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liz-farmer

Liz Farmer

Liz Farmer, who formerly covered fiscal policy as a Governing staff writer, helps lead the Pew Charitable Trusts’ state fiscal health project’s Fiscal 50 online resource, focusing on budgets, fiscal distress, tax policy and pensions. A former research fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s Future of Labor Research Center, Farmer holds a bachelor’s degree in American history, film and television production from George Washington University and a master’s in journalism from the University of Maryland.

Public pension managers are gearing up for another battle against what they say would be costly -- and unnecessary -- accounting disclosure requirements being floated on Capitol Hill even as new disclosure rules take effect this summer.
Despite official admonishment from the state investment commission, South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis is continuing to speak out against what he sees as mismanagement of pension funds.
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?
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for cities, counties and states could increase by more than 50 percent if the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds is repealed as part of the ongoing budget talks on Capitol Hill, a new report has found.
Just days away from the deadline when across-the-board federal spending cuts kick in, two budget experts disagreed about what kind of impact the cuts would have on the national economy.
With the recession in the rearview mirror some state leaders say their biggest job growth challenge now is providing and fostering a workforce that can fill the demand of the new economy.
Despite last year's drought, which was the worst since 1956, many farmers still ended the season on high notes.
President Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Mar. 1 sequestration through a combination of spending cuts and closing tax loopholes, rather than risk the automatic 10 percent budget cuts that are scheduled to go into effect next month if no action is taken.
While many eyes in the political world are watching Mar. 1, the deadline for sequestration’s automatic, across-the-board cuts of about 10 percent, another deadline later in the month may trigger more fireworks on Capitol Hill.
Whether sequestration happens or not, some local finance leaders are preparing for leaner times ahead when it comes to federal aid.