Something in the water must be affecting Republican primaries in Nevada. Hot on the heels of the “chickens for checkups” incident roiling the U.S. Senate race, an incumbent State Senator has been caught on tape allegedly offering to bribe the parents of a rape victim in an effort to protect the man who was convicted in the case:

A Las Vegas woman said Thursday that state Sen. Dennis Nolan showed signs of "complete insanity" by offering her money if she would tell the truth about a rape involving her ex-husband and sister. (…)

In the message, he talks about making it "very financially beneficial" if Lawes would tell the truth about the 2008 court case in which her then-husband, Gordon Lawes, now 29, was convicted of raping her then 16-year-old sister. Gordon Lawes received a prison sentence of at least 10 years.

Amazingly, the audio recording of Nolan allegedly offering the bribe and engaging in possible witness tampering was not obtained through any special efforts. Nolan left the message himself on the Lawes family’s answering machine. And, so there’s no doubt about the content and context of that message, you can listen for yourself below:

Nolan served as a character witness at the defendant’s trial, and Nolan still makes the argument today that the 16-year-old girl was not raped at all because (he claims) she consented and then failed to tell the truth at trial (16 is the age of consent in Nevada). The girl’s family was understandably outraged by the claim:

[Tim] Anderson said that his daughter "was passed out drunk when Gordon raped her. She couldn't consent to anything."

Jaime Lawes said Thursday that Nolan's allegations are ridiculous.

"I stated the truth on the witness stand," Lawes said. "My ex-husband Gordon confessed to the rape. I stand by my story because in fact a rape took place."

Amazingly, despite a flood of calls from Republican voters angry about Nolan's conduct, the Republican Party of Nevada is refusing to call for his resignation or withdrawal from his re-election bid. Chairman Mark Amodei would only go so far as to say "Dennis Nolan needs to do some soul searching."

We think he needs to do more than soul-searching. We think he needs to resign, immediately. If you agree, click here to add your voice to the call.

There was an embarrassing turn of events for Arizona Republicans this week, as one of their 7th District State Senate Candidates was struck from the ballot denied public campaign financing and fined $20,000 for allegedly submitting fraudulent documents in his request for public campaign matching funds:

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission decertified a Senate candidate after finding that dozens of his $5 contribution forms had been allegedly forged. The commission voted at its May 20 meeting to decertify Robert Green and fine him $20,000.

Under Arizona law, candidates are eligible to receive public matching funds based on the number of $5 contributions they can raise. More than half of Green’s contributions (142 of them) were disqualified by the Clean Elections Commission. The Green campaign is appealing the Commission's decision (and some of those invalidated contributions were apparently re-allowed), but there is no word on whether a reversal is likely before the Republican primary.

The public campaign finance system in Arizona is easily one of the most robust in the nation, and the state’s Clean Elections Commission has broad powers to reprimand, fine, or disqualify candidates who violate campaign finance laws. The Commission can even vote to expel a sitting legislator, as it did to a Republican State Representative last year, if it finds sufficient evidence of campaign finance violations in his or her last campaign. That case is only now wrapping up after a lengthy appeal by the legislator.

Republican Senators voted last year to kill the public-finance system through a ballot measure, a move unanimously opposed by Democratic Senators. That resolution has not been passed by the State House.

The Republicans have two other candidates in the 7th District, based in the northern suburbs of Phoenix, and the eventual nominee will face Democrat Eric Shelley in November.

Update: "Decertify" apparently doesn't mean what we thought it meant in this context. Green is still on the ballot but will not have access to public financing. The post has been updated to reflect that.

State-level Republicans’ phony lawsuits and unconstitutional bills seeking to nullify federal health care reform are getting all the attention these days. But away from the headlines, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that states will be key participants in making health care reform effective.

That’s the message we interpreted from the National Conference of State Legislatures, which recently briefed members of the Maine Legislature about how the new reform law will impact their legislative duties in the years ahead:

“This is going to be quite a ride for you,” said Joy Johnson Wilson of the National Conference of State Legislatures, speaking to the [Maine Legislature’s] 17-member Joint Select Committee on Health Care Reform Opportunities at the group’s first meeting in the Taxation Committee Room at the State House.

Johnson was the first of several presenters in an inaugural daylong session aimed at helping committee members understand the many interwoven provisions of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Johnson stressed that while the legislation is now the law of the land, many of its details, rules and regulations will continue to evolve in the months ahead.

In addition, Johnson said, each state will adapt the law to integrate with existing programs and policies.

“This is generic legislation that cannot affect all states in the same way,” she said.

Maine, of course, has already passed a law providing early implementation of a key part of the federal reform law – the ban on benefit caps. Many other Democratic-controlled legislatures have passed bills to speed up or strengthen other parts of the federal reforms within their states, and we expect more such efforts in the months and years ahead.

But we’re also beginning to understand that the federal reform bill’s various incentives and pilot program options (as well as the need to “adapt” the bill to fit existing programs) will offer individual states new opportunities to influence the effectiveness of the reforms for their citizens.

If there’s one lesson the last few months have taught us, it’s that Democrats will use those opportunities to make health care reform as good as it can be. Republicans, on the other hand, will use anything and everything as an excuse to gum up the works.

The greater lesson is that the fight for health care reform is still far from over, and if we want health care reform to succeed, we have to elect state legislators who want the same thing.

The statistics say the recession is over, but to every American still struggling to support their family, those statistics are a lie. That’s why Democratic leaders in states all across America keep fighting for new legislation to attract good-paying jobs. But a few of those efforts stand out:

• Iowa led the way with an historic government efficiency plan expected to save at least $270 million, all of which is now being used to create jobs through clean energy projects, low-cost loans and financial training for small businesses, and dozens of other new job-creation plans.
  
  

• Wisconsin lawmakers passed at least 50 separate bills this year to boost job growth, including everything from new development incentives and job training programs to tax credits for cornerstone Wisconsin industries like dairy production.
  
  

• Washington State passed a bill to use tax credits to attract high-tech jobs in computer and data management. Each new project could mean thousands of construction jobs in the short term and even more high-paying technology jobs for years to come.
  
  

• Connecticut is adding a temporary small business hiring tax credit, to help convince local businesses that now is the time to start hiring new employees.

This is just a tiny sample of the Democratic-led effort to make sure Main Street families get to share the economic recovery. And this is one fight Democrats in all 50 states are determined to support.

Sadly, much of the opposition to bills like these (where there was any opposition at all) came from Republicans. And many of the best ideas for creating jobs never even come to a vote in states where Republicans control the legislature.

There are no silver bullets that will fix the entire economy overnight. But even the smallest idea can make a huge difference for a family on the brink of losing everything.

The end of the Colorado legislative session also marked the end of another Democrat’s historic reign as Speaker. Terrance D. Carroll, who is unable to run for re-election because of term limits, served his final day as State house Speaker last week:

The grandson of a sharecropper, Carroll has the distinction of serving as Colorado's first black House speaker. Although his term doesn't expire until early January, he banged the gavel on Wednesday for the last time during the regular session. (…)

Carroll became a lawmaker in March 2003, when he was appointed to the seat held by Rep. Peter Groff, who resigned to take Penfield Tate's seat in the Senate.

Groff would go on to become the first black president of the state Senate. When House Democrats elected Carroll speaker two days after the November 2008 election, Colorado made history.

That history, of course, is as the first U.S. State to have both of its legislative chambers led by African-Americans – at least since Reconstruction and possibly ever.

But beyond making history, Speaker Carroll earned bipartisan praise for his fairness in leading the chamber:

Rep. Amy Stephens of Monument, the House GOP caucus chair, praised Carroll on three fronts: his fairness, devotion to his late mother and fashion sense.

"Terrance has always been one of my favorite people," she said.

At only 41, and with other experience as an attorney, police officer, and ordained minister, we expect Speaker Carroll will continue to find ways to serve the people of Colorado. And we wish him and his family all the best.

With everything else on the ballot this past Tuesday (several high-profile congressional and gubernatorial primaries, as well as the PA-12 special election), the Pennsylvania State House primaries went somewhat under the radar. But as the Pottstown Mercury explains, the results in some key races have put Democrats in a significantly better position to hold the chamber this November:

Lehigh County Republican Rep. Karen Beyer lost to a 23-year-old upstart who attacked her for supporting budget deals negotiated by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and for collecting taxpayer-funded perks.

Rep. Mike Gerber, D-Montgomery, his caucus' leading campaign strategist, said he was encouraged by the results in Beyer's race, as well as the Republican primary for the Williamsport-area district currently held by freshman Rep. Rick Mirabito, D-Lycoming.

In the Williamsport race, the Republican who Mirabito beat two years ago defeated a more moderate candidate who last held the seat.

Gerber said he also was pleased with the quality of his party's winners in multi-candidate races to fill vacancies. Those races will largely determine which party claims the majority come January. Republicans are working to regain majority control of the House, currently held 104-to-99 by the Democrats (...)

As a rule, the DLCC generally does not get directly involved in primary elections. However, we share Rep. Gerber’s enthusiasm for the Democratic winners in open-seat contests (there are 19 open seats in the State House this year), and we agree that Democrats are more likely now to hold the House than we were two days ago.

Rep. Gerber also serves as the Treasurer of the DLCC's Board of Directors.

Holding the Pennsylvania House is one of the top Democratic priorities this year because of Redistricting. Republicans dominated the state’s redistricting process in 2000 and drew one of the ugliest Republican gerrymanders in the country. The Republican-drawn congressional maps forced six incumbent Democrats to run against each other and turned a one-seat Republican advantage in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation into a five-seat advantage.

Democrats fought back in 2006 and 2008, helped by demographic changes and a poisonous national climate for Republicans, but right now the Democratic State House is the key to preventing Republicans from wiping out those gains all over again.

First-term Republican State Senator Roger Kahn is proving to be particularly wrathful in his dealings with other legislators and staffers. In the latest incident, when a legislative aide realized he’d left the Senator’s car keys in a capitol office, he was repaid with a street-corner shouting session and a shattered cell phone, courtesy of the short-tempered legislator:

Kahn was spotted by witnesses “angrily shouting” at the aide on a Lansing street near the Capitol about 2:30 a.m. when he told the lawmaker he didn’t have the keys and may have left them in another Republican senator’s office. Kahn would not name the employee.

The article said state Sen. Glenn Anderson, D-Westland, one of his aides and a Secretary of the Senate’s staff member saw Kahn snatch the cell phone from the aide “and threw it to the ground stomping on it.”

Kahn seemed so agitated Anderson had attempted to calm the lawmaker, Gongwer reported. Kahn eventually returned to the Capitol building and had a “spirited” discussion with Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester. Anderson said he had picked up a piece of the cell phone off the ground, the story said.

Kahn allegedly also became physical during the incident:

Late Monday, Senate Democratic Caucus spokesman Alex Rossman released a statement, based on information he said he received from witnesses, that alleged Kahn "grabbed" and "physically shook" the staff member after he couldn't produce the senator's car keys. Kahn has denied any physical contact.

If true, this is a serious allegation. If a private citizen ever tried to “physically shake” a lawmaker and destroy the lawmaker’s property, that person would likely be facing battery charges.

But this isn’t the first time Kahn has gotten into trouble for his temper. In fact, he’s quickly earning a reputation as a lawmaker with a short fuse and a disturbing pattern of conduct unbecoming of an elected official.

In June of 2009, he was investigated for allegedly physically threatening a 72-year-old Democratic lawmaker in an elevator in the capitol building. According to Democratic Senator Irma Clark-Coleman’s account of the incident, Kahn had to be restrained by another Republican Senator.

At the time, the Republican Senate Majority Leader refused to investigate further. Now that Kahn is in the news again for similar behavior, the Majority Leader’s spokesperson is telling local media that, once again, there will be no investigation.

With the last few mail-in Census forms coming in (at a robust 72% participation rate nation-wide), over 630,000 census-takers are now fanning out to count households that haven responded. And individual states are finding their own unique ways to reach those last few residents:

Behind the scenes, the federal government placed a greater emphasis on partnering with local organizations to get the message out. State and local governments have used a similar approach. Stacey Cumberbach, the head of New York City’s 2010 census office, says working with trusted leaders in different communities and across city government has helped the city boost its mail-in rates from 57 percent a decade ago to 60 percent this year. (…)

In Minnesota, [state demographer Tom] Gillaspy took advantage of a few other opportunities offered for the first time by the Census Bureau. In February, the state compared the numbers of addresses it had on its list for every block against the census’ count. Where there were big differences, the state asked the Census Bureau to double check its list of addresses.

Later this summer, Minnesota officials plan to compare state data for the capacity of group quarters — including prisons, nursing homes, halfway homes and dormitories — against the population count the census came up with in those facilities. If there’s a large difference, the Census Bureau will go back to recount the population there.

The stakes are higher in Minnesota than elsewhere, as the latest projections indicate Minnesota could keep or lose one of its congressional districts by as few as 1,000 residents.

But the Census is important for every community – each individual left uncounted costs his or her local government thousands of dollars that would have gone to support schools, police and fire protection, and a whole host of other essential services.

And of course, a complete Census count will be critical as states begin re-drawing congressional and legislative districts in 2011.

Republicans in Iowa are upset that their state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage went down in flames three months ago. But really, keeping gay couples and their children out of family-designated campsites? That’s just petty:

Plans to allow married same-sex couples to qualify as families for camping permits reflects an “insidious pattern” of state agencies seeking to change rules to benefit such couples, an Iowa lawmaker charged Monday.

Sen. Merlin Bartz, a Republican from Grafton, opposes same-sex marriage and was troubled that the Department of Natural Resources would propose the new rules. He said the changes, considered Monday by a legislative committee, follow similar moves by state agencies that oversee public pensions and income taxes.

The proposed change would allow married same-sex couples with children to stay in family designated camping areas and have more than one tent or trailer on a single site.

Iowa, of course, is currently one of the only marriage equality states in America. Sen. Bartz’ antics, if successful in causing the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to reverse course, would mean that same-sex spouses enjoy all the same rights and responsibilities as other married couples -- except the right to a family camping permit.

Here at the DLCC, we applaud the state of Iowa’s “insidious pattern” of treating all married couples equally -- as they should be. We're also generally puzzled about why camping, of all issues, is where Republicans have decided to draw the line on equality.

But Iowa Democrats are holding firm, and they're certainly not intimidated by this latest ploy. We’ll let the Iowa Senate President have the last word on Bartz’ objections:

“Who the h--l[sic] cares what the relationship is?” Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, asked during a hearing on the issue Monday before the interim Administrative Rules Review Committee, which didn't vote on the change. “To me it's a non-issue.”

This is definitely a must-see video. But first, here’s the back-story of how State Rep. Mike Turner, the Democratic Caucus Chair in the Tennessee State House, found himself wading through neck-deep floodwaters to rescue individuals stranded in the flood:

A resolution honoring Turner, a local fire captain, was read Wednesday on the House floor.

Before the resolution was read, footage from a local television station showed Turner in water up to his neck using an inflatable air mattress to rescue people stuck in a flooding apartment complex in east Nashville.

That video is from the local WZTV news station in Nashville – Rep. Turner is the first man shown ferrying people through the water:

Congratulations to Rep. Turner for the State House resolution honoring his bravery, and thank you, Rep. Turner, for all your service to the people of Tennessee – in the legislature and, in this case, in the middle of the devastating flooding.

File this under “be careful what you wish for.” Over the weekend, Maine Republicans’ state convention was overwhelmed by Tea Party activists attending as delegates. But excitement turned to farce when those delegates voted to replace the official party platform with their own, which includes many of the fringiest fringe ideas on the right:

The official platform includes lines that encourage the party to "discard political correctness," "seal the border and protect U.S. citizens along the border and everywhere," pass and implement a bill introduced by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, intending to end the Federal Reserve, "defeat Cap and Trade (sic)," "clarify that health care is not a right," and "repeal and prohibit any participation in efforts to create a one world government."

But keeping Maine vigilant against black helicopters wasn’t the only laugh-line of the convention. Another plank of the Tea-Party-inspired platform would add a legal requirement that lawmakers read every bill before voting on it. That’s where the Republican Party’s true principles shined through, because:

Ironically, many delegates, lawmakers and at least one gubernatorial candidate said they had not read the amendment before it appeared on screen and was voted on, although Cowan said that he provided convention organizers with a copy of the amendment Friday morning.

This is the party that will run Maine’s government if the Republicans take back control in 2010. Voters should remember that before heading to the polls.

All fifty states are dealing with a tough economy and tough budget choices. But when award-winning teachers are getting laid off in the middle of Teacher Appreciation Week, as they are in Indiana, that’s a pretty unmistakable sign that state budget cuts have gone too far:

Honorees at a Statehouse ceremony recognizing Indiana teachers Thursday included two who face losing their jobs following $300 million in state education spending cuts. (…)

[Jackie] Macal, 24, an English teacher at Batchelor Middle School, was one of six people recognized by state Superintendent Tony Bennett as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The honor was a high point but comes at a troubling time for Macal, whose job at the middle school was her first full-time teaching position.

Gaylene Hayden, one of 150 teachers who received layoff notices from Tippecanoe school district in Lafayette, sat at the ceremony with her husband, Jason, who also lost his job with an automated payroll company last week.

Indiana was the site of one of the messier budget battles in the country, as the Democratic-controlled State House (led by Speaker and DLCC Board Member Pat Bauer) fought to save as much of Indiana’s public school system as possible from budget cuts demanded by the Republican Governor and State Senate.

Even with the narrow Democratic advantage in the State House to keep the Republicans in check, the Indiana State Teachers Association predicts that 5,000 to 7,000 teachers and support staff will be laid off statewide because of the cuts. Had the Republicans had free-rein to pass whatever budget they wanted, the situation would be much, much worse.

Sadly, the Republican strategy of cutting education will do long-term damage to our economy and society. Good schools are one of the most important keys to long-term business development and job creation. And of course, a good education is a key determinant of every individual child’s future.

The Democratic sponsor of Hawaii’s civil unions may face a tougher than normal re-election fight in the wake of the April 29th vote to grant gays and lesbians the right to join civil unions. Still, State Rep. Blake Oshiro was heartened by the outcome:

It was really heartwarming to me, to know that at the end of the day people are willing to do what they need to do, do what they came here to do, and not just worry about keeping their jobs.

Rep. Oshiro, who is openly gay, rarely discusses his sexuality with the media, but he made an exception when discussing this bill and what it means to him in an interview with Honolulu’s KITV News. Video of that interview is available here.

Meanwhile, the DLCC is continuing our petition drive asking Governor Lingle to sign the bill. The latest reports say the Governor is “up in the air” about what she’s going to do (her description). She’s planning a series of meetings with community leaders and is asking for more public input before making the decision.

So if you haven’t already:
Click here to sign the petition!

Last year, the Democratic-controlled Colorado Legislature passed the Health Care Affordability Act, seeking to extend Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands of Coloradans who would otherwise go uninsured. The law went into effect in April, with impressive results:

The point of the Health Care Affordability Act, considered Gov. Bill Ritter's most significant health care reform, is to create a pot of money through hospital fees that would draw matching federal money. The state is using the additional money — expected to reach $1.2 billion annually — to provide more Coloradans with health insurance, as well as pay back hospitals for treating patients who are either uninsured or on Medicaid.

Many hospitals, especially those that treat a large number of indigent patients or those on Medicaid, actually end up with a net gain of millions of dollars through the program, even when accounting for the new fees. But the plan also does a good job of minimizing any overall losses absorbed by hospitals that see a net loss:

Centura Health's Adventist hospitals — Porter, Avista, Littleton and Parker — will lose a combined $6.3 million through the hospital fee. Still, the 12-hospital Centura system comes out winning, with a net gain of about $4.4 million.

"The state did a very nice job of trying to limit the losers," said Randy Safady, Centura's chief financial officer. "We have a number of losing hospitals and we have a number of winning hospitals."

Overall, the new law is expected to help about 67,500 more Coloradans receive health insurance, filling a key need for many of those individuals until the federal reform law is fully implemented in 2014.

On April 29th, the Hawaii Legislature overwhelmingly passed House Bill 444, which grants same-sex couples in civil unions "the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities" as those enjoyed by married couples.

Republican Governor Linda Lingle is reportedly undecided about whether to sign or veto Hawaii's civil unions bill. Her decision could come any day.

The DLCC is collecting petitions asking that the civil unions bill be signed. Click here to add your voice!

IF SIGNED INTO LAW, this bill will dramatically improve the lives of thousands of Hawaii families, and it will help add momentum to the nation-wide movement for equal rights.

IF VETOED, it could be years before Hawaiians get another chance to take a step towards equality.

Every bit of momentum for equal rights is at a premium right now, and this is the most important legislative action we’ve seen in months.

Civil unions and marriage aren’t the same thing, and we know that. But we believe every step toward equality, wherever it happens, is a step we need to take.

Click here to sign the petition!

Sincerely,
Michael Sargeant
Executive Director
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

The very moment Democratic State Senator Dan Gelber was giving a speech about why he felt a proposed bill “disrespects too many women in the state of Florida,” Republican Sen. Mike Bennett was caught on camera viewing nude pictures from his state-issued computer.

Sunshine State News has the details (and the video):

Senate spokesperson Jaryn Emhof explained further on Bennett's behalf.

"There was some confusion about an email he received," said Emhof. "He thought it was an email about an item being debated on the Senate floor. As soon as he realized it wasn't he closed the page."

But the one image we caught on camera wasn't the only thing Bennett had viewed. It appears other files, including at least two videos, may have been downloaded, too. He was also caught on camera watching a video of a dog running out of the water and shaking itself off. It is unclear if he also thought that was an email about a bill being debated on the floor.

Needless to say, Bennett later refused to provide an email record proving that the nude photo came in a message with a government-related subject line.

When asked by the news organization why he was watching dog videos and looking at the racy photo during a floor debate, Bennett explained “I was just sitting there, bored…”

We’re very sorry that Sen. Bennett finds his job so boring, but unfortunately for the people of Florida, he’s stuck with it until his seat is up for election in 2012.

You’d think that during a legislative session in which Arizona Republicans tried to pass a “birther” bill and successfully passed other bills that raise legitimate concerns about racial profiling, Republican Senate Leader Chuck Gray would be a little more careful about the organizations he associates himself with.

You’d be wrong:

StormfrontWPWW (White Pride Worldwide) is the Twitter account for Stormfront, a racist organization that is the latest project of uber-racist Stephen Donald Black, better known as Don Black. He was a Grand Wizard in the KKK and a member of the American Nazi Party. In 1981 he was convicted and jailed for trying to invade Dominica with a boatload of weapons, in order to set up some kind of utopian state. (…)

Its Twitter account, and another neo-Nazi feed linked to it, are among 4,819 that Arizona State Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray (…) follows. (See screenshots below.) Stormfront does not reciprocate, however—the group follows no one. Which means that Gray, or whoever is responsible for his Twitter account, sought out the racist organization specifically and decided its tweets were essential reading.

[Hat Tip, Gawker]

Stormfront, which is classified as a hate group by the non-partisan Southern Poverty Law Center, has been around for 15 years and is one of the better-known hate groups operating on the internet today.

Right now, we're going to give the Republican leadership the benefit of the doubt and consider this just another in a long line of Republican new-media failures. After all, Gray has stopped following both organizations, and we don't know -- yet -- whether Gray ever re-tweeted anything from these two organizations or otherwise promoted them or their racist beliefs. But a simple fact remains:

Senator Gray should have known better.

Sometimes it’s important to find humor in everyday life, but we don’t think too many of Republican State Rep. Eddie Fields’ constituents are laughing about a recent poll on his website asking if they care more about “the economy,” “stray squirrels,” or “not enough toilet paper:”

[Hat Tip thelostogle.com]

In normal times, this might have been acceptable -- but not with over 117,000 Oklahomans still unemployed.

As best we can tell, Fields hasn’t issued any sort of apology, but he was clearly ashamed enough to take down the poll and replace it with one that, while not exactly offensive, is still puzzling. It asks if, among other things, “job growth,” “the economy,” or “Oklahoma Economics” are people’s top issue.

Democrat Dale Christenson, Jr. is seeking the nomination to face Rep. Fields for an open State Senate seat.

The good folks at the University of Minnesota’s Smart Politics blog recently took a look at how congressional reapportionment has affected state congressional delegations in the 20th Century, and specifically, which states have seen the biggest gains or declines in representation:

Pennsylvania has lost seats for a record eight consecutive census periods, beginning with the 15th Census in 1930 through the 22nd Census in 2000, and are[sic] expected to lose another seat after the 2010 Census.

Neighboring New York has also endured a significant drop in seats to the U.S. House. After holding steady at 45 seats after the 1930 and 1940 Censuses, the Empire State has lost seats in six consecutive census periods, shedding 16 seats in total to its current level of 29 seats today.

Two other states have lost seats by double-digit margins from their peak representation in the U.S. House - Virginia (-12) and Massachusetts (-10). However, each of these states reached their peak levels after the 1810 Census, when the country was comprised of just seventeen states.

A chart included with the story shows how many congressional districts each state had when it achieved statehood, how many it had at its peak, and how that compares to today. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how different a country we’ve become, compared to previous eras. For instance, California, Texas, and Florida each began their statehoods with only two (2) districts or fewer!