Hiring/ Veterans Funding

Missoulian: US hiring slows sharply as economy looks weaker

Employment Situation Summary
“Nonfarm payroll employment changed little in May (+69,000), and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 8.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in health care, transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade but declined in construction. Employment was little changed in most other major industries.”

Missoulian: House passes veterans funding bill

H.R.5854: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and RelatedAgencies Appropriations Act, 2013 

“Title II: Department of Veterans Affairs - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration, (2) readjustment benefits, (3) veterans insurance and indemnities, (4) the Veterans Housing Benefit Program Fund, (5) the Vocational Rehabilitation Loans Program, (6) the Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, (7) the Veterans Health Administration (including for medical and prosthetic research and information technology systems), (8) the National Cemetery Administration, (9) the Office of the Inspector General, (10) construction for major and minor projects, and (11) grants for the construction of state extended care facilities and veterans cemeteries.”-from CRS summery

Space X

Missoulian: Space X Dragon leaves space station for trip home

Dragon Capsule Released from Station

“The SpaceX Dragon capsule was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm by crew members of Expedition 31 at 5:49 a.m. EDT. The capsule now will begin a series of departure burns and maneuvers to move beyond the 656-foot (200-meter) “keep out sphere” around the station and begin its return trip to Earth.”

Small Employer Health Tax Credit

Helena Independent Record:  Obama's health care aid to small firms disappoints

Small Employer Health Tax Credit; Factors Contributing toLow Use and Complexity

“Fewer small employers claimed the Small Employer Health Insurance Tax Credit in tax year 2010 than were estimated to be eligible. While 170,300 small employers claimed it, estimates of the eligible pool by government agencies and small business advocacy groups ranged from 1.4 million to 4 million. The cost of credits claimed was $468 million. Most claims were limited to partial rather than full percentage credits (35 percent for small businesses) because of the average wage or full-time equivalent (FTE) requirements. 28,100 employers claimed the full credit percentage. In addition, 30 percent of claims had the base premium limited by the state premium average.”

Nuclear missiles / Food stamp fraud

Missoulian:  Rehberg amendment to protect Malmstromnuclear missiles passes House

H.R.4310: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013
H.AMDT.1140 (A042)
“An amendment numbered 59 printed in House Report 112-485 to ban any reductions to the strategic nuclear triad unless the Secretary of Defense certifies that: (1) further reductions in the Russia Federations arsenal are needed for compliance with New START limits; and (2) Russia is not developing or deploying nuclear delivery systems not covered by New START limits. Amendment would also protect all three legs of the nuclear triad from elimination.”

Missoulian: Gov't taking new steps to combat foodstamp fraud

USDA Proposes Additional Steps to Fight Fraud and Enhance SNAP Integrity
“Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced new measures to further reduce fraud in USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of the Obama administration's ongoing Campaign to Cut Waste. The new measures will help root out waste, fraud and abuse so that federal dollars are invested wisely by giving states new tools to examine excessive requests for replacement benefit cards”

Census Under/Overcount / Fiscal Cliff

Missoulian: 2010 census missed more than 1.5M minorities

Census Bureau Releases Estimates of Undercount and Overcountin the 2010 Census

“The U.S. Census Bureau released today results from its post-enumeration survey, providing a measure of the accuracy of the 2010 Census. The results found that the 2010 Census had a net overcount of 0.01 percent, meaning about 36,000 people were overcounted in the census. This sample-based result, however, was not statistically different from zero.”

Missoulian:  CBO warns of US falling off 'fiscal cliff'

Economic Effects of Reducing the Fiscal Restraint That IsScheduled to Occur in 2013 

 “In fact, under current law, increases in taxes and, to a lesser extent, reductions in spending will reduce the federal budget deficit dramatically between 2012 and 2013—a development that some observers have referred to as a “fiscal cliff”—and will dampen economic growth in the short term. CBO has analyzed the economic effects of reducing that fiscal restraint. It finds that reducing or eliminating the fiscal restraint would boost economic growth in 2013, but that adopting such a policy without imposing comparable restraint in future years would have substantial economic costs over the longer run.”

Rockets /Race to the Top

Missoulian: Private supply ship rockets toward space station

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9/Dragon on HistoricMission

“SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into space and delivered a Dragon cargo capsule into orbit on May 22, 2012. The launch began an ambitious mission to show that the company is ready to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.”

Missoulian: Administration sets criteria for new schoolgrants
Announcing the Race to the Top District Competition

“Secretary Duncan and the Department of Education announced a new Race to the Top District competition today, one that is aimed squarely at the classroom level with a focus on the relationship between teachers and students.

The proposed competition offers nearly $400 million in grants and invites school districts to create plans for individualized classroom instruction aimed at closing achievement gaps and preparing each student for college and career.”