Heather Kerrigan

Recent Articles

• Public Employers Seek to Soften Obamacare's Impact
• Sep 11, 2013
• In the next few years, states and localities will face new fees and taxes on the health plans they offer. One of their biggest challenges may be keeping employees informed even though the feds are leaving them in the dark.
• 4 Comments

• What's the Latest in Pension Reform?
• Aug 14, 2013
• We examine proposals still brewing in legislatures, how already-enacted reforms are playing out, and the model based on one of the world's strongest pension systems that a Canadian province is using to keep costs under control.
• 16 Comments

• How Workers Discussing Their Problems Helps States
• Jul 17, 2013
• Colorado's unique program, which offers free counseling to public workers, improves employees' mental health and yields state savings.
• 3 Comments

• When Your Government Job Isn't Yours Anymore
• Jun 12, 2013
• Tennessee is asking its 1,600 IT employees to reapply for their jobs. The state may learn from Colorado and Hillsborough County, Fla., which have both overhauled their workforces in this way.
• 2 Comments

• How Tennessee Plans to Solve Its IT Problems
• May 15, 2013
• In an effort to keep employees and their skills up to date, the Volunteer State is urging 1,600 IT workers to reapply for their jobs.
• 8 Comments

• Washington Targets Veterans for State Employment
• Apr 10, 2013
• As troops begin returning home from Afghanistan, states are looking for ways to reduce veterans' high unemployment rate. Washington state wants to hire them.
• 2 Comments

• Financial Advice: Paying for Your MPA & MPP Degree
• Apr 1, 2013
• Payment options abound, but read the fine print first.

• Wisconsin Reignites the Residency Debate
• Mar 13, 2013
• Should public employees be required to live in the jurisdictions they serve? Gov. Scott Walker doesn't think so.
• 10 Comments

• Understanding the Value of the MPA and MPP Degree
• Mar 13, 2013
• What are the benefits to a degree that puts you on a government career track?

• Early Retirement Incentives Making a Comeback
• Feb 13, 2013
• Several municipalities offered early retirement incentives to public workers last year. What impact such incentives have on budgets and services, however, is up for debate.
• 6 Comments

• What Graduate Degree Program is Best for You?
• Feb 13, 2013
• How to decide between an MPA and an MPP degree.
• 1 Comments

• Smokers Need Not Apply: Government Hiring Bans
• Jan 16, 2013
• Governments argue that no longer hiring smokers would free up some much-needed funds.
• 23 Comments

• How Did 2012 Treat Public Employees?
• Dec 12, 2012
• Unions took a blow in Michigan this week. We review how the entire year impacted unions as well as government hiring, pensions and retirement.
• 4 Comments

• Government Unprepared for Boomers’ Mass Exodus
• Nov 30, 2012
• The mass exodus of baby boomers from the workforce has been a crisis in the making for years. Yet in many cases the public sector is still not prepared.
• 2 Comments

• Public Employee in Need of a Loan? Ask Virginia.
• Nov 14, 2012
• Virginia is likely the only state to offer its employees short-term, low-interest loans for noneducation-related reasons -- and at virtually no cost to the state.
• 7 Comments