In a move that’s expected to stir up staunch resistance from public pension managers, some Capitol Hill lawmakers have proposed new pension transparency regulations for local and state governments.
Source: Seattle Times | Washington state |
April 23, 2013
After years of talk, Congress is moving toward possibly ending a loophole that has prevented states from collecting sales taxes on many Internet purchases.
Source: Arizona Republic | Arizona |
April 23, 2013
Three months after she stunned political observers and made her case for expanding Medicaid coverage in Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer is no closer to reaching agreement with Republican legislative leaders on the issue.
Source: Sacramento Bee | California |
April 22, 2013
California was declared to be out of compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act because it is sitting on $455 million that should be spent to improve local drinking water systems.
The federal government's failure to pass comprehensive federal immigration reform has put the onus on state lawmakers to tackle legislation on matters they can control such as granting in-state tuition and driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Source: New York Times | New York |
April 19, 2013
As New York this week became one of the first states to unveil a set of exams grounded in new curricular standards, education leaders are finding that rallying the public behind tougher tests may be more difficult than they expected.
Since 9/11, law enforcement agencies have used federal grants to buy surveillance cameras for areas across the country plagued by crime or potentially targeted for terrorism.
Western Governors Association wants the U.S. Forest Service to do more to protect millions of acres of federal forests ravaged in recent years by invasive pests and wildfires by expanding its use of public-private partnerships.
President Obama’s ambitious effort to overhaul the nation’s gun laws in response to December’s school massacre in Connecticut suffered a resounding defeat Wednesday, when every major proposal he championed fell apart on the Senate floor.
Source: Kansas City Star | Missouri |
April 18, 2013
More than 30 other states and the Obama administration had joined Missouri in asking justices to give officers almost complete discretion in drawing blood samples without a warrant.
A new report by the Congressional Research Service finds that the Federal government may face an uphill legal battle if it wishes to enforce Federal laws banning Marijuana in states that have legalized it.
With no requirements for background checks on most private transactions, sites selling guns function as unregulated bazaars, where the essential anonymity of the Internet allows unlicensed sellers to advertise and people legally barred from gun ownership to buy.
Nationally, six straight years of revenue declines have put enormous pressure on state and local governments, nevertheless, some are thriving. Standard & Poor's, the credit-rating agency, reports that it issued more bond upgrades than downgrades in 2012.
The Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act are in full swing. With the influx of people who will be applying for benefits and the ACA requirement for online enrollment, it is more important than ever to verify the identities of those accessing benefits up front.