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Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart as Deputy Chief of detectives Robert Oswald, left, and James Skopek 1st Deputy, right, holds a press conference on June 29. Photo Credit: John Roca Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart brought in a trusted colleague from her days as a Justice Department prosecutor in making James Skopek her first deputy commissioner last June. Now, Hart has won approval from the state Civil Service Commission for a waiver making the former Nassau detective sergeant Suffolk's latest double dipper with salary and pension totaling $309,460 a year.
One primary message from Democrats this election is that if they win the majority in the U.S. House, or win their respective governors' seats, they will do everything they can to increase taxes.
As Republicans in Congress prepare for a possible backlash this fall against President Donald Trump, their counterparts in the Kentucky legislature are grappling with a similar threat from the state's teachers and public workers. This spring, thousands marched on the state Capitol in a protest that shuttered more than 30 school districts across the state and pressured lawmakers to remove some of the most hated proposals from a pension bill that would have taken away cost-of-living raises.
Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Ann Wagner wrote in USA Today that they are introducing legislation to modernize our more than 80-year-old public pension system - Social Security - to make it more flexible and better able to meet the needs of today's workers. This is welcome news.
Thousands protested in central Moscow on Sunday against a proposed increase to the retirement age and the crowd chanted slogans critical of President Vladimir Putin whose approval ratings have been dented by the bill. The rally organized by the opposition Libertarian Party chanted "Putin is a thief" and "away with the tsar," slogans common at anti-Putin and anti-government protests.
Lamar Alexander, a Republican, represents Tennessee in the U.S. Senate and serves as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Today, if you're a self-employed plumber or a farmer or a waitress at a small restaurant, you likely don't have access to the same kind of lower-cost health insurance, tax breaks and patient protections that employees of bigger companies, such as IBM or Microsoft, enjoy.
The pension crisis that threatens the retirement savings of 1.5 million Americans also poses the risk of driving the U.S. economy into a tailspin, a panel of witnesses told a congressional panel. Witnesses from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and businesses, including UPS, told the Joint Select Committee on the Solvency of Multi-employer Pension Plans that should the estimated 150 to 200 multi-employer pension plans that are in danger become insolvent, the companies that paid into those plans would be held liable.
No one seems to know if Anthony Kennedy is retiring at the end of the Supreme Court's term. The conventional wisdom holds that justices decide to leave when they know they can effectively pick the ideological disposition of their successor, depending on who the president is.
But nothing came without struggle, and even after lawmakers wrestled over how to spend a $1.3 billion revenue surplus this year, some key programs are still far from fully funded. "Even though is historic and significant, it's not enough," said Scott Wasserman, president of the Bell Policy Center.
Could you save a fortune with new pay-as-you-drive motor insurance? If you use your car only twice a week it could cut A 225 off your annual bill Cruellest and most devious scam yet: Retired shopkeeper Henry, 79, loses A 25,000 after he's tricked into buying Rolex watches to hand to crooks Said no to a smart meter? Prepare for a deluge of junk mail after energy firms are given the green light to pester you Clever trick to boost interest by A 96 a year: Bounce cash from easy-access account into a regular saver and back MARKET REPORT: Bookie William Hill at risk of a foreign takeover after US Supreme Court overturns 26-year ban on sports betting Money Pit Stop: I don't mind risk - and even enjoy a flutter on stakes in race horses - how can I make more from my A 1.24m investments? DAN HYDE: There's no sense in a smart meter rush - as long as they're optional people will keep resisting Why ... (more)
That might be welcome news for Trump voters who want the president to fulfill a promise to "drain the swamp" and rid the capital of the politically connected. Yet his nominee, Gordon Hartogensis, is well known to some of Washington's most politically influential: He is the brother-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Six years ago, Hannah Laswell made phone calls, knocked on doors and posted videos on Facebook to get Republican Jonathan Shell elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. Shell is now one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state.
Lots of things die at the end of a legislative session: bills, constitutional amendments, one's faith in humanity . Some of what doesn't survive is not to be regretted; some is.
With the chants of hundreds of teachers ringing in their ears, Kentucky House lawmakers voted Friday to override the Republican governor's veto of a two-year operating budget that increases public education spending with the help of a $480 million tax increase. The vote came as thousands of teachers rallied inside and outside the Capitol, forcing more than 30 school districts to close as Kentucky continued the chorus of teacher protests across the country.
As teachers in the historically red states of Oklahoma , Kentucky , and Arizona are following in the footsteps of educators in West Virginia and turning out in droves to demand higher pay, reliable pensions, and greater government investments in the public school system, s ome Republican state leaders are sticking to their narrative that teachers are simply asking for too much-a strategy that could backfire during the November midterm elections. Her comments followed fiery remarks by Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who last month said that educators who were protesting legislation that would slash their retirement benefits were "ignorant," "remarkably selfish," and "throwing a temper tantrum."
The state Capitol in Kentucky filled with teachers protesting pension changes Monday, and thousands of Oklahoma educators walked out of classrooms in the latest evidence of teacher rebellion in some Republican-led states over education cuts. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation last week granting teachers' pay raises of about $6,100, or 15 to 18 percent.
The state Capitol in Kentucky filled with teachers protesting pension changes Monday, and thousands of Oklahoma educators walked out of classrooms in the latest evidence of teacher rebellion in some Republican-led states over education cuts. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation last week granting teachers pay raises of about $6,100, or 15 to 18 percent.
Tens of thousands of public school teachers in Kentucky and Oklahoma plan to attend rallies on Monday at their state capitols in what they hope will be the latest display of muscle by the nation's educators demanding higher wages and better classroom resources. The double demonstrations come less than a month after West Virginia teachers went on a nine-day strike that ended with the governor there signing legislation giving them a 5 percent pay hike - their first raise in four years.