This thesis explores the fundamental disconnect between California’s image as a national champion of progressive youth sex education and the failure to implement and monitor the instruction of comprehensive sex education as outlined by sections 51930-51939 of the California Education Code.

This thesis reviews many of the historical, constitutional and legal factors behind today's gun control policy and how they relate to the laws governing the carrying of concealed firearms within the state of Oregon. Many legal cases are explored for their impact on the carriage of concealed weapons. A thorough examination was made of the Oregon legislative history behind HB 3470, sponsored by then-House Speaker Vera Katz, which was enacted in July 1989, was effective January 1, 1990, and became the kernel of the snowball passage of CCW (carry concealed weapon) laws within the United States. Statistical tests were conducted and revealed that the passage of the Oregon law did not result in an increased murder rate. The paper concludes by exploring the arguments raised against the concealed handgun licensing law in Oregon. These arguments are found to be both historically inaccurate and statistically inadequate.

The devolution and judicialization movements of the past thirty years have dramatically changed the nature and structure of state-federal governmental relations. States and localities are now playing a larger role in the implementation and delivery of basic government services. Many state legislatures, such as Virginia's, because of their limited sessions and inadequate staff assistance, often leave the interpretation of complex, technical matters to state and local administrators. As a result, the role of state and local administrators in public policy formulation and implementation has become increasingly important. Often, these administrators work in a complex environment marked by unclear lines of authority and ambiguous law. The question then becomes, to whom do state and local executive branch officials turn to for assistance and legal interpretation when legislation or regulatory schemes are unclear? One answer is the state and federal judiciary, however the process of adjudication is often an ineffective instrument for solving complex administrative questions. The risk is that courts will create what Lon Fuller (1964) calls an "undanceable tune," one to which none of the participants know the steps necessary to keep in time with the judicial order. Building upon what Fuller (1964) referred to as the "distinctive competence" of certain legal institutions, this paper offers the opinion writing function of the state attorney general as a viable alternative to adjudication. All state attorneys general issue opinions. These opinions can shape policy and the development of law, partly because the opinions may be the only guidance on statutory or constitutional issues in the absence of prior litigation. Building upon the French Council of State, and using the state of Virginia as a model, this dissertation examines the guiding role that state attorney general opinions can play in resolving issues of ambiguity and statutory construction in various areas of public management and administration. Specifically, this dissertation will examine the influence of Virginia Attorney General Opinions from the years 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000. The reason for choosing these years will be explained in Chapter One. The dissertation will conclude with a discussion of how state attorney general opinions contribute to the governance dialogue, as well as their potential as transmitters of what Rohr (1989) terms "regime values." / Ph. D.

In recent decades, revenue diversification has become a prevalent practice in state and local government finance. The trend of revenue diversification, according to the portfolio theory, has far-reaching implication for public financial management as it may change revenue stability, which has been an important policy objective for state and local government administrators. This study explores how revenue diversification affects revenue stability from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. Drawing on portfolio theory and regional science literature, this study develops a theoretical framework to explain how the effect of revenue diversification on revenue volatility of sub-national governments varies in terms of its economic base instability. To empirically test the theoretical framework, an econometric model that explores a series of factors that could affect revenue stability is estimated using socioeconomic and fiscal data of 156 Georgia county governments and 47 state governments during the years 1986-2004. The findings indicate that revenue diversification affects revenue stability conditional on the instability of a jurisdiction’s economic base. The county level analysis suggests revenue diversification significantly increases the revenue instability of a county that has a stable economic base and the revenue stabilizing effect of diversification is enhanced as an economic base becomes more unstable. However, the state level analysis shows that revenue diversification significantly reduces revenue volatility for a state that has a stable economic base and the revenue stabilizing effect of diversification decreases when an economic base gets more unstable. An important policy implication of the dissertation is that the degree of revenue diversification should be gauged by the condition of its corresponding economic base in order to achieve the goal of revenue stability.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-170). Also available on the Internet.

Passed on April 27th, 1909 by the 56th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, the General Education Bill of 1909 established state funding for the establishment and maintenance of normal schools devoted to the education and professional training of teachers in the state of Tennessee. One normal school was established in each division of the state.Two years later, using funding from this act, East Tennessee State Normal School was founded in 1911 and would eventually become East Tennessee State University.

Passed April 7, 1921 by the 62nd General Assembly of the state of Tennessee, Senate Bill no.856, overhauled education funding within the state. All state education funds were combined into one fund thereafter known as the State School fund, to be appropriated according to the provisions of this bill. After other expenses, Senate Bill no.856 established 4.5% of all remaining state funding would be distributed to each of the normal schools.

United States Public Law 92-541, commonly known as the Teague-Cranston Act, called for the creation of five new medical schools in five states to meet the needs of medically under served areas of the country. The act, as passed, required that the new schools be "located in proximity to, and operated in conjunction with, Veterans' Administration medical facilities." This worked in ETSU's favor as the university is located adjacent to the Mountain Home VA Hospital. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, this would eventually lead to the establishment of the Quillen College of Medicine.

Following the passage of the Teague-Cranston Act, on February 14, 1974 Senator Nave of the Tennessee General Assembly called for consideration of state legislation to establish a medical school at East Tennessee State University. Eventually passing both the Tennessee House and Senate, the bill was vetoed by Governor Winfield Dunn of Memphis. Motions to override the veto were made in both chambers and were successful. Senate Bill no.1549 became law on March 6, 1974.

With the passage of the Teague-Cranston Act and efforts to establish a medical school underway in the Tennessee Legislature, East Tennessee State University had already begun the planning process for the new medical school. This plan was submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents on February 1, 1974 by the ETSU Medical Education Study Committee which clarified the specifics of what the Quillen College of Medicine would eventually become. The physical copy of this item can be found in the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University. For access or more information please contact the Archives of Appalachia.