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Bob Hirshon is the new president of the American Bar Association and is visiting New Hampshire this week. We?ll talk with Hirshon about trends in the legal profession today. The ABA is behind a new initiative to increase the availability of pro-bono lawyers for the poor. We?ll talk about that and other changes in law today, from internet law to intellectual property and privacy issues.

After months of wrangling over income, sales and various other often obscure taxes, the legislature has settled on a plan to fill a state budget shortfall and pay for schools. The plan relies largely on business taxes. We’ll get the details and talk about what it means for the future. Laura talks with House Deputy Speaker Michael Whalley and Senate Democratic Leader Beverly Hollingworth.

A group of scientists claims to be only a year or two away from producing cloned babies. The scientists say hundreds of infertile couples have asked to participate in cloning experiments to help them have children. But most Americans still strongly oppose any attempts to use cloning as another reproductive technology. Steve talks with attorney Mark Eibert, and Lisa Cahill, professor of Ethics at Boston College.

The nation’s crime rate is falling, and supporters of tough enforcement and mandatory sentences say that’s what’s bringing it down. But there are also concerns our prisons are overflowing with people who don’t really need to be there. Some say more emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation is a better long-term solution to crime. Laura talks with Larry Vogelman, an Exeter attorney who serves on the board of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers www.criminaljustice.org and Mike Reynolds, an anti-crime activist and author of "Three Strikes and You're Out." www.threestrikes.org.

Join us for a special two-hour broadcast recorded at Dartmouth College Monday night. We talk with realtors, employers, civic leaders and housing activists about the severity of the problem, how it's affecting the region’s economy and residents, and what’s being done. This special program is a partnership of the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission www.uvlsrpc.org and Vital Communities www.vitalcommunities.org . For more, see our Housing Issue Brief www2.nhpr.org/static/programs/exchange/housing/