WEST | regional roundup
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The West
© Corbis/Kino Brod
MEDICAL MARIJUANA REFERENDUM Montana voters will decide in November whether to keep or repeal a restrictive medical marijuana law passed last year. The 2011 law created a much more limited medical marijuana program than the one the state has had in place since 2004. More than 36,000 voters signed petitions to put the referendum on the November 2012 ballot, the Independent Record of Helena reported.
CAPITOL RENOVATIONS
Colorado State Workers Mixed on Job Satisfaction they had confidence in leaders and 35 percent agreed that leaders give a clear picture of direction. Eric Brown, a spokesman for the governor, said the administration will use the survey results as a starting point for making improvements. “We look forward to the next step of engaging employees to talk about the results and to helping create a better workplace for everyone,” he told The Denver Post. The survey, released in November, cost more than $200,000 to send out electronically to nearly 100,000 state employees—full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal—from all branches, according to The Denver Post. Of the 100,000 employees surveyed, 20,466 responded to the survey. Brown said the governor’s office was very encouraged by the number of employees participating in the survey.
CENSUS DATA Nearly one of every two AfricanAmerican children in Oregon lives in poverty, U.S. Census data reported in November found. The Oregonian in Portland reported that 49.3 percent of the state’s 20,000 African-American children fell under the poverty level in 2010. The state’s AfricanAmerican population has been troubled by double-digit unemployment rates for more than three decades, the newspaper reported.
ORGANIC FOODS Hawaiian farmers and produce handlers have received close to $100,000 from the federal government to help them become certified to grow and handle organic foods, The Associated Press reported. The state’s Department of Agriculture will use the funds to reimburse farmers for inspections and certification. The money also will be used to create a program to help companies become certified as organic processors and handlers.
11 CAPITOL IDEAS
Job satisfaction of Colorado state workers is mixed, according to a survey conducted by Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office. An overwhelming 93 percent of respondents agreed that the work they do is important, while 83 percent agreed that they are held accountable for the work they do. Seventy-nine percent of respondents said their work gives them a feeling of personal accomplishment; while 78 percent agreed their supervisors treat them with respect. Employees weren’t shy about sharing their negative job experiences with the administration. Only 35 percent agreed they were satisfied with the opportunities for growth and advancement, while 30 percent agreed when asked if workers have the “capacity to act on innovative ideas.” Workers also questioned leadership in their agencies. Only 43 percent said
Wyoming state officials are considering a new $70 million office building near the current capitol to house year-round workers, according to The Associated Press. The State Building Commission recommended setting aside $4.4 million for design of the building last October. The appropriation is expected to be considered at some point during the 2012 budget session. Officials also are exploring how to make up to $60 million in indoor improvements to the existing capitol building.
HEALTH CARE Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced a plan in November to temporarily restore the state’s subsidized health insurance program, KidsCare. According to The Arizona Republic, the state froze enrollment in the program in January 2010 to help close a budget deficit. Under the new proposal, which must be approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, money will be pooled from Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Maricopa Integrated Health System and the University of Arizona Health Network in order to receive extra federal funds. The temporary plan would allow more than 19,200 children to enroll in KidsCare.
» JAN / FEB 2012
learn more about these and other in the Western Region, visit: Todevelopments capitolideas.csg.org and www.csgwest.org.
