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Schwarzenegger Urged To Sign Drug Measures
by Chloe Albanesius
A Democratic Assembly candidate in California on Wednesday called on Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to approve four bills allowing for the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from other countries.
Ira Ruskin, who is facing off against Republican technology executive Steve Poizner for a seat in the Fresno-based 21st district, said legislation currently on Schwarzenegger's desk would provide "much-needed financial relief" for the state's seniors.
"I consider this a litmus test for my opponent, the governor and the Republican Party," Ruskin said in a press release. "The choice is clear: Either you stand with Californians who need cheaper drugs, or you stand with big pharmaceutical interests."
Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer, a Democrat who authored one of the pending bills, also called on Schwarzenegger to sign the measures in order to make good on his campaign promise to quash special interests.
"By signing this legislation, he can stand up to one of America's most powerful special interests, deliver huge savings in drug costs to California consumers and demonstrate to everyone in Sacramento that he can't be bought," Frommer said in an editorial Tuesday for the Los Angeles Daily News.
Frommer accused Schwarzenegger of raising more money from the drug companies than any politician in American except President Bush.
Frommer's bill, A.B. 1957, would require the state's Health Services Department to establish a Web site with links to Canadian pharmacies. It also requests that the department look into purchasing Canadian drugs for prisoners and patients.
Other pending California drug-import legislation includes: S.B. 1149; S.B. 1144; and S.B. 1333. Schwarzenegger's office has yet to act on the measures but has said the governor will not sign any legislation that is illegal. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration contends that drug imports are illegal and potentially unsafe.
In other news, Madison.com reports that Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle on Wednesday reiterated his support for drug imports. "We have a very easy answer," the Democratic governor told attendees of the Governor's Conference on Aging. "We just need to look north."
CIO Organization Rewards Tech Achievements
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) on Tuesday announced the winners of its 2004 awards for outstanding achievement in information technology.
"Award recipients define NASCIO's vision to fully serve the public trust through the efficient and effective use of technology," NASCIO President and Missouri CIO Gerry Wethington said at the organization's annual meeting in New Orleans.
Virginia took home two prizes -- one in the communications infrastructure category for its "enhanced 911" project to pinpoint the locations of emergency calls on wireless telephones, and the other in the digital government category for a related mapping program.
The projects "are examples of a partnership that will go beyond its original focus to assist in a broad array of services and programs by other states and local agencies," Virginia Secretary of Technology George Newstrom said in a press release. Virginia has installed or is installing E911 equipment in all of its public-safety call centers and using the mapping program to display the geographic locations of callers.
Other winners of the NASCIO awards include: Michigan's electronic filing system for unemployment claims; New York's eMedNY data warehouse; and the Missouri Public Service Commission's e-filing and information system.
Missouri's Wethington also was honored by NASCIO on Tuesday for outstanding service, advocacy and leadership in state government. "As an innovator in Missouri and as a leader nationally, Gerry is always pushing towards new frontiers and breaking boundaries," Missouri Gov. Bob Holden said in a statement.
Wethington will leave his post as NASCIO president this year. Tom Jarrett, the secretary of technology and CIO for Delaware, was selected this week to succeed him.
In other news, Val Oveson, Utah's state chief information officer, was among the eight individuals who received an award for outstanding achievement at the state and local level from Governing Magazine. Oveson led a re-engineering of Utah's state technology systems in an effort to make them more user friendly.
Digital Center Honors State Web Portals
The Center for Digital Government, which provides research on state and local government technology initiatives, this month honored Maine, Indiana, Virginia, Delaware and Arizona with awards for having the best state government Web sites.
More than 300 public-sector Web sites entered the organization's annual "Best of the Web" contest, which judges state, city, county and education Web sites on their innovation, delivery of public services, efficiency, economy and functionality for improved citizen access.
"State governments are building powerhouse portals," Cathilea Robinett, the center's executive director, said in a statement. "Today's state government portals are extremely sophisticated yet very user friendly to citizens."
North Dakota Unveils Resource On ID Theft
North Dakota on Friday unveiled a online service that provides victims of identity theft with information and the forms they need to document the crime. "In the past, victims have faced a confusing and frustrating process alone," Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said. "Now, our office will be available for help and a source of information."
The Web site allows consumers to complete "identity-theft affidavits" for those who have difficulty obtaining police reports on the crimes. Completed forms will be filed by the attorney general's office, and consumers can use validated copies to prove they were victims of ID theft.
Stenehjem said he will propose legislation that would increase the penalties for ID theft, allow venues for cases to be consolidated into one county, extend the statute of limitations for such cases to six years, and create an official state certificate people can use to clear their names.
In other news, North Carolina secured more than $1.7 million in federal funds for its crime laboratories, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced Monday. The grants will enable researchers to analyze no-suspect rape kits for DNA and purchase new equipment. "We owe it to the victims and to our communities to give law enforcement full access to DNA technology to solve these cases and get criminals off the streets," Cooper said in a press release.
Pa. Tackles Online Sales-Tax Legislation
More than two dozen Pennsylvania lawmakers are backing recently introduced legislation, which would align the state with the plan drafted by the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP) to let states tax cross-border, online sales, according to The Daily Times.
The state's participation is "simply a matter of fundamental fairness," said Republican state Rep. David Steil, the bill's sponsor. The state has yet to join the SSTP because it requires authority from the legislature to do so. The bill, H.B. 2678, would give Pennsylvania "the power to be one of the implementing states," Steil said.
In other news, AP reports that Utah, the state that spearheaded SSTP, might not implement the program after all. State Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Curtis Bramble, a Republican, said there is a growing movement to delay streamlined sales-tax legislation.
Utah's law was set to take effect in July, but it was delayed until July 2005 following software problems. Now, business lobbyists are speaking against additional taxes on the delivery, installation and repair of equipment now exempt from sales taxes. Bramble said he supports SSTP but is concerned about such challenges.
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