News and Issues
Bills Passed: The Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2012; Reducing Preterm Delivery; Strengthening Investigations of Sex Offenders & Missing Children
Katie's Law, also known as the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2010, has been passed as a federal law to provide funding to states to implement minimum and enhanced DNA collection processes for felony arrests. "The bill is named after Katie Sepich, who was brutally attacked outside of her New Mexico home in August 2003. She was raped, strangled, her body set on fire, and abandoned at an old dump site." more »
Number of US Deaths by State Due to Injury by Firearms
In 2009, 31,347 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States, accounting for 17.7% of all injury deaths that year. The two major component causes of all firearm injury deaths in 2009 were suicide (59.8%) and homicide (36.7%). more »
Cuba Today
Ferida Wolff writes: We visited a Cuban cooperative organic farm. The land is still state-owned but the produce can be sold privately. We ate in a few paladars, small, privately owned restaurants located in homes. What we found was a resourceful culture, friendly people, and music that enlivens everything. more »
While Waiting for the Tipping Point: The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff on the States
The state impact of the fiscal cliff’s expiring federal tax provisions and scheduled spending cuts is missing from the national discussion. This PEW study finds that the effects on the states vary greatly based on the extent to which states are tied to the federal tax code and federal spending. more »
