On March 19, 2013, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued its 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, a once-every-four-years assessment of current infrastructure conditions and needs in 16 categories, including seven related to transportation.

What kind of foreign direct investment opportunities are on the market for states right now? Chris Steele, chief operation officer and North American president of Investment Consulting Associates, provided the site selector’s view on industries and how foreign direct investment is being used during a March 27 webinar, “Foreign Direct Investment: Economic Development Strategies for States.” The presentation featured discussion on issues such as nearshoring, re-shoring, best practices for industry and the ongoing incentive debate’s impact on the outlook for the U.S.

This webinar, recorded on March 15, provided information on state efforts to enhance Medicaid program integrity, which have been catalogued in a new database by the Pew Center on the States. The program also highlighted policies implemented by Georgia to target Medicaid fraud and abuse, and to reduce wasteful errors, including detailed claims reviews, enhanced recovery of payments and coordinated efforts to target high-risk providers.  

CSG’s webinar, “The Clean Water Act and Waters of the U.S.,” helped state policymakers unravel the complex legal issues involving the limits and scope of federal regulatory jurisdiction over “navigable waters of the U.S.” in the Clean Water Act. The timing of the webinar is important as the Obama administration announced its intention December 2012 to pursue a federal rulemaking that may ultimately chart a path forward for states and other stakeholders after two ambiguous decisions made by the Supreme Court and more than four years of agency guidance.

This webinar, recorded on Feb.5, provided updates on 25 states in the process of considering how to meet their transportation needs in the years ahead. From proposals to raise the gas tax to one in Virginia to eliminate it all together, from dedicated sales taxes to license and registration fees, and from tolling to mileage-based user fees, states are looking at a variety of options. 

In the wee hours of the New Year, Congress passed the American Tax Payers Relief Act to eliminate or delay the worst elements of the so called “fiscal cliff” and, hopefully, keep the ship of state from teetering into a new recession. While the drama over the fiscal cliff may have passed for the moment, the new Congress faces another set of crisis-laden deadlines within two months that could have big implications for state budgets.

In early October 2012, health officials discovered an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated batches of steroids used in spinal injections. During the past three months, more than 600 people have been infected across 19 states, and almost 40 people have died as a result of the infection. In addition, it recently was discovered that many people recovering from the outbreak have been struck by a second wave of illness: epidermal abscesses, infections on the spine at the injection site. These outbreaks, attributed to drugs produced by a compounding company in Massachusetts, has prompted widespread concern and call-to-action throughout the public health community. 

As the political dust surrounding health care reform settles, states are getting down to the business of establishing health insurance exchanges. Participants learned more about key health insurance exchanges issues in the 2013 legislative sessions. This workshop examined exchange planning and implementation efforts—looking at issues for both state-based and federally facilitated approaches, including partnerships. The panel focused on topics such as governance, regulatory oversight and financing, as well as general exchange policy.