Governing: State and local government news and analysis
The withdrawals could kneecap the DART system, starving it of funds at a time when transit agencies around the country are barely hanging on.
Temporary pandemic-era changes helped a lot. Continuing revival requires systems calibrated to rural scale rather than to urban norms.
Municipalities in Rhode Island hope to delay the landfill’s closure date and save money on waste disposal by setting up composting programs.
It could provide a controlled framework for innovation, testing and deployment of technologies like AI and blockchain.
Federal subsidies helped 13 million more Americans access health insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Millions are expected to lose coverage now that subsidies have expired.
The circumstances have to be right, and real urban change agents know not to promise the impossible.
Outdated assessment systems are opaque and structurally biased, leading to “data rot.” Local governments should invest in tools that make it easier for taxpayers to understand how their property is valued.
Changes at the U.S. Postal Service could harm political campaigns and voters alike. To safeguard democracy, they will need to adjust to new realities.
State Republicans and city Democrats often diverge on questions of public transit. In Arizona, GOP leaders are trying to prevent a light rail project from reaching the state Capitol building.
What happens when familiar words of government are blended to take on new meanings? Perhaps a chortle or two.
The lithium-ion devices that power our electrifying society pose serious safety and environmental risks. Life cycle stewardship must keep pace, and governments have a major role.
As the president calls for federal control of voting, administrators who endured bomb threats and burnout warn that long-standing guardrails are fraying.
Transportation funding fights and limited progress on core priorities have dented the governor’s popularity, setting up a risky re-election year.
Police are working taxing overtime hours as calls over ICE-related activity soar. The police chief is trying to keep everyone safe, maintain community trust and prevent stressed-out officers from quitting.
The state will need to reform its antiquated tax code, warily approach bond measures that tie the hands of policymakers, and get serious about spending oversight.
Oklahoma puts its tobacco settlement funds in a trust, spending only the interest. The strategy has had long-term public health benefits.
Experiments show that extracting rare earths from acid mine drainage can turn something harmful into a useful resource. But states will need to sort out who owns that mine waste.
Gov. Bob Ferguson supports a proposed nearly 10 percent tax on incomes over $1 million.
Laws targeting the practice have been a mess. It benefits both businesses and consumers, and pricing decisions should be left to market forces.
An Urban Institute analysis tracked growth in median household income between 1970 and 2023. State rates range from negative to nearly 80 percent.
A massive fraud scandal on Gov. Tim Walz’s watch gave Republicans an opening in Minnesota. The recent immigration enforcement surge has made things more complicated.
A Tennessee program’s success stems from a yearlong commitment to housing stability, employment continuity and social support. It merits national attention.
Alabama’s central data repository enables coordinated action across health, law enforcement and governmental agencies.
Switzerland’s education system embodies a tight connection between school and work, functioning as a talent development system for the economy. Employers take the lead.
Whether they come from abroad or elsewhere in the U.S., they are reshaping communities in profound ways. That’s not likely to change.
Chatbots with inadequate safeguards are harming our children, rewiring their brains in ways that lead to anxiety, depression and self-harm. State lawmakers should take swift action to protect them.
Plans for an autonomous vehicle future are being made in many large cities. But how close are those plans to being realized?
A market crash doesn’t seem imminent, but there are lessons for public financiers, pension funds and policymakers from collapses of the past.
How people feel about where they live is an overlooked factor in engaging them in civic life. There are ways to boost those feelings.
Public officials can make the greatest difference when they focus on their communities’ housing, transportation and utility costs.
