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Every Vote Equal:
A State-Based Plan For Electing The President By National Popular Vote
Read book FREE
With forewords from:
- John B. Anderson (R,I–IL)
- Birch Bayh (D–IN)
- John Buchanan (R–AL)
- Tom Campbell (R–CA)
- Greg Aghazarian (R–CA)
- Saul Anuzis (R–MI)
- Laura Brod (R–MN)
- James L. Brulte (R–CA)
- Tom Golisano (R,I–FL)
- Joseph Griffo (R–NY)
- Ray Haynes (R–CA)
- Bob Holmes (D–GA)
- Dean Murray (R–NY)
- Tom Pearce (R–MI)
- Christopher Pearson (P–VT)
Birch Bayh (D–IN)
John Buchanan (R–AL)
Tom Campbell (R–CA)
Tom Downey (D–NY)
D. Durenberger (R–MN)
Jake Garn (R–UT)
Alaska - 70%
Arizona - 78%
Arkansas - 80%
Arkansas - 74%
California - 69%
California - 70%
Colorado - 68%
Connecticut - 73%
Connecticut - 74%
Delaware - 75%
Dist. of Columbia - 76%
Florida - 78%
Georgia - 74%
Kentucky - 80%
Idaho - 77%
Iowa - 75%
Maine - 77%
Maine - 71%
Massachusetts - 73%
Michigan - 70%
Michigan - 73%
Minnesota 75%
Mississippi - 77%
Missouri - 66%
Missouri - 70%
Missouri - 75%
Montana - 72%
Nebraska - 74%
Nevada - 72%
New Hampshire - 69%
New Mexico - 76%
New York - 79%
North Carolina - 74%
Ohio - 70%
Oklahoma - 81%
Oklahoma - 75%
Oregon - 76%
Pennsylvania - 78%
Rhode Island - 74%
South Carolina - 71%
South Dakota - 75%
South Dakota - 71%
Tennessee - 74%
Utah - 70%
Vermont - 75%
Virginia - 74%
Washington - 77%
Washington - 77%
West Virgina - 81%
Wisconsin - 71%
Wyoming - 69%
California Senate
California Assembly
Colorado House
Colorado Senate
Connecticut House
Delaware House
Dist. of Columbia
Hawaii House
Hawaii Senate
Illinois House
Illinois Senate
Maine Senate
Maryland House
Maryland Senate
Massachusetts House
Massachusetts Senate
Michigan House
Nevada Assembly
New Jersey Assembly
New Jersey Senate
New Mexico House
New York Assembly
New York Senate
North Carolina Senate
Oklahoma Senate
Oregon House
Rhode Island House
Rhode Island Senate
Vermont House
Vermont Senate
Washington House
Washington Senate
BOSTON — The Massachusetts House and Senate bent their rules and worked 90 minutes past a midnight deadline, but they still fell a bit short of acting on all pending bills before ending their normal legislative sessions for the year.
Members overrode about $60 million in spending cuts but failed to act on another $20 million in vetoes made by Gov. Deval Patrick before they concluded business early Friday morning. They agreed to use state credit to help the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority avoid $2.3 million a month in new debt payments but did not act on a bill allowing same-day voter registration.
And while they approved a "green jobs" bill aimed at promoting environmentally responsible companies and products, members of the House and Senate did not get to legislation that would have required the divestment of any state funds from Iran.
Some matters can be handled in informal sessions during the remainder of this year, but many will have to wait for January, when the next legislative year begins.
"From energy reform and life sciences to strengthened civil rights and child protections, the House had an aggressive agenda this session and we delivered," House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said in statement listing the accomplishments of the two-year session.
Yet one outsider expressed alarm, particularly about the state's budget.
"The budgeting largely ignores the fiscal perils that are facing Massachusetts and every other state, and I think there's a sharp contrast between the approaches many other states are taking — which is preparing for the worst — and the very traditional approach Massachusetts is taking as it we were in normal economic times," said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
This week, for example, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he was cutting more than 20,000 part-time state workers and instituting federal minimum wage payments for 200,000 others his state grapples over a $15 billion deficit in the 2009 budget. His administration estimated the changes would save $80 million a month.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick recently signed a $28.1 billion budget that Widmer estimates is up to $1 billion out of balance.
Widmer pointed to enhanced pension benefits for state retirees, which he said seem small at first blush, but would end up costing the state dearly in the long run.
The retirees had been receiving annual 3 percent cost of living increases on the first $12,000 of their pensions, capped at $360 annually. They now will receive the same COLA on the first $16,000 of the pension, giving them an annual raise of about $480.
"At a time when the rest of the country is pretty much retrenching, we're pushing our debt limits here," said Widmer, whose group largely represents business leaders.
The governor and the Legislature got higher marks from another public watchdog.
Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, said that over the span of a two-year legislative session, "there were a lot of big-ticket items and a lot was accomplished."
Among them: a 10–year, $1 billion effort to bolster the state's life sciences sector.
One measure that fell prey to the session's end was a proposal to award the presidency to whomever receives the most votes nationally on Election Day.
Under the current Electoral College system, a candidate who does not win the popular vote can still attain the presidency by winning larger states that award more electoral votes, as George W. Bush did to prevail over Al Gore in 2000.
Wilmot pushed the measure on behalf of Common Cause and won initial approvals in both the House and Senate. Nonetheless, she was unable to muster a final procedural enactment vote in the Senate — something that can often be done by voice in a matter of seconds — despite lobbying late into the night for the better part of the final week.
"Any time you come that close, within a hair's-breadth of success and don't quite make it, it's disappointing," she said. "On the other hand, when you have three-quarters of the votes in both chambers and the support of the leaders, it's just a matter of time. We will get this next year."