The deadline for the 2006 application is September 30, 2005. You may download the application online or contact Quinta Martin at (202) 956-5132 or qmartin@cfpa.org for more information.

Mark your calendar! This December, CPA will hold its 9th annual Summit on the States at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. For more information on this exciting event, contact Quinta Martin at (202) 956-5132 or qmartin@cfpa.org.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed into law SF 3, sponsored by Sen. Ellen Anderson, which raises the state’s minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 an hour. Minnesota is the seventh state in two years to increase the minimum wage. The Hawaii legislature approved SB 294, sponsored by Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, which would raise the minimum wage to $6.75 on January 1, 2006 and to $7.25 on January 1, 2007. Gov. Linda Lingle has not yet announced if she will sign the bill. Read CPA’s Minimum Wage policy brief and model legislation.

Mississippi has adopted HB 6, which will divert some juvenile inmates in large correctional facilities to small community-based rehabilitation centers. The law also mandates the use of statewide teams comprised of school counselors, mental health professionals, social service workers, youth court counselors, and parents of children formerly in the juvenile justice system to counsel nonviolent offenders as an alternative to incarceration. HB 6 was sponsored by Rep. George Flaggs, CPA’s Legislator of the Month for May, and was signed into law by Gov. Haley Barbour.

HB 1925, sponsored by Rep. Henri Brooks, would require the Tennessee Highway Patrol to collect racial data about the motorists they stop to determine whether officers unfairly target minority drivers. If Gov. Phil Bredesen signs the bill, the study will begin in January 2006. Read CPA's Racial Profiling policy brief and model legislation.

HB 1305, sponsored by House Speaker Calvin Say, prohibits gender discrimination in employees’ salaries, except when a difference in pay results from legitimate factors such as seniority or a system that ties wages to productivity. The bill establishes a pay equity task force to collect data and suggest methods for correcting any gender-based pay inequities. The bill became law without Gov. Linda Lingle’s signature. Read CPA’s Equal Pay policy brief and model legislation.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester (Flemming Fellow '04) sponsored SB 324, which creates a discount prescription drug program for families with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level and contributes to deductibles under Medicare. Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed the bill into law. In Washington, SB 5471 was sponsored by the Senate Committee on Ways & Means and requires the Washington State Health Care Authority to establish a prescription drug purchasing consortium. The authority will represent the consortium in negotiations with drug manufacturers in obtaining rebates and discounts. Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the legislation, which will allow state agencies, private companies, labor organizations, and individuals without insurance to join together to purchase prescription drugs in bulk.

Sponsored by Rep. Dave Wanzenreid and signed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer, HB 667 provides tax credits and premium assistance to small businesses employing two to nine workers to help them provide affordable health insurance to their employees. It also subsidizes lower-priced group insurance.

Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the High Performance Green Buildings Bill into law, making Washington the first state to require that new public buildings meet “green building” standards for energy efficiency, water conservation and other environmental standards. SB 5509 by Sen. Erik Poulsen requires that all major public agency facilities exceeding 5,000 square feet, including school buildings receiving state funding, would be required to meet the green building council’s Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

Gov. John Lynch signed HB 58, banning the use of the gasoline additive MTBE in New Hampshire after January 2007. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Derek Owen, Rep. Jay Phinizy, Rep. Jim Ryan, and Rep. Mary Ellen Martin. MTBE, a gasoline additive originally intended to reduce air pollution, has been found to pose unacceptable risks to drinking water supplies. MTBE is highly soluble and moves quickly in groundwater; even a small spill can result in widespread water contamination. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers MTBE a potential human carcinogen.

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (Flemming Fellow '99) sponsored SB 5127, which directs the state Department of Community Trade & Economic Development (CTED) to develop protocols for the delivery of relevant services to sex trafficking victims. The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Christine Gregoire.

The House Committee on Human Resources sponsored HF 420, which provides that a group policy, contract or plan providing third-party payment of health coverage shall also provide coverage for treatment of biologically-based mental illnesses if the plan covers a company with more than 50 employees. Gov. Tom Vilsack signed the bill, making Iowa one of 47 states that have adopted some type of mental health parity law. Read CPA’s Mental Health Parity policy brief and model legislation.

CPA is one of only 50 organizations to receive contributions from Working Assets in 2005! Working Assets customers who:

• make long distance calls and wireless calls through Working Assets, or
• use Working Assets credit cards

will be able to support CPA and our work. By shopping or calling using Working Assets, you will build the pool of donations given to groups such as CPA. Also, by going online to the 2005 ballot, you can tell Working Assets to direct an increased share of this CPA, or whatever group you prefer. The best part is that you can help us simply by using these services to make purchases you ordinarily would make. More details are available at http://www.workingassets.com. We hope you will be able to take part.

"I am a state legislator as a result of a second chance," acknowledges Rep. George Flaggs. Having overcome his own difficult childhood to become a youth court counselor and eventually an elected official, he intimately understands the importance of providing troubled youth with quality services. This year, as Chairman of the House Juvenile Justice Committee, Rep. Flaggs became the architect of the most sweeping juvenile justice reform Mississippi has ever seen. Read more...

The Innocence Project, operating out of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, has won the exoneration of 159 wrongly accused inmates through the use of DNA evidence. The Innocence Project’s website offers a wealth of information on criminal justice issues, including model state legislation on DNA testing, eyewitness identification and compensation for wrongful incarceration.