The Obama administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled a new form that seeks to standardize the information provided by health insurers about the coverage they offer. The form is the next step in federal administration of the new health care reform law. Insurers would be required to fill out detailedRead… Read more »
It is hard to find a time in recent history where the budget picture for state and local government looked as bleak as it does now. Faced with a multi-trillion dollar federal budget deficit, credit rating downgrade and shrinking revenues, state and local governments are forced to find ever more creative ways to provide servicesRead… Read more »
State legislators in California and Colorado are considering measures that would increase government transparency. Lawmakers in Colorado are pushing two bills that would provide more information about how the state is spending transportation dollars and how impact fees are paid out. In California, a Democratic assemblyman defied his party to push a measure that wouldRead… Read more »
Oklahoma City is putting its performance data online. Residents will now be able to see how quickly the city is responding to a variety of problems from graffiti removal to pothole repairs. The initiative is part of a larger website from the city Finance Department which provides spending data. The new page will show howRead… Read more »
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is rejecting a $31.5 million federal grant intended to support his state’s implementation of federal health care reform requirements. In an announcement Tuesday, the Governor cited the federal deficit as his reason for rejecting money the state applied for just last December. The money was supposed to support integration of stateRead… Read more »
Illinois passed two new laws designed to further wind energy in the state. The new laws will create a council to study offshore wind energy projects in Lake Michigan and allow for more wind energy projects throughout Illinois. The bills are part of a broader state initiative to support renewable energy statewide. One bill willRead… Read more »
New York City will be extending its contract with Northrop Grumman to support the city’s multi-agency government wireless network for another five years. The New York City Wireless Network (NYCWiN) is the most comprehensive municipal wireless broadband network currently deployed. The network was designed and built by Northrup Grumman and the city cites the company’sRead… Read more »
Verizon Wireless and Durham North Carolina have partnered to start a pilot that will allow residents to send a text message to 911. The pilot will last for six months and will allow 911 dispatch to handle text based calls in addition to voice. Durham is the first city in North Carolina to utilize theRead… Read more »
New York City and Pennsylvania are working to increase transparency by providing citizens with more information and new government websites. Over the weekend, New York City held a hackathon focused on reinventing city government. Pennsylvania also launched a new website, PennWATCH, which will provide citizens with a searchable database of government spending. New York City’sRead… Read more »
In this Edition of The Gallery, Robert Campbell, Vice Chairman and Principal from Deloitte discusses the high profile issues surrounding sovereign government debt and deficits in the G20; the debt ceiling debate in the US, and its impact on state and local government. Throughout my travels around our country, I have met with many membersRead… Read more »