Billions of dollars will be flowing to states and localities from opioid lawsuit settlements and court rulings. They need to set up a framework for dedicating the money to programs that save lives.
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In the early years of the Republic, wives of politicians were often helpmates and could wield power despite their gender. Today, spouses challenge traditional gender norms in politics and have broad work portfolios. -
In the wake of unproven claims about voting fraud, a record number of bills seek changes in election law. Some could enable legislatures to interfere with election administration.
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By building on a decade-old federal effort, the just-launched StateRAMP promises to standardize and simplify procurement of cloud services that have already undergone rigorous security testing.
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It’s clear that adding lanes to urban expressways or building new ones doesn’t reduce congestion. Sometimes it makes things worse. So why do we keep doing it?
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Ridership dropped by 50 percent last year as stay-at-home orders and COVID-19 concerns kept many people off public transit. Even as the economy begins to reopen, ridership remains still down 45.5 percent.
The bill blocks certain topics in government diversity and inclusion training. Some worry it will discourage discussions on institutional racism and implicit bias.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s new Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will provide $1 billion to improve Internet access for tribal governments, colleges and organizations.
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles has limited the languages available for written driver’s license tests to seven options, removing some of the state’s most-widely spoken languages.
Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a law that will put limitations on ballot dropoffs, establish ID requirements and restrict the number of absentee ballot drop boxes. Critics argue the law is just another voter suppression tactic.
House Democrats introduced legislation that would establish nationwide EV infrastructure within five years to allow a smoother transition away from gas vehicles, but Republicans argue it’s too much too fast.
The New Jersey Labor Department said the transition to the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program would be seamless for unemployment claimants, but many are still without pay after weeks.
The state’s four historically Black universities will plan to use the money to increase funding for STEM and certificate programs in an effort to close the wealth gap between Black graduates and other races.
To convert more than 240,000 housing units from gas- to electric-power could cost the city as much as $5.9 billion. Natural gas currently makes up 38 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Only two of Texas’ major companies have spoken publicly about the recent legislation that some are claiming is an act of voter suppression. But some organizations are uniting privately and plan a stronger public stance.
The state will begin its biennial process of removing outdated voter registrations, starting first with 12,000 voters who have died. This is the first year Georgia will use data from other states to update its records.
COVID-19 forced many companies to increase automation to avoid in-person interactions, a trend that is likely to stay even as the economy continues to rebound. There’s been a 20 percent increase in robot orders this year.
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Former Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd, commenting on passage of medical marijuana legislation. Todd had proposed a similar medical marijuana bill in 2013, which was not only rejected but received an award for “deadest“ bill of that year. (Associated Press — May 7, 2021)
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The two-month session ended without lawmakers revamping the state’s unemployment system that has proven inadequate over the last year. However, the Legislature did pass a bill to update the unemployment website.
Effective July 1, Florida bars, businesses, schools and government entities will not be allowed to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, according to a new law that was signed by the governor on Monday.
Mayor Tishaura Jones wants to make change by defunding the police and jails and redirecting the funds to social workers, affordable housing, homeless aid and civil rights litigators.
The state’s disease information dashboard could have been a resource to identify at-risk communities and help better understand the virus’ spread, but a review has found that the data is incomplete, revealing inequities.
Washington state hopes to implement solar farms as a way to achieve clean-energy goals and transition toward more renewable energy. But officials are having troubles finding places to install them.
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News in Numbers
The proportion of people who moved during the pandemic to be closer to family — an increase of approximately five percentage points from pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic sped up an existing trend of people migrating out of metropolitan areas into smaller cities. Still, some researchers were surprised to find that more people were moving for reasons other than coronavirus case rates or jobs.
The amount of American land and water that the Biden administration has pledged to conserve over the next decade.
The proportion of Americans that President Biden hopes will have at least one of their COVID-19 shots by July 4. So far more than 56 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one shot, and it is expected that approval will be given to start vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds in the coming days.
The proportion of new COVID-19 cases that are in children, an increase from a year ago when children accounted for just 3 percent of all cases.
The number of passengers that went through TSA screening at airports across the nation on Sunday, May 2, the highest number since March 2020, despite it still being about 35 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels.
The amount that California Democrats have proposed to help combat drought, bolstering programs and projects the state is already working on.
The amount that Amtrak has requested from Congress over a five-year timeline to overhaul some of the railway’s busiest corridors in the country. The first installment would be $5.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1. The rail company wants to add as many as 39 new corridor routes and include 166 cities, increasing its service to 20 million people annually, by 2035.
The updated deadline for Real ID. The Department of Homeland Security postponed the original Oct. 1, 2021, deadline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The amount that West Virginia will pay to those between the ages of 16 and 35 who get vaccinated, as a way to further incentivize vaccinations.
The year by which Honda Motor Co. will transition all of its vehicles to electric and fuel cell vehicles.
The amount that former Wall Street executive and Democratic candidate for New York mayor Ray McGuire will receive as part of a bonus program, in four installments between 2022 and 2025. When he worked on Wall Street, McGuire was one of the senior-most Black executives.
The number of House Republicans who have pledged to reject donations from Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple and Twitter.
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