Reports a study that examined the attitudes of Georgia citizens and legislators toward funding for specific health care services and national health insurance. Legislators were less in favor of national health insurance than were citizens. Both groups set a high priority on providing a wide range of health care services to everyone. (SM)

Gives background information on 12 famous litigators who each influenced the future of the judicial system and transformed the United States into what it is today; included, among others, are John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Thurgood Marshall, Daniel Webster, and Clara Shortridge Foltz. (CMK)

Fearing a federal court in Oklahoma might end a state-financed merit-scholarship program targeted by a discrimination lawsuit, black legislators passed a bill making the program race and gender neutral. State regents are criticized for failing to develop effective policy to remedy past discrimination. (MSE)

This article summarizes the efforts of legislators in studying up on what they might do to affect how well kids learn after the summer break. Some of the legislators' work leaned toward improving students' health, while some targeted dropouts or civic education. Most of the capitol-dome work appears to have matched the typical garden: a few…

Several recent articles articles have emphasized that educators must begin to speak out strongly about the direction that the standards movement is taking. While many positive outcomes have been realized as education has become more accountable, a series of recent education policy decisions have flown directly in the face of many years of…

This article discusses legislative efforts to seek flexibility and to coax changes in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Even before U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings had been confirmed in her job on Inauguration Day, a few states had begun testing her pledge to work with them in carrying out the No Child Left Behind Act in a…

The US state lawmakers are concerned with the budgets and management of public colleges, though with a little push from "helicopter parents" who hover over their college-age children and challenge administrative decisions, legislators are increasingly intervening in a range of student-life issues. Frequently, legislators who are parents…

While the major urban centers around the country were flooded by millions of protesters demanding immigrant rights in March 2006, the San Francisco Bay Area remained relatively quiet. A coalition of organizers, including Centro Legal de la Raza, Deporten A La Migra, and the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition mobilized a one-week hunger strike,…

The Principle of legality of crimes and punishments (nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege) refers to the fact that an act is not considered a crime and deserves no punishment, unless the Legislator determines and announces the criminal title and its penalty before. The legality principle protects individual security by ensuring basic individual…

This paper chronicles the life of Democratic Congressman "Tip" O'Neill, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-1986. O'Neill's life is recounted, including: (1) encountering the patronage practice in Boston politics; (2) experiences in the Massachusetts legislature; (3) work with the Kennedy brothers and Lyndon Johnson;…

Public broadcasting in the United States frequently draws criticism from conservatives who accuse it of pursuing an agenda promoting environmentalism, gay rights, affirmative action, reproductive choice, and other liberal causes, and of being hostile to conservative interests such as defense, the pro-life effort, and the promotion of Christian…

These hearings examined testimony on the practice of academic earmarking by the U.S. Congress, the process of allocating federal funds to academic projects or institutions based upon the influence of one or more members of Congress who favor the funding, rather than on the specific merits of the project or institution. Oral and written testimony…

This directory of Puerto Rican elected officials in the United States is intended to serve as a benchmark of Puerto Rican political participation and to encourage community leaders to run for public office. The survey conducted for this directory identified 123 elected officials in 11 states with Puerto Rican populations of 10,000 or more.…

This booklet summarizes the proceedings of a forum--whose audience consisted of over 200 library and information managers, congressional staff members, and persons from the information industry and academic community--on the condition of federal information policies as they relate to the Congressional initiative. Among issues discussed are: (1)…

A study examined how Alabama legislators' ratings of news media for job-relevant information correlate with their views on news media adversary and consensus agent roles. Eighty-two questionnaires (out of 140 mailed) were completed by Alabama state representatives and senators for a return rate of 59%. Results suggested that lawmakers who believe…