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Beebe Announces New Jobs

Gov. Mike Beebe joined state and local officials to celebrate progress on a major pipeline in Arkansas as part of one of the largest pipeline expansions currently in the U.S. The project expects to employ 1,350 people with an estimated payroll of $57 million. Read more

DE – Minner Joins Effort to Help Curb Global Warming. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner signed into law Delaware’s most-direct attempt yet to counter global warming allowing the state to cap and eventually cut power plant carbon dioxide emissions. Gov. Minner said the bill arose from “visionary” efforts by northeast governors that began in 2003 and eventually became the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. “Delaware has a lot at stake,” Minner said. “As a coastal state with 381 miles of shoreline and thousands of acres of wetlands, rising sea levels are a major concern.” Read more

IL – Blagojevich Continues Preschool Funding. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed an early childhood learning bill that will continue funding preschools across Illinois. More than 90,000 pre-school children statewide have been served by the program so far. Blagojevich said attending preschool helps children narrow the achievement gaps, promotes learning in later school years and helps prevent anti-social behavior. “Children, if given an opportunity at a young age to learn, will, in fact, learn, they’ll be better prepared as they get older, and their future is a heck of a lot more bright,” he said. Read more

IA – Culver Creates Task Force to Focus on Rebuilding after the Flood. Gov. Chet Culver announced the creation of a 15-member task force that will focus on rebuilding after this month’s record flooding. Culver said the disaster is one of the 10 worst in the nation’s history and he has asked the group to complete a full assessment of flood damage. The commission will be asked to provide a long-term strategy for rebuilding. Culver said he also will create a new office in state government to focus solely on flood recovery. By creating the commission, recovery efforts can be better coordinated, he said. Read more

NH – Lynch Signs Retirement System Reforms. Gov. John Lynch has signed a bill that overhauls the state pension system. The bill shifts $250 million from an account used to pay for cost-of-living increases for retirees into the main pension fund. That helps hold down increases in employer contributions. Without the fund shift, contribution rates for the state and local governments would have increased 53 percent in 2010. The bill also gives retirees a 1.5 percent cost of living increase and continued help paying for medical insurance. Read more

OH – Strickland Cracks Down on Rx Drug Abuse. Teens who are looking to get high on prescription drugs will face stiffer penalties in the future. Gov. Ted Strickland signed House Bill 195, which increases the penalty for those who are caught selling schedule three, four and five prescription drugs. The drugs include Ritalin, xanax, valium and anabolic steroids. Read more

WA – Gregoire Tries Home Health Care Job. Gov. Chris Gregoire was in Tacoma to job shadow Rosa Vadillo, a 56-year-old home health worker. The visit, a campaign stop, was part of the Service Employee International Union’s “Walk A Day” program, which aims to give politicians a taste of the workaday world. But the event also highlighted the SEIU’s campaign for Initiative 1029, which would guarantee more training for in-home health workers. “We need a whole lot more training. We do more training today for anybody who wants to be a masseuse or a dog groomer,” than a home health-care worker, Gregoire said. Currently, health care workers get 34 hours of training. Read more

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