State Workers
States Must Stop Fiscal Gimmicks and Address Liabilities: Report
States must stop using one-year budget gimmicks and move to multi-year budgeting and mandatory “rainy day” funds in order to address growing liabilities such as Medicaid costs and pension funds, according to the State Budget Crisis Task Force. “The costs of inaction are high. The ability of state and local governments to meet their obligations […]
States Brace for Shutdown That Could Hit Revenue and Businesses
Jonah Hilgert plays as his mother, first-grade teacher Toni Fry-Hilgert, gets her classroom ready for the first day of school, in Alton, Ill., this fall. Federal aid to schools is among the items that could be hit by a federal government shutdown. (AP) With the federal government on the brink of a shutdown next week, […]
Q&A With Outgoing Colorado Pension Chief: ‘The 401(k) Experiment Is a Failure’
Meredith Williams, who is stepping down as Colorado’s pension chief in July Meredith Williams has headed public employee pension systems in both Colorado and Kansas. During his nearly 21 years in those jobs, he has witnessed great changes in the scope and generosity of retirement benefits offered to state workers. In 2010, as executive director […]
Should Legislators Hold Two Public Jobs?
iStockphoto Alabama legislators don’t make much money for their service, with base pay of $10 per day for most of the year and modest per diems to cover living expenses during the legislative session. But for years, many legislators could count on an additional perk: Supplemental income for themselves or their spouses from jobs in […]
Oregon Looks to Shrink Middle Management
Oregon state agencies may soon be asked to reduce the number of managers as a proportion of their overall workforce with the goal of shrinking government without harming key services. The state last year set a long-term target of having at least 11 state workers for every manager, but a bill passed by the legislature […]
States Push to Shake Up Personnel Practices
iStockphoto Civil service rules that haven’t changed in decades are being re-assessed by governors bent on major changes in the system. Your boss offers you a 5 percent raise. The only catch is that in return you risk being fired at any time, without any right to an explanation. Would you take it? This […]
Seven Questions for Michigan Governor Rick Snyder
AP Photo/Al Goldis Rick Snyder hasn’t followed the confrontational path of many Republican governors elected in 2010. In a Stateline interview, he explains some of his strategies. Rick Snyder had never held or even sought any public office when he was elected governor of Michigan in 2010. As a venture capitalist and former Gateway computer […]
Five Lessons From Overwhelmed Agencies
Last week, Stateline took an in-depth look at what’s causing growing backlogs of work at state agencies across the country. Here are five lessons gleaned from dozens of interviews with state officials, including those who are currently struggling with a backlog and some who have successfully cleared one up. 1. Prioritization is no panacea When agencies […]
Anatomy of a Backlog: How Vermont Fell Behind on Adult Protective Services
BURLINGTON, Vermont — Cerebral palsy does not thwart Chris Osborne’s passion for chess and all kinds of music, from hard rock to opera. But Chris, who is 25 and lives near Burlington, does depend on others to dress, feed and bathe him, as well as to clean and change his feeding tube. He can communicate […]
Federal Health Law Offers New Benefits for Children of State Workers
More than 40 million children are insured by Medicaid or CHIP. States are increasing those numbers, but an estimated 7.4 million children remain uninsured. Nearly two-thirds are eligible but not enrolled. (iStockphoto) When the national health law was enacted early last year, it contained one seemingly technical provision that few people noticed. It lifted a […]
Far-Reaching Pension Overhaul Set to Become Law in Rhode Island
After weeks of pitched debate , the Rhode Island legislature has sent Governor Lincoln Chafee a comprehensive bill to overhaul the state’s public pension system, in a move that Chafee called a “turning point in the recent history of our great state.” The legislation, passed by both chambers on Thursday (November 17), is intended to […]