Pennsylvania
Governor Proposes Health Plan for Teachers
Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is considering creating a statewide health plan for teachers and other school employees to save tax money and smooth contract talks between unions and school districts. He's also proposed having the state kick money into the plan. While the state provides subsidies to school districts each year, this would be the first time the state specifically shouldered a portion of health care costs.
Source: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Maryland
Labor Criticizes New Living Wage Law
State labor advocates are criticizing Maryland's so-called living wage law, saying it excludes so many contractors it leaves thousands of employees at the poverty level. Maryland is the first to require government contractors to pay their employees at least $11.30 per hour in urban areas and $8.50 in rural regions of the state. But the new law, which goes into effect on Oct. 1, will include only those workers under new state contracts of $100,000 or more, and many companies are exempt.
Source: Stateline.org

Mississippi
Casinos Leading Recovery on Gulf Coast
Rebounding casinos on Mississippi's Gulf Coast have relieved the double-digit unemployment rates and obliterated tax base that followed Hurricane Katrina, according to recent statistics by the Gulf Coast Business Council. Casinos have put more than 18,000 employees back to work in the gaming industry and contributed to the success of other businesses that have become part of an emerging economic renaissance. Annual retail sales in the three coastal counties have increased 61% since 2004.
Source: The Clarion-Ledger

West Virginia
State Chamber Issues Supreme Court Report Card
The state Supreme Court is continuing to make more business-friendly decisions, according to Court Watch, the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's annual report card on business-related decisions by the high court. This year's report shows that of the 14 cases examined from the fall 2006 and spring 2007 terms of the court, 10 were good for business and four were bad for business.
Source: The Charleston Daily Mail

Montana
Wages Rise But Remain Low Compared to Other States
Jobs are plentiful in Montana and wages have risen, but they remain low compared to pay in other states, an economist said after the state government's annual Labor Day Report on employment went to the governor. Wages increased 5% from 2005 to 2006 and among the states, Montana rose from 50th to 49th in wage rankings, said Brad Eldredge, chief economist in the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.
Source: The Billings Gazette

Texas
Governor Criticizes Congress Over Immigration
Leading a large delegation of Texas executives trying to drum up business in Mexico, Gov. Rick Perry (R) criticized the U.S. Congress for failing to pass an immigration bill that would legalize millions of workers. Perry said he supports a system that would temporarily legalize foreign workers, while making sure they pay taxes and obey the law.
Source: The Houston Chronicle

Nevada
Lawmakers Disagree Over Green Construction Breaks
Key legislators clashed over the meaning of proposed regulations designed to reduce the $900 million in state tax breaks businesses can receive for constructing environmentally friendly buildings. Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, (D-Las Vegas) said businesses seeking sales and property tax breaks must adhere to the criteria for "green construction" set out in a bill passed by the 2007 Legislature. But Senate Commerce and Labor Chairman Randolph Townsend (R-Reno) said companies which  relied on a 2005 green construction law should receive the tax breaks as well.
Source: The Las Vegas Review-Journal

Washington
New Tax Effort Could Hit Mid-Size Businesses Hardest
Mid-size businesses that have both storefront and Internet operations stand to be hit hard by a new state effort to boost tax collections and level the playing field between local businesses and out-of-state Internet and catalog retailers. The effort involves a new law that will change the state to a "destination-based" sales tax-collection system from one that's "origin-based" and is expected to cause bookkeeping and accounting headaches and expenses for those businesses.
Source: The Spokane Journal of Business