News You Can Use

This is the Progressive States Action Origami newsletter. (Remember, we take all of the state policy and political news and fold it into something beautiful for you to look at and use!)

On to the latest in state politics and policy…

“Parent Trigger” Laws In Spotlight

On September 28th, a slick Hollywood film called “Won’t Back Down” will be released nationwide. The film purports to show “so-called ‘Parent Trigger’ laws” as a way to help our country’s public schools. In reality, the film completely distorts the facts about the controversial policy, which is no surprise since the film was produced by a conservative billionaire aligned with the Koch Brothers, distributed by Rupert Murdoch and backed by Michelle Rhee.

Update on ALEC

This week on Moyers and Company: “The United States of ALEC.” Find out when the show will air in your local market (if you go to the website of this organization, you will find a link that will allow you to see when the show will air).

At http://www.alecexposed.org you will be able to find the other companies affiliated with ALEC as of 2011 and the corporations that have recently cut ties with the “shadowy corporate front group.”

If you like http://www.alecexposed.org, you should check out the newly launched http://www.NFIBexposed.org and learn about how the so-called “voice of small business” has deep financial ties to Karl Rove and other extreme conservatives.

Election Updates of the Week

While “twelve states already have tuition equity laws on the books” and ten more moved proposals forward this year, voters have never been able to directly vote on the issue. In November, Marylanders will be the first to do so and two recent polls show overwhelming support for the issue from both white and African-American voters.

Americans’ level of trust in their state governments is at its highest level since the beginning of the financial crisis, but it varies significantly by region and partisan affiliation.

Governor Sam Brownback and his allies are continuing their efforts to make Kansas into the “conservative utopia” that we’ve told you about before. This week they held a fundraiser with several lobbyists “with close ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council.”

Missouri Representative Stacey Newman won her primary election on Monday. Newman was also the winner the first time the election was held last month, but a “do-over” was ordered after it was discovered that some voters in the district received the wrong ballots from election authorities.

Legislative Session and Policy News

With apologies to our friends in Seattle, the atrocious call in Monday’s Seahawks-Packers game has prompted New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney to introduce legislation banning replacement referees from NFL games in the state. We think Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker might actually agree with that idea, after he called “for the return of the NFL’s locked-out unionized officials” earlier this week.

State Legislators to Congress: Don’t solve the federal deficit by slashing state budgets

Conservatives in the United States Senate are already planning ways to undermine any deal to avoid the coming “fiscal cliff.” It’s now more important than ever for state legislators to take action.

State legislators are signing a letter to urge Congress to find a better solution. Legislators can read and sign on to this letter here. Legislators can also join us for a webinar – featuring the White House and pollster Celinda Lake – on how the fiscal cliff will affect state budgets and what state legislators can do about it.

Where we’ve been and where we’re going

We’ll be in Kentucky later this week.

Weekly college football prediction

As you may have noticed, we’re huge college football fans at Progressive States Action. This week we’ll be watching Ohio State play Michigan State in Lansing. If the Spartans can find a way to score, they may upset Braxton Miller’s Buckeyes.

As always, you’re encouraged to join our daily updates on Twitter @PSAction.