Money
For Some States, a Focus on Older Workers: Laws With Little Protection from Hiring Discrimination
According to the EEOC, charges of age discrimination have risen steadily since the turn of the century, from about 16,000 in 2000 to close to 21,000 in 2014. A senior attorney with AARP said "the number of charges filed with the EEOC is just the tip of the iceberg." Most employers, according to the attorney "are smart enough not to make any sort of comment against the person's age, which would provide the smoking gun piece of evidence. So often, it's really not worth filing a job discrimination claim." more »
After Years of Cuts, Cities and States Are Hiring Again
Public employment, long seen as a secure job with good benefits, took a series of hits during the recession, with state and local governments implementing hiring freezes and layoffs. But job-seekers can take solace: Many states and localities are now hiring, buoyed by an improving economy and better-than-expected revenue. State and local governments are having trouble filling jobs involving accounting, information technology, finance, mental health, skilled trade work, social work, water treatment and some others, the report said. more »
States to Colleges: Prove You’re Worth It
The idea of using outcomes — not enrollments — to guide public funding of higher education has so much bipartisan backing that both President Barack Obama and Florida's Republican Gov. Rick Scott support it. Just last week, the Florida Board of Education approved a performance-funding system for state colleges, adding to its existing system for state universities. more »
Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Middle Class Economics Rewarding Hard Work by Restoring Overtime Pay
President Obama announced that the Department of Labor will propose extending overtime pay to nearly 5 million workers. The proposal would guarantee overtime pay to most salaried workers earning less than an estimated $50,440 next year. The number of workers in each state who would be affected by this proposal can be found here. more »