The Utah outcome prevented the state from providing vouchers that would allow students to transfer from public to private schools, regardless of their family income or the relative effectiveness of the schools that they were attending.  The Reform Jewish Movement has been outspoken about the dangers of vouchers as they threaten the essential separation of Church and State by allowing tax dollars to be funneled to religious schools.  They also result in many students attending schools that are unregulated or do not have to meet certain standards.  So, in our eyes, the failure of this bill was certainly a victory.

However, the failure of the New Jersey bill, which came as a surprise, may have been a step backwards for a state that has committed money to stem cell research in the past.  Supporters of stem cell research, though dissatisfied by the outcome, are not discouraged.  According to a New York Times article about the stem cell issue, Richard J. Codey, the State Senate president, does not see the vote as an indication of a shift in public opinion.  On the other hand, Steve Lonegan, New Jersey leader of a conservative group called Americans for Prosperity, rejoiced that this vote may have been a signal that “New Jersey is not the hopelessly liberal state that people think it is.” 

Altogether, these votes remind us that following and being active in state-level politics must remain a priority for activists as state legislatures are addressing many of the same issues that we focus on in our federal advocacy work.