2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second phase releases: December 2012 – March 2013
Statistical tables for non-UK short-term residents in England and Wales and quick statistics for England and Wales on national identity, passports held and country of birth, with a separate release for Wales only.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases: May 2013 – February 2014
More detailed cross tabulation of data topics: Migration; ethnicity, identity, language and religion; health; and Welsh tables. Based on local authority areas.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases: May 2013 – February 2014
Detailed Characteristics tables for the themes of demography and families at local authority, MSOA and ward level. English language proficiency for regions, local authorities, 2011 Census Merged Wards and MSOAs in England and Wales.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases: May 2013 – February 2014
Detailed Characteristics tables for communal establishments at local authority, MSOA and ward level


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases: May 2013 – February 2014
Detailed Characteristics tables for travel to work and armed forces, MSOA and ward levelcar or van availability for local authorities


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fourth phase releases: July 2013 – April 2014
Topics will include multivariate data based on combinations of; age, sex resident type, ethnic group, economic activity, general health, provision of unpaid leave, country of birth, occupation, dwelling and accommodation type, household space


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fourth phase releases: July 2013 – April 2014
The first Local Characteristics tables for the topics of ethnicity, identity, language and religion for Output Areas, unitary and local authorities and regions.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fourth phase releases: July 2013 – April 2014
Local Characteristics tables for the topics of health and unpaid care for Output Areas. Follow up to Release 3.2b on 12 July 2013.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fourth phase releases: July 2013 – April 2014
Local Characteristic Tables for the topic of migration for Output Areas.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fourth phase releases: July 2013 – April 2014
Local Characteristics on travel to work and car and van availability for Output Areas.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fifth phase releases: 31 October 2013 – April 2014
Out-of-term time statistics for:- population density, Marital and civil partnership status, sex and age, ethnic group and country of birth, main language, Welsh language, religion, passport held, provision of unpaid care, general health, highest level of qualification, economic activity, hours worked, industry, occupation, length of residence in the UK.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Subsequent releases of specialist products
In addition to the six main releases phases further supplementary, smaller scale and specialist releases including; Small population groups, Microdata (teaching files, safeguarded files and secure files), Origin-destination data, and Alternate population bases.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Subsequent releases of specialist products
The release plans for Northern Ireland were set out by the NISRA. The release phases are closely synchronised with those of the ONS for England and Wales with some marginal variations to allow for local administrative arrangements. The release phases are as follows:-


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, First phases releases (July – September 2012)
Usual resident population by single age and sex for Local Government Districts, etc. Household number and size by geographic units.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second phase releases (December 2012 – February 2013)
Key statistics for Assembly Areas, Electoral Wards, Super Output Areas (SOAs) and Sammer Areas (SAs)


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second phase releases (December 2012 – February 2013)
Quick statistics for all geographies and population and household estimates for lower geographies.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases (May – November 2013)
Detailed characteristics for NI-wide and all local authority and other geographies (including religion, identity and health).


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases (May – November 2013)
Detailed characteristics for NI (including ethnicity, country of birth and language).


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third phase releases (May – November 2013)
Remaining detailed characteristics for NI including labour market and housing.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Fourth phase release (March 2014)
Multivariate local characteristic tables and detailed themes around: economic activity; country of birth; occupation; and unpaid care.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Subsequent releases of specialist products
In addition to the three main releases further smaller-scale and specialist releases including; Detailed, Local Characteristics, Special  and Alternative populations:


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Subsequent releases of specialist products
The release plans for Scotland were set out by the GROS Release phase dates are partly in sync with those of the other UK constituent country statistical authorities, however the first release was scheduled for six months after the first releases by the other authorities. Consequently, release of UK-wide data has been scheduled so as to coincide with release plans for Scotland's Census releases. The release phases are as follows:-


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, First release: (December 2012 – August 2013)
Population estimates, based on resident households, communal establishments and age bands.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, First release: (December 2012 – August 2013)
Estimates of the usually resident population of Scotland rounded to the nearest thousand, broken down by age and sex. An estimate of the total population in each council area, rounded to nearest thousand.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, First release: (December 2012 – August 2013)
Population estimates by five-year age bands and sex for Scotland and each council area. Household estimates. Population and household changes since 2001 census. Population dependency ratios for Scotland and each council area.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, First release: (December 2012 – August 2013)
First release of unrounded population estimates and household communal establishment numbers, by single year of age and sex. (First published as rounded data in December 2012 and March 2013).


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second release: (September – December 2013)
Key and quick statistics; Census Profiles; headcounts and geography products. Comprising; Estimates by postcode and geography products. This release will represent the start of the dissemination of detailed census statistics for small areas.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second release: (September – December 2013)
Key and quick statistics tables for marriage and civil partnership, ethnicity, religion, language proficiency, country of birth and national identity, heath (excluding long-term health), age, arrival in UK, population and households, housing and accommodation, car and van ownership. Coverage: Scotland, Council Areas and Health Boards.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second release: (September – December 2013)
Key and quick statistics tables for Education and Labour Market. Coverage: All output areas and Data Zones. Also the key and quick statistics for the remaining geographies of the topics covered in Release 2a.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second release: (September – December 2013)
Key and quick statistics tables for Living Arrangements and Travel to Work Methods. Coverage: All levels of census geographies.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Second release: (September – December 2013)
Key and quick statistics tables for households, health and deprivation


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local Characteristics tables. Multivariate statistics, comprising a combination of; age, sex, resident type, ethnic group, economic activity, general health and provision of unpaid care, country of birth, and occupation.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Detailed Characteristics tables for Ethnicity, National Identity, Language Proficiency and Skills and Religion topics −1


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables for Ethnicity, National Identity, Language Proficiency and Skills and Religion topics −2


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables for Ethnicity, National Identity, Language Proficiency and Skills and Religion topics −3


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables from Marriage and Civil Partnership, Household, Residency, Family and Living Arrangements, English Language Skills


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables from Marriage and Civil Partnership, Residency, Family and Living Arrangements, Communial establishments


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables for Health, Housing, Population and Diversity


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables for Economic Activity and Education


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables for Qualifications, Employment and Economic Activity, Travel for Work and Study.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables for Labour Market and Education tables


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables including Long-term Health and Care, Housing and Accommodation


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables including Transport and Population and Households


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Third release: (February 2014 onwards)
Local and Detailed Characteristics tables including; Travel to Work, Household, Qualifications and Long-term Health, Social Status and Economic Activity.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Release schedules, Subsequent releases of specialist products
In addition to the three main releases further smaller-scale and specialist releases including; Detailed, Local Characteristics, Special  and Alternative populations:


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Publication of the 2011 census results
The United Kingdom Statistics Authority is responsible for coordinating the release of census data by the devolved statistics authorities. It publishes UK-wide census data results via the  site. The UK Statistics Authority also provides a central point of reference for all country-specific census data releases via its  site.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Publication of the 2011 census results
Primary responsibility for country-specific 2011 census data rests with the statistical authorities for each of the UK's constituent countries. Each authority has at least one dedicated central source from which data can be downloaded or ordered. For England and Wales the ONS provides the access to primary data via its . Additionally, data organised by local authority or post code is available on the  site, and . For Scotland the General Registrar Office for Scotland (GROS) part of National Records of Scotland (NRS) to maintain access via its  site, and for Northern Ireland the Statistics and Research Authority (NISRA) uses the .


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Publication of the 2011 census results, Pre-defined statistical tables
The format of all the pre-defined statistical tables is standardised as far as practical across the publishing authorities. Since the 2001 UK Census the naming conventions for the tables have been revised following research into the approaches adopted by other census publishing bodies around the world.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Publication of the 2011 census results, Bulk data
The statistical authorities are also making available bulk data in Comma-separated values (CSV) file format which can be downloaded from online data warehouse facilities.


2011 United Kingdom census, Release plans for 2011 census statistics, Publication of the 2011 census results, Commissioned data
In addition to the standard releases and online bulk access the statistical authorities provide a commissioned data service whereby other data configurations can be purchased, under license, by customers and will subsequently made freely available to other users.


2011 United Kingdom elections
The 2011 United Kingdom elections may refer to one of six elections in the United Kingdom that took place on 5 May 2011:


2011 United Kingdom local elections
The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with the exception of seven unitary authorities (Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Isles of Scilly, Shropshire, the Isle of Wight and Wiltshire), and seven districts and boroughs (Adur, Cheltenham, Fareham, Gosport, Hastings, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Oxford). For the majority of English districts and the 25 unitary authorities that are elected "all out" these were the first elections since 2007. In Northern Ireland, there were elections to all 26 local councils. Elections also took place to most English parish councils.


2011 United Kingdom local elections
On the same day, elections to the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly of Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly were held. A UK-wide referendum on whether to adopt the Alternative Vote electoral system for elections to the House of Commons and the Leicester South by-election was also held.


2011 United Kingdom local elections
Labour, contesting its first elections under the leadership of Ed Miliband, finished narrowly ahead of the Conservatives. The BBC's projected national vote share put Labour on 37%, the Conservatives on 35% and the Liberal Democrats on 15%. Rallings and Thrasher of Plymouth University put Labour narrowly behind on 37% of the national vote, compared to 38% for the Conservatives and 16% for the Liberal Democrats.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, Background
Elections were due to be held to Scottish councils, but these have been postponed until 2012 to avoid clashing with the elections to the Scottish Parliament, which in 2007 had caused confusion among voters.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, Background
British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens living in the UK  who were 18 or over on election day were entitled to vote in the local council and devolved legislatures elections. The deadline for voters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to register to vote in the 5 May elections was midnight on Thursday 14 April 2011, whilst voters in Scotland had until midnight on Friday 15 April 2011 to register. Anyone in the United Kingdom who qualified as an anonymous elector had until midnight on Tuesday 26 April 2011 to register.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, Results
The Labour Party was described as obtaining "mixed results". Their support recovered following a string of poor local election results during Gordon Brown's tenure and they gained over 800 council seats, mostly off the Liberal Democrats. Labour's gains were overshadowed by the coinciding Scottish Parliament election where they were routed by the Scottish National Party. The Conservatives narrowly obtained more votes than Labour and gained a small number of seats. They were helped by the gaining additional seats from the Liberal Democrats in the south west, south, south east and East Anglia.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, Results
The election was a disaster for the Liberal Democrats, who lost 40% of the council seats they were defending (mostly to Labour) and lost majorities in 9 of the 19 councils they controlled, including strongholds in Sheffield and Hull. There were some surprising gains for the Conservatives against the Liberal Democrats, with councils previously considered strongholds for the latter, like North Norfolk, Vale of White Horse and Lewes changing hands. This led to some calls for Nick Clegg to resign. The losses coincided with the landslide rejection of the Alternative Vote referendum which had been supported by the Liberal Democrats and some members of the Labour Party.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, England, Metropolitan boroughs
All 36 English Metropolitan borough councils one third of their seats were up for election.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, England, Unitary authorities, Whole council
In 30 English Unitary authorities the whole council were up for election.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, England, Unitary authorities, Third of council
In 19 English Unitary authorities one third of the council were up for election.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, England, Non-metropolitan districts, Whole council
In 127 English district authorities the whole council were up for election.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, England, Non-metropolitan districts, Third of council
In 67 English district authorities one third of the council were up for election.


2011 United Kingdom local elections, Northern Ireland
Elections were held on the same day to local government in Northern Ireland.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) was held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 11 December 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference
A treaty was not established, but the conference agreed to establish a legally binding deal comprising all countries by 2015, which was to take effect in 2020. There was also progress regarding the creation of a Green Climate Fund for which a management framework was adopted. The fund is to distribute US$100 billion per year to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference
While the president of the conference, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, declared it a success, scientists and environmental groups warned that the deal was not sufficient to avoid global warming beyond 2 °C as more urgent action is needed.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Background
The conference was officially referred to as the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CMP 7) to the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, the two permanent subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC – the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) – were likely to hold their 35th sessions.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Background
The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference extended the mandates of the two temporary subsidiary bodies – the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the convention (AWG-LCA) – so they were expected to meet as well.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Background
A primary focus of the conference was to secure a global climate agreement as the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008–2012) was about to end. It was also expected to focus on "finalising at least some of the Cancun Agreements", reached at the 2010 Conference, such as "co-operation on clean technology", as well as "forest protection, adaptation to climate impacts, and finance – the promised transfer of funds from rich countries to poor in order to help them protect forests, adapt to climate impacts, and "green" their economies".


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Background
A month before the Conference began, the BBC highlighted two contentious proposals which had been submitted – one by Russia, the other by Papua New Guinea, both aiming to amend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Russia's proposal would bring about a "periodic review" whereby countries currently categorised as "poor" could be recategorised as "rich", and thus obliged to shoulder greater obligations in the combat against climate change.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Background
BBC Environment correspondent Richard Black commented that the proposal would be "provocative and explosive, if Russia pushes it", because potentially affected countries, such as China and Brazil, would "push back very strongly". Papua New Guinea's proposal, submitted by Ambassador Kevin Conrad with the support of Mexico, would introduce a "last resort" mechanism to break any deadlocks in climate change negotiations through a three-quarters majority vote, thus clarifying the decision-making process under the convention. Describing the proposal as "intriguing", Black noted that although it would theoretically enable developing countries to use their numerical superiority to adopt any kind of world-wide binding obligation, in practical terms they would still need the approval of rich countries to secure funding.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, China
Xie Zhenhua, head of the Chinese delegation, stated that China was willing to make binding commitments to limited greenhouse gases in 2020 if they appropriately took into account historical contributions of greenhouse gases by developed countries such as the United States and European states and sustainable economic needs of developing countries such as China and India.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, China
Xie said that he was concerned about the reluctance of developed nations to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions. He called on developed countries to provide financial and technical aid to help developing nations fight against and cope with the effects of climate change.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, India
India's representative at the conference, Jayanthi Natarajan stated that India "will not be intimidated. There is an attempt to shift the blame to developing countries. We do not accept that. Please do not hold us hostage. And please do not take our agreement to be weakness." Natarajan responded to European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, saying that:


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, India
We have shown more flexibility than virtually any other country. But equity is the centrepiece, it cannot be shifted. This is not about India. Does fighting climate change mean we have to give up on equity? We have agreed to protocol and legal instrument. What's the problem in having one more option? India will never be intimidated by any threat or any kind of pressure. What's this legal instrument? How do I give a blank cheque? We're talking of livelihoods and sustainability here.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, India
I'm not accusing anybody, but there are efforts to shift the (climate) problem to countries that have not contributed to it. If that is done, we're willing to reopen the entire Durban Package. We did not issue a threat. But are we being made into a scapegoat? Please don't hold us hostage.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, CGIAR
Bruce Campbell, Director of the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), said it was astonishing that agriculture, one of the worst emitters of greenhouse gases, remained excluded from global agreements on climate change. "Leading agricultural groups, from farmers and researchers to policymakers and development organisations, have all come together to call on COP17 negotiators to address the need for a Work Programme on agriculture", Campbell said. "Now, it is up to negotiators to heed our joint call-to-action and allow agriculture to play its part in building resilience amongst vulnerable populations, helping farmers adapt to more unpredictable and extreme weather conditions and mitigating future climate change".


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, Friends of the Earth
Nnimmo Bassey, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, said "delaying real action until 2020 is a crime of global proportions ... An increase in global temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius, permitted under this plan, is a death sentence for Africa, Small Island States, and the poor and vulnerable worldwide. This summit has amplified climate apartheid, whereby the richest 1% of the world have decided that it is acceptable to sacrifice the 99%."


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, Greenpeace
Greenpeace issued a statement calling on conference participants to ensure a peak in global emissions by 2015, continue the Kyoto Protocol and provide a mandate for a comprehensive legally binding instrument, deliver climate finance and set up a framework for protecting forests in developing countries.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Statements, Youth Delegation
Anjali Appadurai, a college student at College of the Atlantic in Maine and a member of the Youth Delegation, delivered a succinct speech that summed up the science regarding global warming and the failure of the UNFCCC negotiations to rein in climate change, demanding the UN "Get it done!"


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban Platform
After two weeks of negotiations a deal was reached only on the last day, Sunday 11 December, after a 60-hour marathon negotiation session. Negotiators agreed to be part of a legally binding treaty to address global warming. The terms of the future treaty were to be defined by 2015 and become effective in 2020. The agreement, referred to as the "Durban Platform for Enhanced Action", was notable in that for the first time it included developing countries such as China and India, as well as the US which had refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban Platform
The agreement entailed the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol in the interim, although only some countries including members of the EU were indicated as likely to commit.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban Platform
The terms of the Durban Platform were ultimately met following the successful negotiation of the Paris Agreement at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban Platform
The conference led to agreement on a management framework for a future Green Climate Fund. The fund is to distribute US$100bn per year to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Responses
After the conference concluded, Michael Jacobs of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment in London, said: "The agreement here has not in itself taken us off the 4 °C path we are on... But by forcing countries for the first time to admit that their current policies are inadequate and must be strengthened by 2015, it has snatched 2 °C from the jaws of impossibility. At the same time it has re-established the principle that climate change should be tackled through international law, not national, voluntarism."


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Responses
Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said: "I salute the countries who made this agreement. They have all laid aside some cherished objectives of their own to meet a common purpose, a long-term solution to climate change."


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Responses
Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace International said: "Right now the global climate regime amounts to nothing more than a voluntary deal that's put off for a decade. This could take us over the 2 °C threshold where we pass from danger to potential catastrophe."


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Responses
U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, who opposes government energy regulations such as cap-and-trade and has called man-made climate change a hoax, cheered what he called the setting aside of "any remote possibility of a UN global warming treaty" and described the conference outcome as "the complete collapse of the global warming movement and the failure of the Kyoto process". Inhofe said that the message from Washington, including from President Obama and the Democratic leadership of the U.S. Senate, to the delegates of the conference was that they are being ignored.


2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Responses
German media criticised the outcome as "almost useless", saying the pledges are vague and the timeline is slow, the main merit being that the talks have been kept alive.


2011 United Nations Security Council election
The 2011 United Nations Security Council election was held on 21 and 24 October 2011 during the Sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly elected Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, and Togo, as the five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 2012. Azerbaijan was elected after 17 rounds on 24 October, while the other four new members were chosen on 21 October.


2011 United Nations Security Council election
Notably, Azerbaijan and Guatemala were elected to the Council for the first time.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms. A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes, the five available seats are allocated as follows:


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Candidates
Guatemala indicated it would run for the 2012–2013 term, for the seat currently occupied by Brazil. At that time, Guatemala was one of only six original UN Members to have never held a seat on the Security Council.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Candidates
Azerbaijan, Hungary, and Slovenia all announced their intention to run for the single Eastern European seat. Though Armenia did not run for the seat, the Azerbaijani Trend news agency had previously reported about an Armenian withdrawal of its bid, while reading the alleged candidature as "certainly viewed as Armenia's defeat". The Arab League indicated it would support Azerbaijan's candidature.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Candidates
Mauritania, Morocco and Togo sought to be elected to the two African seats.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Candidates
Pakistan had announced its intention to run for the single Asian seat in October 2010. A Pakistani diplomat noted that Pakistan had supported India's candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the 2010 election, and hoped that India would support Pakistan's candidacy in 2011. Fiji had originally sought to run for the seat, but deferred in Pakistan's favour. Kyrgyzstan has also made known its candidacy on 22 September 2011.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Asia-Pacific Group
Fiji had already withdrawn its campaign in favour of Pakistan before the election.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Latin American and Caribbean Group
Guatemala ran unopposed for the GRULAC seat, and was elected with 191 votes in the first round of voting, with two abstentions.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Eastern European Group, Day 1
After eight rounds of inconclusive voting, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser initially decided to reschedule the next round of voting for 24 October following the election of members to the Economic and Social Council. However, Azerbaijan requested the ballot be continued for one more hour; the request was agreed to after Russian support despite opposition from France on the basis of a lack of translation services.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Eastern European Group, Day 1
Though Estonia had not applied as a candidate, the 6th round, which was unrestricted, featured one vote for them.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Eastern European Group, Day 2
After 7 additional inconclusive rounds of voting on 24 October, Slovenia's delegation told the General Assembly that while it believed Slovenia would be a good addition for the Security Council, it did not approve of the way in which the election was being held and was withdrawing its candidacy as the "will of the Assembly was clear". In the 17th round that followed, Azerbaijan achieved the necessary 2/3 majority and won the Eastern European seat.


2011 United Nations Security Council election, Ramifications
With the election of Pakistan to the Security Council, seven of the nine countries known to have nuclear weapons are members of the Council in 2012: China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom (the two nuclear powers not on the Council in 2012 are Israel and North Korea).


2011 United States House of Representatives elections
There were four special elections in 2011 to fill vacant seats in the United States House of Representatives.


2011 United States House of Representatives elections
Two seat switched parties, swapping from Republican to Democratic, and two other seats were held by the same parties.


2011 United States House of Representatives elections, California's 36th congressional district
Jane Harman resigned on February 28, 2011 to become head of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The special primary election occurred on May 17, 2011. Democrat Janice Hahn received the highest number of votes, with Republican Craig Huey taking second place. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, a special general election was held on July 12, 2011, between the top two vote recipients. The runoff election was won by Janice Hahn.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship
The 2011 United States Men's Curling Championship took place on February 12–19 at the Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota. It was held in conjunction with the 2011 United States Women's Curling Championship. After a win over the Tyler George rink, Pete Fenson and his team became champions for the second consecutive time. They represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan, finishing in 10th place after an unfortunate series of close losses dropped their win-loss record to 3-8. It is the worst finish by an American men's team at the world championships to date.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship, Road to the Nationals
Teams qualified for the men's nationals in one of two ways. Two teams automatically qualified as the top two US teams on the Order of Merit list after the Curl Mesabi Cash Spiel is completed. This year, those two teams are the Pete Fenson and Tyler George rinks.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship, Road to the Nationals
The remaining eight spots for the nationals were awarded to the top finishers in the regional qualifiers and challenge rounds. Five teams qualified from the qualifiers round, where each qualified site received one or more qualifying spots. The other three spots went to the winners of the challenge round.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship, Playoffs, Championship final
Fenson opened up the final of the men's championship with a draw against two to barely secure shot rock, scoring a single in the first end. George came back with a draw for three after Fenson threw a draw too heavy, taking an early lead after the third. Fenson responded with a hit and stick shot to score a deuce, and George drew to the button for a single in the fifth. After the break, Fenson blanked two ends before a heavy draw in the eighth left him with only one point, tying the game.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship, Playoffs, Championship final
Fenson forced George to take a single in the ninth end, giving George the lead, but Fenson tied the game in the final end with a takeout. In the extra end, Fenson drew to the eight-foot circle with his last stone, and George's hammer stone crashed on a rock in the top twelve-foot, leaving Fenson a steal of one point and the win.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers
The 2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers took place during January at various locations throughout the nation. Prior to the national finals, the number of entrants was pared down to ten teams through regional qualifiers and then a challenge round.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers
Teams qualified for the men's nationals in one of two ways. Two teams automatically qualified as the top two US teams on the Order of Merit list after the Curl Mesabi Cash Spiel was completed. This year, those two teams were the Pete Fenson and Tyler George rinks.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers
The remaining eight spots for the nationals were awarded to the top finishers in the regional qualifiers and challenge rounds. Five teams qualified from the qualifiers round, where each qualified site received one or more qualifying spots. The other three spots went to the winners of the challenge round.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers
This year, there were three regional qualifiers, which will take place in Medford, Wisconsin, Bismarck, North Dakota, and Rochester, New York. The qualifiers will take place from January 5–9. A total of 29 teams (not including the Fenson rink or the George rink) participated in the qualifiers.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers
The qualifiers either were held using a round-robin format or a knockout format of play. The double knockout provision, which states that a team is eliminated from qualifying for the nationals if the team has at least two losses in their win-loss record, was in place for all three qualifiers. If there are teams with less than two losses, they will play each other until the number of teams still able to qualify matches the number of qualification spots available.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers
The qualifier scheduled in Seattle, Washington was cancelled because there were not enough teams to meet the minimum five teams that need to sign up for a qualifier in order for it to take place. Two teams transferred to other qualifiers, while two other teams dropped.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers, Medford Qualifier
The Medford qualifier was held in a round robin format with eight teams competing for the top spot. Two teams qualified directly to the nationals in Fargo, while three teams qualified to the Challenge Round in Waupaca.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers, Bismarck Qualifier
The Bismarck qualifier was held in a knockout format. Eleven teams participated in this qualifier. Two teams qualified directly to the nationals in Fargo, while four teams qualified to the Challenge Round.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers, Rochester Qualifier
The Rochester qualifier was also held in a knockout format. Ten teams participated in this qualifier. Only one team was able to qualify directly to the nationals, and one team moved on to the Challenge Round.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Regional Qualifiers, Rochester Qualifier, Teams
*Due to injuries, the Van Cuyck rink withdrew prior to the start of the competition


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Challenge Round
The challenge round took place in Waupaca, Wisconsin from January 19–23. Up to ten teams qualified for the challenge round; up to eight teams that didn't qualify for the finals from the regionals but placed well in the regionals qualified, and up to two teams qualified if they were among the top ten US Order of Merit teams and did not qualify for the finals or challenge round after the regionals. These teams played in a round robin format for three spots in the nationals.


2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers, Challenge Round, Teams
*Qualified based on Order of Merit standingsNote: Brady Clark (WA) has chosen to withdraw from the Challenge Round.


2011 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
The 2011 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship was held from December 9-12, 2010 at the Duluth Curling Club in Duluth, Minnesota. Brady Clark and Cristin Clark won the tournament, earning the right to represent the United States at the 2011 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in St. Paul, Minnesota.


2011 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, Round robin
The 20 teams were split into three pools; each pool played a round robin and at the end the top two teams advanced to the playoffs.


2011 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, Playoffs
The playoffs consisted of a 6-team bracket with the top two teams directly in the semifinals. There was a two-loss provision included, such that a team was not eliminated until they had two losses in the tournament. Because the team of Clayton Orvik and Senja Lopac entered the playoffs undefeated, they were not eliminated when they lost to Courtney and Tyler George in the semifinals and instead got to challenge the winner of the first round of the championship, Brady and Cristin Clark, for the title.


2011 United States Women's Curling Championship
The 2011 United States Women's Curling Championship took place on February 12–19 at the Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota. It was held in conjunction with the 2011 United States Men's Curling Championship. After winning the final over the Allison Pottinger rink, the Patti Lank rink represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships at Esbjerg, Denmark, finishing in 7th place with a 4–5 win-loss record.


2011 United States Women's Curling Championship, Road to the Nationals
Teams qualified for the women's nationals in one of two ways. Two teams automatically qualified as the top two US teams on the Order of Merit list after the Curl Mesabi Cash Spiel is completed. This year, those two teams were the Erika Brown and Allison Pottinger rinks. Teams could also qualify for the women's nationals through a challenge round.


2011 United States Women's Curling Championship, Road to the Nationals, Challenge Round
The women's challenge round was held on January 19–23 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. There were eleven teams (excluding the two teams qualified based on Order of Merit) participating in the challenge round for eight spots in the nationals in Fargo. In accordance with the rules set forth in the 2010-2011 USCA rules booklet, the challenge round consisted of a divisional round robin with two divisions. There was also a double knockout provision, where a team must have two losses in their win-loss record in order to be eliminated from qualifying for the nationals. Teams played tiebreakers to narrow down the number of qualifiable teams to the number of qualifier spots available.


2011 United States Women's Curling Championship, Road to the Nationals, Challenge Round
The divisional round robin consisted of two divisions (listed by seed in Results section) of 6 and 5, respectively. At the end of play, all teams except the bottom two teams in each division advanced to the nationals. The bottom four teams then played in a single-knockout playoff to decide the winner of the last qualification spot. The double knockout provision applies in that a winless team will not be able to advance to the nationals.


2011 United States Women's Curling Championship, Nationals, Playoffs, Championship Final
In the final of the women's championship, Lank opened up the game with a light tap for a deuce, and then stole a point in the second after Pottinger's takeout left one of Lank's stones closer to the button than her stone was. Pottinger drew against four to pick up a single in the third, but Lank drew to the button to score another deuce and take a commanding four-point lead. A failed double takeout by Lank left Pottinger with an easy draw for two, cutting Lank's lead to two points.


2011 United States Women's Curling Championship, Nationals, Playoffs, Championship Final
After the break, Lank scored a big three points after Pottinger's failed takeout attempt gave Lank an easy draw. Lank stole another point from Pottinger when Pottinger's takeout didn't push one of Lank's stones out far enough. After coming up light to only take a single in the eighth end, Pottinger conceded the game, and Lank won the championship.


2011 United States elections
The 2011 United States elections were held (for the most part) on Tuesday, November 8. This was an off-year election, in which the only seats up for election in the United States Congress were special elections. There were also four gubernatorial races, including a special election in West Virginia. There were also state legislative elections in four states and judicial elections in three states; as well as numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local offices on the ballot.


2011 United States elections, Federal elections, Congressional elections
No regularly scheduled elections for the United States Congress occurred in 2011, and instead only four special elections were held. Eventually, there was no net seat changes by the political parties.


2011 United States elections, Federal elections, Congressional elections
In addition, a primary election was held in Oregon's 1st congressional district on November 8, for the seat left open after the resignation of David Wu; the special election for this seat then occurred on January 31, 2012. Democrat Suzanne Bonamici was elected on that date to replace Wu.


2011 United States elections, State elections, Gubernatorial elections
There were three regularly scheduled elections and one special election for governorships in 2011. None of these four changed party hands.


2011 United States elections, State elections, Other statewide elections
In the first three of the aforementioned states, elections for state executive branch offices of Lieutenant Governor (in a separate election in Louisiana and Mississippi and on the same ticket as the gubernatorial nominee in Kentucky), Secretary of state, state Treasurer, state Auditor, state Attorney General, and Commissioners of Insurance and Agriculture were held. In addition, there were elections for Kentucky and  state appellate courts, respectively.


2011 United States elections, State elections, State and territorial legislative elections
Four states – Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia – and one U.S. territory, the Northern Mariana Islands, elected their state or territorial legislators in 2011.


2011 United States elections, State elections, Initiatives and referendums
Nine states, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Washington state, had measures certified for the 2011 ballot. Among those that attracted the most attention were an Ohio referendum that repealed legislation that limits collective bargaining for public employees, and a failed constitutional amendment in Mississippi that would have defined "personhood" as beginning at the fertilization of an embryo.


2011 United States elections, State elections, Judicial elections
Four states, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, had judicial elections in 2011. Additional states such as Arizona, Nevada and Ohio had municipal judicial elections in 2011.


2011 United States elections, Municipal elections
Nationwide, various cities, counties, school boards, special districts and others elected officers in 2011. Some were held on November 8 while others were held at other times throughout the year.


2011 United States elections, Tables of partisan control results
These tables show the partisan results of the Congressional special elections and gubernatorial races in 2011. Bold indicates a change in control.


2011 United States embassy attack in Sarajevo
A gunman fired with a Kalashnikov rifle on the United States embassy in Sarajevo on 28 October 2011, resulting in one local policeman guarding the embassy being wounded in the arm by the gunman, while the shooter was wounded by a police sniper. The attacker shot 105 bullets, and severely wounded policeman Mirsad Velić. A Ministry of Interior agent neutralized the attacker with a sniper shot. The attacker was identified as Mevlid Jašarević (b. 1988), bosniak who holds Serbian citizenship born in Novi Pazar in southwestern Serbia, living in well-known Wahhabist stronghold Gornja Maoča in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jašarević lived in Vienna for a period before moving to Gornja Maoča.


2011 United States embassy attack in Sarajevo
On 24 April 2012 Mevlid Jašarević was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges of attempted murder and other violations in connection with his alleged machine gun attack on the United States Embassy, Sarajevo, on 28 October 2011. A Bosnian court sentenced him on 6 December 2012 to 18 years in prison. It was then lowered to 15 years in 2013.


2011 United States embassy attack in Sarajevo
On 23 November 2018 Bosnian police arrested the man who was believed to assist in 2011 attack in Sarajevo. Bosnian state prosecutor said the man was also suspected to have fought for Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front.


2011 United States federal budget
The 2011 United States federal budget was the United States federal budget to fund government operations for the fiscal year 2011. The budget was the subject of a spending request by President Barack Obama. The actual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 had to be authorized by the full Congress before it could take effect, according to the U.S. budget process.


2011 United States federal budget
No budget was passed by the September 30 deadline, and the government was funded by a series of seven continuing resolutions continuing funding at or near 2010 levels. The budget negotiations culminated in early April 2011, with a tense legislative standoff leading to speculation that the nation would face its first government shutdown since 1995. However, a deal containing $38.5 billion in cuts from 2010 funding levels was reached with just hours remaining before the deadline. The 2011 budget was enacted on April 15, 2011, as Public Law 112-10, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011.


2011 United States federal budget, Budget proposals
President Barack Obama proposed his 2011 budget during February 2010. He has indicated that jobs, health care, clean energy, education, and infrastructure will be priorities. Total requested spending is $3.83 trillion and the federal deficit is forecast to be $1.56 trillion in 2010 and $1.27 trillion in 2011. Total debt is budgeted to increase from $11.9 trillion in FY2009, to $13.8 trillion in FY2010, and $15.1 trillion in FY2011.


2011 United States federal budget, Budget proposals, Research and development funding
There was considerable debate on funding levels for science research by the federal government. The Obama administration's policy has been to support increases in research funding levels, including doubling the budgets of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE SC), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from their 2006 levels by 2017, and President Obama strongly featured innovation as a means for revitalizing the United States economy in his 2011 State of the Union Address.


2011 United States federal budget, Budget proposals, Research and development funding
The Obama administration's fiscal year 2013 budget request included increases from the FY2011 budget by $232 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $340 million for the NSF, $1.8 billion for DOE discretionary spending, and $104 million for NIST. Although there has been a budget decrease for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by $192 million (1.1%) since 2011.


2011 United States federal budget, Budget proposals, Research and development funding
However, the Republican majority in the United States House of Representatives has stated a focus on the principles of deficit reduction and fiscal conservatism, on which they campaigned in the 2010 elections where they made large gains in representation in Congress. House Republicans promote their plan as the largest reduction in discretionary spending in the history of Congress, saying that they have "weeded out excessive, unnecessary, and wasteful spending, making tough choices to prioritize programs based on their effectiveness and benefit to the American people" with the goal of "returning our nation to a sustainable financial path." They have thus proposed deep cuts to science research budgets, including cuts in fiscal year 2011 of $1.6 billion from the NIH, $400 million from the NSF, and $900 million from DOE SC.


2011 United States federal budget, Budget proposals, Research and development funding
The deal reached on the 2011 budget in early April 2011 resulted in modest cuts to science programs, much less than the earlier proposals by House Republicans. NIH funding was cut by about $310 million, the NSF by about $68 million, and DOE SC by $35 million.


2011 United States federal budget, Legislation
Beginning in September 2010, Congress passed a series of continuing resolutions to fund the government.


2011 United States federal budget, Legislation
It was widely anticipated that a government shutdown on April 8, 2011, was possible if a budget resolution or a seventh continuing resolution was not passed by the expiration of the sixth continuing resolution on April 8, 2011, which would have caused the furlough of 800,000 out of 2 million civilian federal employees. However, a deal was reached with just hours remaining before the deadline, averting the shutdown. The deal included $38.5 billion in cuts from what had been budgeted for 2010, in addition to another $10 billion in cuts that had been imposed in some of the continuing resolutions.


2011 United States federal budget, Legislation
However, the April 13 Congressional Budget Office estimate showed that, compared with then-current spending rates, the spending bill would cut federal outlays from non-war accounts by just $352 million through Sept. 30. About $8 billion in immediate cuts to domestic programs and foreign aid were offset by nearly equal increases in defense spending.


2011 United States federal budget, Major initiatives
The following initiatives were enacted in the final budget legislation:


2011 United States federal budget, Major initiatives
The following major changes were proposed to federal programs, but not necessarily enacted:


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
In the Obama administration's initial spending request, the federal budget for 2011 was originally projected at $3.83 trillion in total spending.


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
The projected 2011 gross domestic product is listed at $13.519 trillion (in 2005 dollars).


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
As of January 2011, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that if current laws remain unchanged, the federal budget will show a deficit of close to $1.5 trillion, or 9.8 percent of GDP. The CBO projects total revenues of $2.228 trillion and total outlays of $3.708 trillion for a deficit of $1.48 trillion for 2011. The deficits in CBO's baseline projections drop markedly over the next few years as a share of output and average 3.1 percent of GDP from 2014 to 2021. Those projections, however, are based on the assumption that tax and spending policies unfold as specified in current law. Consequently, they understate the budget deficits that would occur if many policies currently in place were continued, rather than allowed to expire as scheduled under current law.


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
On February 14, 2011, President Obama released his 2012 federal budget request. The report updated the projected 2011 deficit to $1.590 trillion. This is based on estimated revenues of $2.228 trillion and outlays of $3.818 trillion.


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
The enacted 2011 budget called for $2.314 trillion in receipts and $3.630 trillion in outlays, according to the September 1, 2011 Mid-Session Review.


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
The 2011 Financial Report of the United States Government was released on December 23, 2011, showing a net operating cost and cash-based budget deficit for the year of $1.3 trillion. According to the Government Accountability Office, the 'accrual deficit provides more information on the longer-term implications of the government's annual operations'. Gross costs fell from $4,472 billion in 2010 to $3,998 billion, largely due to the release of accounting provisions (estimates of future liabilities), while total taxes and other revenues rose from $2,217 billion to $2,364 billion.


2011 United States federal budget, Total revenues and spending
The GAO was unable to provide an audit opinion on the 2011 financial statements due to 'widespread material internal control weaknesses, significant uncertainties, and other limitations'. As in 2010, the GAO cited as the principal obstacle to its provision of an audit opinion 'serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense that made its financial statements unauditable', highlighting also recurrent issues at the Department of Homeland Security.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections
The 2011 United States gubernatorial elections were held in four states in October and November 2011, with regularly scheduled elections in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana; and a special election in West Virginia. None of these four governorships changed party hands, with Democratic incumbents Steve Beshear and Earl Ray Tomblin winning in Kentucky and West Virginia, respectively; and Republicans reelecting Bobby Jindal in Louisiana and holding the open seat in Mississippi.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Kentucky
On July 19, 2009, Steve Beshear announced his intention to run for re-election in 2011 and that then-Louisville mayor Jerry Abramson would be his running mate. On January 6, 2011, Beshear and Abramson officially filed their candidacy.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Kentucky
Businessman Phil Moffett, Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw, and  State Senate president David L. Williams were the declared Republican candidates. Agriculture commissioner Richie Farmer Secretary of State Trey Grayson, and Businessman Bill Johnson, were also speculated candidates, but all declined. However, Farmer would run as Williams' running mate. The Williams-Farmer ticket won the primary on May 17.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Kentucky
In the general election, Beshear won, defeating Williams and independent candidate Gatewood Galbraith.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Louisiana
In 2008 Bobby Jindal stated that it was unlikely he would run for president in 2012 and that his primary electoral goal in the future would be on re-election in 2011. On August 15, 2010, he confirmed his intention to run for re-election.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Louisiana
Candidates who opposed Jindal included Attorney Cary Deaton (D), Teachers Tara Hollis (D) and Trey Roberts (D), victim advocacy activist Androniki "Niki Bird" Papazoglakis (D), Former Vice Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Louisiana Scott Lewis, ex-Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals David Blanchard (I), Computer Engineer Lenny Bollingham (I), Accountant Ron Ceasar (I), and Retired Volunteer Fire Chief Bob Lang (I).


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Louisiana
The election was then held on October 22 with all the candidates competing in a nonpartisan blanket primary. Jindal was elected to a second term, receiving an outright majority of the vote (thus a runoff election that would have occurred on November 19 became unnecessary).


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Mississippi
The Republican candidates included author, small business owner, and Baptist minister James Broadwater; Lt. Governor Phil Bryant; former New Orleans Federal Reserve Board Chairman Dave Dennis; and  Pearl River County District Supervisor Hudson Holliday. Bryant won the Republican nomination by a wide margin.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, Mississippi
Prominent state businessman Bill Luckett and Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree were two declared Democratic candidates. Dupree defeated Luckett in the Primary runoff to win the Democratic nomination.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia (special)
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia ruled on January 18, 2011 that the state must hold a special gubernatorial election in 2011 to fill the vacancy resulting from Joe Manchin's election to the United States Senate. State Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin ascended to the office of Acting Governor in 2010; he is eligible to seek election for the remainder of Manchin's term and has stated that he will do so.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia (special)
Other Democratic candidates included state House Speaker Rick Thompson, Acting President of the West Virginia Senate Jeffrey V. Kessler, state Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, and state Treasurer John Perdue. Tomlin overcame intra-party opposition in the May 14 primary and thus advanced to the general election.


2011 United States gubernatorial elections, West Virginia (special)
The Declared Republican candidates include former Secretary of State Betty Ireland, state Senate Minority Whip Clark Barnes, and Putnam County Prosecutor Mark Sorsaia. U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito and businessman John Raese have both stated that they will not run. Businessman Bill Maloney won the Republican primary in an upset and faced Tomblin in the general election.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak
The 2011 United States listeriosis outbreak was a widespread outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes food poisoning across 28 US states that resulted from contaminated cantaloupes linked to Jensen Farms of Holly, Colorado. As of the final report on August 27, 2012, there were 33 deaths and 147 total confirmed cases since the beginning of the first recorded case on July 31, 2011.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak
It was the worst foodborne illness outbreak in the United States, measured by the number of deaths, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking outbreaks in the 1970s, or tied with the worst, an outbreak of listeria from cheese in 1985, depending on which CDC report is used.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The outbreak was determined to originate from Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado after Listeria monocytogenes was found in cantaloupe samples at a Jensen Farms store in Denver, Colorado and at the farm's packaging plant. The batch of cantaloupes had been shipped out over a period from July 29 through September 10 to twenty-five states, including Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
The outbreak was first reported by the Centers for Disease Control on September 12, where they stated that "fifteen people in four states had been infected". On September 21, a new report was released by the CDC, bringing the number of deaths to 13 and the number of confirmed cases to 72. The report also stated that further deaths were being investigated to determine if they had also been caused by Listeria infection.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
The CDC report also stated that, as Listeria "only sickens the elderly, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems", the median age of all the people that had been infected was 78. On September 30, an update was released by the CDC, reporting that as of 11 am (EDT) Sep 29, 2011 the number of confirmed cases was 84, number of deaths was 15 and the number of states involved was 19. On October 4, the CDC updated their report to 100 infected individuals in 20 states and a total of 18 deaths from the outbreak.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
The outbreak was shown to have continued to spread to new states, with the CDC update on October 7 stating that the number of cases had risen to 109 in 23 states and that three more people had died to bring the death toll to 21. The CDC update on October 12 put the number of cases at 116 with 23 deaths. An update on October 18 increased the number of cases to 123 and the number of deaths to 25.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
The October 25 update raised the number of cases to 133, with three more people dying to raise the total to 28. A final update on August 27 confirmed 147 cases and 33 deaths. Fatalities occurred in Colorado (9), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (3), Montana (1) Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), New York (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and Wyoming (2). Among persons who died, ages ranged from <1 to 96 years, with a median age of 78 years. In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
Listeria infections can cause pregnant women to miscarry; the first miscarriage attributed to the 2011 outbreak was reported in early October, in a woman living in Iowa. Pregnant women often are advised to avoid foods, such as unpasteurized cheese and hot dogs, that are known to have the potential to carry Listeria, but fruits such as cantaloupe had not previously been identified as sources of concern.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
No list of retailers selling the infected cantaloupes was released by either the government or Jensen Farms. Although the last shipment was September 10 and the fruit had a two-week shelf life, as of September 29, the number of illnesses and deaths were expected to continue rising, because the incubation period could exceed one month.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread
Recalls by retailers which had sold the Jensen Farms cantaloupes included Kroger (September 15), Safeway (September 15), Aldi (September 16), and US Foods (September 16).


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread, FDA investigation
An investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that the contaminated cantaloupe harvest contained four separate Listeria monocytogenes strains, which the governmental agency found to be "unusual", but was still trying to determine the reason. On October 20, it was reported that the FDA officials had found listeria on dirty, corroded equipment used by Jensen Farms, which had been bought used and was previously utilized for potato farming. It was stated by the government that the "equipment's past use may have played a role in the contamination".


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread, FDA investigation
Water contaminated with listeria was also found on the floor of the packing plant and it was determined that the workers moving around the plant had spread it, as the contaminated water was also found on the cantaloupe conveyor belt. It was noted by officials that Jensen Farms had "passed a food safety audit by an outside contractor" six days before the outbreak.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread, FDA investigation
The method of how the listeria bacteria first came to be in the plant remains unknown, as the soil on the farm was determined to be clear of the bacteria. It is suspected, however, that a "dump truck used to take culled melons to a cattle farm...could have brought bacteria to the facility". Furthermore, Bacteria growth may have been caused by condensation stemming from the lack of a pre-cooling step to remove field heat from the cantaloupe before cold storage.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Origin and spread, House Energy and Commerce Committee investigation
On October 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a committee panel of the United States House of Representatives, began its own investigation into the outbreak. The Committee "requested a staff briefing from Jensen Farms" and all of the documents they had on the incident. They also requested information from the FDA, CDC, and other governmental groups.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Jensen Farms response
In response to the initial reports by the CDC on the contaminated cantaloupe, Jensen Farms issued a voluntary recall on September 15 of the entire harvest crop of 300,000 cantaloupe that it had distributed to its chain stores. The FDA made the public announcement for the recall after Listeria infection was confirmed by Jensen Farms at its main Colorado branch. Jensen Farms was also forced to temporarily shut down its processing plant while the recall is ongoing.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Jensen Farms response
Government officials have been investigating the company's main facility in Colorado to determine if there was "animal or water contamination", but there have been no results from the investigation thus far. Holly, Colorado residents were described as being left "reeling and in fear" because of the disaster for its local producer.


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Political responses
The FDA has stated in response to the extensive bacterial outbreak that it is "yet another reason to fully implement the Food Safety Modernization Act." Sherri McGarry, a senior adviser for the FDA, stated that, "We're going to take these lessons learned, share that with our partners and industries, CDC and the states, and what we want to do is we want to really prevent this from happening in the future."


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Political responses
Also, in response to an auditor passing Jensen Farms food safety methods and failing to notice the listeria bacteria in the plant, the deputy commissioner of foods, Michael R. Taylor, had stated that he intended to "establish standards for how auditors should be trained and how audits should be conducted."


2011 United States listeriosis outbreak, Lawsuit
On September 15, a lawsuit was filed against Jensen Farms by the first victim of the contaminated cantaloupe crop, who had fallen ill and been kept in the hospital for several weeks. He and his wife were involved in the legal proceedings. In addition to Jensen Farms, the couple also sued a Walmart branch in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they had bought the cantaloupe, for selling unsafe food.


2011 United States motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2011 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2011 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of July 22–24, 2011 at Laguna Seca. As in previous years, only the MotoGP class raced at Laguna Seca, with the domestic Superbike, Sportbike, and Supersport championships joining the MotoGP class instead of the Moto2 and 125cc classes.


2011 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round ten has concluded.


2011 United States public employee protests
In February 2011, a series of public employee protests began in the United States against proposed legislation which would weaken the power of labor unions. By March, eighteen states had proposed legislation which would remove some collective bargaining powers from unions, along with another five states which proposed legislation which would negatively affect unions.


2011 United States public employee protests
The protests occurred when public employee unions mounted protests against legislation proposed by Republican governors such as Scott Walker (Wisconsin), Rick Scott (Florida), Mitch Daniels (Indiana), Sean Parnell (Alaska), Rick Snyder (Michigan), John Kasich (Ohio), Paul LePage (Maine) and Jan Brewer (Arizona) which, among other things, would strip public employees of some collective bargaining rights as well as require higher employee contributions to pension and health care plans. The governors stated they needed these changes in order to cut state spending and balance the states' budgets. The protests began in Wisconsin, then spread to Indiana and Ohio, with unions around the country rallying to show their opposition to the proposed legislation. Several other states considered similar legislation. Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas prohibit formalcollective bargaining with public employees.


2011 United States public employee protests, Alaska, Proposed Legislation
Representative Carl Gatto (R-Palmer), has introduced legislation that would strip many public employees of the right to collectively bargain for hours, benefits and working conditions. State employees could still collectively bargain for wages under the legislation. The bill exempts firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians.


2011 United States public employee protests, California, Proposed Legislation
Republicans in the Senate and Assembly have proposed measures that would limit collective-bargaining rights and increase pension contributions for state employees. Democrats in control of the Legislature kept collective bargaining safe, but Governor Jerry Brown (D) unveiled a plan in March to target excesses in pensions.


2011 United States public employee protests, California, Protests
Los Angeles county police estimated that between 5,000 and 8,000 people took part in a protest against pay cuts to state workers on March 26.


2011 United States public employee protests, Florida, Proposed Legislation
Republican Governor Rick Scott's budget proposal calls for a heavy hit to union strength, but, due to a constitutional provision, the state is not allowed to strip collective-bargaining rights unless a union's membership falls below a certain level. Lawmakers are instead preparing to place a cap on the amount unions can automatically extract from members’ paychecks without written permission. One of the bills passed the House in late March and awaits Senate approval. Republicans control both chambers, so passage is likely.


2011 United States public employee protests, Florida, Protests
Protests have yet to escalate in Florida. A small group of union employees, nearing 100, marched in Palm Beach to show solidarity with Wisconsin workers on April 4, in honor of the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.


2011 United States public employee protests, Idaho, Proposed Legislation
A bill restricting the collective bargaining rights’ of Idaho's unionized teachers passed the legislature on March 7 and was signed into effect by Republican Gov. Butch Otter. The bill, which first passed in the House in February, will keep 12,000 teachers from bargaining their salary and benefits. It also eliminated tenure and introduced merit-based pay. The legislature adjourned for April 7, ending what lawmakers have called one of the most difficult sessions in memory.


2011 United States public employee protests, Idaho, Protests
Union members planned to protest outside the Capitol in Boise on March 9 to condemn the passage of the bill. A rally in Boise on February 21, before the House vote, drew about 1,000 protesters and smaller pro-teacher's union rallies were held in 10 other cities.


2011 United States public employee protests, Indiana, Proposed legislation
Republican House members proposed a “right-to-work” bill that would have made it illegal for an employer to mandate that employees join a union. Lacking support from Republican Governor Mitch Daniels, the bill has died.


2011 United States public employee protests, Indiana, Protests
Most of the Democratic representatives in Indiana's state House of Representatives fled to neighboring states to block voting on bill. On March 10 thousands of protesters appeared at the Indiana state house, protesting in support of labor unions.


2011 United States public employee protests, Iowa, Proposed Legislation
House Republicans proposed a bill that required state workers to pay a portion of their insurance premiums and allowed workers to opt out of union membership. Though the Republican-controlled House pushed a labor reform to weaken unions, the Democrat-controlled Senate has not taken it up for debate.


2011 United States public employee protests, Iowa, Protests
Roughly 300 people came to show their support for workers on April 4, marking the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.


2011 United States public employee protests, Kansas, Proposed legislation
The Kansas House passed a Republican-backed bill on February 24 that would ban voluntary deductions from union members’ paychecks for political activities. The bill also bans public employee unions from endorsing political candidates. The bill has a good chance of passing the heavily Republican Senate. Republican Governor Sam Brownback has not communicated his stance on the bill.


2011 United States public employee protests, Kansas, Protests
Kansas union members filled the hall of the House on February 24 in an unsuccessful attempt to urge lawmakers to oppose the bill.


2011 United States public employee protests, Maine, Proposed legislation
On February 28 it was reported that newly elected Governor Paul LePage, in an interview at the National Governors Association, praised Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is trying to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees, and expressed support for right-to-work legislation proposals in the Maine Legislature. The 'right-to-work' bill would make it illegal for public employees to be required to join a union, and eliminate collective bargaining for public employees. LePage openly challenged public workers saying Wisconsin-style protests will start coming to Maine "once [public employees] start reading the budget bill."


2011 United States public employee protests, Maine, Protests
Several protests were planned by the Maine State Employees Union, with a member saying that LePage is trying to "drive public employees to poverty." MSEU bussed public employees out to the capital of Augusta to protest, and several high schools and colleges held walkouts in protest of the legislation. Reports said the numbers of protesters in Augusta numbered in the hundreds, while the exact number of high school and college walkouts are unknown. In February, state Rep. Diane Russel traveled to Wisconsin to join in the protests going on in Madison saying, "This war isn't about the unions: it's a class war; this affects every worker and every member of the Middle Class – what's left of it."


2011 United States public employee protests, Maine, Protests
On March 24, Governor LePage sparked protests when he announced that he planned to remove a large mural depicting the history of the state's labor movement from the lobby of the Maine Department of Labor offices. LePage said that he had received a written complaint signed by a "secret admirer", and "some complaints" from business owners. The mural includes depictions of Rosie the Riveter at Bath Iron Works, a 1937 shoe worker's strike, and the 1986 SD Warren paper mill strike.


2011 United States public employee protests, Maine, Protests
The artist, Judy Taylor, stated, “There was never any intention to be pro-labor or anti-labor, it was a pure depiction of the facts.” LePage also announced that he plans to rename conference rooms that have carried the names of historic leaders of American labor, including former Secretary Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet member in American history (Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor) who had strong Maine roots. The Governor's spokesman explained that the mural and the conference-room names were “not in keeping with the department's pro-business goals.


2011 United States public employee protests, Maine, Protests
Despite protests, on March 28 it was disclosed that the murals had been removed over the weekend. In a statement LePage's press secretary said, "The mural has been removed and is in storage awaiting relocation to a more appropriate venue." Some Maine residents are protesting the removal. On April 2, the federal government, who granted US$60,000 to the State of Maine to have the mural painted and installed, asked LePage to return the $60,000 or put the mural back up.


2011 United States public employee protests, Maine, Protests
Protesters, numbering at about 350 people, have maintained a presence in the capitol, even after LePage left for a vacation in Jamaica. Some protesters held signs comparing LePage to dictators such as Muammar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak and Benito Mussolini. Others wore stickers and T-shirts with 61% written on them, referencing that 61% of voters had voted for someone other than LePage in the 2010 Maine gubernatorial election.


2011 United States public employee protests, Massachusetts, Proposed Legislation
Democratic Governor Deval Patrick's agenda included proposals to restrict the collective bargaining power of municipal unions over health care plan design and to increase the retirement age in order to reduce the unfunded liability in the pension system. Restrictions to collective-bargaining rights were seen as unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Although Patrick supported limited restrictions on some aspects of health care plans for municipal employees, he has spoken against broader proposals against overall collective bargaining rights. On April 27, the Democratic-controlled Massachusetts House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor with a vote of 111–42 to change collective bargaining rights of municipal employee unions with regards to health care.


2011 United States public employee protests, Massachusetts, Proposed Legislation
The legislation, which ultimately passed, created a process for municipalities to force their unions to the bargaining table regarding health care plan design or be moved into the state Group Insurance Commission pool, which has significantly more bargaining power and leeway in plan design than municipal plans (and thus much lower costs). State employees were unaffected as they already used the GIC, and municipal employees retain the right to collectively bargain premium contributions to their plans, GIC or otherwise. However, the legislation ran contrary to the national trend in which the Democratic Party at the federal and state level were opposing all measures to change collective bargaining rights.


2011 United States public employee protests, Massachusetts, Protests
Pro -union protesters gathered at Beacon Hill in Boston on February 22. The counter rally, held by tea partiers, took place at the foot of the Statehouse. Smaller groups, maximum 300, have gathered around the state following the February protest.


2011 United States public employee protests, Michigan, Proposed Legislation
Democrats in the Republican-dominated legislature have proposed an amendment to guarantee collective bargaining rights to state workers. The amendment would need a public vote to become part of the constitution. The amendment is unlikely to get the two-thirds vote it would need to appear on the public ballot. Both chambers of the state legislature have passed bills that would give state-appointed Emergency Financial Managers the power to break contracts in the event of a municipal "financial emergency".


2011 United States public employee protests, Michigan, Protests
Michigan firefighters and other union members were at the Capitol in protest of anti-union legislation on March 8. Roughly 200 gathered outside the capitol in Lansing on April 4.


2011 United States public employee protests, Missouri, Proposed Legislation
Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, a Republican, said on February 24 that he plans to propose a “right-to-work” bill next week. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce has announced its support of the bill, and both chambers of the legislature are controlled by Republicans. Democratic Governor Jay Nixon has yet to communicate his stance on the issue.


2011 United States public employee protests, Missouri, Protests
Wisconsin-style protests haven't occurred, but Senate Presidrnt Rob Mayer told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “I’m aware that [protests] could take place and happen, but it will in no way keep me from moving forward with trying to implement the law.”


2011 United States public employee protests, Nebraska, Proposed Legislation
A proposed bill and constitutional amendment introduced by State Senator John Nelson (Republican) called for abolishing collective bargaining and the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations. The state commission resolves impasses in wage and benefit negotiations for public workers. Other bills call for changes in the commission's powers, including removing teachers unions from its jurisdiction. Governor Dave Heineman (Republican), says he favors “meaningful and significant” changes.


2011 United States public employee protests, Nevada, Proposed Legislation
Republican lawmakers and former Republican Governor Jim Gibbons drafted a bill in 2010 to end collective bargaining. In February, newly elected Republican Governor Brian Sandoval asked legislators to ignore his predecessor's collective-bargaining plan. Sandoval's decision, combined with the obstacle of a Democrat-controlled House and Senate, makes such a measure highly unlikely to pass. Assembly Minority Leader Pete Goicoechea said the Republican caucus would be flexible in order to avoid a Wisconsin-style showdown.


2011 United States public employee protests, Nevada, Protests
Nevada's public employees held rallies in Carson City on April 4 to protest the proposed “attacks” on their rights.


2011 United States public employee protests, New Hampshire, Proposed legislation
A bill passed by the New Hampshire House would forbid collective bargaining agreements that require employees to join a union.


2011 United States public employee protests, New Hampshire, Proposed legislation
An amendment to the , was proposed on March 22, 2011. The bill would effectively end collective bargaining in the state by de-certifying unions whose contracts expired. The amendment text is as follows


2011 United States public employee protests, New Hampshire, Proposed legislation
On March 30, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill that ended nearly all collective bargaining rights for state workers. "There is no way" the measure will clear the Senate, said Carole Alfano, the Senate communications director. "It has absolutely zero support.". However, the New Hampshire Senate has an overwhelming Republican majority with 19 of the 24 members being Republicans. Democratic governor John Lynch opposes the bill.


2011 United States public employee protests, New Hampshire, Protests
On March 31, local religious leaders held a prayer and fasting vigil in the statehouse outside House Speaker Bill O'Brien's office. Meanwhile, thousands of concerned citizens held a rally outside to oppose the proposed budget and the attached amendment.


2011 United States public employee protests, New Jersey, Proposed legislation
Republican Governor Chris Christie's proposal for pension reform plans to dock more pay from state workers. He did not propose restricting collective bargaining because Democrats control the Legislature.


2011 United States public employee protests, New Jersey, Protests
New Jersey union groups called for a solidarity rally for Wisconsin's public workers outside the statehouse in Trenton on February 25. The state teachers union, police and firefighters, CWA and AFL-CIO planned to send protesters to a workers' rights rally at the Statehouse on June 16.


2011 United States public employee protests, New Mexico, Proposed Legislation
A bill has been filed in committee that would limit the collective bargaining rights of workers.


2011 United States public employee protests, Ohio, Proposed legislation
Republican Governor John Kasich supported a Senate bill (SB 5) that would eliminate collective bargaining for state-government employees. Senate Democrats’ attempt to kill the bill with a statewide referendum. They collected 1.3 million signatures against the bill and has been defeated as Issue 2 in this November's election ballot.


2011 United States public employee protests, Ohio, Protests
On the night of the bill's signing, thousands of demonstrators protested outside the statehouse in Columbus.


2011 United States public employee protests, Oklahoma, Proposed legislation
Republican leadership proposed amendments to limit the strength of city employee unions. Most state employees in Oklahoma are not allowed to unionize. The bills would repeal collective bargaining rights and change how cities handle disputes with public safety unions. With Republicans dominating the state's government, the bill has a good shot at passing. One bill in the state House by Representative Mark McCullough (R-Sapulpa), and approved by House Economic Development, Tourism and Financial Services Committee, proposed altering the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System.


2011 United States public employee protests, Oklahoma, Protests
On March 9, 2011, hundreds of Oklahoma firefighters went to the state capitol to protest against proposed changes in their pension benefits. The president of the International Association of Firefighters said he was concerned about the "tone of the legislature", and that "public employees seem to be the scapegoat". Nearly 400 union workers rallied outside the capitol in Oklahoma City on April 4.


2011 United States public employee protests, Tennessee, Proposed legislation
Republican Governor Bill Haslam's budget did not call for collective-bargaining reforms, but a Senate bill threatened to take away those rights for teachers. The Senate bill, which once seemed likely to pass, has been met with sharp opposition from the public. On April 7, the bill was sent back to the education committee for revisions yet to be determined.


2011 United States public employee protests, Tennessee, Protests
A rally organized by local MoveOn.org members as part of the nationwide day of action of Rallies to Save the American Dream was held on Saturday, February 26 on Legislative Plaza on the south side of the Tennessee State Capitol. About 500 attended by organizer counts, but only 200 according to media accounts. The rally was both to stand with Wisconsin, and also to protest the proposed Tennessee legislation.


2011 United States public employee protests, Tennessee, Protests
On March 5 nearly 3000 rallied on Legislative Plaza in a rally and march organized by the Tennessee Education Association, the state affiliate of the National Education Association. Teachers, union members, activists, and other supporters rallied against the proposed legislation. Dennis Van Roekel, national President of NEA flew in from Arizona to speak to the crowd. A number of Democratic elected officials spoke and were in attendance. A protest of hundreds on March 15 came to a head when police physically dragged seven teachers out of the Senate committee hearing.


2011 United States public employee protests, Washington, Proposed Legislation
There was a Republican-sponsored Senate bill that would restrict collective-bargaining rights for the state. The bill has little chance of passing because Democrats control the governor's mansion and both legislative chambers.


2011 United States public employee protests, Washington, Protests
Amendments to collective bargaining have not come to fruition; about 400 demonstrators protesting budget cuts to state programs gathered at the Capitol on April 6.


2011 United States public employee protests, West Virginia, Protests
Public-sector workers in West Virginia protested to demand better pay and working conditions. State employees are asking for the elimination of a 2005 pay freeze, a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, and seniority rights. Workers also want the state to fund the West Virginia Occupational and Safety Act, which was passed in 1987 to regulate workplace safety but has never been funded.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Proposed legislation
Legislation proposed by Republican Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker to address a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall has sparked protests in Wisconsin. The legislation would require state employees to contribute 5.8% of their salaries to cover pension costs, contribute 12.6% towards their health care premiums, and would limit collective bargaining rights for most public employee union members. Democrats and union leaders offered to accept the increased cost of benefits but not the removal of bargaining rights. Walker offered a compromise to allow bargaining on wages with no limit which was deemed inadequate to the unions and the Democratic leadership.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests
A crowd estimated to be up to 100,000 people turned out in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, February 26 to protest Governor Walker's bill. Solidarity demonstrations, and demonstrations against similar measures in other states, also took place around the country.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests
Some journalists and political commentators have compared the protests to the Arab Spring, some in jest. Christian Science Monitor staff writer Stephen Kurczy dubbed the Wisconsin protests "The Cheddar Revolution". Many journalists and commentators also considered the Middle East and North African protests an inspiration for the U.S. public employee protests.


2011 United States public employee protests, Wisconsin, Protests
In all 50 US states of the United States, there have been rallies supporting the Wisconsin demonstrations.