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.