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In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama pledged to support state efforts to expand early education access to all American children.
Whether sequestration happens or not, some local finance leaders are preparing for leaner times ahead when it comes to federal aid.
More Americans are earning graduate degrees. See how your area compares to others.
Many Americans still don’t know about the online health insurance marketplaces that are being created under the Affordable Care Act. The District of Columbia is trying to figure out how to change that.
Transportation stakeholders are urging the FCC to slow plans that could undermine much anticipated technology that can help drivers avoid crashes.
Three months after voters overwhelmingly softened California's tough three-strikes law and allowed many inmates sentenced for non-serious and nonviolent offenses to ask for shorter prison terms, the hearings are beginning.
A statewide attendance investigation shows that nine Ohio school districts manipulated their student data, perhaps in an attempt to inflate their state report-card grades, and the findings are being turned over to federal officials.
The executive order would establish a voluntary program in which companies operating critical infrastructure would elect to meet cybersecurity best practices and standards crafted, in part, by the government.
The Great Falls Police Department said it has not yet been called to investigate who hacked into a local television station’s emergency alert system and reported “dead bodies rising."
For a state perhaps best known as the leader in executing murderers, Texas now has another distinction: It is the most generous in compensating those who were wrongly locked up.
The commonwealth has often underperformed so profoundly in the timely handling of unemployment insurance forms and other matters, according to the feds, that the federal government may consider sanctions that would restrict budget money to the state.
Someone at the Department of Children’s Services who prepared documents for The Tennessean deleted large portions in the media’s copy of state child fatality records — removing information that should have been made public.
In Wisconsin, membership in public-sector unions plummeted in the aftermath of the hugely controversial Republican measure that wiped out most collective bargaining for public employees and made it far harder for their unions to operate.
Gov. John Kitzhaber, Rep. Michael Dembrow and several Oregon business leaders threw their support behind a tuition equity bill that would grant in-state university tuition rates for undocumented Oregon high school graduates who meet certain criteria.
If human services officials want to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act, they need to get involved in its implementation now.
The city expects to bring in hundreds of millions in federal dollars through the initiative.
11 GOP governors have rejected the Medicaid expansion, but some are endorsing it -- even though they lambasted so-called "Obamacare."
California, the nation's earliest and most aggressive adopter of the federal health-care overhaul, doesn't have enough doctors to treat a rush of newly insured patients. To avoid a doctor shortage, lawmakers in California -- and other states facing the same problem -- are working on altering what health professionals may do.
The sold-out class offered students the basics of growing marijuana at home.
The Illinois Department of Transportation won't allow protected bicycle lanes to go on state-designated routes until it is satisfied they are safe.
At least six bills regarding abortion have already been introduced. Some are retreads of measures brought up last year; others are more controversial.
The District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters.
If last week’s brouhaha after an appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” is a guide, Christie will continue to be dogged by a key political question: Can America’s voters overlook all those extra pounds if he makes a bid for the White House in 2016?
The lawsuits, which are the first against a credit ratings agency in connection with the economic meltdown, were a coordinated effort between states and feds who have historically clashed over who fights financial fraud.
A new study examines why some eligible immigrants choose not to seek naturalization. For some, it's because they don't want to be U.S. citizens.
The massive storm that's set to slam into New England is following the same track as Hurricane Sandy and already disrupting road and air travel.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s $50.9 billion budget proposal this week included stocking away more savings while spending more on education, roads and heath care.
Gov. McDonnell's plan to scrap the gas tax got national attention. But the legislation's time is running out.
Ten years ago, the Texas Legislature passed laws to clamp down on lawmakers lobbying state agencies on behalf of private clients. Despite the reforms, some elected officials continue to find work lobbying, or something that resembles it in the eyes of critics.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker has launched his own Let’s Move! campaign for his city, partnering with the diet organization Weight Watchers to offer discounted membership to city employees.
Americans who were born to immigrant parents are doing better than the foreign born on important measures of socioeconomic success, and in at least one area — education — have outperformed the population as a whole.
The A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the Chamber of Commerce have formed an alliance to find a way for immigrants illegally in the United States to gain citizenship.
Legislative leaders, even as they believe it is time for voters to weigh in on the issue, decided to postpone until next year the necessary and final vote in the Indiana General Assembly.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he wanted lawmakers to provide more funds to combat gambling addiction, toughen oversight of casino employees, revise the bill to collect more taxes and then he would sign the bill.
State Senate Democrats unveiled a 10-bill package that constitutes the single largest gun control push in decades in the Golden State, which already boasts some of the nation's strictest gun laws.
Mayor Mike McGinn ordered the Seattle Police Department to abandon its plan to use drones after residents and privacy advocates protested.
Insurers will likely lobby states to transition from federal to state control, an idea that's already on some states' minds.
Sometimes it’s not good to be the king. And in California, higher earners are feeling a little put upon.
Gov. Rick Snyder said that he unconditionally supports expanding the state's Medicaid rolls, but the legislature -- which includes many skeptics of anything associated with the federal Affordable Care Act -- will have to be convinced.
Read the full speech and view which words were uttered most.
Gov. Mark Dayton spent much of his nearly hourlong address defending a budget proposal that would usher in the biggest tax overhaul in a generation but is also proving to be a harsh test for the new DFL leaders in both chambers.
Gov. Pat Quinn marked the unofficial launch of his 2014 re-election campaign, delivering a State of the State address pitched at Democratic primary election voters inclined to like his calls for a minimum wage increase, an assault weapons ban and gay marriage.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, seven states have implemented some type of drug testing or screening for public assistance over the last two years.
Tennessee’s Supreme Court was asked to decide whether the state’s voter ID law deprives people of the right to vote or if it’s a necessary safeguard to prevent election fraud.
Fairfax is moving to provide basic mental health training to more employees, particularly those who deal with the public every day.
For the third year in a row, Washington, D.C., is "America's most literate city," according to an annual statistical study ranking 75 cities.
Gov. John Hickenlooper revealed sweeping reforms to the state's child welfare system, including a multipart plan that will create a statewide hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, new training on how to assess those reports, and a study of workloads and caseloads of child protection workers.
Gov. Mike Pence said that he has ruled out expanding Medicaid under the federal health care law unless Indiana gets approval to use state health savings accounts for the expansion.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has not decided whether he will sign a bill barring state and local agencies from using drones for two years — the first legislation of its kind in the country that passed through the state’s General Assembly.
Using a specific set of criteria, we've come up with a list of up-and-coming state officials from multiple fields. This week, we look at the Republican field.
See how well state and local governments sites promote transparency.
A new report estimates that offshore accounts maintained by corporations and wealthy individuals caused states to miss out on nearly $40 billion in tax revenue in 2011.
"Without serious reforms, it would be financially unsustainable for Pennsylvania taxpayers, and I cannot recommend a dramatic Medicaid expansion," the governor wrote to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Firearms owners in suburban Cook County will now face fines up to $2,000 if they don't report to police when their guns are lost, stolen or sold.
Limits on how much property tax revenue localities can raise -- which nearly every state has -- are coming under increased scrutiny in Wisconsin.
More than a dozen states plus the District of Columbia filed lawsuits Tuesday against Standard & Poor's, accusing the credit rating agency of improperly giving high ratings to mortgage debt that later plunged in value and helped fuel the 2008 financial crisis.
Dr. Charles S. Hirsch was appointed to the position back in 1989 by Mayor Edward I. Koch, recently deceased.
Legal experts say there's a big problem with the bill: It's unconstitutional.
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s bid to overhaul transportation funding and secure his political legacy prevailed in the GOP-led House but remained in doubt after the evenly divided Senate deadlocked over its version at the midpoint of the General Assembly’s annual session.
The legislation would have made Colorado the fifth state to make automatic cars legal.
A state House committee passed a bill that would forbid state agencies from mailing out certain documents in any language but English. Critics already warn it could violate the federal Civil Rights Act.
With budget deadlines looming, state officials are still waiting for Washington to act on their request to count some of their federal health exchange subsidies toward the existing MinnesotaCare program instead.
Similar laws have passed in other states, but if approved, Connecticut would be the first state to legalize assisted suicide for patients with a terminal illness legislatively.
The proposal is the most significant recommendation the Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force has endorsed to date.
The national economy will see some improvement in the coming years but the back half of the decade will be characterized by a looming debt burden and growing federal deficit under current economic policy, a new outlook report from the Congressional Budget Office says.
Read the full text and view which words were uttered most.
The routine dysfunction of the federal budget process creates real costs that are felt by all levels of government. Will Washington ever get its act together?
Read the full speech and view which words were uttered most.
In a decision certain to be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, state district Judge John Dietz ruled that the state does not adequately or efficiently fund public schools.
Even as they embrace the expansion, some governors are signaling that they'll pull out if federal funding drops in later years.
Drivers in the nation's most-congested cities should add 38 to 95 minutes to many routine 20-minute trips if they want to arrive on time, warns a new study on gauging unpredictable traffic.
Black Hawk enacted the biking ban in January 2010, citing rising numbers of commercial buses and growing gambler traffic on the city's narrow, shoulderless roads. The ban did not apply to locals commuting on bikes.
In Philadelphia, property taxes go uncollected at a higher rate than in any other major U.S. city.
A 2011 state law promoted by gun lobbyists prohibits doctors from asking about gun ownership unless it serves a clear medical purpose. And some doctors were surprised by a provision tucked into the Affordable Care Act that they say could discourage discussions with patients about gun safety.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a new agreement that will result in Amazon.com collecting the state sales tax on Connecticut purchases.
Despite last-minute objections from Gov. Pat McCrory, the Republican-led state Senate pushed through legislation that will prevent nearly 650,000 residents from getting health insurance and block the state from establishing a health care exchange.
The move makes Ohio one of a growing number of Republican-led states to fulfill an option under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid to those who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
Numbers of law enforcement officers killed vary greatly by state.
Congress had the chance to restore some programs as part of the fiscal cliff deal but failed to do so.
Mobile devices are powerful platforms for engaging citizens as partners in transforming the public sector. Governments need to move faster to take advantage of this opportunity.
Pundits think the stars are aligned for comprehensive immigration reform.
Few states provide comprehensive dental coverage. Massachusetts is hoping that better teeth will lead to better jobs for low-income adults.
Ed Koch, the lively, contentious mayor of New York City who died at the age of 88 on Feb. 1, left an indelible mark on the city where he lived and worked for most of his life.
In state capitols all across the country, Republicans are coming to terms with a 2012 election in which social and cultural issues worked decisively against them.
If the 39 states that have not enacted their own laws codifying these protections don't do so, the federal government could step in to guarantee them.
The proposal has rattled the wireless industry, which has launched a fierce lobbying effort against the idea, while Google, Microsoft and other tech giants say a free-for-all WiFi service would spark an explosion of innovations and devices.
A handful of bills aimed at asserting Indiana's sovereignty in a variety of ways are languishing with no likelihood of getting a hearing, much less a vote.
As President Obama and lawmakers from both parties begin to take their first tentative steps toward again rewriting the nation’s immigration laws, opponents warn that they are repeating the mistakes of the 1986 act, which failed to solve the problems that it set out to address.
Rick Sheehy, who served eight years in his post, resigned abruptly after the newspaper contacted him about the 2,300 phone calls to four women, other than his wife, during the past four years on a state-issued cellphone.
The White House is no longer willing to make even the Medicaid cuts it had previously supported, but acknowledged that puts more pressure on Medicare, according to a senior economic adviser.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa shot down speculation in California and Washington about his candidacy for an Obama Cabinet position -- at least until the summer.
The second half of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens had just gotten under way when the lights went out for 34 minutes.
Many states engage in bidding wars to pull companies into their region. A new report examines recent high-profile tax incentive deals.
Washington, D.C.’s longtime Chief Financial Officer announced his retirement Friday, just days after the city reported one of its largest budget surpluses in recent memory.
View monthly changes in state and local government employment.
Instead of outside experts, Denver's mayor is relying on city employees to find savings and deliver better services. The results so far are promising.
Kentucky’s finances received a blow late Thursday after Standard & Poor’s rating service downgraded the commonwealth’s outlook to negative from stable.
New line extends service to French Quarter, Superdome and downtown.
Former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who led the nation's biggest city for three terms in the 1970s and '80s, died Friday in a Manhattan hospital.
With Washington State on the verge of a ballot initiative that would require labeling of some foods containing genetically engineered ingredients and other states considering similar measures, some of the major food companies and Wal-Mart, the country's largest grocery store operator, have been discussing lobbying for a national labeling program.
Legislation to suspend the nation's debt ceiling for a few months is on its way to the White House for President Obama's signature, clearing the Senate on Thursday after a series of failed votes on Republican-backed amendments to also cut federal spending.
Taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars after administrators at Denver Public Schools invested heavily in expensive solar power.
Lawmakers are debating a bill that would prohibit sex offenders from running for school boards -- a piece of legislation authored after a registered sex offender ran for a seat on the Granite Board of Education last year.
Democrats have taken aim at a Republican bill that would drastically overhaul the state's unemployment system, resulting in the loss of $225 million to the state's unemployed in the first six months.
In an action hailed by gay rights activists as a turning point in a solidly conservative state, a bill that would allow same-sex couples most of the legal rights of heterosexual couples cleared a Wyoming subcommittee by a 7-2 vote and is headed to consideration in the full House.
To counter the influence of money in city politics and open the door to more challengers, the Seattle City Council is considering adopting a public-financing program for city elections.
Construction of California's high-speed rail network is supposed to start in just six months, but the state hasn't acquired a single acre along the route and faces what officials are calling a challenging schedule to assemble hundreds of parcels needed in the Central Valley.
Gov. Rick Scott, who ran as a cost-cutting critic of 'bloated' government, opened the state's checkbook Thursday and urged the Legislature to pass a $74.2 billion budget, an increase of $4 billion.
Some states are considering a change in how they allocate their electoral votes, but the change may not be good for governance.
The federal government has compiled some best practices to eradicate a problem that costs up to $30 billion annually.
The loudest collective rallying cry from governors this year is not over the usual themes of growing jobs and having a more competitive economy. This year, the buzz is all about the race to zero.
Singapore is using data to redefine what it means to be a 21st-century metropolis.
Vienna has figured out how to offer high-quality apartments with low-cost rent and renters' rights that would be unheard of in the United States. Advocates say it's a model worth examining.
For years, states have dallied over pay-for-performance in higher education. In Britain, they've been doing it for decades.
Many foreign countries provide faster, cheaper and more widespread Internet access than the United States. In most of them, governments are much more involved with telecom policies and funding.
The United Kingdom is giving unprecedented authority to its cities under a program that the United States could learn a thing or two from.
The United States isn't the only place where local marijuana policies clash with national laws. Even Amsterdam and the Dutch government have struggled with this tension. Read the rest of Governing's first-ever International Issue null
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert struck familiar chords in his State of the State address, describing a state on the rebound, but challenging lawmakers to remain focused on improving education and jobs, expanding energy development and maintaining air and water quality.
The measure cleared its first hurdle but created a heated debate among the public, probably signifying a tough battle the bill will face when it receives full debate on the House floor.
Cars are being kept out of popular pedestrian areas worldwide and the movement is coming stateside.
Medical marijuana supporters received a key victory when the state Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that patient-to-patient transfers of the drug are allowed for medical use under state law
A handful of Republicans who acknowledge they may support Senate Bill 33, this year's measure that would grant the in-state tuition rate to any high school graduate who has attended a Colorado high school for three years, regardless of immigration status.
William Cowan has been picked to be the temporary replacement for John F. Kerry, who was confirmed as secretary of state.
The state has already offered a formal apology for a selective-breeding policy that led to the sterilization of hundreds of mostly poor, uneducated men and women and served as one of the models for eugenics programs in other states and even Nazi Germany.
National Republicans fear the true believers in Richmond could shout down their fledgling message of prudence and moderation in a state that’s easy prey for much of the political media.
Issuers may be enjoying low-interest rates when they come to market, but that doesn't mean these are the best of times.
Experts are worried that disparate privacy rules between the two could pose a threat to future growth.
Read the full speech and view which words were uttered most.
Some say one of the biggest misconceptions about public retirees is that pensions are making people rich.
A panel discusses how governments can prepare for the new wave of retirees.
Amid the worst flu outbreak in years, a few Minnesota clinics have exhausted their vaccine supplies, prompting the state Health Department to launch an online exchange that matches clinics needing vaccine with those that have surpluses.
Gov. Rick Perry called for investing billions in water and transportation plus tax relief, but he included no mention of abortion, immigration or gun laws.
For his first four State of the State speeches, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called on lawmakers to slash government spending/ Times have changed.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder rejected a proposal to split the state’s electoral votes by congressional district, a plan that would potentially give Republicans a chance to pick up ground in presidential elections in a state that has gone Democratic for a generation.
The new law replaces the superintendent of public instruction as head of the state Department of Education with a director appointed by the governor.
Chicago, a city with no civilian gun ranges and bans on both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, finds itself laboring to stem a flood of gun violence that contributed to more than 500 homicides last year and at least 40 killings already in 2013.
Less than a month after averting one fiscal crisis, Washington began bracing for another, as lawmakers in both parties predicted that deep, across-the-board spending cuts would probably hit on March 1.
Gov. Jan Brewer said she is glad the plan unveiled includes a focus on border security, but that was promised before.
An analysis shows fatality rates vary by state, with most deaths in the South.
Some experts are saying that states should take a more active role in municipal finances even with an improved outlook for city finances in 2013.
Mexico City has a massive trash problem that's partially caused by citizens' resistance to recycle. To encourage them to do so, the city gives residents food vouchers in exchange for their recyclable waste.
In an effort to reduce HIV rates that were approaching development-world levels, a government-run facility in the Canadian city welcomes people to use illegal substances under the supervision of medical professionals.
Health-care stakeholders are watching Mississippi's experience with a system created in Iran in the 1980s closely to see if it's worth promoting nationwide.
Few states have offices dedicated to examining increasingly popular P3 deals. Experts say it's time to copy Canada and change that.
At India's innovative Aravind hospitals, each doctor performs as many as 2,000 cataract surgeries annually.
A new survey to be published in The New England Journal of Medicine finds that most gun owners and non-gun owners support criminal-history background checks for all gun sales. Proposed bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were less popular among gun owners.
The District of Columbia announced a $417 million surplus for its 2012 fiscal year, the highest surplus in recent memory and setting up an immediate fight between leaders on saving versus spending the money.
There's a new push to get these 2,000 international partnerships working together on concrete development programs.
Foreign investors matter to the municipal bond market for two reasons.
