Archive
Gov. Pat Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan both suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to turn down an appeal of New York's tough gun law could boost Illinois lawmakers' attempts to set strict limits on who gets to carry concealed weapons.
Police in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Detroit, San Diego and Las Vegas monitored landmarks, government buildings, transit hubs and sporting events. Meanwhile, New York City deployed its critical response teams, and California activated its statewide threat assessment system.
Despite some troubling economic conditions, chronic and veteran homelessness both dropped by more than 6 percent last year, according to a new report.
Pennsylvania is one of just two states in the nation that still use the word welfare in the name of the massive agency that serves mainly the elderly, disabled, and children.
The Supreme Court declined to hear a Second Amendment challenge to a New York law that strictly limits who can carry a gun in public, leaving states and cities, at least for now, with broad authority to regulate guns outside of homes.
Following the death of a fighter, Michigan is the latest state to consider rules to protect participants in amateur MMA matches.
Immigrant and international migration statistics for the U.S.
No longer in denial about its dwindling numbers and diminished political power, organized labor unions are exploring new, potentially risky approaches for growing their memberships.
A state task force recommended a one-year phase-in period, but a state committee later reduced it to three months. And now Mayor Michael Hancock says the city should impose a two-year wait.
At the end of a four-year phase-in, households earning up to $400,000 would receive an income tax credit equivalent to 10 percent of their property tax bill. Last year, New Jersey homeowners paid had the nation's highest average property tax bill of $7,900.
A nearly decade-long effort to require Massachusetts employers to offer paid sick days is gaining momentum as lawmakers pass similar proposals across the country.
Several dozen states are looking for an alternative to the GED high school equivalency test because of concerns that a new version coming out next year is more costly and will no longer be offered in a pencil and paper format.
While local pension costs will grow in the new state budget, the bill would be $540 million higher without reforms that forced public employees to pick up a greater share of the pension costs and stopped cost of living adjustment for retirees.
A decade into the school accountability movement, pockets of resistance to standardized testing are sprouting up around the country, with parents and students opting out of the high-stakes tests used to evaluate schools and teachers.
After years of fighting for it, Gov. Sean Parnell has gotten his major legislative priority through: a reduction of the state’s oil tax rate.
Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady survived a move to immediately oust him as party chairman over his support for same-sex marriage, but top state GOP leaders approved a succession strategy that could find him replaced within the next six weeks.
Kentucky’s pension reform signed into law this month marks a positive step but should not be heralded as a cure-all to the state’s massive underfunding problem, a major ratings agency said Friday.
New Jersey is expanding a local program that helps agencies track homeless services more accurately and in less time, increasing their chances of getting the federal funding they need.
China spent 77.6 billion on overseas investments last year. Governor Jerry Brown would like to see them contribute funds to California's troubled high-speed rail project, which faces a shortfall of 55 billion.
Inviting public comment early in the budget process, and doing so in multiple ways, is closely associated with better performance outcomes, according to a new study.
Concerned that loitering homeless people are stunting downtown growth, the city will go to federal court in an attempt to undo major provisions of a 15 year-old legal agreement has protected the homeless from undue arrest and harassment by police.
A three-judge federal court on Thursday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's attempt to avoid the court's order to reduce California's prison population. They also threatened to find state officials in contempt if they do not further reduce prison populations.
Not as successful at moving into the governor's seat as one might think, according to an analysis of data from the past quarter century.
The Illinois House approved a measure that would ask voters whether to eliminate the job of lieutenant governor. The bill's sponsor says the job is a "luxury" that the cash-strapped state cannot afford.
According to the new White House budget, the administration expects to spend about $606 billion on subsidies -- about 27 percent more than the $478 billion projected in the president’s budget last year.
As school districts across the country consider placing more police officers in schools, some are raising alarm about what they have seen in the schools where officers are already stationed: a surge in criminal charges against children for misbehavior that many believe is better handled in the principal’s office.
In Tennessee, welfare benefits may be reduced for families whose children get bad grades in school. In Pennsylvania, the legislature is considering a bill that requires drug tests for all welfare recipients.
The governors of two states have activated the National Guard.
The revised rules allow the administration to cite spectators of a demonstration who refuse to withdraw from a prohibited event. They would also allow the state Department of Administration to waive a 72-hour requirement for requesting permits for most demonstrations at the Capitol.
Delaware became the latest state to take action to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, as Gov. Jack Markell announced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.
New census data indicates state tax revenues finally exceeded pre-recession levels. View revenue data and graphs for each state.
It took just a year for Indiana officials to put together a major public-private bridge project. How did they do it?
With China's political leadership talking about cleaning up the country's air quality, the California Governor will have the chance on his visit to translate his state's experience with the issue into valuable business deals.
To help rural America's drought of lawyers, South Dakota has passed the nation's first law to pay them to live and work in rural areas.
According to finance experts from the left and right, it's the worst reform measure passed by a state in the last two years.
Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill to give law enforcement authorities better tools to put an end to illegal gambling devices in strip malls and arcades throughout the state.
More than 20 states allow you to file your taxes online for free, if you follow some very precise instructions.
An effort by New York City to charge a nonprofit bicycling group nearly $1 million for the cost of policing its annual citywide bike tour appeared to be in jeopardy.
With some of their major legislative achievements thwarted by the courts in the past two years, Wisconsin Republicans are advancing a bill that would limit the ability of circuit judges to block state laws for the long term.
There’s no deal yet on education reform, one of Gov. Terry Branstad’s top priorities, but House Republicans have offered a major concession aimed at compromising with Senate Democrats.
State leaders in Maryland, Virginia and Wyoming are sick of waiting for help from Washington to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure backbone.
State Sen. Vincent Sheheen said he thinks Republican Nikki Haley’s first-term record as governor gives him a better chance to win in his second try for the state’s top office.
Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration is forcing 1,600 information technology workers across state government to re-apply for their jobs in an effort to screen out those who can’t master the skills of a rapidly changing field.
Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun violence group is pulling ads that targeted U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey after the Pennsylvania Republican agreed to support a bipartisan agreement on background checks
Gov. Christie should tighten some gun laws but doesn't need to enact major initiatives such as expanded background checks, a ban on Internet gun sales, or new limits on high-capacity magazines, according to a report from a task force he commissioned.
Obama's budget proposes delaying certain Medicaid cuts another year, complicating the politics of the Medicaid expansion and possibly setting the administration up for an annual headache.
The president's new budget proposal increases total federal grant funding to states and localities, but some programs are on the chopping block.
President Obama's fiscal plan for 2014 contains a mix of tax increases and breaks that some are concerned could mean increased costs for states and localities.
States and localities are emerging from the Great Recession to face a "new normal" of scarcity. How will managers deal with it?
A Silicon Valley nonprofit wants to take its ideas into thousands of classrooms. It's an experiment worth watching.
If President Barack Obama's proposal to postpone Medicaid cuts to hospitals for one more year is enacted, it would likely complicate the politics of the Medicaid expansion.
The administration has asked Congress to fund better record keeping for background checks and scientific research related to gun violence. For full coverage of the president's proposed budget, null
The president's budget calls for ambitious infrastructure investments but -- yet again -- doesn't provide many details on how to pay for it.
Following up on his pledge to expand early education to all American children, President Barack Obama proposed pumping $66 billion over the next 10 years into a “Preschool for All” initiative.
President Barack Obama released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 Wednesday. We break it down to tell you how it impacts states, cities and counties and their specific programs.
Gov. Rick Perry and a number of Texas politicians are seeking help from the Obama administration to hold Mexico to its treaty obligations to release water from the Rio Grande to Texas cities along the border.
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday gave state regulators the green light to link California's carbon market with a similar market in the Canadian province of Quebec.
New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney sent Rutgers officials a letter asking for the resignation of board member Mark Hershhorn, who failed to notify other members after he viewed the video of basketball coach Mike Rice abusing his players in December.
The guidelines, developed by 26 state governments, are the first broad national recommendations for science instruction since 1996. States are not required to adopt them, but 26 states have committed to seriously considering them.
The question of who was responsible for paying the $15,000 catering bill is a key one because Virginia law requires that elected officials publicly report gifts of more than $50
The state’s top attorney is asking lawmakers to include $400,000 in his budget to fight any litigation resulting from passage of what some say are the most restrictive anti-abortion measures in the country.
Liberal media mogul Arianna Huffington is bringing GOP star Gov. Chris Christie, Jon Bon Jovi and Shaquille O'Neal to the White House Correspondents' dinner later this month.
The position has been left officially unfilled in part because of the political turmoil around Obamacare, but Marilyn Tavenner appeared to enjoy bipartisan support at Tuesday’s hearing.
Gov. Christie has proposed a $1.6 million budget for New Jersey's three-year-old medical marijuana program -- more than twice the current spending plan -- in anticipation that more dispensaries will open this year.
State Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr. said he will support a bill to allow gay marriage in Illinois, becoming the second House Republican to do so and first among leadership.
The Miami Dolphins would receive about $7.5 million a year in hotel taxes to renovate Sun Life Stadium under a deal endorsed by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Now, the agreement faces a countywide referendum.
Two corruption cases last week underscored a season of challenge for New York Gov. Cuomo, who has faced more criticism over the last few months than he did during much of his first two years.
The 15-member Governor’s Task Force will look at how to strengthen human-trafficking laws, improve law-enforcement training to reduce the problem and brainstorm ways to help victims.
John Diaz's quiet style turned on him after the department came under federal scrutiny and widespread community criticism over several video-recorded confrontations involving his officers.
Michael Hancock advised the City Council to ban private pot clubs, create a two-year moratorium in which only existing medical-marijuana businesses could apply for licenses to sell recreational marijuana and establish "rigorous new standards to protect neighborhoods."
A federal magistrate ruled that federal authorities broke the law when they leased land in Monterey and Fresno counties to oil drillers without studying the possible risks of hydraulic fracturing.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, head of the Republican Governors Association and widely viewed as a presidential hopeful for 2016, announced Monday that he's abandoning his controversial plan to eliminate the state's income tax -- but he's calling on the legislature to do it instead.
Secretary of State Kate Brown wants to make Oregon the first state to instantly register voters when they apply for a driver's license.
New York’s new law to allow some cities to defer pension payments would increase their unfunded pension liabilities and could hurt their credit outlook.
Above all else, citizens want results. When they don't get them, they morph into selfish people.
Millions of federal dollars flow every year through the states and a network of relief organizations to help refugees find housing, health care and jobs.
As troops begin returning home from Afghanistan, states are looking for ways to reduce veterans' high unemployment rate. Washington state wants to hire them.
A federal judge rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's claim that California has improved its mental healthcare for inmates enough to end 17 years of court oversight.
Too many times, state officials say, nursing home residents wrongly end up in psychiatric care.
Politicians in New Jersey can receive more money while still keeping the names of their donors secret than those in any other state in the nation, masking the origins of millions of dollars in campaign contributions every year, a Star-Ledger analysis has found.
The Oregon attorney general's office isn't buying an attempt by gay marriage opponents to radically rewrite the ballot title for a proposed initiative that would allow same-sex marriages in Oregon.
Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy went on the attack against NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, saying that he "reminds me of the clowns at the circus - that's what he's paid to do."
After the mass shootings at a Newtown, Conn., elementary schools, Martin O’Malley wanted to attempt something no state had attempted to enact in nearly two decades.
The U.S. economy added only 88,000 jobs last month, far below economists' expectations.
Former lieutenant governor and state lawmaker Abel Maldonado filed papers to explore whether to challenge Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who is up for reelection in 2014.
California, Vermont and New York all enacted their bans in 2012, and in the current legislative session, lawmakers in 29 states have introduced measures that would tighten restrictions on teen tanning.
After a lengthy and passionate debate, a House committee approved legislation that would reduce welfare benefits for families whose children are failing school.
Over the past two years, Maryland has enacted laws that represent a dramatic liberal shift, even for a state long dominated by Democrats.
The bill was significantly more modest than a proposal Gov. Deval Patrick made in January that called for major investments in new transportation projects.
Two days after a political corruption scandal rocked Albany, a new, unrelated bribery scheme emerged.
Gov. Jay Inslee told Republican lawmakers he thinks their proposal to grade schools A-F needs further study, a blow to a concept Inslee fully embraced during the campaign.
The Arizona Board of Regents announced plans to research options for offering in-state tuition rates for undocumented students.
The order comes two weeks after DOC executive director Tom Clements was shot to death at his Monument home. The chief suspect is parolee Evan Ebel, a man released from prison about four years early because of a court's clerical error.
A clear majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana for the first time in 40 years, according to a Pew Research Center poll.
Manufacturing jobs account for a sizable portion of the employment base in many regions. Read our analysis of the top 10 areas, along with data for more than 300 metro areas.
Communities struggle with what to do with stadiums once sports teams leave. Indianapolis is converting its historic minor league ballpark into apartments.
Cities coming out of the recession are facing new challenges with matching their workforce to available jobs, a problem that could be an early indicator of a growing national problem.
Many governments have been slow to find ways to generate revenue from their assets by selling naming rights, advertising or sponsorships. There's plenty of untapped revenue out there.
A lot of information is floating around about the state's first-of-its-kind plan to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. Arkansas' Medicaid director sets the record straight.
After nearly two years of preparation, an Arizona state senator says a plan will be unveiled in a few weeks to build a fence along the border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants.
Opponents of gay marriage in the state have proposed a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions instead of marriage.
The Florida governor's poll numbers remain stubbornly low, but he's raising mountains of cash for his re-election campaign.
After more than 13 hours of debate that was at moments impassioned and agonized, the General Assembly approved an historic and far-reaching gun-control bill that proponents said was their toughest-in-the-nation response to the Newtown school massacre.
The House of Delegates voted to give Maryland one of the toughest gun laws in the nation, passing a bill that would ban the sale of assault-type weapons, set a 10-bullet limit on magazines and require fingerprints and a license to buy a handgun.
Nationwide, the judiciary’s budget has been cut nearly $350 million for the 2013 fiscal year, leading to the layoffs or involuntary furloughs of 2,000 employees, according to the court system.
Although energy companies have drilled more natural gas wells in Pennsylvania, towns will see fewer dollars from them this year.
The Virginia General Assembly, reconvening Wednesday for a one-day session to consider legislation vetoed or amended by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, gave its final approval to a landmark transportation-funding plan that the governor said would raise nearly $6 billion over five years.
Mississippi government would directly fund a limited preschool program for the first time under a bill on its way to Gov. Phil Bryant.
Gov. Bill Haslam abruptly withdrew his proposal for school vouchers after he and the bill’s sponsor in the state Senate failed to get guarantees from fellow Republicans that they would not try to expand the measure.
North Dakota voters may have to present identification before they can cast a ballot at the next election.
Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley dove into the Boston mayor’s race with a massive fund-raising advantage and the muscle of almost 20 years in elected office.
As granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants becomes more popular, some universities aren't waiting for the green light from state lawmakers to do it.
The project marks the first completed portion of the region's ambitious FasTracks program.
Not all emergencies give people the time or ability to call 911. One Georgia city has installed panic buttons in all of its schools, and similar plans have been introduced in California and New Jersey.
Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr, in the face of a new lawsuit that challenges the City Council's ability to hold session, has told the council to continue meeting as usual even though it cannot take any official action without his approval.
The Canadian city of Edmonton has created a for-profit agency to sell its expertise in waste management to other cities around the world.
Federal agencies pour billions each year into university research. With less federal money to spend, some Ph.D. programs are delaying admissions decisions, while others have already cut positions amid the uncertainty.
Plus: a great resource for child welfare workers and more management news
The bill allows the state to require drug tests whenever there is a reasonable suspicion that someone getting welfare or unemployment benefits is using drugs.
An Ozaukee County judge lost his job Tuesday when voters sided with a challenger critical of the incumbent's 2011 signature on a petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker.
The City Council pushed aside legal warnings from the state’s attorney general and a conservative advocacy group in this historic vote.
The state got a special shout-out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for cutting "repeat" teen pregnancies.
Abortion rights groups have already threatened to sue to block the bill if it becomes law.
Some of the educators spend several hours in jail before posting bond amounts starting at $40,000.
The charges immediately reverberated in the New York political world, especially in Albany, where, despite the efforts of government watchdogs and prosecutors, new scandals and criminal charges seem to surface every legislative session.
The program was scheduled to take effect in July, but it's now postponed for two years, due to optimism for immigration reform at the federal level.
Legislation approved Tuesday by the House Education Committee would mandate the creation of a protection officer for each school.
RBC municipal analyst Chris Mauro warns that the boost at the end of 2012 was an anomaly driven by a rush to cash in on capital gains and other income in anticipation of new tax increases in 2013.
Despite efforts by law enforcement and public health officials to curb prescription drug abuse, drug-related deaths in the United States have continued to rise, the latest data show.
Radio transmitters help police track stolen items, such as bicycles, laptops, boats and firearms -- even drugs.
After a rough 2012 with more than 500 homicides, violence in the first quarter of 2013 fell 42 percent from a year earlier.
Oregon unlawfully segregates people with disabilities in sheltered workshops instead of providing them more work opportunities in the public midst, federal authorities allege.
When medical marijuana became legal in Colorado and federal officials backed off prosecution, Children's Hospital Colorado had 14 emergency-room visits by kids who had ingested marijuana.
California and Vermont both ban the use of tanning beds for children under the age of 18.
Thirteen attorneys general believe any employer who says he or she objects to contraception should not have to provide contraceptive coverage.
The state is is now debating a law that would require health insurers to pay for an elective abortion.
The bipartisan deal would strengthen the state's existing ban on semiautomatic assault rifles to include weapons such as the Bushmaster AR-15 used by Adam Lanza to kill 20 first-graders and six women at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
Backers of the newly adopted ordinance requiring gun ownership in a small north Georgia town acknowledge they were largely seeking to make a point about gun rights.
A new survey of nearly 8,000 small businesses rates state and metro area business climates, providing clues to what these economic engines value most.
Some say the ruling in Stockton, Calif.'s case could lead to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on how bankrupt cities deal with their pension liabilities.
On the day before Easter, Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned 65 people who served sentences years ago for various crimes.
Unlike most public transit systems in the United States, last year, MARTA continued a downward spiral in declining ridership.
The legislature is exploring the use of the desks to decrease the health risks associated with sitting at a desk too long.
Texas Governor Rick Perry is pushing to have more weapons made in the state. His office has sent letters to 34 different firearms and accessories manufacturers in other states encouraging them to relocate to Texas.
By using video games to engage citizens in improving their communities, governments can tap into a powerful force: fun.
A 2007 oil production tax increase has helped the state save up $17 billion. But now Republicans want to roll back the hike to lure more business.
For years, casinos in West Virginia and Delaware siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars in gambling revenue from Marylanders. Now Maryland is poised to win back increasing numbers of those gamblers — and their millions.
If Washington doesn’t agree to allow the state to alter Medicaid to fit the Healthy Indiana Plan — which could happen — Medicaid would not be expanded and the state would forgo $10.5 billion in federal aid through 202
Legislation to protect the mentally ill and the public, including a bill — unofficially called Gabby’s Law — to better identify and respond to people in crisis, could be in trouble as state lawmakers enter final deliberations on non-budget-related bills.
Teachers have serious issues with the complicated new formula that will be used to evaluate them and determine pay raises.
