Route Fifty

Southern governors are ramping up the pressure in union battles. What does this mean for the auto industry's future? Route Fifty’s Dan Vock has the latest developments shaping workforce dynamics in the South. https://lnkd.in/gXC9FrzA #RouteFifty #stateandlocalgovernment #SLG #workforce #finance #unions #autoindustry

Many states in recent years have extended their sales tax to include digital services consumers use in an effort to bring their tax codes into the 21st century. But Virginia ventured into unexplored territory earlier this year when budget negotiations also applied the tax to business-to-business transactions. According to The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, including both consumer services and business software services in the tax would add over $1 billion to the state's general fund. But the Virginia Chamber of Commerce said that applying the sales tax to business-to-business software transactions would cost Virginia businesses over $360 million each year. It would raise business costs across industries and “discourage economic development and business investment in Virginia by making the Commonwealth’s tax system less competitive.”

The Affordable Connectivity Program, a $30-a-month subsidy to help low-income families pay for home internet service, will run out of funds this month unless Congress acts. The Federal Communications Commission began winding down the program in January, announcing in March that April would be the last month participants would receive the full subsidy. Some households will continue to receive up to $14 in May. State and local leaders have voiced concerns over the program's end, citing resident's dependence on affordable internet to navigate the digital world. “With a digital divide that has long contributed to chronic inequity in America, the ACP has given people a lifeline,” said Hillary Schieve, mayor of Reno, Nevada, and president of the United States Conference of Mayors, in a recent statement. “After all the progress we’ve made to strengthen our cities, we cannot pull the plug on 23 million American families.” Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dZJHT-iD #acp #affordableconnectivityprogram #digitaldivide #fcc #congress

Glad to see our latest article on *measuring and managing risk* amplified via Route Fifty. Localities must work to assess their #TCOR to build resilience. Here's how 👉 https://lnkd.in/gJZexZrv

A new report from the Center for American Progress and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators identifies how states and territories across the U.S. are generating innovative conservation solutions for the benefit of communities and wildlife.With solutions tailored to their states, these leaders are collectively building a menu of policies that could turn the tide of nature loss. But while recent conservation momentum from states and territories is encouraging, still more is needed and possible. Scaling up impact in the face of extinction and climate crises combined with growing pressures on state budgets and other challenges, will take even deeper commitment from state leaders, local advocates, federal partners and private philanthropy. Learn more from Drew McConville and Kate Burgess here: https://lnkd.in/e9y2kZFZ

NEW: We have take-off with the new GovExec Space Project site! This new and immersive website will lead with the coverage and conversations that define space as a national security domain. Check out our new site: 🚀🧑🚀

For more than 12 million households in the U.S. in 2022, most of their paychecks went toward rent, underscoring the nation’s dire housing affordability crisis. To help residents secure housing, more local policymakers are implementing basic income programs, which are no-string-attached cash assistance initiatives. But some state lawmakers are looking to restrict local government's authority to conduct basic income programs, citing the initiatives’ reliance on taxpayer money and concerns regarding their long-term feasibility. Prohibiting these programs, however, “does nothing to address the underlying causes of the housing crisis, and in many ways, prevents communities from experimenting with possible solutions,” said Sarah Saadian, senior vice president of public policy and field organizing at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “The housing crisis is so severe that we really need every level of government—local, state and national—to be using all of the tools available to them.” Learn more about the preemption of basic income programs here: https://lnkd.in/eJdHM5vt

State and local governments can play a meaningful role in keeping workers safe, through new policies, enforcement and public leadership, writes Terri Gerstein, director of the Wagner Labor Initiative at NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Some governments have already enacted trailblazing policies to protect workers from new workplace risks. A Washington state law, for example, requires employers to offer rest and bathroom breaks. At the local level, Phoenix recently enacted a heat ordinance, requiring city contractors and subcontractors (including construction and airport workers) to protect outdoor workers from heat. Learn more about how governments can better protect workers through policy, enforcement and legal action here: https://lnkd.in/eHzEJ45j

Crafting a state budget is a delicate balancing act in the best of times. And with major demographic, environmental and technological changes on the horizon, states must find ways to look ahead and consider the potential fiscal impact of these new and emerging risks to ensure that they have time to plan for and manage these future budget challenges, writes Peter Muller, senior officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts' managing fiscal risks project.  As these fiscal threats continue to emerge, some states, and some federal agencies, have begun to identify the risks most relevant to their circumstances and assess the potential magnitude of the fiscal disruptions. Click below to learn about state and federal initiatives that look to identify and assess the challenges most likely to affect their fiscal futures.  https://lnkd.in/eCdATv-Y

Route Fifty has published an ebook about “Trust in Government,” featuring six articles/columns from the publication, including columns from Barrett and Greene Inc. and articles from Molly Bolan, Kaitlyn Levinson and Chris Teale. This is one of the most pressing issues of our time and we recommend this collection. Click here to get your free copy: https://lnkd.in/e2Xxccxc Don Kettl Michael A. Pagano William D Eggers Marc Holzer Barrett and Greene Inc. American Society for Public Administration National Academy of Public Administration Polco Deloitte Michelle Kobayashi Mark Funkhouser Justin Brown William Hatcher Barbara Petersen Megan Rhyne David Cuillier Muckrock Elizabeth Daigneau