• Child Welfare Bills Signed by Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   May 15, 2013
• The bills address a number of issues within the child welfare system, including expanding the number of case-specific child fatality reviews and creating a statewide hotline for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect.

• Florida Legislators Pay Peanuts for Health Insurance
• Source: Miami Herald   |   Florida   |   May 15, 2013
• Florida House Republicans, who last month loudly and proudly rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million low-income people, pay less than the $25 a month they wanted to charge poor Floridians for basic coverage.
• 2 Comments

• Gov. Jerry Brown Unveils Cautious Budget for Deficit-Free California
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   May 15, 2013
• Brown put lawmakers on notice that he had no desire to ratchet up spending despite a multibillion-dollar windfall of tax receipts in recent months.

• Florida Lawmakers Have Low Insurance Premiums Denied Medicaid Expansion
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   May 14, 2013
• Florida House Republicans last month rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million poor Floridians while keeping their own health insurance premiums staggeringly low.

• Legislation Aims to Save State Mineral Revenues From Sequestration
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 14, 2013
• Wyoming Republicans Sen. Mike Enzi and Rep. Cynthia Lummis plan to introduce bills next week allowing states to collect royalties directly from companies that develop oil, gas and coal on federal lands.

• Vermont Passes Aid-in-Dying Bill
• Source: New England Cable News   |   Vermont   |   May 14, 2013
• The Vermont House voted Monday evening to make the state the first in the U.S. to legislate allowing physicians to provide lethal medication to terminally ill patients who request it.

• GOP States Struggle With Use of Budget Surpluses
• Source: AP/Yahoo   |   Nation   |   May 14, 2013
• Republicans who won control over state legislatures on principles of small government are facing pressure to spend budget surpluses on roads, schools and buildings that were cut or neglected during the recession.
• 2 Comments

• Kansas Legislature Seeks Changes to Judicial Nomination Process
• Source: AP/The Republic   |   Kansas   |   May 14, 2013
• Legislators who believe the Kansas Senate should have the power to confirm appellate court judges, including Supreme Court justices, have a new plan that they hope will get approved before lawmakers adjourn this year, an influential senator involved in drafting the measure said Monday.

• Alabama State Democratic Party Faces Financial Ruin
• Source: AL.com   |   Alabama   |   May 14, 2013
• Following a fight over the direction and control of the party that saw party chairman Mark Kennedy resign to form a new organization to be called the Alabama Democratic Majority, the new leader of the party announced at a meeting Monday that the party is broke and unable to pay it's bills.

• Minnesota Passes Same-Sex Marriage
• Source: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   May 14, 2013
• The Minnesota Senate voted 37-30 to legalize same-sex marriage. The measure next moves to Gov. Mark Dayton, who will sign it in a ceremony at 5 p.m. today on the south steps of the Capitol.

• Arizona Governor Refuses to Sign Bills Over Medicaid Expansion Delays
• Source: The Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   May 14, 2013
• Gov. Jan Brewer has told lawmakers she's done signing bills until they get moving on Medicaid expansion and the state budget.

• California Struggles With Experiment to Shift Inmates
• Source: AP/The Fresno Bee   |   California   |   May 14, 2013
• The shift in California's penal system, referred to as "realignment," is one of the nation's largest criminal justice experiments and has done its job in at least one respect: The population in the state's 33 adult prisons has dropped so much that the system now ranks second to Texas in the number of inmates.

• California Creates Cybersecurity Task Force
• BY: Government Technology   |   California   |   May 13, 2013
• California government officials and private-sector leaders are collaborating on a comprehensive cybersecurity plan for the state -- the California Cybersecurity Task Force. It will be the first state-led collaboration of its kind.

• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• Mandatory sick leave is being championed by several localities across the nation. At the same time the progressive public health measure is sparking fierce opposition in several state legislatures.

• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Wisconsin   |   May 13, 2013
• Recent moves by the republican-controlled legislature that could hurt the city's finances has raised speculation that it being targeted as part of a political vendetta.
• 6 Comments

Most Viewed

This Section    |    Whole Site

• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies
• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
• Florida's Rick Scott Rejects Amazon Deal
• Couple Sues South Carolina Agency over Child's Sex-Assignment Surgery
• Florida Legislators Pay Peanuts for Health Insurance

• How Tennessee Plans to Solve Its IT Problems
• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans
• Bike Lane Battles Heat Up
• Los Angeles Discovers $42.6 Million Lost Through Accounting Error
• Success of Gun Buyback in Phoenix May Backfire

Comments

• U.S. AG Holder, Gov. Brownback Spar over Kansas' New Gun Law
  
  "RE: your response to me - I understand your confusion. Our tendency to devalue historical..."
• Felons' Voting Rights Could Impact 2012 Election
  
  "well that exulated quickly......"
• Motorcycle Deaths Rise as States Rethink Helmet Laws
  
  "How many more lives would be saved if automobile riders would wear helmets. We are talking..."
• Colorado Becomes 14th State to Offer Undocumented Immigrants In-State Tuition
  
  "Finally, while I do agree with you that people who cheat the system should not be given..."
• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
  
  "A residency requirement may be limiting the standards and expectations of civil servants...."

Training Opportunities

• Health Care Reform After the Decision
• In this Mercer Report, you’ll learn how different organizations plan to tackle the new requirements of ACA and discover where most employer concerns are focused, who expects to be hardest hit, and how different health plans and Medicaid may impact overall costs.
• Crime Prediction and Prevention


• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality