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Public Service Recognition Week Coming May 6-10, 2012

No Author — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:22:00 EST

Washington, DC�With just a week to go, ASPA is gearing up for Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW). We are excited about the opportunity to recognize nationally, those who serve our local, state and federal government. Admittedly, this is difficult in the wake of a national story revealing waste and overspending at the General Services Administration.

Despite this news, we can�t ignore the other hundreds of thousands of employees who, day in and out, dedicate numerous hours to providing necessary and important services to the public. These include the park rangers, city administrators and everyday workers who are committed to improving access to government and its services.

The Citizens Initiative Review: From Pilot to Permanent�An Interview with the Co-Director of Organization Charged with Implementation

No Author — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:57:00 EST

Due to it's length, this interview was split into two parts. The first part of this interview, which discussed Elliot Shuford's background as well as background for the project can be read by clicking the link in the Related Articles box below.

Daniel Schugurensky

How did you recruit these participants?
We started with a random sample of 10,000 voters. We sent them a letter inviting them to apply to the CIR. From those who express an interest, we created a pool of several hundred potential participants, and from that pool we selected 24, taking into account the six demographics factors that I just mentioned.

When you were selecting the last 24 participants, how did you avoid accepting or rejecting people you knew?
In that final selection, when we moved from several hundred people to the final list of 24, we only knew participants by numbers. We didn�t have access to their names. We also invited initiative advocates, legislators and other groups to participate in the selection process, which was held as a public process.

The Citizens Initiative Review: From Pilot to Permanent�An Interview with the Co-Director of Organization Charged with Implementation

No Author — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:27:00 EST

Daniel Schugurensky

In many jurisdictions around the world, voters have the power to propose laws directly through ballot initiatives. For its advocates, this element of direct democracy is an essential part of the idea that the power of government truly lies with the people. For its critics, there is one fundamental problem: the initiative process allows citizens to act as legislators without giving them the basic tools that are available for elected representatives, like access to independent data, to experts and to committees that have examined the issues, or the opportunity to deliberate with others about the pros and cons of the proposed laws. This creates a situation where powerful groups can run a campaign based on partial or misleading information and persuade voters to pass legislation that puts significant burdens on the state or that does not necessarily promote the common good.

Is there a way to preserve the democratic benefits of ballot initiatives while reducing their shortcomings? The answer to this question may be found in a remarkable new use of deliberative democracy in Oregon that helps citizens see the entire picture, weigh the different arguments, and check the accuracy of the alleged facts before they vote.

A Local Government Model for Building Nonprofit Capacity

No Author — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:12:00 EST

Catherine Raymond, Sue Gallagher, K. Lori Hanson

Local government agencies have long contracted with nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to provide publicly funded human services. In many communities, the local NPO �market� is limited�comprised largely of community-based organizations that may have difficulty meeting increasingly rigorous government accountability and performance standards. To ensure responsible use of public funds and address gaps between NPO capacities and government standards, some local government agencies provide assistance to their contracted NPO service providers in an effort to improve contract performance. This type of assistance is also known as capacity building.

Unfortunately, there is a dearth of guidance for public managers on what constitutes successful capacity building in a contracting context, what factors influence the capacity building process, and the resources required.

Good to Know�Week of December 26, 2011

No Author — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:01:00 EST

A FEDERAL HOLIDAY POEM
A Federal Holiday Poem
Twas the night before Christmas, and all 'cross the Web
Not a surfer was surfing, except for some feds�

STATE AGENCIES
Five Lessons from Overwhelmed Agencies
Last week, Stateline took an in-depth look at what�s causing growing backlogs of work at state agencies across the country. Here are five lessons gleaned from dozens of interviews with state officials, including those who are currently struggling with a backlog and some who have successfully cleared one up.

Flag Bill to Honor Fallen Civil Servants Passes Congress

No Author — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:31:00 EST

Terry Newell

On December 9, 2011, the Senate unanimously passed the Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011. The legislation, which had previously passed the House on a unanimous 425-0 vote on November 2, 2011, authorizes federal agencies to give an American flag to families of federal civilian employees killed on the job as a result of a criminal act, terrorism, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary event as determined by the President.

Good to Know�Week of December 19, 2011

No Author — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:16:00 EST

DEATH OF A DICTATOR
North Korea�s Mercurial and Enigmatic Leader Kim Jong Il has Died
Kim Jong Il, North Korea�s mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died. He was 69.

ELECTED OFFICIALS
Governors are More Powerful than Ever
All people may be equal before the law, but when a judge sentenced Rod Blagojevich to prison this week, he made clear the punishment did more than fit the crime. It fit the criminal and his august political office.

Good to Know�Week of December 12, 2011

No Author — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:41:00 EST

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time
In a first, federal environment officials today scientifically linked underground water pollution with hydraulic fracturing, concluding that contaminants found in central Wyoming were likely caused by the gas drilling process.

Good to Know�Week of December 5, 2011

No Author — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:29:00 EST

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Kuwait's New Government to be Formed this Week
Last week, the Kuwaiti Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah appointed Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak to form a new government amid hopes it will help lead the country out of a deep crisis that has made a heavy political and social toll on the country.

Good to Know�Week of November 28, 2011

No Author — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:46:00 EST

HEALTH CARE
Last Chance for Medicare, Medicaid Reform? Nope
The real lesson of the supercommittee�s collapse is that the political elements have to line up just right to put the brakes on Medicare and Medicaid spending. It can be done, budget and health care analysts say.

Good to Know�Week of November 21, 2011

No Author — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:59:00 EST

THE GREAT RECESSION
The Great Recession and Its Impact on Americans
The Great Recession has impacted virtually every American. In recent months, the Pew Research Center released a series of reports that document the wealth gap between whites and minorities, childhood poverty among Hispanics, the trend towards more Americans moving in with relatives because of the down economy, and the sharp decline in fertility rates, also linked to the state of the economy.

Good to Know�Week of November 14, 2011

No Author — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:29:00 EST

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Seattle Police Test Taking Drug Offenders Straight to Treatment
Seattle�s Belltown neighborhood, located just south of the iconic Space Needle, is a popular night spot for young professionals, and its high-rise condos are home to many Microsoft and Amazon.com employees.

Good to Know�November 7, 2011

No Author — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:51:00 EST

ELECTIONS
Interactive: A State-by-State Look at Voter ID Laws for 2012 Elections
When Mississippi decides on Initiative 27 next week, voters will determine whether or not they�ll have to show photo identification the next time they go to the polls. The election on Nov. 8 will be the final act of what has been a dramatic year for voter ID laws.

COURTS
Supreme Court Examines Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony
Supreme Court justices on Wednesday challenged the notion that testimony from arguably unreliable eyewitnesses should be specially scrutinized at trial because of how it can lead to wrongful convictions.

Good to Know�Week of October 31, 2011

No Author — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:07:00 EST

WORLD POPULATION BOOM
7 Billion? Hold the Celebrations!
Today, after a decade of economic turbulence, rising commodity prices and setbacks in the fight against hunger and severe poverty, profound questions are being raised about humanity's future. We may not be facing a doomsday scenario, but the march of progress seems less assured than it did in 1999.

Federal Workers Gain in Public Trust�Survey Finds 73% Have at Least Some Confidence in Civilian Federal Employees

No Author — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:47:00 EST

William C. Adams, Donna Lind Infeld

Confidence in federal workers halted its downward drift in 2011, according to the latest Politico-George Washington University Battleground Poll, and showed signs of rebounding. Now 73 percent of registered voters say they have at least �some confidence� in civilian federal employees, close to the 2010 level of 75 percent after eroding to 66 percent in 2009.

Telephone surveys were completed August 28-September 1, 2011, with a random national sample of 1,000 registered voters and confidence intervals of ±3.1 percent. The comparison surveys were also conducted during the third quarter of prior years. In 2011, a total of 20 percent said they have �a great deal� or �quite a lot of� confidence in federal civilian workers. Over half (53 percent) said �some confidence,� 23 percent �very little,� and 4 percent undecided. Democrats continue to be much more likely to report some or a great deal of confidence in federal civilian employees than do Republicans, however the latest poll shows increased confidence across both parties compared to one year ago.

Good to Know�Week of October 24, 2011

No Author — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:26:00 EST

ENERGY
EPA Plans to Issue Rules Covering Fracking Wastewater
The EPA took another step toward tightening oversight of hydraulic fracturing today, announcing it would initiate a process to set national rules for treating wastewater discharged from gas drilling operations.

Good to Know�Week of October 17, 2011

No Author — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:45:00 EST

FOOD SUPPLY
U.S. Food Supply Threatened: Foreign Insects, Diseases got into U.S. Post 9/11
Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.

Flags for Civil Servants Killed in the Line of Duty � Update on Congressional Legislation

No Author — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:50:00 EST

Editor's Note: ASPA's National Council recently voted to send a letter supporting the Flags for the Fallen initiative to Congressman Richard Hanna (R-NY 24), the main sponsor of the bill. The Society will also be emailing members tomorrow (Oct. 11th) to encourage individual support. Please watch your inbox for this very important email and consider responding to the call for support.

Terry Newell, Robert Gest, III

Bills now exist in the House (H.R. 2061) and Senate (S.1444) that would authorize a U.S. burial flag for any federal civil servant killed in the line of duty. The House bill, introduced by Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) seemed poised for passage on September 7th when the American Legion came out in opposition to the bill. Their chief objection is a concern that the bill could lead to military-style funerals for civil servants. The House bill was pulled from the floor, and negotiations between House sponsors and the American Legion have been underway.

Good to Know�Week of October 10, 2011

No Author — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:16:00 EST

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Plans Vote on Territorial Status
Governor Luis Fortuno has proposed a two-step election next year to determine whether Puerto Ricans want to remain a U.S. territory.

Good to Know�Week of October 3, 2011

No Author — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:27:00 EST

HEALTH CARE
Surveys: Health Insurance Costs Shifted to Workers, Even as Premiums Surge
In 2011, for the first time, half of workers at small firms with individual policies faced annual deductibles of $1,000 or more. In 2006, that figure was 16 percent. At large firms, the share has grown from 6 percent to 22 percent over the same five years.