:50 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 01:50

From DesMoinesRegister.com:

A recount in the race between Republican Andrew Naeve and Democrat Tod Bowman will resume Wednesday in one of the three counties in the Iowa Senate district after it was delayed this week by 11 misplaced absentee ballots.

The incident in Dubuque County happened after the recount board this week found they were 11 ballots short, said Tom O’Neill, deputy commissioner. The 11 ballots were found. The board will reconvene on Wednesday, he said.

Counts in Jackson County will resume tomorrow while a count in Clinton will be Monday, said Ben Foecke, communications director for the Iowa Senate Majority Fund.

The total vote total on election night was 9,960 for Bowman and 9,922 for Naeve.

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VA GOP Set to make State Senate Nominee Pick

Last Updated on Monday, 22 November 2010 01:49 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 November 2010 01:49

From Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Just three weeks after state Sen. Robert Hurt, R-Pittsylvania, was elected to Congress, Republicans will nominate a candidate to replace him in the General Assembly.

But it’s unclear how many people are paying attention to the truncated campaign and how many will vote in tomorrow’s 19th District-wide canvass, or firehouse primary, to choose the Republican nominee. The winner will face Democrat Hank Davis of Pittsylvania County in a Jan. 11 special election.

With the congressional election barely in the rearview mirror and with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, some of the six Republican candidates for Hurt’s seat have had difficulty persuading prospective voters to participate in the canvass.

“It really is disappointing because a lot of people are going to be away,” said Brenda Bowman of Pittsylvania, who is running for Hurt’s seat. “It’s just a matter of who can get the most people to come out.”

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NJ: Lt. Governor Calls on Officials to support Governor’s Tool kit

Last Updated on Friday, 19 November 2010 02:36 Written by rslcpol Friday, 19 November 2010 02:36

From nj.com:

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno took the stage today in place of Gov. Chris Christie before a large contingent of local government leaders, and her message echoed his: The Legislature needs to pass the governor’s “tool kit” immediately.

She called on local leaders at the League of Municipalities convention in Atlantic City to get behind the administration in the fight to pass reforms aimed at helping towns cut costs, inlcuding changes to arbitration and civil service rules. She repeated many of Christie’s talking points on reform, including pointing out the governor’s Dec. 31 deadline for passage.

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