Capitol Comments

Following a vote in the Senate today to advance a state aid package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced through Twitter that the House would reconvene next week to consider the legislation.

On Monday, August 2, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was forced to put on hold the vote for the extension of the enhanced Medicaid match for the period January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011.

In tight finacial times for the states, many have had to rely on late payments on contracts, and more specifically late on payments to nonprofits for services rendered to the public.  Several states are in violation of their own prompt pay laws or have passed emergency spending bills to pay on overdue invoices .  But how significant is the issue? One state's comptroller dug a little further to find out.

As President Obama welcomed activists from across the country to the White House to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), similar scenes played out in state capitols across the country with governors and state legislative leaders marking this important anniversary. However, for the 54 million Americans living with a disability, the future of the programs and services they depend on to live, learn, and earn is deeply tied to a host of tough budget choices and Byzantine program requirements faced by policymakers in the state house as well as the White House.