FEDERAL PER DIEM RATES 2009
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced the Fiscal Year 2009 federal per diem rates, which will take effect on October 1, 2008 and run through September 30, 2009.

Some examples of lodging increases for this year include:
• Denver, CO. for the Denver/Aurora area: up to $149 from FY08’s $140
• Orlando, FL. for the Orange Co. area this fall: up to $109 from FY08’s $99
• Chicago, IL. for the Cook and Lake Cos. areas this fall: up to $218 from FY08’s $205
• Kansas City, MO. for the Jackson and Platte Cos. areas: up to $107 from FY08’s $103

GETTING PAID WHEN NO ONE'S PAYING
An attorney at a law firm hands out bonuses each quarter—if the firm meets the revenue goal. Eager to meet that goal, someone at the firm proposed offering a 5 percent discount on the invoices if payment was received by a certain date

What a great idea! Perhaps a bad precedent to start with your customers, but a creative solution to a problem nevertheless! Here are some more great ideas from the New York Times to help ensure you get paid on time.

LAUGHLIN, NEVADA, HOME TO NINE RESORTS, SET TO REINVENT ITSELF A swath of barren real estate roughly one-third the size of Summerlin will broaden the town of Laughlin's horizon far beyond the riverside casino resorts that define today's skyline, now that local leaders have wrested control of the land from the state of Nevada.

NEVADA'S BUSINESS CLIMATE RANKED HIGH BY FORBES
Nevada's business climate has received high marks in another national survey.  Nevada is the 19th-best state for business in Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the states, up from No. 22 last year.  Forbes cited the state's business costs, regulatory environment, labor, economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life. Nevada was ranked No. 2 for its economic climate and No. 8 for growth prospects.

A CONTINUING SAGA - INITIATIVE PETITIONS
“The delicate duty of devising schemes of revenue should be left where the Constitution has placed it — with the immediate representatives of the people.” - William Henry Harrison, U.S. President, 1773-1841

Since last September 1, when the official period began to file initiative petitions to amend the Constitution, registered voters have been as sought after for their signatures as they are by politicians for their vote.

Of the initiatives to amend the Constitution and statute that have been filed to date, seven have proposed some change that involved taxation. However, before most were circulated, they were challenged in Court, initially for either faulty descriptions or for containing more than one subject. Court decisions were as varied as were the subsequent actions by proponents of the initiatives.

CANNERY TO OPEN A THIRD CASINO AND HOTEL
Cannery Casino Resorts will open their third Las Vegas property, the Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotel on August 28.  Located on the east side of Las Vegas, the $250 million property features a 16-story tower of bronze, glass and steel, with what the company said is distinctive saw-tooth roof line.  The resort will include a casino, 20,000 square feet of meeting space and five restaurants and cafes.  For more information, call 702.856.5100 or visit www.cannerycasinos.com.

The crew from Nellis Cab, a Premier Member of NHLA.

6 WAYS TO TRIM PAYROLL WITHOUT CUTTING JOBS

But while trimming payroll might seem like the easiest move when times are tough, the article suggests business owners might want to think twice before handing out pink slips. Employees are valuable, especially skilled ones you've trained.

I liked the ideas such as switching up duties (why can't an account supervisor also help empty trash cans?), asking for volunteers who might want an extended amount of unpaid leave for the promise of their job back in a few months, or cutting your work week from five days to four.