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Granholm: Energy Jobs Will Spark Economy

Michigan – Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Michigan is positioned to become a base for the alternative energy industry and create thousands of new jobs in the process. She said the state is able to focus on alternative energy now that a $1.75 billion budget crisis has been addressed. Michigan’s geology, wind power and bodies of water, among other natural features, make the state uniquely suited for the development of alternative energy, Granholm said. “Michigan is in a unique position to get jobs in this area because of our geology, our geography,” she said.
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HEALTH CARE NEWS

AZ – Napolitano Seeks Ban on New Medicaid Rules. The U.S. Congress should place a moratorium on implementing proposed Medicaid regulations that will increase costs for states already grappling with rising health-care costs, Gov. Janet Napolitano said. She said the Bush administration’s pending regulations would shift to states an estimated $13 billion in costs for Medicaid, the health program for the poor that is jointly administered by states and the federal government. She said the move is particularly difficult at a time when state revenues are declining from an economic downturn. “The top priority as we manage our way through this would be on the health care, Medicaid side,” Napolitano said. “That is where the states incur an immediate cost out of their budget, that is where the enrollment goes up as economic circumstances wane.”
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OH – Strickland Criticizes Bush Denial of Health Care Expansion. Gov. Ted Strickland criticized the Bush administration for blocking an expansion of a government health insurance program to cover uninsured Ohio children. He called a “clever bureaucratic maneuver,” the rejection by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last September of a state plan to expand Medicaid eligibility for children in families with incomes between 200 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level. He said the decision denied coverage to an estimated 20,000 Ohio children.
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PA – Rendell: Subsidized Health Care Would Help Small Business. Gov. Ed Rendell told the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business that his plan to subsidize health care for the uninsured would relieve a burden on small businesses. Rendell has tailored his proposed program – called Cover All Pennsylvanians – to cover roughly 848,000 uninsured adult state residents, many of whom work for small businesses that don’t provide medical insurance. “Our small businesses will be especially hard hit, and their workers represent the overwhelming majority of the uninsured in Pennsylvania,” the governor said. “Small employers, employers with a majority of low-wage employees and employers with older employees are less likely to be able to afford health care coverage for their employees.”
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GENERAL NEWS

NY – Spitzer Announces Grant for University Math Center. Stony Brook University received $60 million to construct and endow a new math center, Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced. The largest gift in Stony Brook’s history, the money also represents the largest donation made to any of the 64 institutions in the State University of New York system. Through a combination of public and private philanthropic support, Gov. Spitzer is positioning Stony Brook as a flagship for the SUNY system that would rival some of the most prestigious state-supported research universities.
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TN – Bredesen Plans to Create State Energy Policy. Gov. Phil Bredesen plans to create a comprehensive energy policy for Tennessee. Bredesen said he will soon sign an executive order laying out the energy plan. He said the state will begin by finding ways to manage its facilities and its vehicle fleet more efficiently. Bredesen said the field provides economic development opportunities and that Tennessee can position itself as a national leader if it gets working on the topic soon enough.
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VA – Kaine Grants Funds for Farmland Preservation. Gov. Tim Kaine is granting $4.25 million to 14 Virginia localities to preserve farmland. The state funds will be distributed to local Purchase of Development programs, which will pay farmers in exchange for giving up the right to develop their property. Kaine says that Virginia had lost valuable farmlands to development at an alarming rate. He says the funds will benefit Virginia farmers, local economies and the environment.
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WA – Gregoire: State Economy is Strong. Gov. Gregoire says Washington’s low unemployment rate shows the state economy is healthy, despite what’s happening in other parts of the country. Since January of last year, 61,900 new jobs have been created in Washington, an increase of 2.1 percent, compared with a national increase of 0.7 percent. The state Employment Security Department says 180,700 people in Washington are looking for work, out of a total labor force of about 3.46 million.
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WI – Doyle: No Tax Increases. Gov. Jim Doyle vowed to fix Wisconsin’s budget shortfall and further develop the economy without major cuts in education or health care, all while keeping his promise not to raise taxes. Doyle told a group of Wisconsin entrepreneurs he has asked state agencies to make budget cuts to balance the books and is convinced the state can recover from the projected $652 million shortfall. “I feel confident that we can do this in a way that does not raise taxes – in a way that we make cuts, but we make cuts in the areas that do not harm the basic priorities of this state, [which are] assuring that our school system is good, assuring that we continue to expand access to higher education and making sure that the basic health care plans of Wisconsin are available,” Doyle said.
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