State News
Illinois Reforms Public Pension System
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation reforming Illinois’ state pension system, estimated to save $200 billion over 35 years. The reforms are the result of the recommendations of the Pension Modernization Task Force formed in 2009. Key changes in the pension system include:
- Increasing the retirement age from 60 with eight years of services to 67 with ten years of service;
- Eliminating the three percent annual cost-of-living increase;
- Reducing the cap on pensionable salary from $240, 000 to $106,800;
- Prohibiting the ability to receive a public pension while drawing down a salary from another public system; and
- Decreasing the final average pensionable salary from the highest four years to the highest eight years of the last ten.
The changes only apply to those hired on or after the effective date of January 1, 2011.
(Contact: Jody Grutza)
Arizona Streamlines Court Document Systems
By: Alisha Powell
The Arizona Supreme Court (ASC) is connecting all the state’s court document systems together to create a central data repository for hosting court documents. With this new system, citizens filing a document at any courthouse will easily be able to retrieve all relevant case material from any court in the state. Prior to this, most courts had their own independent electronic document systems that did not connect to the systems of other courts in the state. All court document systems will have sufficient redundancy that should a disaster strike, court documents will remain safe.
The project costs $2 million, which the ASC will recover from the fees citizens pay for using the system.
(Contact: Allison Cullin)
Colorado Opens New Energy Efficiency Campaign
The newly launched “Recharge Colorado” campaign is designed to help citizens improve access to energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in the state. The campaign’s Web site and call center will serve as a clearinghouse for information on state, local and utility energy efficiency programs, including available tax breaks or rebates and where to find energy-efficient appliances, insulation or solar panels. The site will also offer personalized tools for reducing energy consumption through improved efficiency. The Governor’s Energy Office has partnered with the Better Business Bureau to help consumers connect with contractors and other energy service providers in their area.
(Contact: Andrew Kambour)
States Streamline Rules for Health Care Providers to Increase Access
By: Brian O’Donnell
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley recently signed a law that improves access to primary care by streamlining the credentialing process that nurse practitioners must go through to practice in the state. The new law reduces nurse practitioners’ working agreements with physicians from approximately 20 pages down to one page. The amount of time nurse practitioners are unable to see patients because they are waiting for approval from the state is expected to decrease from up to six months to only one month as a result of this reform and other reforms included in the law. Further, the law contains provisions that expedite the process for nurse practitioners certified in other states to begin practicing in Maryland.
Iowa Governor Chet Culver has signed a law that allows physician assistants to join in the creation of professional corporations or professional limited liability companies. The law intends to increase access to care by expanding the conditions and settings in which physician assistants can practice.
(Contact: Molly Voris)
Arizona Introduces New Public Health Web Site
By: Brian O’Donnell
A new Arizona Department of Health Services Web site provides comprehensive community and state public health data to help planners, policymakers, and community members identify problems, improvements and potential policy solutions for public health problems. The site allows individuals to compare how their county performs compared to the rest of the state on a number of health outcomes such chronic disease burden, rates of communicable diseases and oral health. In addition, individuals can determine if Arizona and their counties have been improving over a period of time and how close they are to meeting certain goals. The Web site also provides other resources such as reports and a list of policies that other localities have enacted to address public health problems.
(Contact: Jason Hsieh)
Colorado Cuts Costs with New Mail System
Colorado has launched a program that will save the state thousands of dollars on postage costs. Colorado sends out more than 18 million pieces of mail annually, of which 12 percent, or 1.9 million pieces, are classified as undeliverable due to inaccurate addresses. The state is eliminating this inefficiency by using the Postal Service’s National Change of Address (NCOA) database system, which allows the state to correctly address mailings to residents who did not inform the state of their new mailing addresses when they moved.
(Contact: Erin Lamos)
Montana Uses Cost-Saving Ideas from Citizens
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has selected four ideas to be implemented for realizing cost savings in state government. The ideas were selected from over 1,000 ideas, submitted by Montanans as part of the governor’s Montana Accountability Partnership, to be implemented. The administration staff initially filtered the submitted ideas then worked with appropriate agency staff to evaluate each idea based on feasibility. The final ideas to be implemented are:
- Replacing separate databases for each agency by consolidating the state’s data into a single database;
- Cutting back the number of vehicles in the state’s fleet;
- Extending the lives of state computers from four to five years; and
- Reducing the number of Smart Phones and plans the state pays for.
(Contact: Lauren Stewart)
Massachusetts Uses Public-Private Partnership for Traffic Updates
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has formed a new partnership to improve its 511 traffic information service at no cost to the state. Beginning in May 2010, drivers will be able to receive personalized traffic updates via phone, text or e-mail automatically, in addition to improved service in its automated call center. Coverage will also expand from only the eastern portion of the state to highways statewide.
The 511 system will now include brief messages from advertisers (“This traffic update brought to you by…”) and allow callers to listen to longer advertisements if they choose. MassDOT estimates the transfer to the new system will result in a one-time savings of $4.1 million and $1.2 million in annual savings for the state.
(Contact: Andrew Kambour)
Wisconsin Legislation Targets Struggling Schools
By: Shelby Kain
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and state education leaders recently announced education reform legislation geared toward turning around struggling schools. With this legislation, the state superintendent will have greater authority to address struggling schools and to provide local school districts with clear direction for improving the lowest-achieving schools. Under the proposed legislation, if the state superintendent determines a school district has been identified as in need of improvement, the local school board will be directed to:
- Employ a standard, consistent curriculum that is aligned with the state’s academic standards and across grades in all schools;
- Use pupil academic performance data, including data showing the change in pupil academic achievement between two or more points in time, to differentiate instruction to meet individual pupil needs;
- Implement a system of academic and behavioral supports and early interventions for pupils, including diagnostic assessments, core instruction to all students, differentiation strategies, and interventions in reading, mathematics, and positive behavior; and
- Provide additional learning time, which may include an extended school day, an extended school year, summer school, or intersession courses.
The legislation addresses key issues that were identified for improvement by Race to the Top reviewers during the first round of the competition.
(Contact: Stephanie Shipton)
Bill Eases Two-Year Transfers to Kentucky’s Universities
By: Shelby Kain
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has signed a bill designed to make it easier for students in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to transfer credits to the state’s four-year public universities. The bill requires faculty from two-year and four-year institutions to work together to align arts and science coursework at community colleges with bachelors’ degree programs at four-year schools. By creating an efficient path to a bachelor’s degree, Kentucky hopes to reduce the costs of postsecondary education for transfer students and increase the number of college graduates.
(Contact: Stephanie Shipton)
Massachusetts Strengthens Child Protection Laws
Governor Deval Patrick has signed legislation that prohibits sending obscene and harmful materials to minors via email and instant and text messages. The addition closes a loophole in the existing law that excluded electronic transmissions. Individuals found in violation of the law are subject to incarceration and escalating fines of up to $30,000.
(Contact: Blaire Jones)
Other News
U.S. Teachers Require Stronger Preparation in Mathematics
By: Shelby Kain
According to a new report, prospective elementary and middle school math teachers in the U.S. are not as prepared as those from other countries. The U.S. Teacher Education Study in Mathematics, conducted by a Michigan State University scholar, surveyed more than 3,300 future teachers in the U.S. and 23,000 future teachers across 16 countries. The study found that while nearly all future middle-school teachers in the top-achieving countries took courses in linear algebra and basic calculus, only about half of U.S. future teachers took the fundamental courses.
To address the problem of underprepared mathematics teachers, the report lays out a three-fold approach:
- Recruit teachers with stronger math backgrounds;
- Implement more rigorous state certification requirements for math teachers; and
- Require more demanding math courses in all teacher preparation programs.
(Contact: Laura Harris) Report Outlines Health Reform Initiatives Related to Care for the Elderly
By: Brian O’Donnell
A new report from the National Academy for State Health Policy examines long term services and supports (LTSS) and chronic care coordination reforms enacted under the recently passed health insurance reform bills. The report examines reforms in five areas with a particular focus on how these reforms impact states. The areas examined include:
- The new national insurance program for LTSS established by the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act;
- Medicaid options and incentives to expand LTSS, especially LTSS received in the home or community setting;
- Other LTSS provisions such as an initiative to strengthen the direct care workforce; and
- Provisions that enhance chronic care coordination such as providing incentives for states to adopt Medicaid medical homes and nursing home reforms.
Outlook Predicts Higher Gas Prices in 2010 Compared to 2009
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its Short-Term Energy and Summer Fuels Outlook for 2010. The forecast predicts that average price of gasoline nationwide will be $2.92 per gallon during the 2010 summer driving season (April 1 – September 30), up from $2.44 last summer. Average gasoline prices are expected to peak above $3.00 per gallon, with some areas of the country already reaching the $3.00 level. Overall gasoline consumption is predicted to grow by 0.5 percent, down from 0.8 percent growth between 2008 and 2009. The average price of diesel fuel is also expected to increase similarly, from $2.46 per gallon last summer to $2.97 in 2010.
(Contact: Andrew Kambour)
Report: Cyber Security Needs a Collaborative Approach
Effective cyber security requires company or government-wide effort beyond the IT department, according to a recent report by the Internet Security Alliance and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The report was commissioned by the Obama Administration’s Cyberspace Policy Review. The report finds that:
- Companies that confine cyber security to the information technology divisions of their organization may expose themselves to risk to their bottom line;
- Cyber security losses cost U.S. businesses more than $1 trillion in intellectual property in 2008; and
- All economic benefits favor a cyber attacker, as a cyber attack can be executed cheaply, and may yield exponential gains for the attacker.
(Contact: David Henry)
What's New
New NGA Web Site Provides Health Reform Implementation Information for States
By: Brian O’Donnell
The NGA Center, as part of a consortium with three other national health policy organizations, has unveiled a new Web site that provides states with resources about health reform implementation. The site focuses on aspects of the health reform law that are likely to have the biggest effect on states. Links to publications and other resources on the Web contain information on:
- Expanding Medicaid and CHIP;
- Establishing health insurance exchanges;
- Instituting new insurance regulations; and
- Reforming the delivery system.
Four groups are part of the State Consortium on Health Care Reform Implementation—NGA (including the NGA Center), National Association of Insurance Commissioners, National Association of State Medicaid Directors and National Academy for State Health Policy.
(Contact: Caryn Marks)
NGA Center Brief Examines Cyber Security Challenges in the Energy Sector
By: Alisha Powell
The NGA Center has released an Issue Brief titled State Engagement with the Energy Sector To Improve Cyber Security. This brief examines the challenges associated with securing cyber systems owned and operated by the energy sector and reviews the approaches several states have used to work with the energy sector to improve cyber security.
According to the brief, states are playing an active role in improving the cyber security of the energy sector by:
- Facilitating coordination and cooperation among and within state agencies;
- Collaborating with private energy firms to improve cyber security and information sharing; and
- Participating in federal and private-sector cyber security initiatives to build partnerships and monitor new initiatives.
(Contact: Allison Cullin)
