Highlights: MN: Antitax extremism in Minnesota; Record-Eagle: Michigan County Commissioners Consider Right-to-Work “a Waste of Time.”; More negotiations, but no fix yet from Dayton and GOP; Union Workers Replaced With Prison Labor Under Scott Walker’s Collective Bargaining Law; RI: Chafee Tries to Defend Voter ID Law; Validation process begins for collective bargaining referendum; Budget Cuts Force TX Town To Lay Off Entire Police Force; full Scrooge Alert at http://dailyscroogealert.blogspot.com/

Minnesota

MN: Antitax extremism in Minnesota
How far will Republican lawmakers go to protect millionaires? Those who think a default on the federal government's credit seems implausible should take a sobering look at the "closed" signs dotting Minnesota. The Republican Party there readily shut down the state's government on Friday by refusing to raise taxes on the 7,700 Minnesotans who make more than $1 million a year.

Laid-off union workers to rally at Capitol against all-cuts budget
Minnesota Independent
Keith Downey, who authored legislation that would eliminate the jobs of 5000 state workers and threaten collective bargaining rights for public employees. Jennifer Munt, public affairs director for AFSCME Council 5, said the event will include street ...

More negotiations, but no fix yet from Dayton and GOP

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders are scheduled to meet privately Wednesday to talk again about ways to end their budget standoff.

Pennsylvania

When did public education become public enemy No. 1?

The notion that all citizens are entitled to an education is deeply rooted in the history of this country. Horace Mann espoused this concept while serving as the secretary of education for the commonwealth of Massachusetts beginning in 1837.

Michigan

Record-Eagle: Michigan County Commissioners Consider Right-to-Work “a Waste of Time.”

First, Michigan Guts Democracy. Now Aims for Workers' Paychecks
AFL-CIO (blog)
Now, extremists in the state are pushing for passage of a so-called right to work law that would limit the ability of the workers to maintain or attain the middle class. A new study by University of Michigan research scientist Roland Zullo illustrates

Michigan Democrats to judge Gov. Rick Snyder on job creation

Michigan Democrats intend to hold Gov. Rick Snyder and his business tax overhaul to the standard that Republicans deployed when a Democrat was in the office: job creation, or loss.

GOP leaders not surprised MEA is working on recall efforts, says union has waged 'clandestine war' for months

State House GOP leaders say they're not surprised that the teachers unions are taking an active role in attempts to recall lawmakers who approved an education reform package.

Ohio

Cleveland mayor says 'high possiblity' he will use new option to exempt ...
Plain Dealer (blog)
The collective-bargaining exemption -- given to Cleveland only, as the sole Ohio district under mayoral control -- would free the converted schools from union pay scales and work rules, including seniority requirements for layoffs and teacher callbacks ...

Validation process begins for collective bargaining referendum
WFMJ
They'll begin the process of certifying the validity of names on petitions seeking to strike down Ohio's new law covering collective bargaining for public employees. On Tuesday, Mahoning County Election officials brought back 37 boxes of petitions from ...

OH: New Ohio election law isn't awful, but the tactics of its passage leave a sour taste
The election-reform bill that Gov. John Kasich signed into law last week does some good things: It moves the state toward using the Internet to register voters and update records. It eliminates the confusing "golden week" when a person could register and vote the same day, and it moves the primary to May -- extra time that will be especially welcome after next year's redistricting.

Wisconsin

Union Workers Replaced With Prison Labor Under Scott Walker’s Collective Bargaining Law

Government Accountability Board to spend $750,000 on Wisconsin voter ID education

The state board in charge of running elections says it plans to spend more than $750,000 educating the public about the new photo identification law that fully takes effect next year.

Indiana

Congressmen: Don't risk Hoosier jobs in Asian carp action

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., and a candidate for Indiana governor have teamed up to ensure any action taken to stop Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan and other Chicago-area waterways accounts for the impact on the region's economy.

Rhode Island

RI: Chafee Tries to Defend Voter ID Law
Governor Chafee, in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, said that requiring identification at the polls is a "reasonable request" to ensure the "accuracy and integrity" of state and local elections.

Texas

Budget Cuts Force TX Town To Lay Off Entire Police Force

Arizona

Phoenix mayor, council hopefuls take shots at unions
Arizona Republic
"When council members blame the unions for things it's a false statement because council members sit down as part of that collective-bargaining effort and accept or reject things for the betterment of the city, not for the advancement of one group or ...

National

US: Preserving health coverage for the poor
The poor and disabled people who rely on Medicaid to pay their medical bills could be in grave jeopardy in this sour I've-got-mine political climate. Older Americans, a potent voting bloc, have made clear that they won't stand for serious changes in Medicare. Medicaid, however, provides health insurance for the most vulnerable, who have far less political clout.

Michigan

Pro Right to Work blogpost: Right-to-Work Grassroots Effort Coming to True Blue Union Michigan?
Heritage.org (blog)
It took Nixon to go to China, and now it's taking a coalition of union members to push for right-to-work legislation in big labor's heartland of Michigan. Our friends at The Mackinac Center's Michigan Capitol Confidential report: “A grassroots

Gillman brings 'right-to-work' to board
Traverse City Record Eagle
Howard Walker to support legislation to make Michigan a so-called "right-to-work" state. Gillman, a tea party activist, joined a new organization that has pushed for a state law to prohibit employers from requiring new hires to join a union or pay a

Beware of words meant to trick
Escanaba Daily Press
But be beware of special interests using words like "right to work" to trick us. These laws, now proposed in Michigan, are really right to freeload laws, RTF. We already have a right to work. We can work wherever we chose, assuming someone wants to ...

Ohio

OH: New Ohio election law isn't awful, but the tactics of its passage leave a sour taste
The election-reform bill that Gov. John Kasich signed into law last week does some good things: It moves the state toward using the Internet to register voters and update records. It eliminates the confusing "golden week" when a person could register and vote the same day, and it moves the primary to May -- extra time that will be especially welcome after next year's redistricting.

Collective Bargaining Gets the Axe in Ohio
Mother Jones (blog)
But the Ohio legislature recently passed Senate Bill 5, a Wisconsin-y anti-collective-bargaining law that will render her union effectively powerless. That was the subject of last week's protest. Almost as soon as SB 5 passed, opponents started ...

Illinois

IL: Real cuts needed in state workers' raises
Gov. Pat Quinn is right to try to kill promised pay raises for about 30,000 state employees.

Minnesota

MN: Antitax extremism in Minnesota
How far will Republican lawmakers go to protect millionaires? Those who think a default on the federal government's credit seems implausible should take a sobering look at the "closed" signs dotting Minnesota. The Republican Party there readily shut down the state's government on Friday by refusing to raise taxes on the 7,700 Minnesotans who make more than $1 million a year.

Minn. budget talks resume, but deal remains elusive
KARE
New restrictions on abortions, a ban on cloning research at the University of Minnesota, voter photo ID and constraints on collective bargaining were part of the final GOP offer. After that round Dayton put his tax hike on the wealthy back into his

Highlights: MA: Massachusetts curbs bargaining; Minn. shutdown leaves laid off workers in limbo; Historic Recall Elections Coming Up Soon; PA Gov. Corbett Slashes Education and Health Care, Refuses To Tax Natural Gas Drilling; Gov. Pat Quinn wants to cancel raises for state workers; State workers get pink slip under new budget; NJ paves way on tightening public worker benefits; Montana: Timing could cut pensions for some state, local early retirees; California school districts push to reverse new protections for teachers; full Scrooge Alert at http://dailyscroogealert.blogspot.com/

Minnesota

Minn. shutdown leaves laid off workers in limbo
KARE
Their counter offer also included several policy initiatives that had been embedded in the spending bills Dayton vetoed, including abortion restrictions, bans on cloning research, vouchers for private schools and constraints on collective bargaining ...

Wisconsin

Historic Recall Elections Coming Up Soon
89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee Public Radio
By Ann-Elise Henzl On Tuesday July 12, Wisconsin voters will head to the polls in the first batch of recall elections against state senators. Six Republicans are targeted because they supported Gov. Scott Walker's limits to collective bargaining for ...

Rural Wisconsin schools most vulnerable to cuts
Winona Daily News
Like all state districts, Seneca staff will pay for 12.6 percent to mirror collective bargaining changes. “We were pretty fortunate that way,” Seneca District Administrator David Boland said. “The teachers had over the years taken benefits as opposed ...

Massachusetts

MA: Massachusetts curbs bargaining
Heavily Democratic Massachusetts on Friday became the latest state to curtail public workers' collective-bargaining rights, as lawmakers approved a $30.6 billion budget that gives cities and towns greater leeway to force employees to pay more for their health care.

Ohio

GOP gov. pushes change in battleground Ohio
The Associated Press
Last week, thousands of teachers, firefighters, police officers and other unionized workers paraded through the streets of Columbus against Ohio's new collective bargaining law — many chanting, "OHIO, John Kasich's got to go!" On a recent afternoon at ...

After a busy six months, Ohio lawmakers will get back to photo ID for voters, abortion bills this fall

Ohio lawmakers already this year have overhauled the state's collective bargaining law, privatized the Department of Development and passed a divisive two-year budget.

Pennsylvania

PA Gov. Corbett Slashes Education and Health Care, Refuses To Tax Natural Gas Drilling

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) signed a disastrous state budget last night that favors the natural gas industry at the expense of the state’s children and least fortunate citizens. The $27.15 billion budget does not raise taxes, but cuts health care for more than 100,000 of the state’s poorest re

FALL AGENDA: LIQUOR STORES, VOUCHERS, DRILLING FEES...

Pennsylvania ends fiscal year with higher-than-expected tax revenue

Pennsylvania's tax collections are starting the 2011-12 fiscal year with a full head of steam.

California

Senate Republicans introduce long-shot attempt at pension overhaul

Four state Senate Republicans have introduced a long-shot effort aimed at putting a ballot measure before voters that would make sweeping changes to public pensions in California.

Farmworkers' Rodriguez puts heat on Brown

It was surreal outside the governor's Capitol office Tuesday night, where dozens of farmworkers and their supporters held vigil for hours, waiting to see if Gov. Jerry Brown would sign a bill making it easier for the agricultural employees to unionize.

California school districts push to reverse new protections for teachers

A budget-related bill that Gov. Jerry Brown signed Thursday has sparked a division within the education community as school districts push to reverse new protections for teachers.

Florida

State workers get pink slip under new budget

Millions of Floridians head back to work Tuesday after a restful three-day Fourth of July weekend. But Toni Gugliotta won't be among them. She'll be applying for $275 a week in unemployment benefits instead.

Illinois

Gov. Pat Quinn wants to cancel raises for state workers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. Pat Quinn wants to cancel raises for thousands of state employees to help cope with the Illinois budget crisis, a move denounced Friday as "illegal and irresponsible" by a key union.

New Jersey

Timing could cut pensions for some state, local early retirees

Some Montana public employees who are taking early retirement this year may face a costly shock in reduced pension checks if they time their departures wrong.

Maine

LePage signs education funding reform bill into law

EASTPORT, Maine — School and community leaders joined the state legislators who represent Down East Maine on the front lawn of Shead High School as Gov. Paul LePage signed landmark education funding reform into law on Monday.