Opinions
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April 16, 2013
Sacramento Bee: Editorial: An Incremental Step to Stem Payday Loans
Sacramento Bee edititorial: California's $3.3 billion payday lending industry preys on the poor and the financially unsophisticated. Attempts to rein it in have failed. California remains among the most permissive states when it comes to payday lending. more
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- Opinion
- Prepaid Cards Research Project
USA Today: Be Wary of Prepaid Card Protection
Policymakers can -- and should -- require prepaid card issuers to acquire FDIC insurance.
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Governing Magazine: Building an Election System That Works
Sue Urahn: To achieve an election system that is convenient, accurate and fair, state and local leaders need data to review and track their voting processes—from registration to ballot counting.
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- Opinion
- Children's Dental Campaign
The News Tribune: Fluoridation: Where the Real Tax Savings Are
Our editorial today argues for restoring Medicaid dental coverage for poor adults. That would cost the state something on the order of $30 million and the federal government more, since it would be paying for a further expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. more
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- Opinion
- Children's Dental Campaign
Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Prior Exam Rule Hinders Prevention of Child Tooth Decay
We can improve oral health for Hawaii's children. And we should — because the numbers tell a disturbing story.
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Governing Magazine: Collaboration, Technology and the Lessons of Election Day
Sue Urahn: This year's elections demonstrated how teamwork between governments and the technology sector can make voting information more accessible, save taxpayer dollars and improve the efficiency of the voting process.
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- Opinion
- Children's Dental Campaign
Dr. Bicuspid: A Response to ADA's 'Scientific Study' of Dental Therapists
Opinion: The results of the ADA study published in the January 2013 Journal of the American Dental Association do nothing to discredit the utilization of dental therapists in the workforce in their traditional role of providing care for children in school-based programs. more
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November 1, 2012
Site Selection Magazine: Return on Investment
A growing number of states want evidence of results to drive decisions about tax incentives for economic development. more
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- Opinion
- Fiscal Federalism Initiative
Governing Magazine: The Unknown Impact of Federal Fiscal Decisions
The federal deficit is not just a federal problem. Federal decisions about the best ways to cut programs and increase revenue should take into account all costs and benefits, including the effects on state and local governments. more
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- Opinion
- Children's Dental Campaign
Bangor Daily News: The Promise of a New Type of Dentist
You might not be worried about your access to a dentist’s office if you have private health insurance or can afford to pay for care. But if you’re poor, or if you live in a remote area, the barriers you face make it more likely you and your children will delay getting preventive oral health care until it’s too late. more
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- Opinion
- Home Visiting Campaign
Chamber Executive: Where Workforce Development Begins
Science tells us that our experiences as infants and toddlers greatly affect the quality of the structures in the brain. Up through age three, our minds grow more rapidly than at any other time, developing 700 new learning pathways each second. more
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August 22, 2012
Governing Magazine: The Power of Incentives for Performance
Corrections is one area in which a handful of states and their local governments are seeing big improvements in results—and saving millions in the process—through a novel funding approach.
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June 13, 2012
Governing Magazine: Showing the Way on Tax Incentives
States generally don’t measure whether the billions of dollars in tax breaks they hand out for economic development are working. But there are some worthwhile efforts under way. more
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- Opinion
- American Cities Project
Squeezing Local Governments
Cities, counties and school districts are facing a one-two punch: simultaneous drops in property tax revenue and state aid. The blows come even as demand for services is growing. This fiscal squeeze—not seen since 1980—has resulted in painful choices for local governments large and small.
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- Opinion
- Results First
The Dawn of the Evidence-Based Budget
Could this be the coming of age of “evidence-based policy making”?
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May 16, 2012
Editorial: Reforming Public Safety
Governor John Kitzhaber reappointed his Oregon Commission on Public Safety, which last year recommended reforming the state’s sentencing laws and increasing spending to bolster prevention and drive down recidivism. more
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May 7, 2012
Editorial: Legislature Takes Small, but Important Step Toward Prison Reform
Missouri legislators have passed a bill that would reduce prison populations slightly by streamlining probation and parole operations throughout the state, giving more control to county officials and reducing the number of parole violators sent to prison. more
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Governing Magazine: Technology for a 21st-Century Democracy
The outdated systems we use to register voters are often inaccurate, costly and inefficient. A new collaboration among states promises to go a long way toward bringing these systems into the modern age.
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- Opinion
- Results First
Governing Magazine: The Cost-Benefit Imperative
A group of states is adapting a successful model to target scarce funds for the greatest return on investment.
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Improve Overseas Military Voting
If there is any voting group which is more conscious of the meaning of the right to vote, it is members of the military. Overseas military personnel, especially those serving in war zones, are putting their lives on the line to protect our rights, including our right to vote.
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Editorial: Let Voters Opt Out of Sample Ballots Sent by U.S. Mail
Ventura County could save more than $100,000 during every major election if as few as one in five voters would agree to receive the sample-ballot information online instead of by U.S. mail.
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Student Voting: A 'Problem' Becomes an Opportunity
As spring break begins across America, many college students are looking forward to an escape from classes. But some state lawmakers across the nation have something else on their minds: how to limit the influence of students by making it harder for them to cast ballots in their campus towns. more
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- Opinion
- Election Initiatives
Fixing the Vote
State lawmakers should speed consideration of election reforms that would permit online voter registration, fight fraud, save money and spare Ohio from lawsuits in the 2012 national elections. more