Gay marriage: N.J. Assembly approves measure, Christie vows veto

New Jersey lawmakers passed legislation Thursday to recognize gay marriage, making the state the eighth to do so and setting the stage for Gov. Chris Christie to veto the measure.

The 42-33 vote in the Democratic-controlled Assembly followed the Senate's approval Monday and came after emotional speeches from both sides.

One lawmaker, Democrat Cleopatra Tucker, said that as a deaconess in her church, she had "struggled over this. ...I really had problems and struggled with this."

But she said she had decided to support the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act. "This bill today is not a religious issue. It's a civil rights issue," she said.

In the visitors gallery overlooking the floor, rival groups either gave standing ovations to speakers or sat in stony silence, depending on their leanings.

Republican Nancy Munoz said she had decided to vote against the measure after comments from her constituents convinced her that they opposed the measure. She said voters should get to make the final decision in a ballot referendum. "I trust the people of New Jersey and I say they should be allowed to voice their opinion," she said as opponents of the act, dressed uniformly in bright red, burst into whoops and applause.

The reaction drew an angry lecture from the Assembly speaker, who threatened to have security evict the next person who violated his demands to stay quiet.

The bill now goes to Christie, presumably to be vetoed. Lawmakers have until the end of the legislative session in January 2014 to muster enough votes to override a veto. In the meantime, Christie has said he'll back a referendum that would let voters decide the issue.

Seven states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage, and a gay-marriage bill in Maryland advanced to the House of Delegates floor Tuesday, with a vote expected Friday. Gov. Martin O’Malley supports the law, but it is unclear whether it will get the 71 votes it needs to pass. The bill has support from both parties, but the issue has divided state lawmakers along religious and racial lines, with some Christians and blacks opposing the measure.

A similar measure passed in the state Senate last year, but failed to clear the house. Opponents of the bill have announced plans to hold a referendum in November if it passes.

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-- Tina Susman in Trenton, N.J., and Ian Duncan in Washington

Photo: Supporters show their appreciation after the New Jersey State Legislature passes the gay marriage bill in Trenton, N.J. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Whitney Houston: N.J. governor stands by decision to lower flags

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, no stranger to controversy, is standing firm in his decision to fly flags at half-staff on behalf of Whitney Houston, despite complaints that the late pop singer should not have that recognition because of her history of drug problems.

The governor has ordered flags at government buildings to be flown at half-staff Saturday, the day of Houston’s funeral at the Newark, N.J., church where she sang as a child. The body of the 48-year-old musical icon was found Saturday in the bathtub of her guest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

There has been no ruling on the cause of death, but officials have said there were “no obvious signs of criminal intent.” Toxicology tests are under way to determine if drugs were involved.

Houston, in television interviews, had acknowledged past drug and alcohol problems and the fact that she had been in rehabilitation. Such problems were one reason for complaints about Christie’s decision to lower the flags.

Christie, who has built a national reputation for his pugnacious charm, refused to give ground to opponents. He told critics that Houston had made significant cultural contributions to the state.

“For those people who say, ‘I don’t think she deserves it,’ I say to them, 'I understand that you don’t think that. I do, and it’s my executive order,' " Christie said this week.

“I’ve seen these messages and emails that have come to me disparaging her for her troubles with substance abuse,” Christie said. “What I’d say to everybody is: There but for the grace of God go I.”

On Thursday, Christie’s decision was backed by FOX News commentator Bill O'Reilly, who has been outspoken about Houston's death and her use of drugs.

In an interview on NBC’s “Today” show, O’Reilly said it was right to lower the flags and also urged society to deal more forcefully with drug abuse.

“I think we should respect the life and talent of Whitney Houston. I said a prayer when I heard she died. This isn't a personal thing. This is a preventive thing. I want society and media to tell the truth about drug and alcohol addiction,” O’Reilly said. “Let's stop exploiting it and start explaining it.”

The other argument levied against the governor is that a pop singer doesn’t have the standing in society to merit the lowering of the flags.

In response, Christie noted that he has ordered flags flown at half-staff for all 31 fallen New Jersey soldiers and every slain police officer during his time in office.

He also ordered flags lowered last year for Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

Houston’s funeral will be private, but the Associated Press will have a video camera inside and will stream the service.

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Photo: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife, Mary Pat Christie, attend a funeral last month for Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, 75. Credit: Mel Evans / Associated Press

Last FEMA trailer leaves New Orleans six years after Katrina

The last FEMA trailer in New Orleans has left the city, closing a brutal chapter in New Orleans' history more than six years after Hurricane Katrina stormed through the region and the levee system failed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday announced that the trailer, officially known as a temporary housing unit, had departed Sunday. The announcement described the event as "a significant Hurricane Katrina recovery milestone."

The temporary housing units, which included travel trailers and mobile homes, became a symbol of the scale of the 2005 Katrina disaster. Television coverage mesmerized the nation, showing people trapped on rooftops to avoid floodwater, long lines of vehicles packed with people forced to flee inland and people who sought safety in the Louisiana Superdome. Meanwhile, the National Guard was patrolling the streets in an attempt to restore order.

“For more than six years, temporary housing units were located on private properties, group and industrial sites, and in commercial mobile home/RV parks across New Orleans while her residents recovered from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina,” Andre Cadogan, FEMA’s Louisiana Recovery Office deputy director of programs, said in a statement. “The transition of this final household is a huge success for our agency, the state, the city, local nonprofits, and all others who contributed to helping return normalcy to New Orleans and those who live here.”

That upbeat tone was echoed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

“At the end of the day, FEMA trailers were never meant to be permanent housing units, so I’m glad that our code enforcement efforts coupled with FEMA case work has helped individuals transition to permanent housing,” Landrieu stated. He replaced C. Ray Nagin, who served eight years as mayor and was in office when the hurricane hit and the levees failed.

“Another page has turned in New Orleans’ post-Katrina history,” Landrieu said.

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active in U.S. history, and Katrina ranks as the costliest and one of the most deadly hurricanes. Property damage has been estimated at more than $81 billion, and at least 1,830 people were killed in the storm.

Katrina was followed a few weeks later by Hurricane Rita. Ultimately, the season seemed to be never-ending, producing 15 hurricanes, four of which were rated at the top Category 5.

Katrina formed over the Bahamas on Aug. 23, 2005, crossed southern Florida and became stronger as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico. The storm surge caused major damage along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas.

In New Orleans, the levee system, designed to protect the city from flooding, failed hours after the storm had passed. At one point, more than 80% of the city and neighboring areas were flooded.

Officials had warned residents to leave the area, but many ignored their pleas. After the storm, relief efforts became bogged down because supplies could not be moved to areas in need. Civil order seemed to collapse amid the looting. The poor emergency response became a political blot on the Bush administration.

According to FEMA, the response to Katrina and Rita was the “largest housing operation in the history of the country, providing THUs (travel trailers, mobile homes and park models) to approximately 92,000 families throughout Louisiana. Approximately 25 percent of these THUs were in service at the peak of the housing program in Orleans Parish.”

FEMA said it has provided about $5.8 billion to assist 915,884 individuals and families in Louisiana for Katrina and Rita, including $4.2 billion in housing assistance for rent, repairs and replacement housing and $1.6 billion in other needs for such things as furniture, clothing and replacement vehicles.

Three trailers from the 2005 season are still in use elsewhere in Louisiana, according to FEMA.

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Photo: A FEMA trailer sits in front of a home in New Orleans' Lakeview section in this photo from 2009. The last trailer left the city Sunday. Credit: Bill Haber/Associated Press

Which is easier: Driving in L.A. or passing a highway bill?

Getting a highway bill through Congress is becoming more challenging than navigating Los Angeles traffic.

A $260-billion, Republican-drafted House bill is facing opposition from the left and the right, forcing GOP leaders Wednesday to put off a final roll call while they scramble to line up the votes to pass it.

The White House on Tuesday threatened a veto, saying the measure "jeopardizes safety, weakens environmental and labor protections and fails to make the investments needed to strengthen the nation's roads, bridges, rail and transit systems." If the bill gets to the president's desk, the White House budget office said, his senior advisors will recommend that he veto it. 

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman, has called the legislation the worst transportation bill he has seen in 35 years of public service.

The bill would, among other things, open up a portion of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and some new coastal sections -- including an area off Southern California -- to energy exploration to generate money for road projects.

It also would end the decades-old use of a portion of gasoline-tax revenue for mass transit.

Further, the measure would extend by five years, until 2020, the deadline for operators of trains carrying passengers and hazardous materials to install collision avoidance systems. The mandate was included in 2008 rail safety legislation after a Metrolink train collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 people and injuring more than 130.

Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) hopes to bring the House floor an amendment that would keep the 2015 deadline. But a similar effort was soundly defeated in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on a bipartisan vote.

House Republican leaders say the bill would generate jobs, speed up traffic-easing projects and increase domestic production of oil at a time when gas prices are once again rising.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), acknowledging concerns about the bill among his rank and file, told congressional Republicans Wednesday, "I want you to have a chance to offer amendments, to have a full debate on the floor. This debate is a debate we want to have,'' according to an attendee of the closed-door meeting.

"It’s more important that we do it right than that we do it fast,'' the speaker said, according to the attendee.

Boehner also advised his fellow Republicans that when their constituents ask about high fuel prices, "tell them about this bill that we’re working on.”

The final vote on the five-year bill is expected after the Presidents Day recess.

The Senate is considering a $109-billion, two-year bill that has had bipartisan support. But it is encountering gridlock because of expected Republican efforts to attach controversial measures to it that supporters fear could jeopardize it, such as a rider mandating approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

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After Russell Pearce ouster, Arizona may alter recall process

-- Richard Simon in Washington

Photo: The Capitol is seen behind some stoplights in Washington. Credit: Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

After Russell Pearce ouster, Arizona may alter recall process

Nothing rattles a bunch of politicians like the ouster of one of their own. So a few months after Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce was booted from his Phoenix-area seat, his former colleagues introduced a bill that would tinker with the recall process.

An immigration hard-liner who wrote SB 1070, Arizona’s controversial immigration law, Pearce was defeated in November by Jerry Lewis, a fellow Republican who advocated working alongside the federal government to curb illegal border crossings.

Pearce probably would have crushed Lewis in a primary, which tends to attract fewer and more politically fervent voters. “The ideologues all go to the polls and they elect ideologues -- the Russell Pearces of the world,” Arizona political scientist Bruce Merrill told The Times after the election.

But in a recall, Democrats and independents can weigh in, giving a boost to more moderate candidates. That’s why Pearce -- long considered Arizona's most powerful politician -- equated Lewis’ victory with “going through the backdoor.”

Under the bill, the recall process would shift substantially, the Arizona Republic reported. The legislation, which survived a state Senate committee vote this week, would add party primaries to recall elections.

If that system had been in place during the Pearce recall, only Republicans would have cast ballots in the GOP primary. And because there were only two candidates vying for the seat, no runoff would have been required. 

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Empire State Building throws same-sex weddings on Valentine's Day

--Ashley Powers in Las Vegas
Twitter.com/ashleypowers

Photo: GOP state Sen. Russell Pearce of Arizona, the force behind the state's controversial law targeting illegal immigrants, speaks at a news conference in November as results in the vote to recall him come in. Credit: Joshua Lott/Reuters

Virginia House advances antiabortion 'personhood' measure

The Virginia House of Delegates voted Tuesday to advance two antiabortion measures: a bill defining "personhood" as beginning at conception, and a bill that would require women to view sonograms of their fetuses before undergoing abortions. 

The "personhood" bill, sponsored by Republican delegate Bob Marshall, overwhelmingly passed on a 66-32 vote in the Republican-controlled House. The second bill, sponsored by Republican delegate Kathy Byron, passed 63-36. It would require women to undergo a "transvaginal ultrasound" before going through with an abortion.

"The General Assembly is dangerously close to making Virginia the first state in the country to grant personhood rights to fertilized eggs,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, in a statement. 

In a phone interview, Keene said lawmakers are out of touch with Virginia voters, whom she described as only moderately conservative.

Marshall's bill had passed the House before, but was always defeated in the Senate, the Associated Press reported.

This year, however, the Senate's makeup has changed, with last fall's election ushering in a wave of Republican lawmakers.

Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, a socially conservative Roman Catholic, has said he will sign the ultrasound bill, but has taken no position on Marshall's personhood bill, his spokesman J. Tucker Martin told the wire service.

The conservative Family Foundation hailed the ultrasound measure as an “update” to the state's existing informed-consent laws “with the most advanced medical technology available.” 

Thursday's debate included a notable comment from delegate Todd Gilbert about the decision to have an abortion.

“We hear the same song over there. The very tragic human notes that are often touched upon involve extreme examples,” said Gilbert (R-Shenandoah). “But in the vast majority of these cases, these are matters of lifestyle convenience.”

At those words, a murmur rippled through the House chamber, the Associated Press said. 

The comment, Keene said in a phone interview, demonstrates the antiabortion lawmakers views' of  women's reproductive rights. 

"It doesn’t matter why a woman chooses to terminate her pregnancy," she said. "That’s a very private and personal decision to make. For these legislators to make these sweeping allegations and judgments of women just goes to show that this is not just about women’s health. It’s about curtailing abortions and punishing women."

In recent years, a number of states have considered and rejected similar "personhood" proposals, most notably in Colorado, where propositions were voted down in 2008 and 2010.

Those efforts and one in Mississippi -- which was defeated by voters last year -- have been backed by Personhood USA, a Colorado-based group that has attracted antiabortion activists fed up with waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to tilt in their favor.

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Photo: Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond), standing at right, speaks during Tuesday's debate on the "personhood" bill during the House session in Richmond, Va. Many delegates dressed in red for Valentine's Day. Credit: Steve Helber/Associated Press

Empire State Building throws same-sex weddings on Valentine's Day

The Empire State Building and its sweeping New York City views offered enviable backdrops to two couples who made history this Valentine's Day -- becoming the first same-sex couples to marry atop the landmark.

All weddings are special, of course, and a wedding on Valentine's Day is especially sweet. But only Stephanie Figarelle, 29, and Lela McArthur, 24, two personal trainers from Anchorage, Alaska, can say that they were the first-ever same-sex couple married at the Empire State Building.

They were followed by three other couples, including another same-sex couple, all of whom were  winners of an online contest that played out on Facebook, with fans voting on planning details. Winners had their dream events designed by celebrity event planner Colin Cowie, who makes regular appearances on "The Today Show" and "The Ellen Degeneres Show."

The four couples received wedding rings from DeBeers, gowns from Kleinfeld, hair and makeup by Estee Lauder, a two-night stay at a posh Manhattan hotel, the services of a celebrity photographer and, as the commercials say, that's not all! Each couple has the chance to win $100,000 if they get the most Facebook votes following the nuptials, according to Huffington Post Weddings.

The ceremonies took place in an events area on the 61st floor, and were followed by a photo shoot on the observation deck that looks out on Manhattan's famed skyline from the 86th floor.

"I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” Figarelle said to her partner as they exchanged rings, reported the Associated Press. "I will always love you forever, with every beat of my heart,"  McArthur, who is taking her partner's name, was quoted as saying.

Figarelle, who wore a black tuxedo to McArthur's strapless white gown, wanted to travel to New York to get married in part because of all the goodies, but also because same-sex marriage became legal in the Empire State last year. The pair hope Alaska will one day follow suit.

Later, New Yorkers Phil Fung and Shawn Klein became the second same-sex couple to take the plunge. They wore matching suits and ties, according to the wire service. Two other couples also tied the knot in Valentine's Day ceremonies atop the landmark: Angela Vega and Lubin Masibay of San Francisco and Paula Cubero and Enrique Catter of Greenwich, Conn.

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Photo: Lela McArthur, left, and Stephanie Figarelle, of Anchorage walk down the aisle after their Valentine's Day wedding ceremony at the Empire State Building. Credit: Richard Drew/Associated Press

Pew report: One in eight voting registrations inaccurate

This post has been updated. Please see note at bottom for details.

One out of eight voting registrations is inaccurate, and about a quarter of those people eligible to cast a ballot are not even registered, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Center on the States.

The report describes a voting system in confusion, with about 1.8 million dead people listed on the rolls, some 2.8 million with active registrations in more than one state and 12 million with serious enough errors to make it unlikely that mail, from any political party or election board, can reach the right destination. In all, some 24 million registrations contain significant errors.

At the same time, the report, titled “Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient,” found that at least 51 million potential voters are not registered, and are thus outside the electoral system. That number and the flaws in the existing registration systems are large enough to sway elections from the local to national level, especially in this presidential year.

The United States has a long and rich history of voting, with both good and bad elements. Fights over who is eligible to vote -- and how to get them to the polls --- date back to colonial times, sometimes featuring outright fraud or legal restrictions based on property ownership or education.

Even in the current election cycle, access to voting remains an issue. In general, Democrats have argued for the broadest definition of voting with the fewest obstacles, a position that favors their core groups of poor and young voters. Conservatives generally raise questions about whether the system is too open to fraud.

The problems identified in the Pew report are not a question of widespread fraud; rather, the report calls for better use of technology to update voting registration systems. In conjunction with the report, eight states -- Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington -- said they are working on a centralized data system to help identify people whose registrations may be out of date.

“Voter registration is the gateway to participating in our democracy, but these antiquated, paper-based systems are plagued with errors and inefficiencies,” said David Becker, director of election initiatives at the Pew Center on the States. “These problems waste taxpayer dollars, undermine voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections.”

Outdated systems are also costly, the report found. In 2008, Oregon taxpayers spent $4.11 per active voter to process registrations. By contrast, Canada, which uses modern technology common in the private sector, devotes less than 35 cents per voter to process registrations.

“Proven solutions and technology are already in place in many government offices and the private sector, and states can use them to improve the accuracy, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their systems,” Becker said. “State leaders from across the country and from both parties are pioneering these solutions. Pew supports their efforts to better serve voters and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.”

The examination of the nation’s voter rolls was commissioned by Pew and undertaken by RTI International, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, political parties fought over who would be allowed to vote. States separately decide their own election eligibility rules and maintain their own voter rolls.

Barriers to voting such as race and gender fell through the decades, even as new obstacles -- literacy tests and poll taxes -- were imposed by the ruling elites seeking to stay in power. Those obstacles, too, fell, often with the aid of the courts and landmark federal legislation on voting rights.

But the issue of voting access is so politically sensitive, it remains on the national agenda even in the 21st century.

In its most recent report on voting law changes ahead of the 2012 presidential election cycle, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School found that “a wave of legislation tightening restrictions on voting has suddenly swept across the country. More than 5 million Americans could be affected by the new rules already put in place this year -- a number larger than the margin of victory in two of the last three presidential elections.”

States that have already cut back on voting rights will provide 171 electoral votes in 2012 -- 63% of the 270 needed to win the presidency, the center’s report found.

[Updated, 8:42 a.m., Feb. 20: The Pew Center on the States has issued a correction to its recent Pew Elections Initiative report “Inaccurate, Costly and Inefficient.” The center said the report should not have used the term “active” as a qualifier for voter registration lists because the terms “active” and “inactive” have a technical meaning in some but not all states. The numbers in the report remain correct in quantifying the problems with the voter registration lists, according to Pew.]

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Photo: Harry S. Truman draws a crowd of voters during a whistle-stop tour in 1948 in Texas. Credit: Associated Press

House transportation bill: Traffic is heavy -- against it

A highway and mass transit bill headed to the House this week has drawn opposition from an eclectic array of organizations.

The Episcopal Church has come out against a provision that would open a portion of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration to generate money for road projects.

The American Society of Landscape Architects and other groups oppose a provision that would end a mandate for a portion of transportation funds to go toward bike paths, scenic beautification and other "transportation enhancements."

And a civil rights group and the Teamsters are among the groups opposing a provision that would end the decades-old use of gas tax funds for mass transit.  

The strange bedfellows in opposition to provisions of the $260-billion five-year bill underscore the challenge facing Republican leaders in rounding up votes to pass the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act.

The Senate is considering a $109-billion, two-year bill, but it's less controversial than the House measure.

Those pushing to end the requirement that a portion of transportation funds -- about $925 million last year -- go to "transportation enhancements" have said Congress should give states greater flexibility in deciding how to spend funds at a time when gas tax funds have fallen off because of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Critics of the spending also have questioned some of the projects that have received funding, such as $198,000 awarded to the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky for a simulator theater. A museum official previously defended the spending as helping motorists, especially teens, perfect their driving skills and reduce the risk of accidents.

"Over the years, Congress has diluted the intent of the federal transportation program by adding mandates, set-asides and government edicts telling states how to spend gas tax revenues," said Justin Harclerode, a spokesman for Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. "Many of these requirements are simply not in the federal interest and are best left to state and local decision makers.''

But supporters of the funding contend that it has paid for important safety projects for bicyclists and pedestrians and improved the quality of life in communities. "From a trails, walking and bicycling perspective, the current House bill is probably the worst piece of legislation. Ever," says the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

"It really will take us back decades to a time when -- instead of funding the balanced transportation system that people want -- the federal role will be restricted to building highways," Kevin Mills, the group’s vice president of policy, added in an interview. The Senate bill would preserve the program but subject projects to greater competition for funds.

A spokeswoman for the American Society of Landscape Architects noted that bicycling and walking make up about 12% of trips in the U.S., yet receive less than 2% of federal transportation funding.

The Episcopal Church, while not taking a position on the overall bill, is encouraging Episcopalians to contact members of Congress to "oppose the use of the transportation reauthorization process as a 'back-door' effort to get around consistent congressional opposition to drilling."

Taxpayers for Common Sense, meanwhile, complained in a letter to lawmakers Monday about the "budget gimmicks'' included in the bill, such as relying on "highly speculative oil and gas revenues'' from drilling in the Arctic refuge and in coastal areas to fund transportation projects.

Heritage Action for America, a conservative group, has expressed concern about the bill's level of spending. It also said the bill "seeks to find additional sources of revenue, most of which have no relationship to road usage, thus breaking the user pays principle." Club for Growth, another conservative group, urged a "no" vote on the House bill. Both groups also oppose the Senate bill.

A wide range of other groups -- including local bus and rail operators -- oppose the provision to end the use of gas tax funds for public transit -- in place since the Reagan administration, warning that it would subject the public transit to annual budget battles for funds at a time when Congress is seeking to reduce deficit spending.

According to the American Public Transportation Assn., the bill, after a one-time appropriation, provides "no guarantee for any public transportation funding beyond FY 2016. This makes it virtually impossible for public transit agencies to develop reliable long-term capital plans, and it could leave the future of the public transit program in peril."

A spokesman for Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee said the change was needed because of the threatened insolvency of the highway trust fund. "The upfront transfer of $40 billion keeps the mass transit account solvent through fiscal year 2016 and provides Congress and stakeholders the opportunity to engage in a serious conversation about how to equitably fund mass transit moving forward,” the spokesman said in a statement.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is planning to seek to amend the bill on the House floor to restore gas tax funding for mass transit.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights also has come out against the measure, saying it would hurt low-income people who rely disproportionately on public transit.

A coalition of federal and postal employees and retirees also is opposing a provision that would increase employee pension contributions and change the way pensions are calculated for new employees in order to fund transportation.

"With payroll costs to the taxpayer approaching $450 billion per year, and pension costs exploding, asking federal workers and Members of Congress to contribute more to their retirement is not a burden too heavy," Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), sponsor of the pension changes, said in a statement.

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Photo: No one likes traffic (this is a scene from the Santa Ana Freeway), and it seems no one much likes a new House transit bill either. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Psst! Wisconsin reveals secret location of recall petitions

Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board, the agency checking and rechecking the recall petitions that have rocked the state’s political world, outed itself Monday.

In media tours, the agency disclosed that it was tabulating the petitions in an aging, white brick building about two miles from the state Capitol. The agency has broadcast the tedious office activities via webcam, but Monday’s tours were the first time the precise location has been identified, said board spokesman Reid Magney in a telephone interview.

“This is a very emotional issue in Wisconsin,” he said of the petitions seeking to recall Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four GOP state senators.

“After consulting with the Capitol police, we decided to not disclose the location until we had secured all copies of the petitions. We completed that a little more than a week ago. Today was the first day we could bring people in, so we made it public,” he said.

It was the need for securing the documents in a large space that forced the board to seek more room, rather than any fear of needed security to handle possible protests, Magney said.

The building is an old industrial facility in Madison, he said. It is used by the state for vehicle fleet services, some printing and some mail sorting. It was chosen because there was already vacant space available in the building, which has a chain link fence with barbed wire outside.

“We don’t anticipate that a lot people will show up,” Magney said. “There isn’t much to see from the outside.”

Inside, about four dozen workers are going through about 1.9 million signatures, assessing the documents for technical errors such as incomplete or missing addresses.

The board is supposed to complete its examination and certify the petitions by March 19, though more time could be available if needed, Magney said.

If there is an election, it could be held as soon as six weeks later. But if a primary is needed, the date will be pushed back. There are also possible court challenges. 

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Photo: Wisconsin officials identified this government building as the site where recall petitions are being reviewed. Credit: Scott Bauer / Associated Press