Elected officials and experts aren’t sure if tax breaks actually create jobs. So why do they keep offering millions of dollars worth of subsidies to companies?
Total borrowing costs for cities, counties and states could increase by more than 50 percent if the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds is repealed as part of the ongoing budget talks on Capitol Hill, a new report has found.
Source: Indianapolis Star | Indiana |
February 28, 2013
After a torrent of criticism, Gov. Mike Pence’s administration reversed its decision to suspend extended federal unemployment benefits for about 32,000 jobless Hoosiers.
Now that President Barack Obama said that he plans to sign the $1.2 trillion in spending cuts into law, how will states and municipalities be impacted?
Source: Newark Star-Ledger | New Jersey |
February 27, 2013
After conditionally vetoing the bill earlier, Gov. Chris Christie signed a measure allowing internet gambling in Atlantic City, a move his administration expects to provide a lifeline to the struggling seaside resort.
Oregon may become the next state to grant in-state tuition to young illegal immigrants. We review the arguments for and against state tuition equity laws, which 13 states currently have and at least a dozen are considering.
Pennsylvania's attorney rejected a contract to privatize the state lottery. The governor is scrambling to find a solution. Local newspapers give their take on the controversy.
Source: Washington Post | California |
February 19, 2013
What happens to the economy here over the next year will be a case study for policymakers in Washington, who are paralyzed by similar questions of taxation and growth. The early indications, in California, point toward an outcome you might not expect.
Source: The New York Times | Atlanta |
February 15, 2013
Atlanta has made significant progress in transforming a massive area of the city into the Atlanta BeltLine. The ambitious proposal is to transform 22 miles of vine-covered railroad into parks, housing and public transit has been in the works since the early 2000s.
Gov. Mark Dayton, House Speaker Paul Thissen and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk all say it is time for Minnesota to lift the minimum wage, which now stands at $6.15 -- one of only four states with a wage less than the federal minimum.
Source: Seattle Times | Washington state |
February 14, 2013
State Senate Republicans, who have already proposed repealing the state’s never-implemented family-leave requirement, are now targeting Seattle’s law requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave to workers. Seattle is one of three major cities in the United States to have the law.
Source: Raleigh News & Observer | North Carolina |
February 14, 2013
Gov. Pat McCrory has made clear that he intends to sign the bill, which would cut the amount of benefits that unemployed workers receive, raise state unemployment taxes paid by businesses and expand the pool of employers that pay into the state unemployment trust fund.
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.