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It is at or near the end of most state's legislative sessions and following last November's shift of power we saw near continuous assaults on the rights of workers, immigrants and women and there was no shortage of power grabs designed to give the wealthy and the corporations access to even more wealth that comes from the backs of the poor and middle class.
There were some moments in the sun for progressives, most notably Wisconsin's Union Fight, but hidden in the news were 13 Positive and Progressive Bills from various states that may help turn things around in years to come.
I spotted this article from Yes! entitled The Best Bills of 2011 and knew I had to share it with you.
Here is the list of the bills along with a brief description of the bill:
1. Oregon: Accountability and Transparency for Corporate Subsidies HB 2825 (pdf format) - This bill will require the Department of Administrative Services to publish detailed information regarding the amount, purpose and intent of tax incentives directed to corporate entities on the state's web site.
2. Illinois: A Responsible and Sensible Non Partisan Approach to Revenue Shortfalls SB 2505 - Facing a $15 billion shortfall, lawmakers approved this bill to raise the state corporate and personal income tax. This sensible means approach will raise approximately $6.5 billion next year.
3. Oregon: Rebuilding Prosperity With the Use of Partnership Banks SB 889 (pdf format) - Partnership Banks return a portion of the profits realized by the state's deposits. Taxpayer's money no longer goes to big banks and reduces the state's dependency on large financial corporations.
4. Maryland: Countering Citizens United by Taking it to the Shareholders HB 93 - This requires any corporation, union or other membership organization that files an independent expenditure to include relevant information about the expenditure to its shareholders, members or donors. This will hold these corporations accountable to those who stand to be impacted by their political spending.
5. Connecticut: Mandating Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave To Employees SB 913 - Rep. Zeke Zalaski, Chair of the House Labor and Public Employees Committee says it all:
“this is a great opportunity for us to send a message to the rest of the country that we in Connecticut value our workers. This is a landmark bill that is as important as other precedent setting gains like child labor and civil rights laws.”
6. Texas: Protecting Workers From Wage Theft SB 1024 - Previously, employers could make a small partial payment to workers as a dodge towards evading "intent to steal" which is prosecuted by local law enforcement. With this new law, partial payment is no longer sufficient to negate their intent to steal wages.
7. Maine: A Work-Share Program Ensuring Job Security for Mainers LD 269 - This bill, led by Democrat Diane Russell was a true bipartisan effort embraced by Conservatives and Tea Party members for a unanimous passage. It enables employers to temporarily reduce employee's hours uniformly in order to avoid layoffs and provides a proportional share of unemployment insurance. This is the type of bill that is equally good for workers, business, the economy and the state.
8. Oregon: Expansion of Broadband Service to Rural Areas HB 2200 and HB 2192 - Legislators maximized the use of the Universal Service Fund (USF) to help in this expansion of high speed internet which will support economic deveolpment, education, health care, transportation and public safety.
9. Vermont: Broadband Projects to Grow State Economies SB 78 (pdf format) - Grants the ability to regulate specific powers related to broadband networks including issuance of the certificate of public good for communications, which speeds up the permit process for communities that want to set up their own broadband networks.
10. Connecticut: Creating Green Jobs at Good Wages HB 6399 - This bill is blazing a path of energy independence and competitiveness in a green economy. It encourages the creation of innovative new jobs and specifically ensures that students educated in the state have access to these jobs which further contributes to the state's healthy economy.
11. Colorado: Tuition Equality Laws SB 11-126 - This bill, which would allow qualifying undocumented students to attend public colleges and universities at the in-state tuition rates, cleared the Senate,but failed to pass in the House. It received strong support from business groups, immigrant and education advocates and will see a strong push for passage next session.
12. California: Alternative to the Flawed Federal Immigration Enforcement Program AB 1081 - This program which has not yet been adopted, would allow local governments to "opt in or opt out" of programs and tailor their participation to meet their local needs. This law would set safeguards against racial profiling and protect children and victims of domestic violence from deportation.
13. Connecticut: State Health Insurance Exchange SB 921 - This law set up a 14 member quasi-public agency charged with reducing the state's number of uninsured residents. One important aspect of this bill prohibits insurers and carriers from serving on the board and introduces conflict of interest language while complying with state transparency and open government laws.
Let's hope the 2012 session brings dozens more progressive bills such as these.