Government And Institutions

Hospital officials gave their backing Monday to a Kansas House committee's effort to expand the state Medicaid program to capture additional dollars under the federal health care overhaul, despite opposition to the plan from Republican leaders.

The Congressional Budget Office says the federal budget deficit will shrink this year to its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office.

The election result in Greece reflects a growing European backlash against austerity policies.

Some key facts on the Greek economy as radical left-wing party forms new government: Public debt: 176 percent of annual gross domestic product (as of end of Q3 2014) Public deficit: 0.8 percent of annual GDP (as of end of Q3 2014) Unemployment: 25.8 percent (Oct 2014) Population: 10.8 million Gross domestic product (2013): 182 billion euros (currently $205 billion) Bailout loans: 240 billion euros (currently about $270 billion)

HEALTH INSURANCE PITFALL Small business owners who gave employees stipends or subsidies last year to help them buy health insurance may get an unpleasant surprise this tax filing season.

Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated).

Herding cattle.

Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled a plan Monday that would resurface or replace 2,200 miles of roadway, repair 330 bridges and boost funding for local infrastructure projects — but would come at a noticeable cost to taxpayers.

Arkansas lawmakers may change Gov. Asa Hutchinson's middle-class tax cut package to roll back its proposed repeal of $21 million capital gains tax break that lawmakers approved two years ago, the chairman of the House panel considering the measure said Monday.

Herding cattle.

The fate of the European Central Bank's aggressive plan to stimulate the economy out of stagnation lies with the 340 million people in the 19-country euro alliance.

Privacy advocates say the Obama administration needs to make more changes to protect consumer privacy on the government's health insurance website.

Gov. Scott Walker will have to plug a roughly $280 million budget shortfall by the end of June, and the state faces a two-year deficit that could be as large as $2 billion, based on new estimates released Friday by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Even with the budget cuts proposed by Gov. Bill Walker for next year, the state will still face the potential of having to draw on $3.3 billion from its savings, his budget director said Friday.

The state's congressional delegation is urging the White House to fully fund the decontamination and decommissioning of a Cold War-era uranium plant in southern Ohio where hundreds of workers feared layoffs last fall amid budget concerns.

A state lawmaker is introducing legislation that would bar insurance companies from inquiring about or discriminating against a "bully breed" dog when issuing a homeowners' insurance policy in Connecticut.

Regulators have closed a small lender in Chicago, making it the second U.S. bank failure of 2015 following 18 closures last year.

Ohio University trustees are softening the blow of hefty tuition and campus housing increases for new students next year by guaranteeing the rates won't go up again during the students' four-year careers.

State officials, from the leaders of the Democrat-controlled Legislature to Gov. Chris Christie's transportation commissioner, along with outside groups are stepping up warnings about the dire state of New Jersey's bridges, roads and tunnels.

Adult film production migrated from California to Nevada after voters in Los Angeles County approved a law requiring condom use on set.