This past week marked the final session of the 2007-2008 Michigan Legislature. The Legislature approved some issues that were on the table and one very controversial piece of legislation was allowed to die.

Legislation was approved by the State Senate to establish a program to recycle consumer computer electronics without a fee to consumers. This program, known as E-waste recycling, would allow/provide residents to dispose of old computer equipment and reduce the amount of hazardous materials being dumped into local landfills.

The legislature also approved an increase in fees for snowmobile registration as well as trail permits. The snowmobile program, funded entirely by snowmobile operators and administered by the state of Michigan, was facing a $1 million deficit next year without the increase. A three-year snowmobile registration would increase from $22 to $30. This money would be used to prevent lost sections of trails due to ownership changes. Trail permits would increase from $25 to $35 for 2009-2010, then $45 for 2011-2015, and would be inflation-indexed beginning in 2016. These revenues are designated for the Snowmobile Trail Improvement that grooms and maintains the trails. Snowmobiling has a profound impact on winter tourism in Michigan.

One controversial piece of legislation that will die in the legislature is a smoking ban for restaurants and bars. The major sticking point seemed to be how to handle certain types of businesses, such as the Detroit casinos, that want to be exempted from such a ban.

The Connecticut General Assembly held a one day special session in November where everyone could agree on two issues: first, the state has major financial problems because of the economy and second, nobody has a solution to the first problem. The state gets most of its current funding from income tax and sales tax. When people’s incomes go down, so does the income tax they pay. When people’s incomes go down, they also tend to spend less, which means the state collects less sales tax. Like many households, the state is looking for places where it can reduce spending.

Today, as more and more people find their income reduced or they lose their jobs in a layoff, they turn to the state for help. Connecticut, like most states, has an emergency reserve fund known as the “Rainy Day Fund.” Some people are saying the current economy is an emergency and the State should dip into its rainy day fund to solve the problems. A state without a good reserve fund will find its credit rate lowered and will have to pay even more interest every time it borrows money. Unfortunately, Connecticut already has one of the worst credit ratings among state governments.

The 2009 regular session of the Connecticut General Assembly began on January 7. This will be a “long” session when any senator or representative can file any bill they want. Certainly there will be many bills filed concerning the state’s financial situation. Two years ago the legislators looked to the lobbyists to develop the budget that is now in place. Most likely the legislators will again look to the lobbyists for help, as we are all in this together.

The Washington Legislature opened the 2009 Session on January 12. This is an odd year so it will be a “long” session lasting for 105 days. It should be over in late April but the term “long” could be a good descriptor for this session. We are facing at least a $5 billion budget shortfall, which could grow well past that mark by the end of session. The bottom line is there is not enough money to fund everything the legislature wants to fund, so we are all going to be feeling the pinch.

The budget will affect everything this session and it will be a tough year for any bills to make it through the process. With this budget crisis there will either be massive cuts or increased revenue. Governor Gregoire vowed on her re-election campaign, and again in recent weeks, that she would not be raising taxes. But, legislative leaders have not made that same pledge, and the idea of the legislature sending a tax proposal to the people for a vote next November is a real possibility. Aside from the budget, we are hopeful that other important issues will be given fair time this year. Here is a list of some things Washington State Grange expects to be discussed in 2009: