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By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Wednesday, March 31, 1999

In the shadow of Thursday's court-imposed deadline to find a more equitable way to fund New Hampshire's schools, the state House rejected a plan that would pay for education by implementing the state's first income tax. With almost no chance that they will meet the April 1 deadline, legislators are now hoping to approve a new funding structure before April 15, when the state's schools begin to run out of money to pay their bills.

"The purpose of the bill is simply to do as God intended it – to allow people to slice country ham when they need it without going through all these silly regulations." – North Carolina GOP state Sen. Ham Horton, on The Country Ham Preservation Act. (The News & Observer, March 31)

• Income Tax Killed; Senate Has Option (The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H., March 31)
• House Rejects Income Tax Plan (Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H., March 31)
• N.H. House Says No to Income Tax (The Boston Globe, March 31)

As Tennessee looks at restructuring its tax system, the state legislature will take a look at imposing that state's first income tax, even though it has little chance of becoming reality this year. Lawmakers rejected Democratic Gov. Don Sundquist's plan to raise business taxes, but they may still be willing to go along with Sundquist's proposal to remove the state grocery tax.
• Talk Turns to Income Tax as Sundquist Plan Falters (The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, March 31)
• New Sundquist Tax Proposal Spurs Search for Options (The Tennessean, Nashville, March 31)

Urination Brings Relief to Alabama Senate Fight
Talk about finding your unusual solutions. Alabama state Senators who were embroiled in a parliamentary battle with Lt. Gov. Steve Windom decided that they had had enough of the month-long paralysis of the lawmaking process – which culminated Sunday night with Windom urinating in a jug on the Senate floor. The spectacle embarrassed legislators into a compromise after some of them received calls from national radio shows.
• Finally, Senators End Fight (The Huntsville Times, March 30)
• Another Strange Claim to Fame for Alabama (Mobile Register, March 30)

Republican Beats Ventura's Candidate in Minn. Senate Race
Despite heavy stumping by Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, Reform Party candidate Terry Anderson finished third in a special state Senate race. Early results show Republican Don Ziegler with 35 percent of the vote to Democrat Chuck Fowler's 32 percent and Anderson's 20 percent. Write-in Republican David Thompson received 14 percent of the vote.
• GOP's Ziegler Leading Special Senate Election in Early Returns (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, March 31)

Ryan Thornburg can be reached at ryan.thornburg@washingtonpost.com