Highlights: House Speaker short votes; Right-to-Work showdown may be put off; PA Lawmakers at odds over bill to revise benefits for jobless; Republican facing criticism over SB 5 vote to leave Senate; MN: Dayton vetoes GOP budget, says shutdown is likely; MI: Gov. Snyder to sign controversial tax bill Wednesday; TN: Teachers union asks Haslam to veto bargaining bill; Maine House rejects bill to increase minimum wage; US: Most Americans oppose GOP plan to cut Medicaid; In Texas, Cap Metro labor bill headed to governor; full Scrooge Alert here: http://dailyscroogealert.blogspot.com/

All Around

Collective Bargaining Curbs Spread Across The U.S.

Jim DeMint's race to the bottom

US: Most Americans oppose GOP plan to cut Medicaid
Most Americans oppose the House Republicans' plan to overhaul and slash funding of Medicaid, the state-federal program that covers 56 million low-income people, according to a poll being released today.

US: States collect more taxes, but troubles remain
States had strong growth in tax collections during the first quarter of the year, but still collected less money than they did before the recession began, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

State workers to pay more for health benefits
The bill has been excoriated by the powerful Massachusetts public employee unions, which accused House members of betraying them with “Wisconsin-esque” behavior, referring to the measure that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for Wisconsin ...

Minnesota

MN: Dayton vetoes GOP budget, says shutdown is likely
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton a predicted a "strong likelihood" of a state government shutdown Tuesday after vetoing the Republican-controlled Legislature's budget and guaranteeing that a special session would be necessary to craft a new one.

Pennsylvania

House passes budget

A House Republican budget that partially restores Gov. Tom Corbett's cuts to public and higher education by carving funding out of social welfare programs is on its way to the state Senate.

Lawmakers at odds over bill to revise benefits for jobless

State lawmakers took steps Tuesday toward ensuring the 45,000 Pennsylvanians receiving extended unemployment compensation continue to get benefits.

Pennsylvania bill to overhaul unemployment system bogs down in House

An employer-backed bill to overhaul Pennsylvania's unemployment compensation system stalled Tuesday in the state House of Representatives, while the Senate was poised to consider a less sweeping alternative.

Bill requires contractors to prove workers are legal

Contractors bidding on publicly financed construction projects in the state will have to verify electronically that employees are legal immigrants before they can undertake any project.

Ohio

Republican facing criticism over SB 5 vote to leave Senate
Columbus Dispatch
Jimmy Stewart, an Albany Republican who was facing heavy criticism from parts of his nine-county southeastern Ohio district for his vote in favor of the bill slashing collective-bargaining rights for public workers, told the Senate president yesterday ...

Ohio lawmakers set to approve election overhaul legislation
Plain Dealer
But Democrats say the proposal, particularly the limits on early voting, is outright voter suppression that will weaken turnout within their base just ahead of a referendum vote on Senate Bill 5, the controversial collective bargaining law approved ...

Kasich doesn't expect rising state revenue to ease budget cuts

Even if revenue improves, local governments and schools should not expect much relief from the cuts proposed in the two-year state budget, Gov. John Kasich said yesterday as he again stressed the need for governments to become more efficient

New Hampshire

House Speaker short votes; Right-to-Work showdown may be put off
Nashua Telegraph
John Lynch over a right-to-work bill set for today could be put off, officials said. Publicly and privately, leading Republican legislators and pro-right-to-work organizations confided Tuesday that O'Brien was “five to 10 votes short” of the two-thirds

Delay for right-to-work vote?

After two weeks of frenetic lobbying by labor, business and politicians, a vote to override Gov. John Lynch's veto of the so-called right-to-work bill may be postponed Wednesday. Speaker of the House William O'Brien said Tuesday that he will delay a vote on House Bill 474 if he doesn't think he has the two-thirds supermajority needed to override.

Michigan

Gov. Snyder co-signs letter supporting trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea

Gov. Rick Snyder, along with 24 other governors from around the country, signed his name to a letter urging President Obama and Congress to expand trade agreements to grow the economy.

Michigan Senate OKs plan cutting university funding by 15 percent

Michigan's public universities face a 15 percent cut in state aid for operations and a stricter, four-year limit on welfare benefits would be adopted under terms of budget bills passed Tuesday by the Republican-led state Senate.

MI: Gov. Snyder to sign controversial tax bill Wednesday
Gov. Rick Snyder will sign his landmark tax overhaul legislation Wednesday in Lansing. Scrapping the Michigan Business Tax, one of the key elements of the overhaul, was the centerpiece of Snyder's campaign for governor.

Maine

Maine House rejects bill to increase minimum wage

The Maine House of Representatives, along sharp party lines, voted down a bill Tuesday that sought to increase the state's minimum wage by 25 cents next year and by 50 cents two years from now.

Nevada

NV: Nevada Democrats all but surrender hope for new taxes
Emotional Democrats all but surrendered hope for new taxes Tuesday as they dramatically slashed their state spending wish list.

Texas

Deal on cutting school funds elusive

Legislative leaders continued to look for a compromise school funding plan Tuesday to allocate $4 billion worth of public school cuts they say is necessary to avoid a special session this summer.

Cap Metro labor bill headed to governor

Legislation shaking up Capital Metro's labor situation forcing it to either outsource all bus services or bring all workers in-house is on its way to Gov. Rick Perry for his signature.

Illinois

Groups: Identify teachers who attended Wis. protests
Chicago Tribune
Scott Walker's plan to end collective bargaining for most state employees. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that it's unclear how many of the state's 424 districts received requests for names, but that many have released them. ...

Tennessee

TN: Teachers union asks Haslam to veto bargaining bill
The Tennessee Education Association's president is urging Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to veto GOP-backed legislation that strips the 52,000-member teachers' union of its collective bargaining powers, saying teachers "feel totally demoralized and disrespected."

Delay for right-to-work vote?

http://www.theunionleader.com/

By TOM FAHEY
State House Bureau Chief

Published May 24, 2011 at 8:30 pm (Updated May 24, 2011)

CONCORD — After two weeks of frenetic lobbying by labor, business and politicians, a vote to override Gov. John Lynch's veto of the so-called right-to-work bill may be postponed Wednesday.

Speaker of the House William O'Brien said Tuesday that he will delay a vote on House Bill 474 if he doesn't think he has the two-thirds supermajority needed to override.

“I remain cautiously optimistic,” O'Brien said, noting he's closed a significant gap in gaining votes. Skeptics said the fact that O'Brien is admitting he may have to put off the vote speaks volumes about his ability to deliver an override.

HB 474 prevents unions from collecting agency fees from non-union members.

Unions and union supporters, who oppose right-to-work legislation, call the payments “fair-share” fees meant to cover the costs of negotiating and enforcing labor contracts they say cover members and non-members alike. They argue court rulings prevent forced membership, claiming that's not an issue.

Those who favor right-to-work say it prevents workers from being forced into unions and from having to pay these unfair fees.

HB 474 supporters say the state will see a burst of job growth if the bill becomes law, and point to other right-to-work states as proof. Critics say right-to-work brings lower-paying jobs with fewer benefits, and that it sticks the nose of government into contract talks between labor and management.

If HB 474 becomes law, New Hampshire would be the 23rd state, and the first in the Northeast, to adopt the principle.

When the right-to-work issue first came before the House in February, it passed 221-131, 14 votes shy of a two-thirds supermajority.

The number of votes necessary to override Lynch's veto will vary depending on how many House members cast votes. If 360 people show up and vote, it will take 240 to override. Those who say they can't vote with O'Brien have been asked to consider leaving the hall before the vote to lower the number needed to get to two-thirds.

If today's vote is postponed, that means more phone calls, e-mails and meetings for House members.

Rep. Mary Griffin, R-Salem, said she is used to taking calls from voters, but the last two weeks have been something else.

“Last night was the worst,” Griffin said Tuesday. “It's almost aggravating, to the point where I am tempted to change my mind.”

Like O'Brien, House Minority Leader Terie Norelli, D-Portsmouth, said she is “cautiously optimistic.” In her case, she's hoping that the veto will be sustained.

Democrats are united behind Lynch, she said, “and we are certainly working across the aisle with Republicans who also care about working families in our state.”

O'Brien said in a Sunday email to House members that the significance of this vote is larger than just right-to-work. Now it's “whether policy in New Hampshire will be set by a Republican supermajority or by a Democratic governor,” O'Brien wrote. He warned that if the override fails, Lynch “will feel emboldened to veto more bills that are central to our party and critical to reform.” He mentioned parental notification, retirement reform and the budget bill as examples.

Outside groups from both sides have worked the phones and emails hard, including supporters — the Business and Industry Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses — and opponents, the AFL-CIO, NEA-New Hampshire, the State Employees Association, police and firefighters unions.

John Kalb, representing the New England Citizens for Right to Work, said, “Obviously, it's very tight. There's always people missing and who those people are will have an effect on how the vote turns out.”

Mark MacKenzie, president of the AFL-CIO, said he has never seen such a concerted effort by labor on a single issue. “I think we've done everything we can possibly do on this,” he said. “It will be a really close vote, no question about it.”

Last week, Republicans lost an early round in a special election in O'Brien's House district. Rep. Jennifer Daler, D-Temple, prevailed over Peter Kucmas, R-New Boston, who was helped by Kalb. Daler said she will vote to sustain Lynch's veto, forcing O'Brien to find two more votes to offset hers.