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State & Local Weekly News Wrap-Up

By Timothy Brett posted Dec 01,2011 08:14 AM

  
MULTI-JURISDICTION
 
States’ fiscal pictures continue to show slow improvement, but still haven’t rebounded to where they were before the recession struck, a new survey says. The National Governors Association (NGA) and National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) latest Fiscal Survey of States, released on Nov. 29, reports that states’ projected general-fund revenue collections are up for the second-straight year, rising 1.6% for fiscal 2012, to $659.4 billion.But that still leaves states’ cumulative revenue $20.8 billion below the 2008 total. Scott Pattison, NASBO executive director, said in a conference call for reporters the biannual survey indicates that “We have growth, but it is slow, it is tepid growth. And most importantly, we are not yet back, as far as state budgets and revenues, to pre-recession levels.” State Budgets Strengthen, But Not Yet to Pre-Recession Level
 
COLORADO
 
Colorado has launched the Colorado Innovation Network, a new initiative designed to promote collaboration among Colorado’s public, private and academic institutions. The Network hopes to support economic development and job growth by attracting new businesses to the state.  Governor Hickenlooper launched the network earlier this week, noting that he wants to make Colorado the best state in the nation for business. The Network’s objectives include identifying and supporting key industry clusters statewide.  Once these clusters are realized, they will work with business leaders to foster innovation, create and retain jobs. The Network will also offer job training programs to grow a workforce that is prepared to work in these new fields. State officials also noted that the Network will be tasked with providing performance metrics that track its overall impact throughout Colorado. Colorado launches innovation network
 
NORTH CAROLINA
 
North Carolina’s Transportation Department is using analytics software to build roads faster and for less money while minimizing environmental disruption. NCDOT is analyzing geographic data to help narrow the choices of possible road corridors and, at the same time, is able to reduce costly land surveys. The process can save $500,000 per project and shave 20% off the time needed to select and plan a road, according to North Carolina officials. NCDOT and the North Carolina Division of Water Quality are working collaboratively on the project, using SAS Analytics as the engine to analyze volumes of geographic data.  State uses analytics to build roads faster, cheaper
 
CONTRACTING/ACQUISITION
 
MAXIMUS has signed a new contract with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to provide enrollment broker services under the state's BAYOU HEALTH Medicaid managed care program. The three-year, $11.9 million program is expected to launch in December 2011. Nearly 900,000 of Louisiana's 1.2 million Medicaid and LaCHIP recipients will transfer to BAYOU HEALTH, the state's Medicaid managed care program. Under the new contract, MAXIMUS will provide choice counseling and enrollment services to members on the state's five health managed care plans, as well as general information for current and potential members through a state-of-the-art enrollment center. MAXIMUS Signs Three-year Medicaid Contract with Louisiana

 

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