State & Local Weekly News Wrap-Up

By Timothy Brett posted Jan 17,2012 09:04 AM

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MULTI-JURISDICTION

Nebraska and Ohio are both considering measures that would set up health insurance exchanges in their states. Both measures are expected to face stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers that oppose federal health care reform. However, both Governor Heineman and Governor Kasich are expected to at least consider the measures to avoid, ‘federal takeover’ as implementation deadlines loom. Under federal health care reform requirements, states must create an online health insurance exchange marketplace that will allow individuals to compare insurance policies. States that do not create their own customized exchange will have one created and managed for them through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. States have until 2013 to create and implement their own exchange. Exchanges must be online by 2014 either in a customized or generic, federal format. Nebraska, Ohio push forward on insurance exchanges despite opposition

NEW YORK

New York City has for the first time unified its 911 system on common infrastructure and added enhancements for quicker response as part of an ongoing program to streamline how the city answers emergency calls and dispatches services. All of the city's more than 1,500 emergency call takers are now using the same technology - an upgraded system that leverages two new, fully dedicated and networked telephony digital switches and can handle 50,000 calls per hour, according to mayor Michael Bloomberg's office. As a point of comparison, the new calls-per-hour rate is more than 40 times the average daily volume and nine times more than the peak hourly call volume during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. NYC Unifies, Fortifies 911 System

New York is looking at a new measure that aims to increase transparency in the state government. The bill will require the Assembly to make meeting materials available to the public online either before or at the start of meetings. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin who has a background in citizen activism through The League of Women Voters. She is sponsoring the bill out of frustration with the state’s lack of transparency in its public meetings. Without the materials provided to public officials, Paulin said in a piece in WNED news. “It was very difficult to be an effective participant and I thought that was very unfair.” The new law applies to all records, proposed resolutions, rules, policies and amendments discussed in public session. The bill pushes for agendas to be published in advanced but allows for them to be published as the meeting starts. New York examines transparency bill

TEXAS

The city of Austin, Texas, has launched its long overdue updated official website, AustinTexas.gov, for citizens, reports Govtech.com. Nearly 10 years in the making, the website was put on hold due to management changes and budget restraints, according to Chris Florance, the city’s Web content manager. The site now includes a new navigation system, applications, feedback tab, search function, flash images, and news well, all geared toward creating a more user-friendly experience, the article said. The city’s management also ensured that AustinTexas.gov was readily accessible to users through their mobile devices. Austin puts a new shine on old website

CONTRACTING/ACQUISITION

New Mexico is making changes to how it funds education. The state has announced changes to both its funding formula for colleges and universities as well as how it will allocate funds to K-12 education based on a new grading system. The initiatives are part of a broader state goal to improve education and increase the competitiveness of its local workforce. Governor Susana Martinez met with regents, governing board members and post-secondary institution presidents recently, to unveil the new funding formula for higher education. Currently, some higher education funding allocations are made based on the size of the institution. Other funding is allocated based on the number of courses and degree programs started. The Governor plans to change that and tie more funding to student performance. Going forward, funding will be allocated past on the number of courses and degree programs completed. Institutions will also receive funds for graduating students in high-demand fields such as science, technology, engineering, health and mathematics. New Mexico changes education funding formulas

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