Newly Elected State Legislators Grapple with Some Old Problems Budget Shortfalls, Health Care, and Education Top List of Priorities

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STATE legislatures in the United States are going back to the drawing board in 1993 with more ethnic diversity and more new faces - over 30 percent - than during any time in the past decade.

The new state lawmakers look different from their predecessors: There are higher numbers of African-Americans (84 more than in 1990), women (154 more), and Hispanics (21 more). Asians and American Indians also made gains, but accurate statistics on their numbers are not yet available. In party terms, there are 150 more Republican lawmakers.

These legislators are readying new ideas for the top three issues of the new year: budgets, education, and health care.

But the …