• Christie's Revived Tax-Cut Plan Targets High Property Taxes
• Source: AP/Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   April 15, 2013
• At the end of a four-year phase-in, households earning up to $400,000 would receive an income tax credit equivalent to 10 percent of their property tax bill. Last year, New Jersey homeowners paid had the nation's highest average property tax bill of $7,900.

• Paid Sick Leave Gaining Momentum in Massachusetts
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Nation   |   April 15, 2013
• A nearly decade-long effort to require Massachusetts employers to offer paid sick days is gaining momentum as lawmakers pass similar proposals across the country.

• Citing Cost, Some States Dropping GED Test
• Source: AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Nation   |   April 15, 2013
• Several dozen states are looking for an alternative to the GED high school equivalency test because of concerns that a new version coming out next year is more costly and will no longer be offered in a pencil and paper format.

• New Jersey's 2011 Pension Reform Spurs Savings
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   April 15, 2013
• While local pension costs will grow in the new state budget, the bill would be $540 million higher without reforms that forced public employees to pick up a greater share of the pension costs and stopped cost of living adjustment for retirees.
• 1 Comments

• Focus on Standardized Testing Leads to 'Opt-Out' Movement
• Source: Washington Post   |   Nation   |   April 15, 2013
• A decade into the school accountability movement, pockets of resistance to standardized testing are sprouting up around the country, with parents and students opting out of the high-stakes tests used to evaluate schools and teachers.

• Alaska Legislature OKs Tax Cut for Oil Companies
• Source: Alaska Public Media   |   Alaska   |   April 15, 2013
• After years of fighting for it, Gov. Sean Parnell has gotten his major legislative priority through: a reduction of the state’s oil tax rate.

• Illinois GOP Attempts to Oust Chairman Who Supports Gay Marriage
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   April 15, 2013
• Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady survived a move to immediately oust him as party chairman over his support for same-sex marriage, but top state GOP leaders approved a succession strategy that could find him replaced within the next six weeks.

• Fitch: Kentucky's Pension Reform Still Has Uncertainty
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   Kentucky   |   April 12, 2013
• Kentucky’s pension reform signed into law this month marks a positive step but should not be heralded as a cure-all to the state’s massive underfunding problem, a major ratings agency said Friday.
• 1 Comments

• California Governor Courts Chinese Investment in High-Speed Rail Project
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   April 12, 2013
• China spent 77.6 billion on overseas investments last year. Governor Jerry Brown would like to see them contribute funds to California's troubled high-speed rail project, which faces a shortfall of 55 billion.

• California's Bid to End Prison Oversight Denied in Federal Court
• BY: McClatchy News   |   April 12, 2013
• A three-judge federal court on Thursday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's attempt to avoid the court's order to reduce California's prison population. They also threatened to find state officials in contempt if they do not further reduce prison populations.

• Is a Lieutenant Governor Necessary? Illinois Doesn't Think So.
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   April 12, 2013
• The Illinois House approved a measure that would ask voters whether to eliminate the job of lieutenant governor. The bill's sponsor says the job is a "luxury" that the cash-strapped state cannot afford.
• 2 Comments

• Cost of Health Exchanges Increases 27% in Obama's 2014 Budget
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   April 12, 2013
• According to the new White House budget, the administration expects to spend about $606 billion on subsidies -- about 27 percent more than the $478 billion projected in the president’s budget last year.

• Low-Income Housing Vouchers Vanish in Wake of Sequester
• Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Nation   |   April 12, 2013
• Around the nation, housing agencies are tightening their belts and often putting a freeze on new Section 8 vouchers for low-income people in the wake of the sequestration.

• Bigger Police Presence in Schools Puts More Kids in Court
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   April 12, 2013
• As school districts across the country consider placing more police officers in schools, some are raising alarm about what they have seen in the schools where officers are already stationed: a surge in criminal charges against children for misbehavior that many believe is better handled in the principal’s office.

• Welfare Restrictions at Issue in Tennessee, Pennsylvania
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Nation   |   April 12, 2013
• In Tennessee, welfare benefits may be reduced for families whose children get bad grades in school. In Pennsylvania, the legislature is considering a bill that requires drug tests for all welfare recipients.

Most Viewed

This Section    |    Whole Site

• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies
• Amtrak Unveils Locomotives to Replace Aging Fleet
• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
• 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
• Bike Lane Battles Heat Up
• Los Angeles Discovers $42.6 Million Lost Through Accounting Error
• A Third Way for Public Pensions: Adjustable Pension Plans
• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies

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......"
• 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..."
• Motorcycle Deaths Rise as States Rethink Helmet Laws
  
  "How many more lives would be saved if automobile riders would wear helmets. We are talking..."
• 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