The Ferguson Group Blog

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments.  Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Some States are Pushing Back on the Common Core Standards for Reading, Writing and Math

Nine of the forty-five states that adopted the Common Core reading, math and writing standards, are seeking to slow or repeal their implementation.  Each of these 9 states are handling the situation uniquely, and with many differing opinions, it may just be the beginning for states making changes to Common Core legislation.  Read More…

Senate Democrats Plan June 10 Start on Immigration Bill

After the week-long Memorial recess, Congress plans to complete work on the farm bill, then will move on to tackle immigration reform the week on June 10^th.  Senate Democrats hope to pass immigration legislation before July 4^th.  Read More…

House Panel Posts Medicare Doc Pay Fix Draft

Last week the House Energy and Commerce Committee posted a discussion draft that looks to reform the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and Medicare payments for physicians.  As the SRG system continues to be controversial to physicians and other health care providers, lawmakers are looking make reforms to mitigate their issues.  Read More…

Senators Fight to Cut More Farm Bill Spending

The massive $955 billion farm bill will become a target for amendments looking to further cut subsidies payments after the Memorial Day recess.  Some Senators have faith that the original language and purpose have remained intact, and will remain so after the Senate votes next week.  Read More…

Many Don’t Know How Much They Pay for Roads, Survey Finds

In a nation where many taxpayers do not know how much money they put into the bridges, roads and public transit they use every day, lawmakers are faced with selling Americans on new ways to fund transportation infrastructure projects.  By educating both Congress and the American taxpayer, leaders hope to show that more revenue is needed to invest in vital highway and transit projects.  Read More…

Growing Support for Innovative Solution to Fund Our Infrastructure Needs

Representative John Delaney,  a freshman Member of Congress from Maryland, thinks he has the next big idea for financing infrastructure in our country and two dozen of his colleagues seem to agree.  Thirteen Democrats and thirteen Republicans have signed on as cosponsors of  the legislation, The Partnership to Build America Act, which would create an infrastructure bank funded by repatriated overseas tax income. Essentially, the legislation establishes  an entity that would sell 50-year bonds at a 1 percent interest rate. U.S. corporations would be allowed to repatriate an amount of money — to be determined by auction — tax-free from overseas for every $1 they invest in the bonds. The fund would be capitalized with $50 billion in seed money, which Delaney said can leverage up to $750 billion to finance transportation, energy, communications, water and education infrastructure projects.

While there is no shortage of disagreement over how to finance our nation’s infrastructure needs, there does seem to be consensus that the need is growing and it is good to see another innovative solution added to the discussion.

A Little Help From My Friends

So many of the folks I work with are members of ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, so I follow their publications closely.  A few weeks ago I signed up for the ICMA SmartBrief, a fantastic daily email that provides news and some great advice on managing people and processes that applies not only to managers in the local government world, but also is truly universal.  Recent topics have included the impact of office design on worker productivity, how to keep control of a roomful of leaders, and giving credit where credit is due. It’s a useful publication, very readable, and I know that I can always use a little help from my friends in the form of practical advice.

Gear Up for Grants for Your Fire Department

The FEMA Grants Office has begun to announce awards for the FY 2012 Fire Protection and Safety (FP&S) grant program, and has released a tentative timeline for FY 2013 solicitations.  In June, the SAFER application period will open – providing an opportunity to secure funds for personnel.  In July/August, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant application period will open – an opportunity to secure technology and equipment funds.  Finally, the FY 2013 FP&S grant program will open in the fall/winter – an opportunity to secure funds to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards.  Click here for more on FEMA Grants.

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!

Senate Panel Approves Sweeping Immigration Reform Bill

On Tuesday, May 21^st, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill with a vote of 13 to 5.  The legislation, set for full Senate consideration next month, provides sweeping new investments in border security, and program and visa revisions for high-tech and low-skilled workers.  Read More… 

House Panel Approves Spending Cuts, Assumes More to Come

The House Appropriations Committee approved a $967 billion spending cap for fiscal year 2014 spending; an $80 billion cut from current spending.  As agencies struggle with $85 billion in current sequester cuts, this $80 billion cut would be in addition to next year’s installment of $109 billion in automatic cuts.  Read More…

Report:  Grid Vulnerable to Attacks

A new congressional reports says that the American electric grid in vulnerable to foreign cyber attacks, and is calling for stronger standards to protect it.  The report provides information from more than 100 electric utility companies, where more than a dozen of those companies say they face cyber attacks almost daily.  One company reports they are the target of about 10,000 cyber attacks each month.  Read More…

State and Local Technology Shows Feds How to Cut Waste

Last week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held an educational demonstration where state and local government cases served as prime examples of how you can both cut costs and make sure payments make it to the right places.  The demonstration was also meant to raise support for the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act), which failed to move through Congress last year.  Read More… 

Rail Subcommittee Questions Value of Amtrak’s Long-Haul Routes

As the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee faces the impending expiration of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act in September, the Rail subcommittee is mulling the value of Amtrak’s long-haul routes, which lost a combined $600 million in 2012.  Read More…

Supporters of Medicaid Expansion Take Issue to the Ballot

A year ago, the Supreme Court ruled that states did not have to accept enhanced Medicaid matching rates that were part of the Affordable Care Act. Battles raged in several state legislatures and between state officials and Governors over whether or not to accept the new funding. In all but a few states, supporters of expansion lost. They appear to have paused and regrouped. States including Montana, Arizona, and Ohio have groups organizing to put the issue on their 2014 ballots, doing an end run around legislatures and Governors. In Arizona, the approach is backed by the Speaker of the House. Under the Affordable Care Act, states may opt in for enhanced services and eligibility, at 100% federal cost for the first three years, with the out year cost shares dropping to 90%. Under the normal Medicaid program, the federal share may vary from 50% up to a current high of 75% of program cost. Medicaid programs are federally supported by administered by states. In the strictest sense, states do not have to participate but if they choose to, they must ensure certain standards of care and eligibility set by the federal government.

MAC Makes its Mark at Brownfields Conference

On May 16, TFG and its Manufacturing Alliance of Communities (MAC) hosted 2 events at the US EPA's annual Brownfields Conference in Atlanta, GA.  Speakers at the MAC-sponsored Town Hall on Manufacturing and Community Revitalization and the Roundtable on the MAC's soon-to-be-published "Roadmap for Auto Community Revitalization" included Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, Flint Mayor Dayne Walling, EPA Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus and Senior White House aide Jay Williams.

The MAC was founded in December 2008 as the Mayors Auto Coalition and expanded its mission to include all manufacturing communities in June 2012, which now includes communities as varied as Lansing, MI; Indianapolis, IN; and Beaverton, OR.  For more information on the MAC, visit us at www.manufactutingalliance.us.

America is Your Park

On June 6, Coca-Cola will kick-off its America Is Your Park program, which awards hundreds of thousands of dollars in recreation grants.  Park and recreation agencies will not want to miss out on this opportunity.

Coca-Cola will provide a preview of the program, prior to the official launch, during a 30-minute webinar and Q&A session on Wednesday, May 22 at 12 p.m. ET. The webinar will cover ways you and your community can get involved this year. Visit this site to register for the webinar and then to attend the webinar on Wednesday, simply use the same link, enter your email address and press “log-in."

Oak Ridge, TN Sees Progress on Two Fronts

The City of Oak Ridge was the focus of congressional hearings in the House and Senate on May 16th. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) and Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) presided over a hearing of the House Nuclear Clean Up Caucus featuring representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and a major Department of Energy Contractor (UCOR).  They discussed the status of the clean up efforts related to the World War II nuclear weapons program and high-level energy research and development programs in Oak Ridge.  Much progress has been made because of the Recovery Act.  Additional work remains and the schedule for clean up, remediation, and deindustrialization is being adjusted because of the sequester.  

In the Senate, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee considered and approved S. 507, legislation that would authorize the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a bill sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN).  The park will commemorate and celebrate the role that Oak Ridge, TN, Los Alamos, NM, and Hanford WA played in World War II.  Clean up of the nuclear weapons process will expedite the City's work in expanding its industrial and commercial base and further solidify the region as a national center of advanced energy research and production and advanced manufacturing techniques.  The Manhattan Project legislation will support tourism and recreation, attracting visitors from around the world.  Several WWII workers still live in Oak Ridge and enacting this legislation will enable the U.S. Parks Service to incorporate their stories into the work of the park.  

 

Folks are Talking...

And they’re talking about the tax exempt status of municipal bonds.  The past few months have seen well-organized and active opposition to the elimination of the tax exempt status of municipal bonds, but apparently the threat has not been eliminated.  We got a hold off an internal Senate Finance Committee white paper prepared by Committee staff this week that details tax reform options that Finance Committee members may wish to consider as they work towards reforming our nation’s tax system.  Unfortunately the paper includes options to limit, replace, or repeal the current-law exclusion for municipal bond interest.

This means that we must keep up the pressure on Congress, let them know that you are deeply opposed to any limitation on the tax exempt status on municipal bonds, and if your Senator is a Member of the Senate Finance Committee, your outreach is particularly vital.