Pensions

• Christie's Rival Earns Endorsement from New Jersey's Largest State Workers Union
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   March 4, 2013
• State Sen. Barbara Buono will likely be the party's nominee to try to unseat Republican Gov. Chris Christie in the November election.

• Workplace Bullying Laws Debated in Statehouses
• Source: AP/Tennessean   |   Nation   |   March 4, 2013
• More than a dozen states have considered anti-bullying laws in the past year that would allow litigants to pursue lost wages, benefits and medical expenses and compel employers to prevent an “abusive work environment.”

• Sequestration Won't Hit Schools Immediately
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   February 28, 2013
• While the administration warns of sequestration's impact on education, most programs won't be affected this academic school year.

• New Rules Could Clear the Path to Pension Reform
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   March 2013
• For most states, the new government accountability rules eliminate the main substantive barrier to moving toward less costly defined-contribution plans.
• 2 Comments

• The Power and Danger of Setting Extreme Goals
• BY: John Buntin   |   March 2013
• Extreme goals are ambitious and attention grabbing. They also often seem impossible -- and that can be a problem.
• 2 Comments

• The 'B' Word: Is Municipal Bankruptcy's Stigma Fading?
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   March 2013
• There's a growing sense among some leaders that municipal bankruptcy -- unthinkable just a few years ago -- may be a valuable tool.
• 5 Comments

• Management Fads That Make a Difference
• BY: Jonathan Walters   |   March 2013
• New management tools are a dime a dozen and often just old strategies with fancy new names. But a few do make measurable differences.
• 3 Comments

• Gov. Haslam's Workers' Comp Reform Plan Draws Criticism
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   February 28, 2013
• Critics say the Tennessee governor's plan would give him immense power in setting the tone for how workers’ claims are received.

• Pennsylvania Governor's Pension Proposal Faces Challenges
• Source: AP/Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Pennsylvania   |   February 28, 2013
• The Republican governor's proposal to reduce benefits for current employees is the centerpiece of his initiative. But it faces an uphill fight in the legislature and possibly in the courts.

• How Two Princetons Became One
• BY: Feather O'Connor Houstoun   |   February 27, 2013
• Taking advantage of a state law encouraging local-government consolidations, the two New Jersey municipalities found a path that other places might follow.

• Scandal-Plagued Lee Baca Named 'Sheriff of Year'
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Los Angeles County, Calif.   |   February 26, 2013
• "This is his best year because people do their best when they face their biggest challenges and he is excelling," said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the National Sheriffs' Association.
• 1 Comments

• Georgia Governor Ousts 6 of DeKalb's 9 School Board Members
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Georgia   |   February 26, 2013
• The decision was celebrated by many parents and politicians but could inject more turmoil into DeKalb, which now lacks a legal quorum to make decisions for the district’s 99,000 students.

• Union Dues Bill Dies in Arizona
• Source: Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   February 22, 2013
• The defeat means the bill is dead, and could signal rough sailing for other anti-union bills.

• Fixing a Process that No Longer Makes Sense
• BY: John M. Bernard   |   February 21, 2013
• An Oregon agency found ways to cut the time it takes to do background checks by more than half. With inefficient processes and duplicative services rife in government, that's just the beginning of the journey.
• 7 Comments

• California AG Pursues Criminal Review of Parks Dept.
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   February 21, 2013
• According to a report from the attorney general's office, some parks officials had deliberately hidden about $20 million of the $54-million surplus discovered in the department's accounts.