Planning for Emergencies
The hurricanes of 2005 left unprecedented destruction in the Gulf states. They also exposed flaws in disaster response. The governors of Louisiana and Mississippi called special sessions to deal with the crises there in late 2005. Other states will confront disaster readiness this session.
NCSL's Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will take a broad look at the issues. Ideas the group will explore include requiring stronger building codes, upgrading infrastructure, and establishing "State Guard" systems to be deployed when the National Guard is overseas.
Public health will be part of the equation as well. States will look at how hospitals can plan for catastrophic events, including a pandemic influenza outbreak. In an address to the National Press Club in October, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt called on every state and local government to develop a plan for a possible pandemic flu outbreak. For more information about public health, go to www.ncsl.org/programs/health/publich.htm.
GPS for Sex Offenders
The high-profile murders of 10-year-old Jessica Lunsford and 13-year-old Sarah Lunde in 2005 turned state and federal attention to sex crime laws. States passed more than 100 bills last session imposing longer sentences, banning "sex trafficking," requiring sex offenders to disclose more information when they register, and further restricting their activities.
The states' newest strategy is Global Positioning Satellite technology to track sex offenders' whereabouts at all times. Nine states passed laws employing GPS for this purpose in 2005, Florida among them. After the abduction, assault and murders of Jessica in February and Sarah in April, Florida revamped its laws.
Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, is campaigning in other states to get similar statutes adopted.
For more information on criminal justice issues, go to www.ncsl.org/programs/cj/crime.htm.
Dealing with Real ID
The state of Washington, which is home to just 4 percent of U.S. licensed drivers, estimates it will need to spend $45 million a year for the next six years to comply with the federal Real ID Act of 2005. And that's just for the parts of the law already set in stone. States aren't sure exactly what is required of them, because all the rules haven't been written yet. Nevertheless, they must comply by May 2008.
Many states have not been in session since the passage of Real ID, which aims to standardize driver's licenses and the process through which states administer them. Licensing noncommercial drivers historically has been the purview of the states. Real ID changes that, but provides minimal funding to accomplish its mandates.
A few things that are certain at this point: The 11 states without laws that require drivers to prove they are in the country legally must develop them, and the 10 states that accept certain foreign documents as identification to obtain a license must ban that practice. States, beginning this year, will also have to establish ways to authenticate documents that residents present as identification when seeking a driver's license. And they will have to make licenses more difficult to duplicate.
NCSL's summary of the federal legislation is online at www.ncsl.org/standcomm/sctran/realidsummary05.htm.
