• North Carolina Officials Pitch Medicaid Managed Care to Doctors
• Source: Raleigh News & Observer   |   North Carolina   |   May 16, 2013
• In a national address earlier this month, Gov. Pat McCrory called on President Barack Obama to approve the state’s Medicaid request, but it’s clear that the state’s doctors and other health care professionals aren’t convinced that managed care is the best course.

• Teachers Union Sues Chicago to Stop School Closings
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Chicago   |   May 16, 2013
• The two lawsuits, filed on behalf of parents and their special needs children, say the proposed school closings are unfair, will harm students with disabilities and are discriminatory because almost all the students affected are African-American.

• Former Congressman Tancredo Considers 2014 Run for Colorado Governor
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   May 16, 2013
• Former Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, known for his hard-line stances on immigration, is strongly considering a run for governor in 2014.

• How Tennessee Plans to Solve Its IT Problems
• BY: Heather Kerrigan   |   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

• Illinois' Public-Pension Dilemma
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   May 15, 2013
• State lawmakers moving to fix the nation's worst-funded pension system have a choice: a plan that saves a lot of money or one that might survive a court challenge.
• 11 Comments

• Bike Lane Battles Heat Up
• BY: Tod Newcombe   |   May 15, 2013
• Cities like San Francisco and Chicago are running into resistance from drivers as they try to meet demand for more bike lanes.
• 4 Comments

• Will Kindergartener Bank Accounts Catch On?
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   May 15, 2013
• San Francisco was the first city to create college savings accounts for every kindergartener in public school. Now other jurisdictions are contemplating a similar program.
• 7 Comments

• NTSB Advocates Stricter Standards for Drunk Driving
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   May 15, 2013
• The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday that states lower their threshold for drunken driving from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent or less.
• 1 Comments

• Majority of States Show Positive Performance on Cutting Carbon Emissions
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 15, 2013
• Over the past decade, 32 states have successfully cut their carbon emissions, while 18 states have seen increases.

• Minnesota Becomes 12th State to Allow Same-Sex Marriage
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Minnesota   |   May 15, 2013
• Minnesota becomes the 12th state to allow same-sex marriage with Gov. Mark Dayton's signature, which was celebrated with a large festival.

• Takoma Park is 1st U.S. City to Allow 16-Year-Olds to Vote
• Source: Washington Post   |   Takoma Park, Md.   |   May 15, 2013
• Though some residents argued that teenagers lack the maturity and experience to handle the responsibility of voting, the Takoma Park City Council in Maryland passed an amendment to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in city elections.
• 8 Comments

• Christie's Affordable-Housing Battle Heads to Court
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   May 15, 2013
• A three-judge panel said it will hear arguments on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to grab up to $162 million in affordable-housing funds for his proposed $32.9 billion budget

• Feds Block Utah Public-Lands Law
• Source: Salt Lake Tribune   |   Utah   |   May 15, 2013
• A federal judge signed an order blocking implementation of a Utah law prohibiting some Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service employees from enforcing state laws anywhere in Utah after the U.S. Department of Justice argued the law was unconstitutional.

• DUI Bill Advances in Washington State Amid NTSB Calls for Crackdown
• Source: Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   May 15, 2013
• A bipartisan bill to stiffen Washington state’s DUI penalties cleared its first legislative hurdle, while a safety board in the other Washington sought to kick off a national conversation about changing the very definition of drunken driving.

• Controversial Arizona Laws Rack Up Huge Legal Fees
• Source: Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   May 15, 2013
• Lawsuits defending some of the state’s most controversial laws have cost millions of dollars and thousands of hours of state employee time, diverting them from other important work.
• 3 Comments