• Voter ID Bill Rejected in Iowa Senate
• Source: Des Moines Register   |   Iowa   |   May 9, 2013
• The effort failed on a 26-24 vote with Democrats against and Republicans in support.

• A New Way to Tame the Public-Pension Beast?
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   May 8, 2013
• Adjustable pension plans could help governments control both risk and their out-of-control retiree-benefit costs.
• 34 Comments

• North Carolina Carefully Weighs Fracking Options
• BY: Stateline   |   May 8, 2013
• As the legislature considers lifting a decades long ban on unconventional drilling which would allow hydraulic fracturing the state's unique geography is prompting concerns about disposal of the wastewater the drilling produces.
• 1 Comments

• Food-Stamp Bill to Encourage Healthy Purchases Advances in Wisconsin
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Wisconsin   |   May 8, 2013
• The Wisconsin legislature has passed a bill requiring recipients of food stamps to spend at least two-thirds of their assistance money on state-defined healthy foods. A separate bill re-addressing food stamp fraud was also passed.

• Are Governments Ignoring Their Short-Term Workers?
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   May 8, 2013
• One wonders what incentive there is to work for a government at all unless you’re in it for the long haul.
• 6 Comments

• GAO Report Paints Bleak Fiscal Outlook for States, Local Governments
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   May 8, 2013
• A new report by the Government Accountability Office forecasts a gloomy outlook for state and local government budgets, finding an ever-widening gap between projected revenues and expenses for years to come.
• 1 Comments

• Voucher Funding Unconstitutional, Rules Louisiana Supreme Court
• Source: New Orleans Times Picayune   |   Louisiana   |   May 8, 2013
• Act 2, part of Gov. Bobby Jindal's 2012 package of education reforms, diverts money from each student's per-pupil allocation to cover the cost of private or parochial school tuition.

• Marijuana Driving Limits Pass Colorado Legislature After Several Attempts
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   May 8, 2013
• The bill approved was the sixth try in the past three years to pass a stoned-driving limit, which supporters say will give prosecutors a tool to combat an increase in stoned-driving cases.

• Obama's Cigarette Tax to Fund Preschool Up in Smoke
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   May 8, 2013
• Presidential budgets are all about theater. But this year’s was more theatrical than most: Its biggest single new proposal — the sin tax to generate $78 billion to fund a preschool education program — vanished almost as soon as Obama announced it four weeks ago.

• Ex-South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford Makes a Political Comeback
• Source: The State   |   South Carolina   |   May 8, 2013
• Mark Sanford is headed back to Congress after trouncing Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch with 54 percent of the votes, a 9 percentage point victory that dashed predictions of a close race.

• Gay Marriage Approved in Delaware as Lawmaker Comes Out
• Source: Delaware News Journal   |   Delaware   |   May 8, 2013
• Delaware is the 11th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

• Indiana Gov. Pence Signs School Resource Officer Bill
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   May 8, 2013
• The bill sets aside $10 million in state money to allow public schools to apply for matching grants to hire police officers for schools that don’t already have them.

• Public Hearing in New York Held Without the Public
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   May 8, 2013
• Something was missing at a public hearing held by the State Senate to examine New York City’s campaign finance system: the public.

• Baltimore Schools Chief Resigns
• Source: Baltimore Sun   |   Baltimore   |   May 8, 2013
• Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso tearfully announced his resignation, ending a six-year tenure marked by bold yet often divisive reforms and casting uncertainty on the future of the long-troubled school system.

• Why Christie's Surgery Carries Political Weight
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   May 8, 2013
• Political experts say the New Jersey governor's decision to undergo stomach surgery in an effort to lose weight could help his chances at a presidential run in 2016.