Come November, Washington voters will weigh in on a U.S. Senate seat and nine Congressional Seats. When they do, they will have several ballot issues as well. One in particular, Initiative 1082, may help small businesses by opening up the workman's compensation requirement and letting free market industrial insurers compete with the state. Those opposing the measure point out that relying on profit-driven insurance companies may put employers at a higher risk for denied coverage.

When the state of Pennsylvania passed their budget in July, the $28 billion budget assumed $850 million would be available in federal Medicaid reimbursement money. Unfortunately, this total was reduced to $600 million, leaving $250 million to be made up elsewhere.

Following this realization, Governor Rendell and the General Assembly began seeking ways to make up the difference. Thus far, $50 million has been deducted from the general education fund, a fund which initially received an increase of $250 million, leaving an excess of $200 million. In addition, Governor Rendell has instructed Pennsylvania’s executive agencies to place 1.9% of their designated budgets into budgetary reserve. The state is also laying off 100 state employees, a far smaller number than expected, primarily due to an unexpected increase in retirements. Lastly, $70 million is expected to be generated through a severance tax imposed on natural gas from Marcellus Shale revenue.