Others hope to teach a certain point of view: Sex education teachers in Wisconsin now must present abstinence as the best way for unmarried people to prevent pregnancy and disease, though they can still mention contraception.
Other measures reflect widespread concerns, with at least a half-dozen states passing tougher laws to punish or track sex offenders. Idaho can pass along offenders' names and addresses to radio stations; South Carolina can execute twice-convicted rapists of children younger than 11; Nevada will put offenders' addresses, work, and school locations on the Web.
Nevada needs tougher laws, because it has become a ``haven for perverts," created by the combination of a transient population, weak penalties, and poorly funded law enforcement, said Dina Titus, a Democrat and the minority leader of the state Senate.
Fears of a possible bird flu pandemic have spurred some states to action. Minnesota health officials got an extra $5 million to prepare, while Nebraska set up a testing and surveillance program. Alaska, full of pathways for migrating birds who are considered likely to carry the disease, gave more power to state officials to quarantine and test animals.
Meanwhile, in education, bullies continued to get a hard look. Nevada ordered its schools to create a uniform system of reporting bullying, with the state ACLU lobbyist warning that it is a critical problem for immigrant children, particularly Muslim girls who wear head scarves.
Idaho gave school superintendents, principals, and teachers more power to suspend bullies. ``There are studies that indicate that bullying is the leading cause of teenage suicide," said state Senator Mike Jorgenson, a Republican.
Taxes remained, as always, a top concern. Tax breaks won support this year, including a change in Nevada that sharply reduces the property taxes for golf courses. The new law drops the value to about $1,000 an acre, as much as one-tenth of what some of the fancier courses had paid.
West Virginia cut taxes for farm equipment, vehicles, crops, and livestock that's estimated to save farmers about $850,000 a year. And in Wyoming, lawmakers agreed to a two-year repeal of the state sales tax on groceries, though supporters hope to get a permanent repeal.
