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Inslee talks about climate change all the time. He discussed it in his inaugural address, during most of his news conferences, when introducing a bill on the issue in the state House and Senate, even in announcing his choice for transportation secretary.
John C. Liu officially began his campaign for mayor on Sunday with a vow to represent the “100 percent,” not “the 1 percent.”
The controversial and closely-watched mental health program that gives judges authority to order severely ill people into outpatient treatment will have the money to expand, after all.
With Iowa facing a psychiatrist shortage in the middle of sweeping changes to the county-based mental health system, one lawmaker thinks giving income tax breaks to psychiatry students will be enough to encourage them to practice in the state.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week will look at the impact of tax exemptions and deductions on states and localities.
A new public-private partnership is similar to existing clean energy programs, but this one doesn't require any financial investment from cities.
There are too many IT project failures in government. Getting the upfront analysis right could prevent a lot of them.
Illinois has the worst credit rating of any state in the nation.
If the Legislature passes the bill, Minnesota would join 12 other states in offering in-state tuition to eligible undocumented immigrants.
Threatened with being shut down, the owners and operators flooded lawmakers with campaign cash and hired a stable of lobbyists with money that police now say was illegally obtained.
His long-anticipated tax plan would do away with the state's income and corporate taxes in favor of a higher, broader sales tax.
Gov. Mark Dayton’s new plan relies heavily on a $1.1 billion income tax increase on the wealthy and allows him to revert to the “Tax the Rich” mantra that got him elected.
Gov. Terry Branstad continues to rebuff the idea of making Medicaid bigger, and he seems unwilling to back down from his push for a new Iowa-built government health insurance program.
A federal appeals court ended 15 years of court-ordered oversight of Tennessee’s health care services for poor and disabled children under TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
The Boston School Committee scrapped a school assignment plan developed under court-ordered desegregation almost a quarter century ago and embraced a new system that seeks to allow more students to attend schools closer to home.
With a bold dash of confidence, Kevyn Orr predicted that he'd be able to accomplish a significant level of repair in Detroit -- now foundering under staggering debts and unable to provide decent public safety and other basic services -- in a role he said he felt a sense of obligation to accept.
View updated population estimates for more than 300 metro areas.
South Dakota is the first state to explicitly allow school employees to carry guns. Critics fear accidents, while supporters view the law as a way to give districts more autonomy.
Census data signals nearly all the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas are concentrated in the South and western U.S. View new population estimates for each area.
A major ratings agency cast doubt over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed 2014 budget this week, saying that the Republican’s forecasts were too ambitious and relied on “new and untested revenues” to balance the ledger.
The Monday quake, centered about 35 miles south of Palm Springs, was a successful test of an early warning system researchers have been working to perfect.
New York City has created the country's first municipal program that uses volunteer tech experts, including Facebook employees, to improve its emergency response.
The fiscal facts on what a state gains or loses by broadening its Medicaid roles.
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it will send $2.3 million to 12 counties and cities in 10 states to bolster efforts to prevent domestic violence homicides, even as Washington remains consumed with budget cutbacks.
The measure would allow people under emotional duress to voluntarily store their firearms at local police stations as a way to diffuse potentially volatile situations in a home.
The legislation calls for development of 50 online classes as potential substitutes for the hard-to-get core courses required for graduation.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is putting her weight behind a bill that would give more money to schools where students perform well or improve on state tests, but opponents fear the proposal could take money from struggling schools.
The bill, which is on the desk of Gov. Phil Bryant and is likely to get a swift signature means that cities or counties cannot enact rules about any aspect of the daily dining experience.
Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to announce his choice for emergency financial manager, which many expect to be high-powered Washington, D.C., lawyer Kevyn Orr.
Twenty-three states that have no system to compensate the wrongfully convicted.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will not sign the famed Americans for Tax Reform pledge against raising taxes, his campaign – a surprise move for a gubernatorial candidate known for his down-the-line conservatism.
Colorado lawmakers took a historic vote to approve civil unions for gay couples, delivering on a campaign promise from Democrats who have capitalized on the changing political landscape of a state where voters banned same-sex marriage not long ago. The bill is expected to be signed into law within two weeks.
Money raised through visa applications to pay for high-skill worker training doesn't actually match geographic demand, according to a new report.
As urban revival pushes more lower-income earners to the suburbs, many are struggling to provide services and redefine their identity.
Pot vending machines? Perhaps, under new recommendations from a governor-appointed task force on regulating legalized marijuana.
Rural roads are generally more dangerous than urban roads for a number of reasons, and states with more country routes tend to have higher fatality rates. Only 19 percent of Americans live in rural areas, but 55 percent of all road fatalities happened in the country.
They can bring big benefits, but only when combined with fiscal responsibility.
Gov. Jan Brewer unveiled draft legislation detailing her plans for expanding Medicaid, while putting a human face on the contentious issue in hopes of convincing skeptical GOP lawmakers whose votes she needs to get it approved.
Republican governors in at least three states are pushing to link funding for universities to graduates’ success finding jobs, saying schools need to provide students with the skills employers demand.
As a handful of state legislatures around the country consider enacting stricter voter ID laws, a new study finds that young people – and especially young minorities – are disproportionately affected by those laws when they go into effect.
City officials made a last-ditch effort to stave off a state takeover in an hour-long hearing Tuesday morning.
Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced that he would not run for governor as an independent, ending a months-long tease that threatened to shake up an unpredictable race.
He's hoping to use a little-known but powerful post to continue his family's political dynasty in one of the country's most conservative states.
The vice president urged city leaders gathered in Washington to lobby congress for tougher gun laws, while Sen. John McCain told the same group to lead the way on immigration.
The bill would allow residents to go ahead with approved procedures and keeping seeing the same doctors, even after changing insurance.
View results of a national government satisfaction survey.
On the eve of a showdown in federal court over the future of California's prisons, Gov. Jerry Brown is speaking out about his view that the state is being forced to waste millions of tax dollars on federal oversight that is no longer necessary.
Data shows public transportation usage and trip data for rail and bus systems.
The agency is locked in a high-profile battle with the state's most prominent newspaper, which has questioned its reporting of child fatalities.
A Florida Senate committee voted against Medicaid expansion, joining the House in rejecting Gov. Rick Scott's proposal for a three-year trial covered entirely by federal funding.
Boosted by both a U.S. Supreme Court decision and the bitter recall fights, spending on state and federal campaigns in Wisconsin more than tripled between the 2006 and 2008 election cycles and the 2010 and 2012 election cycles, a new report found.
The Senate passed five bills Monday — two House bills that must go back to the House, two Senate bills that must go to the House and a House bill that now goes to Gov. John Hickenlooper's desk.
The public will never know and authorities can never check to see if applicants in O’Brien or Woodbury counties were honest when they applied for permits to carry weapons.
Thirteen states last year adopted laws that require schools to identify, intervene and, in many cases, retain students who fail a reading proficiency test by the end of third grade. Lawmakers in several other states and the District are debating similar measures.
State officials have won a significant legal battle in a long-running saga over a controversial Tucson schools ethnic-studies program, with a federal judge ruling that a law designed to ban it is constitutional.
Kevyn Orr, a partner in the prestigious Jones Day law firm of Washington, D.C., is Gov. Rick Snyder's leading choice to become Detroit's emergency financial manager.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it will not comply with the provision of New York's new gun control law requiring mental health providers to report potentially dangerous individuals to state authorities.
Data released this week finds Americans made a record 10.5 billion trips in 2012. View totals for 113 different transit systems.
A state supreme court judge said the proposed ban on large sugary drinks was "arbitrary and capricious."
Illinois is only the second state to ever be accused of securities fraud. According to the SEC, the state misled investors about its underfunded pension system.
One day in 2011, Tallahassee's now award-winning transit agency had 26 bus routes. The next day, they were all replaced.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his longtime contractor friend Bobby Ferguson were convicted of racketeering and extortion, marking an end to a more than decade-long public corruption investigation.
The National League of Cities aims to help 20 cities enroll more children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Opposing certain bills will land Gov. Rick Scott in the doghouse with Republicans and put him at odds with former Gov. Jeb Bush, whose nonprofit foundation has driven Florida's education agenda for more than a decade.
The overhaul raised the retirement age and lowered the benefits for public employees hired as of Jan. 1 of this year. It also changed the way pensions are calculated, which slices into benefits for workers who were on the job before then.
IT isn’t the solution to all our problems, and it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see that NASA should postpone liftoff for its new procurement system.
The nation’s governors have turned their attention to helping more people with disabilities find jobs by building partnerships with companies that are willing to help accommodate them.
The epidemic in painkiller-abuse gripping the Southern and Eastern U.S. is tightening its hold on the Western part of the country, having blindsided law enforcement and public health authorities.
Taxpayers pick up the tab for building Brand Christie.
Gov. Rick Snyder said the appointment of an emergency manager for Detroit would likely come swiftly if appeal arguments from the Detroit City Council fail to change his mind.
Dental therapists don’t receive as much training as a dentist. But they can perform some of the same basic services under the supervision of a dentist.
In his final push in the General Assembly this year, the governor backed successful bills to reform the state's schools. But on some signature issues, he fell short.
A day after the Georgia legislature ended bans on guns in bars, churches, and college classrooms, South Dakota passed the first law in the nation aimed expressly at allowing school districts to arm teachers.
The City Council speaker is now an official candidate for mayor to succeed political ally Michael Bloomberg.
In the wake of the recession -- and after witnessing London’s $14 billion price tag -- few cities are jumping at the chance to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
State governments cut 53,000 jobs over the past five months, with education employees being hardest hit.
The governor's proposed budget would cut Chicago's share of money from the state income tax, a move one group says could cost the city as much as $31 million.
The feds gave conditional approvals for exchanges in Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire and West Virginia, bringing to 24 the number of states approved to partially or fully run their exchanges.
Several adult day care centers billed the state Medicaid program for services they did not provide and, in many cases, for patients who were not even there, the state comptroller announced.
Hardened by mass shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and at an Aurora movie theater in July, Colorado teeters on the cusp of passing some of the strictest gun laws in the Mountain West.
In 1998, Oklahoma lawmakers passed one of the nation's first state-funded preschool programs for all 4-year-olds.
The vote capped a long series of protests, rallies, and public outcries against what appears to be one of the largest mass school closings in the nation's history.
Technology is enabling citizens to be engaged as never before in designing policies and providing the services their communities need.
Most insurance companies aren’t adequately preparing for the challenges of climate change, according to a new report, but they are still well-positioned to take the lead on the issue and become vocal advocates in statehouses and on Capitol Hill.
A bill to allow U.S. born children of undocumented immigrants in-state tuition is advancing in the Florida legislature.
For some Republican lawmakers, the cost of supporting their governor’s top legislative priority this year may be too great.
The suit alleges the state's current school-funding system fails to provide a "thorough and uniform" system of education as outlined in the Colorado Constitution.
States with the most laws had a mortality rate 42 percent lower than those states with the fewest laws, according to the study.
A federal judge has struck down Idaho's law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on beliefs held by physicians and others that the fetus is able to feel pain at that point.
Lawmakers in the Republican-dominated legislature defied Gov. Mike Beebe, overriding his veto of the now law that bans the procedure from the 12th week of pregnancy.
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said Wednesday he won't contest Gov. Rick Snyder's decision to appoint an emergency financial manager for the devastated city he leads, saying the City Council can appeal if it wants to, but it's "a fight we cannot win."
Can one school revitalize a whole city?
When state lawmakers consider granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, they tend to focus on strict university-related spending and tuition revenues. A new study finds that government and society would see a net economic benefit.
New Jersey is expanding a local program that helps human services agencies get a more accurate picture of where and when aid is most needed.
As pension reform debates continue, retiree advocates offer up a few common misconceptions about pensioners.
See how certain municipal services score in citizen satisfaction surveys.
Mobile technology can be a powerful tool for both productivity and citizen engagement, but there are implementation pitfalls to avoid.
Providence, R.I.'s after-school system has become a national model. Its leader has some advice for those looking to improve their after-school opportunities for at-risk youth.
States have pursued a variety of proposals on school safety in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings.
The city is considering raising the fee to discourage frivolous candidates, but critics say it could dampen the spirit of democracy.
House Republicans announced plans Tuesday to begin moving the politically divisive voter photo ID bill through the legislature, saying they would slow walk it to give all parties the opportunity to comment.
Two veterans of Los Angeles politics, Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel, pushed ahead of six other candidates in initial election returns Tuesday and appeared to be well-positioned to advance to a May runoff to become the city's next mayor.
It was Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s second-to-last State of the City address, but could easily have been the first campaign speech of his 2014 U.S. Senate run.
As the $85 billion in spending cuts slowly roll out nationwide, California officials are girding themselves for a blow not only to the state’s large military industry but also to its nascent economic recovery.
Republican senators killed a bill that would have expanded preschool for at-risk Utah children — criticizing technical aspects of the proposal rather than focusing on the longtime conservative argument that young children belong at home.
If a bill being considered in the legislature becomes law, Montana would join Colorado, Florida, Illinois, West Virginia, Georgia and a handful of other states in allowing residents to turn roadkill into dinner.
A judge found that two statutes that stripped money from the adultBasic and Medicaid programs were unconstitutional because they diverted money from the federal tobacco settlement to finance items other than health care in the general budget.
The push for reliable roads and bridges is bringing together a strange-bedfellows coalition: not only cities and counties whose economies rely on such projects but also soybean farmers, truckers and state transit advocates.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said he was in the last stages of reviewing the Colorado and Washington state laws and the international implications of the issue.
In a school board election that attracted national money and attention as a referendum on the reform policies of Supt. John Deasy, candidates who favored his agenda were leading in two of three races.
We've summarized all the key issues governors talked about in their speeches to kick off legislative sessions.
Record amounts of money are being spent to elect school boards. Advocates worry it's the start of a disturbing trend.
The Texas Governor, outraged at the release of undocumented immigrants due to Federal budget cuts, has written a letter of protest to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Three bills coming before the General Assembly this session would expand the ability of midwives to care for women during pregnancy and childbirth in North Carolina, where infant mortality and maternal death rates are some of the highest in the country.
Top Republicans in the Florida House split from Gov. Rick Scott on Monday and said they will oppose a plan to expand Medicaid to 900,000 or more poor Floridians
New Jersey passed a law to legalize sports betting at casinos and race tracks, which is already allowed in four states. But the feds and major sports leagues have been working to block it.
Gov. O'Malley's plan borrows many ideas from Virginia's sweeping overhaul, but differs in a couple key ways.
Supporters of a bill to repeal Maryland’s death penalty turned back eight amendments in the Senate intended to create exceptions under which convicted killers could still be executed.
Detroit community leaders and civil rights activists said Monday they are gearing up for a showdown with the state over Gov. Rick Snyder's expected appointment of an emergency financial manager to oversee the city's financial crisis.
The Minnesota Sex Offender Program has grown to a population of 682 offenders and faces a court challenge claiming it amounts to an unconstitutional life sentence.
The nation's toughest gun control law hasn't taken full effect, but New York state lawmakers are considering tweaking the restrictions.
After weeks of protests and criticism over pollution and inversions, Gov. Gary Herbert and legislative leaders unveiled several bills that aim to increase the number of natural-gas powered vehicles.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe vetoed legislation banning most abortions 12 weeks into pregnancy, rejecting what opponents said would be the most restrictive restriction in the United States.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction against a section of the state's controversial immigration law targeting traffic obstructions by day laborers or their would-be employers.
Instead of expanding Medicaid, Gov. Terry Branstad wants Iowa to adopt a new program, the Healthy Iowa Plan, whose participants would have to pay small premiums or adopt healthful habits.
Public pension managers are gearing up for another battle against what they say would be costly -- and unnecessary -- accounting disclosure requirements being floated on Capitol Hill even as new disclosure rules take effect this summer.
A look back reveals there was more to Scott Walker's fight with unions than speeches and massive protests.
In-depth coverage of how $1.2 trillion in federal spending cuts over the next decade will affect states, cities and counties.
To realize the most long-term value, governments must take a sensible approach to asset management.
A cautious politician, the term-limited governor has stepped out in his final year to back a compromise that could burnish his legacy with everyone but his conservative base.
A bill has been introduced that would allow victims of domestic violence to include their pets under a protective order against their abuser.
State Sen. Barbara Buono will likely be the party's nominee to try to unseat Republican Gov. Chris Christie in the November election.
Colorado's medical marijuana industry has shrunk by more than 40 percent in less than three years.
The race has also become a sort of test case for those who want to overhaul public education, weakening the power of the teachers’ union, pushing for more charter schools and changing the way teachers are hired and fired.
The federal government has rejected the state's controversial request to tighten Medicaid eligibility, a change that had been expected to leave more than 13,000 poor adults without health care coverage.
Federal officials said insurers that get a contract to offer a so-called multistate plan will have to adhere to most of the insurance laws in each state, but in some cases they would be allowed to use a federally approved package of benefits rather than replicating ones set for each state.
Despite official admonishment from the state investment commission,
South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis is continuing to speak out against what he sees as mismanagement of pension funds.
GOP leaders in Texas are remaining firm about not doing the Medicaid expansion as designed in the Affordable Care Act, but are leaving the door open to work with the Obama administration if they are given more flexibility.
Citing runaway deficits and long-term debts Detroit could never repay on its own, Gov. Rick Snyder announced he will appoint an emergency financial manager for the state's largest city.
The price tag of tuition equity bills can save them or kill them. But figuring out those actual costs is anybody's guess.
Plus: The importance of parks and more management news
As Congress mulls future of Amtrak, a new Brookings study says state support of the rail system has contributed to its record ridership.
Newly introduced legislation in Minnesota requiring labeling on all genetically engineered foods could set up a battle similar to the one waged in California over Proposition 37.
State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, filed legislation Thursday that would provide mental health training to Texas teachers.
A handful of states, including Oregon, Maryland, Minnesota and California, are opting to start rating health plans based on quality well before they're required to in 2016 under federal health reform.
The Washington Supreme Court has struck down a requirement for a two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature to pass a tax increase.
Under the new contracts, if the recidivism rate for inmates passing through the center decline, the contractor will be paid a higher rate.
The bill, which the governor will likely sign, would let handgun owners with permits carry their weapons in their cars anywhere they go
The framework of the Affordable Care Act is beginning to take shape in Michigan, as state legislators, some reluctantly, agreed to begin setting up the policies and processes needed to implement the sweeping national health care reform.
