Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Private-sector entrepreneurs know how important it is to prototype, even at the risk of failure. For local governments, testing, learning and adapting is a path toward reimagining core municipal services.
A runoff election to replace Miami’s outgoing Republican mayor has taken on national significance ahead of the 2026 midterms. And a progressive blocks a former governor’s hoped-for comeback in Jersey City.
Over 2,100 schools in 26 states have adopted shorter weeks, mostly in rural districts seeking teacher retention and budget relief.
Higher education battles around the country are beginning to look like a sports competition.
In one form or another over decades, this urban improvement program and its predecessors have found bipartisan support. But their record is mixed at best.
The only viable path to a national standard is one built on the foundation that our laboratories of democracy are laying. Congressional efforts to freeze state oversight over AI companies would leave Americans exposed.
The federal government ended funding for an organization that gave election officials free help managing physical and cyber threats against election workers and operations.
They’re an important pipeline of skills, products and innovation for larger industries, but they’re reeling from tariffs. There’s a role for grants and tax breaks, and states need to track who these businesses are and what they do.
Program and tax changes in the massive budget reconciliation bill are reshaping states’ short- and long-term fiscal pictures. How will policymakers respond?
A committee of judges and attorneys recommends piloting a program allowing non-attorneys to provide legal support.
After decades of bipartisan reforms that prioritized rehabilitation over punishment, states are moving back toward prosecuting younger teens as adults. It contradicts decades of research, and it doesn’t make communities safer.
States are having doubts about whether their sports betting programs — legalized in a rush of legislation over the last several years — are generating the promised benefits.
State and local financial managers face the impact of federal aid cutbacks, plus new rules and even some opportunities. It’s time to focus on what’s practical and necessary, both near and longer term.
They need a lot more support than they get. Their success is crucial to building the workforce our economy needs.
Reduced revenues and rising costs leave municipalities tightening their budgets, per a new National League of Cities report.
It’s easier than ever to send out a survey instrument, and they’re an important tool for governments. But with so many of them out there, it’s harder than ever to reach a critical mass of respondents.
It’s about governance and whether these systems can avoid reinforcing existing inequities. States, local governments and agencies need to move to embed fairness, transparency and accountability into every stage of AI use.
Big-city mayors are taking a wide range of approaches to interactions with the Trump administration.
The bill is coming due after years of underinvestment in water infrastructure. New research highlights needs in each state and the economic benefits from meeting them.
New work rules and other reforms could help break the cycle of dependency. But to implement them, states need to move beyond a patchwork of programs that don’t talk to each other. Federal policymakers could help.
The House voted this week to reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program for seven years, while also modifying the program.
It’s more important than ever to celebrate those who improve the mechanisms of government. And we need to give them the kind of learning opportunities to enable them to have even more of an impact.
The state is shockingly lax on DUIs, and it isn’t even the worst. But it shouldn’t be surprising that so many people are dying on California’s roads.
A recycling project in Santa Monica, Calif., is helping the city move away from dependence on imported water.
What happens in Georgia could be a harbinger of the next presidential contest as well as MAGA’s future. Politicians of both parties should not underestimate the political power of Black women.
Katie Wilson, a progressive challenger to Seattle’s mayoral incumbent, was declared the winner more than a week after the election concluded.
They’re the foundation of our evolving economy, defining the next generation of growth. Their resource use is misunderstood. And they’re a boon for rural communities.
The Illinois legislature passed a bill with $1.5 billion to support transit in the Chicago area and statewide. It was in the works for years.
The April 2011 outbreak spurred the state to overhaul its emergency systems — now officials say its coordinated efforts may serve as a blueprint for other states.
The most obvious example right now is with artificial intelligence, but there are plenty of other challenges.
