When the Rules No Longer Apply

Consider this absurd scenario: You’re a high school athletics director and you’ve just learned that the school district canceled all the traditional sports programs.  No football, soccer, basketball, baseball, etc. The district is replacing them with a series of team competitions that may be a traditional sport or a hybrid sport. You’ll know beforehand the time and place for each competition, but not the actual competition. How do you plan for each competition if you don’t know what it is?

This sounds crazy, but businesses often face similar scenarios when a new aggressive startup company successfully launches a new “disruptive” product or service or figures out a better way to make or deliver an existing product or service. Disruptive technologies and services make it hard to predict and plan. And yet, businesses like India’s software giant, Tata Consultancy Services, learn to adapt and thrive in such environments.

Sizing up an environment is necessary for strategic thinking. “Strategy is, in essence, problem solving, and the best approach depends upon the specific problem at hand,” Martin Reeves, Knut Haanaes, and Janmejaya Sinha wrote in their new book, Your Strategy Needs a Strategy: How to Choose and Execute the Right Approach.  But “your environment dictates your approach to strategy. You need to assess the environment and then match and apply the appropriate approach,” they added.

 

Assessing the environment based on control (i.e., malleability) and certainty (i.e., unpredictability) reveals five possible environmental scenarios a business could experience during the course of its life:

• There’s the classical environment in which you can predict what will happen tomorrow but not change it. If you’re an automaker, for example, you know you can increase profits by cutting production costs or making cars that set them apart from your competitors. But you can’t control what your competitors do. You can predict, but you can’t control the environment.
• In an adaptive environment, you can’t predict what will happen or change it if you could. For example, information technology products are changing constantly, and if you’re an electronics manufacturer, your best bet is to constantly experiment with new ideas, rapidly capitalizing on your successes and learning from your failures.
• You can predict what will happen if you’re the first to come out with a new product or service, and in the process, change the environment by creating a new market or disrupting an existing one (i.e., visionary environment). Look at Uber and its business model rewriting the rules for livery service.
• Sometimes you can’t predict how a new or existing product or service will play out in the market, but you can change the environment in such a way to guarantee its success. One way to do this is to put in place people, facilities, and technology needed to make, sell, and support the product or service, a strategy that often involves collaborating with key stakeholders (i.e., shaping environment). That’s how Denmark’s Novo Nordisk built its Chinese insulin operation in the 1990s.
• If your environment starts to change, you’re going to need time to figure out how it’s changing. The uncertainty and declining sales could be harsh, requiring you to “conserve and free up resources to ensure [the business’s] viability” (i.e., harsh environment).

Public policy analysts could learn much from Your Strategy Needs a Strategy, even though the authors wrote it mainly for business strategists. For fiscal analysts trying to project tax revenues, the book suggests how environmental changes affect sales, capital investments, and other decisions that ultimately affect revenue flows. For economic development policy analysts, the book provides a framework for analyzing the challenges facing a state’s key industry sectors.

State Laws Prohibiting Leaving Animals in Unattended Vehicles

OLR Report 2015-R-0192 summarizes state laws prohibiting a person from leaving an animal in an unattended vehicle. 

Eighteen states have laws that explicitly address leaving an animal in an unattended vehicle. These laws either prohibit a person from leaving an animal in an unattended vehicle, allow certain people (e.g., police and animal control officers) to rescue an animal that is confined in a vehicle, or both. Generally, the person may use reasonable force to rescue the animal given the circumstances.  The report includes a table outlining the eighteen states and the specific prohibited activity, penalties, and rescue provisions. 

In Connecticut, depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, a person leaving an animal confined in a parked vehicle in adverse weather (e.g., extreme heat or cold) may be charged with animal cruelty.

For more information, read the full report here.

STEM Jobs on the Rise

All the recent discussion about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs being the future might seem overstated since jobs in STEM fields make up only 6.2% of all U.S. employment. But the 10% STEM job growth has exceeded the 6% overall employment growth from May 2010 to May 2014.

The Council of State Governments’ Knowledge Center recently issued an interactive state-by-state graphic that shows the percentage of STEM jobs in each state and allows for easy comparisons with how individual states do against the top states in terms of STEM jobs.
 
With STEM employment making up 6.6% of Connecticut’s jobs, we are better than average (6.2%), but below such top states as Massachusetts (9.0%), Maryland (9.1%), Virginia (9.0%), and Washington (9.2%). After Massachusetts, Connecticut has the second highest percentage in New England. The states with the lowest percentages include Mississippi (3.2%) and Nevada (3.3%).

Connecticut Economic Resource Center’s Town Profiles

The Connecticut Economic Resource Center is a nonprofit and public-private partnership that, among other things, publishes two-page profiles on municipalities. These profiles explore demographics, local government, the economy, and real estate conditions.

Each profile compiles statistics from numerous resources, including the Census, American Community Survey, State Library, Office of Policy and Management, and the departments of Labor, Education, and Economic and Community Development. 

www.cerc.com

Childhood Poverty, Even Short Term, May Hinder Adult Success

A new report from the Urban Institute provides sobering statistics on child poverty in America and the effect poverty has on adult success. According to the report, 38.8% of American children are poor (i.e., family income is below the federal poverty level) for at least one year before they turn age 18. Researchers compared adult outcomes of children who were “never poor” to those who were “persistently poor” and those who were poor but not persistently (“ever-poor”). Some of the researchers’ notable findings include the following:

• Overall, 10.5% of American children are persistently poor, but broken down by race, 38.5% of black children are persistently poor compared to 4.3% of white children.
• “Persistently poor children are 13% less likely to complete high school and 43% less likely to complete college” than children who are poor but not persistently so.
• “Compared with ever-poor children whose parents do not have a high school education, ever-poor children whose parents have a high school education or more than a high school education are 11 and 30 percent, respectively, more likely to complete high school.”
• 92.7% of never poor children complete high school, compared to 77.9% of ever-poor children.
• “Ever-poor children who move three or more times for negative reasons [e.g., home foreclosure] before they turn 18 are 15% less likely to complete high school, 36% less likely to enroll in college or another postsecondary education program by age 25, and 68% less likely to complete a four-year college degree by age 25 than ever-poor children who never move.”

To learn more about factors that contribute to successful adult outcomes, click here to read the full study.

“Use Yah Blinkah”: States Use Clever Slogans to Encourage Safe Driving

In May 2015, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) programmed the state’s electronic highway signs with a simple safety message: “Changing lanes? Use yah blinkah.” Massachusetts Highway Administrator Frank De Paola said they did so because the traditional safety messages are “a little bit of white noise because we just repeat [them]…by changing the message and maybe using that creative spelling, we thought we’d get people’s attention and get people talking about it.” He was right—the slogan that poked fun at the regional dialect quickly went viral.

Massachusetts wasn’t the first to use this strategy—Iowa began displaying catchy messages two years ago. But, according to Governing, now even more states are following suit. This summer, Utah displayed a different catchy or clever message on its electronic signs every Monday. States, like Massachusetts and Illinois, are even holding contests for residents to come up with slogans for the signs. Although state transportation officials acknowledge that silly electronic message board slogans are unlikely to significantly reduce road deaths, they believe the slogans can be an important part of a broader strategy, as they get people talking and thinking about highway safety.

States tend to target these messages to five types of driver behaviors: distracted driving, sober driving, drowsy driving, seatbelt use, and speeding. Here’s a sampling of some of states’ creative slogans:

1. “That seatbelt looks good on you”
2. “Turn signals: the original instant message”
3. “Get your head out of your apps”
4. “Tailgating is for football, not for highways”
5. “Work Zones: We don’t speed through your office”

Supreme Court Term in Review

The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School recently completed its review of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014-2015 term.The review notes that there were only 16 unanimous decisions, and half of the cases had a majority of either six or five Justices.

In addition to high profiles cases (such as the Obergefell v. Hodges same-sex marriage decision or King v. Burwell decision on tax credits under the Affordable Care Act), the review highlights several lesser-known decisions on a broad range of topics.

For example, in Holt v. Hobbs, the court held that the Arkansas Department of Correction’s grooming policy violated federal law by preventing a Muslim inmate from growing a ½ inch beard as required by his religious beliefs.

For another example, Ohio v. Clark concerned the Sixth’s Amendment confrontation clause.  Specifically, a criminal defendant accused of abusing a child challenged the admissibility of the child’s statements made to his teachers, on the grounds that the child was not available for cross-examination. The court held that the statements were not testimonial in nature, and therefore were admissible, “[b]ecause neither the child nor his teachers had the primary purpose of assisting in Clark’s prosecution.”

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/supreme_court_2014-2015_term_highlights

Copayments and Deductibles in Medicaid and Other Health Insurance Plans

OLR Report 2015-R-0160 provides information on copayments and deductibles for Medicaid, state employee medical plans, and other private health insurance plans. It also includes general income limits for eligibility for Connecticut’s Medicaid-funded health care programs.

Both deductibles and copayments are out-of-pocket payments made by policyholders. However, a deductible is paid before insurance coverage begins and a copayment is paid each time someone receives a specific health care service. Deductibles and copayments are both common forms of health insurance cost sharing and the payments vary depending on which health insurance plan an insured has.

Husky A and D Medicaid income limits and eligibility are based on family size and deductibles and copayments are not required. Husky C provides coverage for individuals who are elderly, blind, or living with a disability.  Monthly income is also used to determine eligibility.

For current Medicaid income limits and additional information concerning out-of-pocket costs for the plans referenced above, read the full report.

Prison Populations Decline Nationwide

According to a new report from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of prisoners held by state and federal authorities fell by 1% from the end of 2013 to the end of 2014.  The federal prison population fell by 2.5%. 

Among other findings in the report:

• state and federal prisons held 1,508,600 people sentenced to more than one year in prison at the end of 2014, down by 11,800 from the end of 2013;
• 54% of state male inmates were violent offenders, as of the end of 2013; and
• 50% of males and 59% of females in federal prisons were sentenced for drug offenses, as of September 30, 2014.

On September 1, 2015, Connecticut’s prison population stood at 16,168, down from 17,563 in 2013.

 

For more nationwide data, read the BJS report.

For more statistics on Connecticut’s criminal justice system, read the Office of Policy and Management’s Monthly Indicators Report.

State Programs for Older Adults

OLR Report 2015-R-0146 describes select programs and services offered by the state to assist older adults.

Age and proportionate use of the programs by older adults were the criteria used to select the programs for the report.  There are several programs, including a matching program that offers senior assistance in locating and using other service agencies.

The state's principal programs for older adults provide cash assistance, energy assistance, health care, housing, legal assistance, long-term care, nutrition, property tax relief, and transportation.

Read the full report for more information on each program.

U.S. Court of Appeals Upholds Federal Domestic Workers Regs

In Home Care Association of America v. Weil , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) revised regulations regarding minimum wage and overtime requirements for certain domestic workers.  The revised regulations (1) eliminate provisions that exempted third-party employers (e.g., home care agencies) from paying the minimum wage and overtime to domestic workers providing “companionship services” and (2) tighten the definition of “companionship services” under which all employers can claim an exemption to minimum wage and overtime requirements.  As a result, more domestic workers will be entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay.  This could change if the U.S. Supreme Court chooses to consider an appeal and subsequently overturns the decision. 

USDOL issued the revised regulations in 2013, but a group of trade associations representing third-party agencies challenged the regulations in court.  In December 2014 and January 2015, a U.S. District Court issued two rulings in favor of the agencies and vacated the revised regulations.  The USDOL appealed and the recent Court of Appeals decision reverses the District Court’s decisions.

According to USDOL, the Court of Appeals opinion becomes effective 52 days after it was issued (October 12, 2015), at which point the revised regulations take effect. The department has asked the court to make the opinion effective at an earlier date and the home care associations have asked the court to delay the date while they seek review by the Supreme Court.  To date, both requests are pending.  Regardless of the court’s decision regarding these requests, the USDOL will not begin enforcing the new regulations until 30 days after the Court of Appeals’ opinion becomes effective.

Leaf Peepers Rejoice!

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently released their annual Fall Foliage Report for this autumn season. Though the foliage season begins in mid-to-late September, DEEP estimates that peak color will occur between October 5 and November 13. Using the department’s interactive Foliage Report map, state residents and visitors can (1) see when different regions of the state will hit peak color and (2) browse scenic hiking locations and foliage driving routes. DEEP also offers “leaf peeping” tips, including a list of scenic destinations for prime fall foliage viewing.

wikimedia.org

Community Policing Awards

The U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has just announced more than $107 million in grant funding through the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Cops Hiring Program (CHP) to nearly 200 law enforcement agencies nationwide. CHP provides funding directly to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire and rehire entry-level career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs and increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. Lynch said the awards “will promote the ongoing efforts of the Department of Justice as we work to build the safe, secure, and supportive communities that every American deserves.” Click here for more information on the awards.

2015 Bill Tracking Report

Are you wondering what happened to a 2015 legislative bill that wasn't enacted?  OLR Report 2015-R-0147 may provide you with the answer.  The report lists the bills considered during the General Assembly's 2015 regular session and June Special Session whose provisions were enacted under another bill number. 

The provisions of many bills that die in committee or on the calendar become law after the original committee incorporates them in another bill or when the concept is adopted as an amendment and incorporated in another bill. The report includes bill language that may have changed from its original committee bill or file when enacted, but represents the legislature's final action on the matter taken during the session.

During the session, the content or concept of 165 bills that started as separate legislation was later incorporated in other legislation that passed and became law. The report includes one table that lists the original bills in numeric order and shows the public act that included their provisions and one table that lists the bills by the committee of origin.