In Your Backyard - February 12, 2008

Arizona
Groups Vow Appeal After Court Upholds State Immigration Law
A federal judge upheld a controversial new Arizona law that mandates the closure of businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge Neil Wake rejected the arguments of business and immigrant-rights groups, which sued saying the law was an unconstitutional usurpation of the federal government's right to regulate immigration. Groups fighting the law, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said they would appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Source: Los Angeles Times

 

California
Regulators Want to Charge Businesses that Pollute
Air regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area are proposing to curb pollution by charging businesses a fee for emitting greenhouse gases. Under this plan, businesses from oil refineries to bakeries would pay 4.2 cents per metric ton of carbon dioxide released. The fees were proposed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and will be discussed over the next few months. A final vote by the group is expected in May.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle

 

Florida
State Chamber Lists Investment, Property Taxes as Session Priorities
The Florida Chamber of Commerce, holding its annual pre-legislative session meeting at the State Capitol, presented a 16-point "Agenda for Jobs." The statewide business group's wish list for 2008 includes state matching grants to attract innovative new businesses and continued efforts to hold down property insurance rates and property taxes.
Source: Tallahassee Democrat

 

New York
Governor Lowers State Budget Projections
Only three weeks after presenting its budget, Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (D) administration is lowering projections for tax revenue by $384 million because of increasingly ominous reports of distress on Wall Street and in the nation's economy. The primary causes for the new estimate are shrinking projections for Wall Street bonuses because of losses on subprime mortgages and lower-than-expected revenue from capital gains taxes on real estate transactions.
Source: The New York Times

 

Ohio
Governor Vows to Take Jobs Bond to Voters
Gov. Ted Strickland (D) said this week that he would take his $1.7 billion "Building Ohio Jobs" bond issue directly to voters in November if the General Assembly doesn't agree to place it on the ballot. Funds from the state bond would go toward the development of advanced and renewable energy, transportation infrastructure, the biomedical industry, farmland and open space preservation, brownfield reclamation, and downtown revitalization projects in cities and villages. The stimulus package, aimed at creating 80,000 jobs while spurring the state's stagnant economy, has drawn skepticism from some legislators.
Source: The Enquirer