California state payrolls are up for 2011 despite massive layoffs and budget cuts. According to data from the Comptroller’s office many state workers got their first full paycheck in years as the state shifted away from forced furloughs and into new cost savings measures like hiring freezes.
Indiana is on the verge of stripping union rights and becoming a right-to-work state. The Republican-controlled House passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban unions from collecting mandatory fees from workers. The bill follows similar measures in other states like Wisconsin, which have drawn mass protests. The bill now goes to the Senate where [...]
Maryland is trying to give local business owners more incentive to grow the economy with a series of measures. They’ve launched an online database of all financial incentives available for job creation, and economic development. The database will support a variety of other online tools for business owners, designed to help them while also increasing [...]
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is turning his focus to infrastructure for 2012. In an early morning address to local business leaders, the Governor underlined the need to keep his state’s infrastructure in good working condition as a cost saving measure. He also repeated his plan for a New International Trade Crossing bridge connecting Michigan and [...]
Toronto is working on its next city budget with the help of its citizens. City officials opened up part of the budget to public debate and input through a series of outreach initiatives designed to get people more involved in municipal activities. The city held public roundtables, posted an online survey and asked citizens to [...]
Continuing resolutions are a key part of the federal budget process. They allow for the government to continue to meet its obligations on a temporary basis when congress fails to pass a full budget measure. However, when the federal government relies solely on temporary budget measures as it has for quite awhile, programs without automatic [...]
Officials in Arizona are pushing for increased transparency in the state, in the wake of questions raised over dealings between state officials and lobbyists. Secretary of State Ken Bennett and State Representative Kimberly Yee are pushing a new measure that would put more sunlight on the financial disclosure statements and lobbyist filings of the state’s [...]
Colorado has launched the Colorado Innovation Network, a new initiative designed to promote collaboration among Colorado’s public, private and academic institutions. The Network hopes to support economic development and job growth by attracting new businesses to the state. Governor Hickenlooper launched the network yesterday, noting that he wants to make Colorado the best state in [...]
South Carolina is joining a group of states grappling with how to handle shortfalls in their state retirement systems. The state currently faces a $17 billion gap between investments and long-term pension promises. In addition to the gap, a proposed new rule would require local municipalities to disclose this shortfall on their balance sheets which [...]
In a recent Wall Street Journal article there was a survey in which an overwhelming number of voters desired state government reform. Additionally, I thought it was interesting that 78 percent of those polled felt that the states were in crisis. So I felt that it would be quite timely for me to share my [...]
