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Wyoming now has its own laws barring human trafficking.
Taken together, the recommendations represent a comprehensive set of ideas to regulate a recreational-marijuana regime unlike any in history.
Done right, it can save a lot of money in the long run, and it can benefit not only poor students but their communities as well.
A concept called value-cost leveraging can cut the costs of delivering public services while providing better satisfaction.
Now that President Barack Obama said that he plans to sign the $1.2 trillion in spending cuts into law, how will states and municipalities be impacted?
The highway bill was passed last year, but lawmakers are already discussing its successor.
The Detroit City Council has been advised to push for another consent agreement with the state to fix the city's financial crisis rather than the state appointment of an emergency financial manager, according to a report jointly issued by two council departments.
A number of views on illegal immigration have emerged within the state's Republican party, but which one will prevail is still anyone's guess.
After Minnesota’s November defeat of the GOP-led constitutional ban and the ouster of Republicans from legislative leadership, advocates now believe they have their best shot at overturning the state’s statutory ban
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he has a solution for the federal government’s mass release of illegal immigrants to cut costs ahead of the sequester: Send them for free to his “Tent City," where prisoners sleep in tents and are required to wear pink underwear.
After a torrent of criticism, Gov. Mike Pence’s administration reversed its decision to suspend extended federal unemployment benefits for about 32,000 jobless Hoosiers.
Butch Otter urged a Congressional committee to create a pilot project that would give Idaho control over 2 million of the more than 20 million acres of federal public land in the state.
Nearly a third of all beneficiaries of income-based assistance from the federal government or states reported a disability in 2011.
Total borrowing costs for cities, counties and states could increase by more than 50 percent if the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds is repealed as part of the ongoing budget talks on Capitol Hill, a new report has found.
As many as 20 million Americans are supposed to enroll in the online marketplaces and purchase health insurance this year. But many people still aren't aware that the exchanges even exist.
The programs were found to be ineffective in reducing violent crime, but cities are revisiting -- and in some cases, revamping -- them in the wake of last year's mass shootings.
Four state legislatures meet every other year instead of annually. Lawmakers in North Dakota and Texas want to leave biennial budgeting in the past.
Rather than wait for lawmakers and insurers to provide adequate coverage, some dentists and public health advocates have taken it upon themselves to try to reduce the number of ER visits for dental problems.
The city has a bold plan to make every vehicle in its fleet, including police cars, run on alternative fuels.
A drafting error in the Affordable Care Act is playing a key role as red states propose alternatives to the federal law.
A federal appeals court upheld the temporary ban on Florida’s drug-testing for welfare recipients, saying that a lawsuit challenging the program had a good chance of succeeding.
The bulk of the $22.1 million request would go toward child abuse prevention programs that send nurses and social workers into troubled homes to teach parenting skills.
The reports detail a 37 percent nationwide decline in jailing of teens and highlight reforms in Tennessee and other states that could be followed elsewhere.
The Democratic-led majority in the Illinois House voted in favor of banning guns in schools, casinos and on public transit during an unusual debate allowing lawmakers to vote piece by piece on where people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons.
While several other states are trying to tighten gun controls, Michigan is introducing legislation to expand gun rights.
After conditionally vetoing the bill earlier, Gov. Chris Christie signed a measure allowing internet gambling in Atlantic City, a move his administration expects to provide a lifeline to the struggling seaside resort.
Republican Gov. Pat McCrory is poised to sign legislation that rejects any effort to have a state-sponsored insurance exchange or expand Medicaid coverage to 500,000 low-income residents.
Just days away from the deadline when across-the-board federal spending cuts kick in, two budget experts disagreed about what kind of impact the cuts would have on the national economy.
Rainy day funds were nearly washed away by the recession. What should states be doing about them now?
New management tools are a dime a dozen and often just old strategies with fancy new names. But a few do make measurable differences.
Under Bloomberg, the cityscape has been reshaped in unprecedented ways.
There's a growing sense among some leaders that municipal bankruptcy -- unthinkable just a few years ago -- may be a valuable tool.
Some states and localities are stepping in to fill the void left by federal aid. One successful model is emerging in Utica, N.Y.
Extreme goals are ambitious and attention grabbing. They also often seem impossible -- and that can be a problem.
House Republicans are trying to figure out if the scheduled budget cuts would be as devastating to air travelers as portrayed -- or if it's all just a scare tactic.
This year, lawmakers in 22 states have filed more than 100 bills dealing with traffic cameras.
If the automatic budget cuts are allowed to take full effect, public health advocates warn the impact on the safety net could be devastating.
"This is his best year because people do their best when they face their biggest challenges and he is excelling," said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the National Sheriffs' Association.
The American Public Transportation Association awarded the agency 2012's Outstanding Public Transportation System -- the Oscar of the subway/bus/trolley world.
Thousands of paroled child molesters, rapists and other high-risk sex offenders in California are removing or disarming their court-ordered GPS tracking device.
The North Dakota House passed a bill that would allow people with concealed weapon permits to carry guns on school grounds.
As the state Senate prepares to vote this week on whether Maryland should abolish capital punishment, the Evans case illustrates what can happen when the death penalty exists but is not enforced.
The decision was celebrated by many parents and politicians but could inject more turmoil into DeKalb, which now lacks a legal quorum to make decisions for the district’s 99,000 students.
The tech industry’s passion for opposing the issue has waned.
A bill that would allow illegal immigrants to attend college at in-state tuition rates passed the Colorado Senate and for the first time, had the support of some Republicans.
The legislation, which has 13 co-sponsors would create a framework for the FDA to eventually legalize medicinal pot and would also block the feds from interfering in any of the 19 states where it's legal.
The document will be submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a suit seeking to strike down Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative barring same-sex marriage.
Oregon may become the next state to grant in-state tuition to young illegal immigrants. We review the arguments for and against state tuition equity laws, which 13 states currently have and at least a dozen are considering.
While the administration warns of sequestration's impact on education, most programs won't be affected this academic school year.
View a word cloud illustrating governors' State of the State Addresses.
What words were uttered most often in governors' State of the State addresses this year?
When management meets politics, management is generally the loser. What can policymakers do to heighten the chances that a reform will, at least, be given the opportunity to succeed or fail?
If there was any doubt about citizen desire to register online, California’s one-month experience with it running up to the November general election erased it.
For most states, the new government accountability rules eliminate the main substantive barrier to moving toward less costly defined-contribution plans.
More than ever, the feds need states and local regions to take the lead in crafting promising new programs.
Elected officials and experts aren’t sure if tax breaks actually create jobs. So why do they keep offering millions of dollars worth of subsidies to companies?
Public transit systems have accepted advertising for a long time. But it’s not always without controversy.
A 50-state sampling of budget cuts outlined by the White House for just this year.
As Detroit braces for the appointment of an emergency manager, it can look at half a dozen municipalities to see how life has changed under these state-appointed advisers who take control of cities on the brink of bankruptcy.
The policy would make CPS the largest urban U.S. school district with a required minimum of sex ed instructional minutes and a specific curriculum for each grade level.
Schools are getting more inventive, including one that relies on an NBA team to pay salaries.
A new program in the state now gives judges the authority to order those with severe mental illness to get outpatient treatment if they pose a danger “within the reasonably foreseeable future.”
The top 20% of Wisconsin households -- those making more than $90,000 a year -- would take home more than half of all of Gov. Scott Walker's proposed income tax cut, which he's touted as a "middle-class tax cut."
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over whether to restrict police in collecting DNA to solve crimes.
The passage of the deal hands Gov. Robert F. McDonnell a qualified victory on an issue that has vexed the state for a generation but that also puts him at odds with the conservative wing of his party.
In the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., lawmakers from both parties, along with notoriously tight-belted governors, are pushing to restore some of the estimated $4.3 billion in mental-health spending that was slashed from state budgets between 2009 and 2012.
With the automatic cuts set to begin Friday, the White House issued reports Sunday on how the looming $85 billion in automatic budget cuts will affect each of the 50 states.
Smartphones and laptops not only can boost caseworkers' efficiency but also can enable them to spend more time where they are most needed: in the field.
With the recession in the rearview mirror some state leaders say their biggest job growth challenge now is providing and fostering a workforce that can fill the demand of the new economy.
The U.S.-based firm Mathematica Policy Research will evaluate the success of programs aimed at helping the world's most vulnerable children.
Programs for the poor are of particular concern.
Barack Obama keeps proposing multibillion-dollar infrastructure investments. But they don't come with many details.
As cities strive to improve afterschool programs, they're using data to figure out which kids to serve and how to serve them better.
It's been three years since a governor has been mired in scandal. Here are a few possible reasons for the political calm.
The controversial former healthcare executive launched his political career on fighting the Affordable Care Act, only to jump on board and call for a dramatic expansion of Medicaid in Florida.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO have agreed on a set of recommendations to deliver to Congress on how to revamp the nation's visa programs that bring in low-skilled workers.
Ashley Judd, a Democrat, is considering a run against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The bills have a long way to go, though. They have to be approved by the full Senate and signed by Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, who sounded a skeptical note.
Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, have proposed legislation this year that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance.
The new law allows Nevada to move ahead with online poker in the absence of federal action and to join in interstate compacts that would expand the customer base for Nevada casinos.
In a sign of just how serious the bed bug problem has become in some parts of the country, the legislature is close to making an unusual deal with the state's exterminators.
Despite last year's drought, which was the worst since 1956, many farmers still ended the season on high notes.
Thanks to a mistake in the Affordable Care Act's language, some Republicans -- including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker -- see a way to push more people to private insurance.
Rural states tend to have lower federal tax refunds.
When income changes move millions of Americans from public to private insurance next year, states want to make the switch simple.
The NCAA asserts that it is unconstitutional for a state government to pass a law that interferes with a contract, one that in this case arises from sanctions imposed on the school as a result of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual-abuse case.
According to a report from the attorney general's office, some parks officials had deliberately hidden about $20 million of the $54-million surplus discovered in the department's accounts.
There are many, but tracking software -- which various government agencies make use of every day -- is one of the biggest.
Foster parents would be considered public employees allowed to form, join and participate in unions.
Paring income taxes for the middle class and keeping property taxes frozen, Gov. Scott Walker unveiled a two-year $68 billion budget that would not increase state aid to local governments and provide only a modest hike to public schools, instead funneling tax dollars into public universities, private voucher schools and upkeep of the state's health programs.
The drivers decided to halt their strike, with their concerns still on the table, and to try their luck with the person who will replace Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who had refused to accept the union’s demands.
State officials were allowed to control — without legislative oversight — about $60 million in funds BP provided for tourism and seafood promotion, a situation legislators should correct, said the state legislative auditor and the state treasurer.
If the deal is approved, it would be the first major transportation-funding package to emerge from the General Assembly since a doomed 2007 plan.
Budget cuts by the Air Force, Army and Navy scheduled to take effect March 1 will force almost $34 billion in wage and spending reductions and prompt furloughs or layoffs for millions of people, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for free public preschool for all low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds. The District is already doing something more ambitious.
Hours after the Obama administration said it was close to approving Florida's plan to put most of its Medicaid patients into managed care, Gov. Rick Scott endorsed expanding Medicaid under Obamacare -- a move that immediately put him at odds with members of his own party.
An Oregon agency found ways to cut the time it takes to do background checks by more than half. With inefficient processes and duplicative services rife in government, that's just the beginning of the journey.
Taking advantage of a state law encouraging local-government consolidations, the two New Jersey municipalities found a path that other places might follow.
The president wants to spend $50 billion on infrastructure, but figuring out how to pay for it is a problem that's vexed Congress for years.
Governments are beginning to look at energy and other life-cycle costs in their purchasing. It's about more than saving money.
Pennsylvania's attorney rejected a contract to privatize the state lottery. The governor is scrambling to find a solution. Local newspapers give their take on the controversy.
The California Public Employees' retirement System voted to sell about $5 million worth of gun makers' stock and other securities.
Under the governor’s modified plan, Maryland would adopt a law similar to one passed in Virginia after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech that would prohibit anyone involuntarily committed to a public or private mental health facility for any length of time from purchasing a gun.
Bucking a trend in which states have been seeking to restrict abortion, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is putting the finishing touches on legislation that would guarantee women in New York the right to late-term abortions when their health is in danger or the fetus is not viable.
In the wake of U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns' retirement announcement, Dave Heineman said he will take a "few days" to consider whether to jump into the race.
Sales tax from Internet commerce is starting to arrive in a few states, providing millions of dollars in new revenue, though not as much as once forecast.
The decision brings Michigan's largest city one step closer to a state takeover.
President Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Mar. 1 sequestration through a combination of spending cuts and closing tax loopholes, rather than risk the automatic 10 percent budget cuts that are scheduled to go into effect next month if no action is taken.
The Corbett administration persuaded a British firm to keep alive its bid to run the Pennsylvania Lottery, gaining time to try to overcome a ruling by the attorney general rejecting the privatization deal as unlawful.
California has the nation's only program to confiscate guns from people who bought them legally but later became disqualified.
The rally on the National Mall was billed as the largest climate rally in American history.
Gov. Scott Walker is seeking to sell off hundreds of millions of dollars in power plants or other state assets to help pay some of the borrowing he is proposing as part of his two-year $6.4 billion transportation plan.
House Bill 1004, which passed the House 92-6, creates a pilot program to make early childhood education available to four-year-old children in five counties.
What happens to the economy here over the next year will be a case study for policymakers in Washington, who are paralyzed by similar questions of taxation and growth. The early indications, in California, point toward an outcome you might not expect.
Gov. Chris Christie announced New Jersey will not collaborate with the Obama administration to create a health exchange — the virtual marketplace people will use to shop for insurance policies beginning next year .
Advocates of online sales tax legislation are worried that their bill could become bogged down in the larger debate over reforming the federal tax code.
A package of four Democratic gun-control bills cleared the Colorado House and is headed to the Democrat-led Senate, where the votes could be close.
A Governing exclusive: Because of an error in the language of the Affordable Care Act, millions of people will be able to purchase private health insurance next year.
The NYPD will soon begin using 'bait bottles' of fake pain-killers equipped with invisible GPS devices to combat a rise in pharmacy robberies.
North Carolina will become the ninth state to grant driver's licenses to young illegal immigrants, the state's transportation secretary announced Feb. 14.
Some states are defaulting to a federal-run insurance marketplace, but hoping to keep their regulatory authority.
Given the decentralization of our modern governmental system, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the nation isn't showering President Obama with the gratitude it felt for FDR.
All government debt is not the same. Pension debt starves government of the people and tools it needs, but creative borrowing for infrastructure can save more money than it costs.
The rapid growth of online education is raising concerns -- especially as more for-profit companies launch online programs. While unscrupulous or incompetent online educators may be rare, there are enough of them that many states are considering ratcheting up their oversight.
Atlanta has made significant progress in transforming a massive area of the city into the Atlanta BeltLine. The ambitious proposal is to transform 22 miles of vine-covered railroad into parks, housing and public transit has been in the works since the early 2000s.
New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election in 2014 – opening the door for Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Rep. Frank Pallone and others waiting in the wings to pursue the office.
Citing the growing threat from cyberattacks, President Obama on Tuesday announced that he had signed an executive order that calls for the creation of voluntary standards to boost the security of computer networks in critical industries such as those that keep trains from colliding and drinking water clean.
Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor acknowledged in federal court Thursday that she gambled away millions of dollars that her late husband had earmarked for charity purposes.
Officials in Alabama's bankrupt Jefferson County approved a deal on Thursday with European Depfa Bank Plc to cut interest charges on about $162 million of the county's school debt.
A wave of lawmakers in at least 20 states are pushing back against the Obama administration's drive to pass tougher gun laws after the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.
Democrat Sheila Simon announced she won't seek re-election and will run for another office that will allow her to have a "greater impact."
A few schools are guaranteeing four-year tuition rates for incoming students while the higher education world watches to see how the experiment works.
The House and Senate staked out starkly different fixes for Virginia’s transportation funding crisis but were taking the first steps toward hashing out a deal.
State Senate Republicans, who have already proposed repealing the state’s never-implemented family-leave requirement, are now targeting Seattle’s law requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave to workers. Seattle is one of three major cities in the United States to have the law.
Arizona lawmakers are bidding to make the state a center for aerial-drone research, but they also want to make sure local police don’t use the unmanned surveillance aircraft to spy on Americans.
There had been recent speculation that he would join the Obama administration or pursue another government position.
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said that he will remain focused on restoring the city's financial health, laying out an agenda to improve the city's troubled neighborhoods, encourage business investment and attack the city's spike in homicides.
Instead of accepting the Medicaid expansion and the billions of federal dollars that would come with it, the governor proposed an ambitious plan to cut the number enrolled in the state Medicaid program by moving some people into the federal-run health exchange, where they can get private insurance.
A handful of states and localities are considering gun and ammunition taxes. Is there any state and local revenue in this approach?
State and local governments may start to hire, but employment remains below pre-recession levels.
A newly released poll suggests that support for Gov. Rick Snyder dropped sharply after he changed course in December and backed the speedy passage of controversial right-to-work legislation.
While many eyes in the political world are watching Mar. 1, the deadline for sequestration’s automatic, across-the-board cuts of about 10 percent, another deadline later in the month may trigger more fireworks on Capitol Hill.
In his State of the Union address, the president laid out a second-term agenda that could result in more federal aid to state and local governments.
Federal law generally bars illegal immigrants from being covered by Medicaid, but a little-known part of the state-federal health insurance program for the poor pays about $2 billion a year for emergency treatment for a group of patients comprised mostly of illegal immigrants.
A Massachusetts city's approach to cutting the cost of retiree health care might be a way for other jurisdictions to grapple with the problem.
Two bills in the Legislature would increase the maximum penalty for using a cellphone while driving, the highest profile effort among a number of legislative attempts to rewrite the rules of the road.
Officials wouldn’t say whether the allegations about R&B singer Chris Brown’s community service had any bearing on Bryan Norwood’s departure.
The decision comes one day after the Financial Advisory Board, which oversees portions of Detroit's consent agreement with the state, imposed furlough days on about 600 unionized employees.
A Republican measure to prevent major components of the federal health care law from taking effect in North Carolina will almost certainly be approved after Gov. Pat McCrory endorsed the effort.
The measure approved by a 9 to 6 vote in the Senate Finance Committee would increase the gas tax — instead of eliminating it, as the governor had planned — and use more general fund sales tax revenue to eventually raise $900 million a year.
