The RP’s Weekly Web Gems- The Politics of the States

In a mildly Solyndra-esque moment, the $1.4 billion that the State of New York granted to semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries to build a plant in suburban Albany was found to have included more than $600 million in cash. This cash, as it so happens, went in large quantities to such luxury items as flat-panel TVs, catered meals, and supermarket gift cards. Albany’s Times Union has a full investigation. [Albany Times Union]

The Senate Bill 5 drama continues in Ohio, as Alliance for America’s Future, a Virginia-based group, has begun funneling money into anti-collective bargaining legislature. The group, headed by the former chief of staff to Republican US Representative Jean Schmidt, counts Mary Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, among its members, is initiating a mail program targeting Ohioans who will vote on the SB5 come November. [Columbus Dispatch]

In an interesting, unexpected maneuver, the Michigan State Senate has voted to end health benefits for retired state legislators, in a perhaps even more surprising 37-1 vote. This will apply to all legislators who have not served six years by 2013, including numerous members of the State House and two members of the State Senate. [Lansing State Journal]

A study by a smart growth advocacy group in Wisconsin contends that the state’s gas tax would have to nearly triple in order to cover new road construction there. This is in opposition to common claims that new road construction pays for itself via gas taxes and other natural revenue increases. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

According to a Silicon Valley-based watchdog, California Common Sense, the California State Assembly is reporting staff salaries inaccurately, in particular as regards the source of the money. The group found that some 170 personal staffers were being paid out of committee budgets, while another 70 benefited from leadership stipends received by top-ranking assemblymen and women. [Sacramento Bee]

The Tea Party has office space in the Florida State Capitol- at least temporarily. Through a rule that allows State Senators to secure conference room space for their constituents, the Tea Party Network has been occupying room 227 at the Florida State Capitol, which the organization is calling its Tallahassee headquarters. The space was obtained through the office of Republican Senator Greg Evers, who represents the western portions of the Florida Panhandle. [St. Petersburg Times]

In the latest front of Republican-labor union fights, Indiana has seen fierce, vocal opposition to a right-to-work bill currently under consideration by the General Assembly. The bill would make it illegal in Indiana, as it is now in 22 other states, to make union membership or dues a precondition of employment. Although governor Mitch Daniels and the Republican-controlled state Senate and House of Representatives have generally been on better terms with unions than nearby states like Wisconsin and Ohio, there is nevertheless tension that has begun to creep to the surface in recent months. [Indianapolis Star]