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Michigan becomes 24th right-to-work state Governing.com Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Michigan became the 24th right-to-work state in the blink of an eye recently after the state House rushed through legislation and Gov. Rick Snyder immediately signed it, capping a day of charged emotions, huge crowds and mostly peaceful demonstrations. More
US cities installing audio surveillance systems on public buses Digital Journal Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() At least eight U.S. cities are quietly installing sophisticated audio surveillance systems on public buses, raising concerns about creeping government intrusion on citizens' privacy and civil liberties. More Medicaid expansion and states: Will they or won't they? Governing.com Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() A little after 10 a.m. on June 28, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts altered the Affordable Care Act forever. It wasn't his unexpected support for the individual mandate. It was his opinion on the Medicaid expansion — a decision, it is safe to say, no one saw coming — that upended a law aimed at universal health insurance coverage for all Americans. More
Fort Worth, Texas, hopes to erase 670,000 old citations from computer system Fort Worth Star-Telegram Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Hundreds of thousands of traffic violations on file at Fort Worth's municipal court would be purged through a legal maneuver being recommended by court officials in an effort to clear a clogged computer system. Altogether, 670,000 cases dating from 1994 to 2005 would be removed from the court's docket as part of "an administrative close," Municipal Court Director Deidra Emerson told an ad-hoc committee of City Council members and court officials assembled recently to discuss the court problems. More Seattle declares itself a 'civil rights city.' So what does that mean? Seattle Weekly Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The Seattle City Council unanimously voted to declare Seattle a "Civil Rights City" recently. In joining three other major U.S. cities that have passed similar resolutions — Boston, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh — city officials say Seattle's declaration will help them incorporate human rights standards into policy decisions, budget planning, services and just about every other function of city government. More Indianapolis to become 1st city requiring electric and non-oil city vehicles WXIN-TV Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Indianapolis hopes to set an example for the rest of the country. Mayor Greg Ballard recently announced his plan to change the fleet of city vehicles to electric plug-ins and non-oil fuel vehicles by 2025. The plan calls for replacing current cars and vehicles with electric or plug-in hybrids as needed. The city will purchase Compressed Natural Gas for the city's trash trucks and snow plows. More Houston City Council seeks options for lowering pension obligations Houston Chronicle Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Houston City Council members heard a handful of options for cutting the city's enormous pension costs recently, and reacted with varying degrees of frustration, confusion and alarm. The informational presentation from the city's chief pension executive Craig Mason was the latest in a yearlong effort by the Parker administration to address the city's spiraling pension obligations, in hopes of lowering City Hall's annual contributions and reducing its unfunded liabilities in the long term. More Calpers bankruptcy strategy pits retirees against all others Bloomberg Businessweek Share ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The California Public Employees' Retirement System is trying to rewrite the rules for bankrupt cities, claiming that it should get paid before almost everyone else, including bondholders. The biggest U.S. public pension fund would set a legal precedent should courts adopt Calpers's position that, as an arm of the state, it is exempt from rules that apply to other creditors in the Chapter 9 bankruptcy cases of San Bernardino and Stockton. More |
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