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Lauren Boitel, executive director of ImpactNV, a sustainability group founded by the state of Nevada and former casino executives. Conservation has emerged as a key concern in the largely desert state. In addition to strict water controls, Nevada now generates a third of its energy from solar panels, the most per capita in the country. (The New York Times)
A new law extends the lottery for several years. Its fate had been in doubt due to some questionable practices.
Drones had been limited to dangerous situations but now will be used for routine calls.
One federal agency targeted by DOGE lost substantial staff but took up AI and implemented ideas that should have been put in place years ago.
A 2018 housing bond in the Portland region has helped produce more units than it initially promised to voters. But the region’s affordability and homelessness problems are still worsening.
The increase, since 2021, in the amount of signal jammers seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection...
Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois. A quartet of Democratic state attorneys general spoke at a hearing organized by Democratic members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, discussing their numerous efforts to block Trump administration policies in court. (States Newsroom)
Better data and messaging would help. So would improved education.
A series of new laws expanded workforce programs through high schools, community colleges and apprenticeships.
Since 2018, state spending on hotels for unsheltered individuals has tripled. Conditions are often inadequate and some worry homeless people are isolated and unable to access other support services.
School choice programs provide state money to help families who want to educate their kids outside of public school. After launching programs targeted at disadvantaged students, many states are opening the programs up to everyone.
Now 25,000 members strong, financially secure and long blessed with thoughtful leadership, the Government Finance Officers Association is poised to address the challenges to come for those who manage the public purse.
The incinerated town of Lahaina has barely begun to recover. Policymakers have scrambled to ease inflexible laws and regulations but rebuilding would be happening much more quickly if that had happened before the fires.
The number of Americans who would be pushed into medical debt by congressional proposals to cut Medicaid and other health programs...
Michigan state Rep. Thomas Kunse, a Republican. In response to a question about additional disclosures on a personal finance disclosure form, Kunse wrote, “I removed the tag off my mattress.” Despite that flippant entry, Kunse offered more detail on his disclosure form than many of his colleagues, naming lobbying groups from which he’d accepted food and drink. "Everything should be disclosed," Kunse said. "There should be no secrets.” (Detroit News)
Getting ticketed by AI cameras using license plate data was never popular. Now there are concerns about financial mismanagement and a lawsuit between vendors that ran the program in Mississippi.
With classroom behavior notably worse than it was prior to the pandemic, a number of states are increasing penalties to address aggression and disruption.
The bill would devote most new funds to highways but transit would also get a boost. The major revenue raiser is a 15-cent increase to the gas tax.
Oregon has enacted a law that's the first of its kind, protecting doctors from corporate interference over medical decision-making.
Local transit agencies are facing a budget gap of nearly $800 million. The Illinois Senate has passed a bill to provide nearly double that amount and overhaul the systems but the House has not yet acted.
Hospital associations say more rural facilities will close if Medicaid cuts go through. Potential aid includes changes to matching rates and provider taxes.
Most states have seen their collections drop below 15-year trends. Federal actions may also provide a drag on revenue.
The number of states that had tax revenue below their 15-year trends in 2024. That number had increased from 27 the year before and represents a dramatic spike from 2022, when only one state was below trend.
Jensen Huang, the CEO of AI chip designer Nvidia. Tech companies in particular are warning workers that disruptions are coming due to AI, signaling to stockholders that they’re willing to embrace coming changes to employment needs. (Washington Post)
Forty-one percent of unsheltered seniors were never homeless before age 50. Finding them all homes will be difficult but helps focus outreach efforts.
Threats and harassment are on the rise, but strategies exist to bring down the temperature and reduce the likelihood of deadly outcomes.
With Congress on the verge of passing new mandates, state Medicaid directors warn that the planned implementation date at the end of next year is too soon.
House Republicans want to repeal tax credits for clean-energy projects, and the industry is already slowing. But the jobs and benefits would boost GOP-leaning states and congressional districts.
The number of full-time city positions added to the payroll by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in his final budget proposal ...
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