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Poll Gives Gregoire High Marks for Performance

Washington State – A new fifty state report card by Pew Research gives Washington an “A” grade for government performance. The high score, awarded to only three states in total, provides fresh and convincing evidence that Governor Chris Gregoire and the Democratic legislature are doing a terrific job. While there’s always room for improvement, getting an “A” grade is a huge vindication of the Gregoire record as chief executive. Washingtonians can be proud that our governor is one of the nation’s best, most skilled public servants, and rest assured that the Evergreen State is competently and effectively managed under strong Democratic leadership.
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CAMPAIGN NEWS

MO – Editorial: Nixon for Governor. A native of De Soto, Missouri, Jay Nixon was raised to believe that faith and family always come first—and giving back to one’s community comes next. As Attorney General, Jay Nixon represents Missouri families by taking on the toughest fights—and winning. He has a track record of protecting our communities by standing up to the special interests. Jay has demonstrated how innovation and imaginative leadership can help solve problems for everyday Missourians. Now running for Governor, Jay Nixon has the experience and integrity needed to lead Missouri in the right direction. As our next Governor, Jay will lead the fight to restore the massive health care cuts that have affected more than 400,000 Missourians, work to make college more affordable for Missouri families, and generate more good-paying jobs.
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GENERAL NEWS

AZ – Napolitano Lobbies for Funds for States. Gov. Janet Napolitano says if Congress wants to stimulate the economy it should give at least some of the money to her – or, more to the point, directly to Arizona and other states. In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee in Washington last week, the governor said the $168 billion tax rebate stimulus plan already approved will have a negative effect on tax collections in some states. That’s because of a change in depreciation laws. The governor specifically asked for a temporary $6 billion increase in federal cash going to state Medicaid programs. The governor told the committee that giving money to states when the economy is soft makes sense. “The economic downturn will increase unemployment, which will drive more people to seek a lifeline through Medicaid and other poverty-based programs,” she testified.
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IA – Culver Signs Legislation to Encourage Business. Gov. Chet Culver signed legislation that would encourage Microsoft to locate to Iowa, a move his aides said shows Iowa is “a great place to do business.” With Culver’s signature, the law will offer a six-year exemption of state sales and use taxes on equipment and electricity to any Web portal business that invests at least $200 million in Iowa. Software giant Microsoft is believed to be considering plans to build a $750 million center that would employ roughly 50 in the information technology field.
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KS – Sebelius Announces Emergency Food and Shelter Funds. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced that $1.2 million has been awarded to various Kansas counties by the Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) Program. “These resources will help Kansas individuals and families during unexpected times of need,” said Sebelius. The EFS Program has been in existence since 1983 and was authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. With the FY 2008 allocation, more than $3.105 billion in federal aid will have been disbursed through the EFS Program since its inception to communities nationwide, and has accounted for millions of additional meals and nights of shelter to the hungry and homeless most in need across the nation.
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KY – Beshear Welcomes New Jobs. Gov. Steve Beshear and the Economic Development Cabinet announced that Wabash National Corporation, one of the leading manufacturers of semi trailers in North America will build a new facility in Franklin. The project is expected to result in up to 460 new full-time jobs within two years of project completion.
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MD – Businesses Back O’Malley Global Warming Bill. A group of nearly 500 Maryland businesses endorsed a bill supported by Gov. Martin O’Malley that would set the state on a path to reducing global warming pollution by 25 percent by 2020, saying the legislation will help stimulate investment and create jobs in energy-efficient, sustainable industries. The legislation would require the state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and would encourage businesses to reduce emissions by buying and selling permits to release the gases into the atmosphere.
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MI – Granholm Building Blitz to Boost Colleges, Create Jobs. After a funding dry spell, the state is gearing up for the largest higher education building boom ever in an effort to kick-start the economy and replace some deteriorating campus buildings. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has recommended nearly $1 billion in construction projects at 10 universities and 15 community colleges, including a biology building at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, a biomedical research building at Wayne State University and expansion of the engineering and plant sciences buildings at Michigan State University.
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NC – Easley Announces Technology Partnership with Japan. Gov. Mike Easley announced the opening of the Nagoya University Technology Transfer Office, a first-of-its-kind state project designed to facilitate innovation and business ties between North Carolina and Japan. Nagoya University is internationally known as one of Japan’s leading research centers. “North Carolina will gain new business from this partnership while Nagoya University benefits from our state’s strong academic and research communities,” said Easley. “It is another way that we are building on our state’s strengths and planting the seeds for future success and job growth in the global economy.”
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OR – Kulongoski Works to Save Wilderness. Gov. Ted Kulongoski is promoting the creation or expansion of nine protected Oregon wilderness areas, saying that more of the scenic wild areas should be safeguarded from logging, road building and mining. Oregon is deficient in wilderness compared with neighboring states, he said in a recent letter to the state’s congressional delegation. Only 3.7 percent of Oregon is protected within wilderness areas, he said, compared with 14.4 percent in California and 10.1 percent in Washington.
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PA – Rendell Task Force to Address Water Infrastructure. Pennsylvania is facing a mountain of bills for future wastewater and drinking-water projects, and a new task force will figure out how to pay for that work, Gov. Ed Rendell’s office recently announced. The governor signed an executive order setting up the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force, which will study how to pay for more than $20 billion in water-related infrastructure needs. The estimate came from a federal survey of Pennsylvania’s drinking-water and wastewater-infrastructure needs, according to the governor. The task force will study funding plans and alternatives to capital upgrades, including conservation and nutrient credit trading.
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VA – Kaine Urges Support for Pre-School Expansion. State sponsored pre-school is at the center of state budget negotiations this weekend.Gov. Tim Kaine wants to expand the program to children who will qualify for free or reduced price lunch when they get to public school. A state study shows poor children who participate in the program pass the third grade reading test at a higher rate than poor children who don’t attend pre-school. Governor Kaine says that saves the state money in the long run because less children will repeat grades. “We will willingly write that 400 million dollar check every year for kids to repeat grades when we could spend a fraction of that, a fraction of that and give every child who’s at risk in Virginia an early childhood education experience that’s high quality,” says Governor Kaine.
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WV – Manchin Discusses Importance of Coal. How important is coal to the national economy? Very important says Governor Joe Manchin. “You can gasify it. You can liquefy it. You can make this country more energy independent. There is so much that we can do. And the technology, Wall Street is not jumping in because there’s no certainty from the federal government.” Manchin says coal was all but left out of the President’s 2007 Energy Plan. “We know that with technology that there’s better ways of burning the coal to take the carbon stream off, the CO2, heavy metals. We know that. But there are no credits from the federal government. Everything went with renewables and nothing was to clean up the coal,” says the Governor.
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