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Integrate coding challenges into your proposal strategy
Brenda Crist Civil & GovernmentProposal professionals can expect to see an increase in "coding challenges" added to Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements. Government and industry are using coding challenges to either down-select offerors as an entry or final review gate after they submit a proposal. Coding challenges are tests sent to evaluate the offeror's ability to build a minimal viable product (MVP) or web-based app to respond to a set of requirements. If government and industry do not create their own challenge, they may use one on sites like CoderByte or HackerRank.
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Economy rebounds to add 196,000 jobs; unemployment steady at 3.8%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe March jobs report shows that nonfarm payroll employment rose 196,000 from 20,000 new jobs in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. March’s rate of unemployment of 3.8% matched February’s rate of 3.8%. "To be really clear — today's jobs report inspires a bit of a sigh of relief relative to the disastrous February jobs number — but the economy is definitely going to grow a lot more slowly in 2019 than 2018," said Josh Bivens, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. March marked the 102nd consecutive month of expansion since the end of the Great Recession.
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Green-collar jobs in the spotlight
Michelle R. Matisons Facilities & GroundsWhen referring to occupations, the word "collar" usually refers to class/income or gender designations. "White collar" is used for professional jobs, "blue collar" for manual labor/working-class jobs, and the phrase "pink collar" is used for fields predominantly occupied by women, such as teaching and nursing. But there’s a new collar color on the horizon that cuts across these class and gender distinctions. "Green collar" jobs include any occupation related to environmental issues: the category encompasses lower-wage solar panel installation positions all the way up to high-paying research and executive positions.
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New opt-out law considers all adults in England organ donors
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the spring of 2020, all adults in England will become organ donors, according to a new law. On March 15, Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill 2017-19 was granted Royal Assent and became law. Also known as the "opt-out bill" and Max and Keira’s Law, the legislation means that all adults living in England are organ donors unless they record a decision to opt-out. The bill, introduced in the House of Commons by Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson, deems that consent has been given by a potential organ donor before death unless the individual expressly states that they do not wish to be an organ donor.
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What’s next for association health plans after federal judge’s…
Seth Sandronsky Medical & Allied HealthcareU.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates recently ruled that the Department of Labor's issuance of a final rule last June 19 that lets groups of small businesses offer association health plans (AHPs) is "clearly an end-run" around the 2010 Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections. Kev Coleman, president and founder of AssociationHealthPlans.com, disputes Judge Bates' ruling. "The new study on chamber of commerce association health plans painfully illustrates the insurance gains that will be lost to small businesses if the recent court ruling is not overturned," Coleman said in a prepared statement.
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Pro-gun sanctuary cities causing rifts in state, local governments
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityYou don't have to be a Chicagoan to understand the great divide between the city and the rest of Illinois anymore. An ironic twist to the word "sanctuary" has made it easier for all. Known for its liberal politics and being one of the leading "sanctuary cities" in the country concerning immigration, it has a very different mindset than rural and some parts of suburban Illinois. This fact is now clearly reflected in the move made by some local officials to transform parts of the state into gun sanctuaries. Areas of Washington state, Oregon and New Mexico have done the same.
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New bill looks to alleviate Texas’ feral hog problem, but will anything…
John McAdams Recreation & LeisureThe Texas Legislature is back in session for the first time since 2017. Compared to the furor surrounding the use of poison to control the feral hog population in Texas during the last session of the legislature, things are relatively quiet regarding legislation directly related to outdoor activities this time around. However, two identical bills in the House and Senate might look interesting for residents concerned about the feral hog problem in Texas: House Bill 3550 and Senate Bill 317. Introduced by Rep. John Cyrier and Sen. Bryan Hughes, HB 3550 and SB 317 would remove the existing requirement to possess a hunting license to kill feral hogs on private land in Texas.
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Tax credits, jobs slashed as GM adds new electric SUV plant
Michelle R. Matisons ManufacturingAuto giant General Motors has announced it will begin manufacturing a new electric vehicle (EV), with the news coming shortly after previously reported plant closures took effect. Meanwhile, the IRS has confirmed that an electric car subsidy is now being phased out. Layoffs from the plant closures have been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration's spotlight on Rust Belt manufacturing jobs. Despite monthly reports, the U.S. manufacturing sector faces attrition that can't be obscured by political machinations, and the GM controversy proves this.
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What’s behind the Department of Education’s school funding…
Patrick Gleeson EducationWhy is the Betsy DeVos-led Department of Education continuing to slash education programs? And why, despite criticism even from congressional Republicans, has the department continued to slash budgets for disabled and disadvantaged children while increasing budgets for school choice? There seems to be a clear approach in DeVos' budgets that, while cutting budgets generally, has shifted remaining funds away from at-risk populations and toward wealthier families.
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Climate change and the price of being poor
LeRon L. Barton Waste Management & EnvironmentalIf you were to ask most people in low-income communities where climate change would rank in degree of importance, I would wager that it would be pretty low. This is not to say that folks living in these neighborhoods don't care or have no knowledge about the issues that affect the environment, it's just that paying the rent or mortgage, getting to work, and the stress of living in poverty take precedence. However, in 2019, there may be a change in how climate change is viewed, due to new legislation, research, and outreach.
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