Connecticut
State Moves Forward With Education Reform
The State Board of Education has approved a costly but scaled-back proposal to remake Connecticut high schools, arguing that tough economic times make it even more important to change the way students are educated. The proposal, which would increase the state's high school graduation requirements and mandate end-of-course exams, is projected to cost $183.9 million over the next eight years. The proposal was developed in response to concerns that increasing numbers of students leave high school unprepared. The approved version was somewhat scaled back from a plan proposed last year, in part because of concerns about the $300 million state budget deficit.
Source: The Hartford Courant

Minnesota
State Gas Tax Rises 3 Cents
The state has increased its gas tax for the third time this year to just over $0.25 per gallon. In September, the gas tax went up $0.03 per gallon, following a $0.02 rise in April and another half-cent per gallon bump in August. The tax will continue to climb over the next four years until it totals $0.28 per gallon. The tax increases will generate $128-million per year and will help fund the transportation spending plan enacted by the Legislature in February, including funds for bridge repairs and new road construction.
Source: Keloland TV

New Jersey
Corzine Enacts Bills to Bolster Workers' Compensation Program
Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has signed into law a package of bills designed to mend flaws in New Jersey's $1.8 billion-a-year workers' compensation insurance program. Among other things, the measures give workers' compensation judges new powers to enforce their orders, make the failure to provide workers' comp a criminal offense, and give the business and labor communities a say in the Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau, an insurance-dominated panel that helps set workers compensation insurance premiums. 
Source: The Star-Ledger

New York
Seeking Federal Grants to Save Jobs in Danger
Expecting the loss of as many as 120,000 jobs in the region because of the financial crisis emanating from Wall Street, state officials are preparing to ask for more than $60 million in federal aid. New York will seek $10 million to help those who are laid off find new jobs or develop skills to change careers. The state plans to ask for an additional grant of $50 million to preserve, through subsidies, jobs lost or threatened by the financial crisis.
Source: The New York Times

North Dakota
Survey: State Stays Ahead of Regional Economy
A monthly survey of business executives shows that North Dakota is staying ahead of the inflation and job losses that are weighing on the economy in nine Midwest and Plains states. The report by the Creighton Economic Forecasting Group also suggested that the region's economy won't be growing in the coming months. However, North Dakota's overall index in September remained strong and unchanged from August, in part because of the state's energy sector.
Source: Associated Press