Sustainable Communities

• Indiana Reverses Unemployment Benefits Decision After National Backlash
• 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.

• 6 State and Local Questions About Sequestration
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   February 28, 2013
• 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?
• 10 Comments

• Online Gambling Legalized in New Jersey
• 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.

• When Cheaper Isn't Better
• BY: Bob Graves   |   February 25, 2013
• Governments are beginning to look at energy and other life-cycle costs in their purchasing. It's about more than saving money.

• Advancing the Debate: Why Give Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition?
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   February 25, 2013
• 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.
• 14 Comments

• Advancing the Debate: Should Pennsylvania’s Lottery Go Private?
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   February 20, 2013
• 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.
• 4 Comments

• California a Case Study for Raising Income Taxes on Wealthy
• 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.

• Atlanta Pushes Ahead on Massive Park Project
• 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.

• In Minnesota, Where Minimum Wage is Among Lowest, Support Increases to Raise it
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Minnesota   |   February 14, 2013
• 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.

• Seattle’s New Paid Sick Leave Law Under Attack
• 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.

• Unemployment Overhaul Bill Sent to North Carolina Governor
• 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.

• Survey Signals Possible Public-Sector Hiring Rebound
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   February 13, 2013
• State and local governments may start to hire, but employment remains below pre-recession levels.

• Texas Gov. Perry Attempts to Lure Businesses Away from California
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Texas   |   February 13, 2013
• Texas Gov. Rick Perry is on a hunting trip in California. And the prey is Golden State businesses -- and jobs.
• 1 Comments

• U.S. Labor Dept. Threatens to Withhold Unemployment Insurance Funds from Pennsylvania
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Pennsylvania   |   February 12, 2013
• The commonwealth has often underperformed so profoundly in the timely handling of unemployment insurance forms and other matters, according to the feds, that the federal government may consider sanctions that would restrict budget money to the state.

• Tennessee to Open Export Offices in 4 Countries
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   February 12, 2013
• Export development offices are being set up in China, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom with the goal of increasing the state’s exports by 10 percent over the next three years.