TABLE of CONTENTS October 2012
Cover StoryCan You Separate Federal Issues from State Elections?
BY Alan Greenblatt
Many state candidates are asked less about their stance on issues affecting the state and more about federal matters they can do little about.
FEATURES
Milwaukee Police Give 911 a Facelift
Milwaukee has overhauled how it responds to serious crimes -- but not without criticism. Are the risks of challenging policing's status quo worth the rewards?
What Will Government Look Like in 2037?
This month marks Governing’s 25th anniversary, so we asked leaders for their predictions on how government will have changed 25 years from now.
Cyberattack Could Leave States in the Dark
A cyberattack could leave whole regions with no Internet, phone service or electricity. State cybersecurity officers must plan for the unthinkable.
POLITICS + POLICY
State News
Felons' Voting Rights Could Impact 2012 Election
States have wildly different policies when it comes to voting rights for convicted felons. Some say those discrepancies may impact the outcome of elections.
Public Workforce
Public Workers Bid for Their Jobs
As cities seek new ways to save money, more and more are requiring their employees to bid against the private sector for work in a process known as “managed competition.”
Lawmaking
Sports Leagues Sue New Jersey over Betting
According to the four major sports leagues and the NCAA, the state violated a 1992 federal law that prohibited sports gambling and is ruining the fun for fans.
By the Numbers
Ranking the Nation’s Worst Friday Afternoon Commutes
Which areas have the worst traffic on Friday afternoons? View data for 100 metro areas.
Finance
Social Impact Bonds: Finding Funding for an Ounce of Prevention
Social impact bonds are a relatively new financial instrument that promises to earn returns for investors while giving state and local governments the upfront capital they need to pursue money-saving programs.
Dispatch
Electric Vehicles’ Role in Meeting New Efficiency Rules
One man’s test of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure along the West Coast highlights the hurdles ahead for states and localities in meeting the Obama administration’s new fuel efficiency rules.
Potomac Chronicle
Global Libor Scandal Cost States and Localities Millions
State and local governments have sued banks, claiming that they cheated them out of enormous investment returns at a time when their budgets were already badly damaged from the recession.
FedWatch
Alaska Sues Feds Over Voting Rights Act
The state wants to end federal oversight of its elections.
Health & Human Services
As Health Exchange Deadline Looms, States Race Against the Clock
The more than 30 states that are scrambling to set up health insurance exchanges as mandated by the federal health-care law have several options for meeting a Nov. 16 deadline.
Energy & Environment
Can Credit-Exchange Programs Clean Up Lakes?
The concept has been used for the past 40 years as a means of restoring the health of rivers, streams, lakes and oceans -- but it's getting new attention.
Economic Engines
How Private Services Became Public
Things we take for granted today -- public police, roads and libraries -- were only achieved through long, hard political battles that lasted decades and sometimes centuries.
Urban Notebook
DIY Urbanism Makes Creative Use of Public Spaces
As the economy continues to take big bites out of arts and city planning budgets, this bottom-up approach is changing the look of some cities. Are governments ready to embrace these grassroots ideas?
PROBLEM SOLVER
Health & Human Services
Parents Owing Child Support Avoid Jail (Not For Free)
In Virginia, where parents owe more than $2 billion, a program helps solve the underlying issues that keep them from paying up.
Smart Management
What Killed Alabama’s Performance Measurement Plan?
Less than a decade after the state enacted its first real performance measurement plan, it -- like a number of other similar programs in the states -- has fallen on hard times.
Idea Center
Washington Offers Voter Registration on Facebook
Partnering with the social media site and Microsoft, the state has created an application that it hopes will boost voter registration.
Idea Center
Kansas Pays Schools to Boost Skilled Labor
The state is going to pay school districts $1,000 for every student that graduates with credentials in high-need jobs.
Tech Talk
What Makes the Best Government Website?
The ‘Best of the Web’ winners showcase must-have features for effective public-sector sites.
Public Money
Cities, Counties and the Urge to Merge
Consolidating governments is hard to do, but the idea keeps coming up.
