Alabama

Lots of health reform activity recently in states. Here's some help in catching up:

Connecticut. The state legislature has approved a Democratic bill permitting municipalities, nonprofits, and small businesses to join the state employee health insurance pool. Unclear whether Gov. Jodi Rell will support it. Some leading Republicans object to a "government-run" health system, while Democrats and labor backers say the greater buying power of the pool will save municipalities money. Not a comprehensive solution but we'll be interested in watching how this plays out.

Alabama. We posted a few weeks ago about Birmingham's plan to cover children—which we confess was a pleasant surprise to us given the state's history, poverty, and health status. Now we see the state has a new $3 million, five-year grant for the University of Alabama's initiative to reduce health disparities among older blacks.

I'll be out of pocket the rest of Thursday--in transit...

Ralph Nader's challenge to an Arizona law prohibiting non-residents from collecting signatures on presidential petitions has been scheduled for an April 15 hearing before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

RENEWABLE INITIATIVES: From a small paper in Missouri, a pretty good overview of renewable energy standards in different states, with some attention to those states that have imposed these by ballot initiative.

STILL NOTHING FROM  COLORADO MEETING: Rocky Mountain News says the governor's attempt to head off labor-business initiative war didn't go well. And here's more evidence that the ill will is building.

SAN DIEGO PORT: Opposition mounts to a San Diego ballot measure that could lead to commercial development inside that city's struggling port.

Efforts to improve quality in early education frequently focus on raising requirements for pre-k teachers—to a BA or certification in early education. That’s a good thing, because teacher quality is key to high-quality early education, and the discrepancy that currently exists between standards for K-12 and pre-k teachers in many states, or between pre-k teachers in different settings, undermines quality early education. But policymakers must be thoughtful in how they implement new early education credential requirements.