News summaries
Budget chairman: Tolling and mileage tax still on table
The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee says Congress should not
rule out a mileage tax, tolling or public-private partnerships as
funding options for transportation no matter how unpopular they may
seem....U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who testified at the
hearing, said the administration is not keen on raising fuel taxes. But
it is keen on establishing a national infrastructure bank and
capitalizing on the momentum of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act...“Tolling is a way to pay for additional capacity where states
want to do that, and we need to look at that,” he said. “You can raise
a lot of money through the use of tolls. And we’ve talked about the
idea of public-private partnerships, where roads are going to be built.
There can be private dollars utilized.” Mike Joyce, director of
legislative affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers
Association, said OOIDA is ready for a good debate on funding. OOIDA is
against the tolling of existing capacity, but not necessarily against
tolls being used on new highways or lanes. Joyce said OOIDA remains
strongly opposed to the sale or long-term lease of infrastructure to
the private sector. “PPPs are still out there, and we’re going to fight
those and have active debates on them,” he said.
Land Line
Administrator defends NASA's new direction
It was the second time in two days that General Bolden had sought to
defend the administration's plans. On Wednesday, he appeared before the
Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Space... Notably, those
speaking out against the changes are not just members of Congress
representing Alabama, Florida and Texas -- the homes of the NASA
centers that would be most directly affected by the cancellation of the
rockets and spacecraft that make up the current program, known as
Constellation. ''I was against privatization in the Bush
administration,'' Representative David Wu, Democrat of Oregon, said at
Thursday's session. ''I am against privatization in the Obama
administration.'' Mr. Wu told General Bolden that he doubted there was
much profit for commercial companies beyond the NASA business. ''I
would encourage the administration and your agency to consider whether
this is premature, whether this is wise and whether this dooms us to a
future where there are no Americans in space, or at least the dominant
language in space is not English,'' Mr. Wu said.
The New York Times
AZ: Ariz includes prisons in property sales
Arizona completed $735 million in sale and lease-back deals for public
buildings and state properties, including several prison facilities, as
lawmakers attempt to close the state’s multibillion-dollar budget
deficit....Six buildings at the state prison complex in Florence and
the state police headquarters were among some of the notable properties
included in the offering, which also includes the tower that houses the
governor’s office. The sale and lease-back financing initiative
essentially means the government is using public buildings and
properties as collateral to back the borrowing. Under the scheme, the
state will continue to occupy the 14 buildings, leasing them back from
investors, with ownership returning to the state after a fixed period
of repayments. As part of a separate legislative budget-balancing
initiative, state authorities are considering generating revenue
through the outright sale of prisons and privatizing the prison system,
officials say.
Correctional News
OK: Okla. atty gen opposes sale of state workers' comp agency
A proposal to sell Oklahoma's workers' compensation insurance agency
could force businesses to pay higher rates and make the insurance
unaffordable for new and high-risk employers, Attorney General Drew
Edmondson said Wednesday. Edmondson, a Democratic candidate for
governor, said he opposes legislation pending in the House and Senate
that would put the agency, CompSource Oklahoma, up for sale. An actuary
who studied the agency last year said it could be worth up to $350
million. "This may be good for insurance companies. It is not good for
businesses in Oklahoma," Edmondson said. "They could be priced out."
The agency was created in 1933 to keep workers' compensation prices
competitive and to serve as a last resort for employers who could not
afford private insurance. "If that source disappears by being consumed
by the insurance industry, then I would be concerned about startup
companies being able to get workers' comp insurance," Edmondson said.
"It is not a good move for consumers."
The Talley
KY: Former inmate alleges rape at private prison
A former inmate at the beleaguered private women's prison in Eastern
Kentucky has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was repeatedly raped by
a prison employee in 2007. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in
Pikeville, alleges that the employee at the Otter Creek Correctional
Center forced her to engage in non-consensual sexual acts between March
and October 2007 and threatened to block her parole if she reported him
to authorities. The alleged victim also names Nashville-based
Corrections Corporation of America, which operates the prison under
contract with the state, and the Department of Corrections as
defendants. It alleges that they failed to properly screen, train and
supervise the employee...At least six workers at Otter Creek have been
charged with sex-related crimes involving inmates at the facility. Gov.
Steve Beshear announced last month that the state will move more than
400 women prisoners out of Otter Creek given the allegations of sexual
misconduct by male workers there. The women prisoners will be
transferred to the state-run Western Kentucky Correctional Complex in
Fredonia this summer, and the nearly 700 male inmates now there will be
moved to Otter Creek, which has more than 650 beds, and other prisons
in the state. CCA has been under fire since last summer after multiple
inmates at Otter Creek made allegations that they were sexually
assaulted by corrections officers and other workers there.
The Courier-Journal
