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View the number of “clean jobs” for each metro area, as compiled in a Brookings study.
The one thing we most need to know about candidates for public office is how they will lead.
It’s a question that’s rarely asked of candidates for public office. It ought to be asked all the time.
The lack of research on participation rates make it hard to find best practices.
A state-led effort to apply national academic standards across the United States will have two assessment models, and they're not necessarily competing with each other.
The Sacramento mayor’s chief fundraiser is planning to join the city council race, but before he can, he has a lot of packing to do.
The governor’s proposal would tie the state’s gas tax rate to the price of the product, rather than the amount a consumer buys. Motorists would likely pay more over time.
Cities and counties hope to fill budget gaps by recovering unpaid debts.
A federal judge who was vilified by Republican presidential hopefuls for banning prayer at a Texas high school graduation delivered a scathing and unusually personal response Thursday, saying those who used the case to further political goals "should be ashamed."
View employment statistics for all levels of government and the private sector.
View spending on public elementary and secondary education per pupil.
Some states have taken steps to implement health insurance exchanges, while others are attempting to block the healthcare reform law.
English lessons over the radio and on CDs provide immigrants a way to study the language in their own homes.
States have varying requirements for compulsory school attendance.
View a map of coal plants expected to shut down as a result of new EPA regulations.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is tying lots of strings to the extra cash he's offering public schools, universities and communities in next year's budget.
View a chart illustrating how law enforcement deaths have climbed in recent years.
View a map of all 2012 Community Development Block Grants, which are distributed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A federal study shows municipalities nationwide need more than $300 billion worth of essential upgrades to long overlooked water and sewer systems over the next 20 years.
We are expanding our transit systems faster than we can pay for them.
Nearly 6,000 state legislators are up for election this year. Visit GOVERNING's null to view our maps and data with seats and party control for each legislature.
States face questions about governance and cost as they develop data-sharing exchanges.
Transportation stakeholders say that House bill would make long-term transit investments a challenge.
A centrist plan with a progressive twist could be a bipartisan compromise. And it could help balance the budget.
The California governor's far-reaching proposal requires hybrid plans, equal employee cost-sharing and a constitutional amendment.
Last-ditch negotiations to save the April 3 Texas primary appeared dead Tuesday, throwing the state's messy redistricting battle back to a federal court that must now sort through a widely panned partial deal and pick a new primary date.
The U.S. Senate was scheduled to take up a bill to extend federal highway and transit programs later this week even though Democrats were still struggling Tuesday to find a way to pay for the programs.
The Pittsburgh City Council is considering a bill that would pay $75,000 to a former performing arts student who says in a civil rights lawsuit against the city that he was wrongly beaten by three undercover officers.
Pennsylvania, the only major gas-producing state that does not tax the taking of natural gas from its soil, moved closer Tuesday to imposing a fee on the drilling in the vast Marcellus Shale reserves that have transformed the state in recent years.
State K-12 education funding seems to have bottomed out in 2011 and should recover overall this year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center on Education Policy.
The U.S. Justice Department was wrong to block South Carolina from requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote, the state's top prosecutor argued in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The court's ruling likely sets the stage for a U.S. Supreme Court showdown.
Civil rights, labor and immigration activists say they are returning to Selma, Ala. next month to protest state laws they say will largely prevent black and Latino voters, the poor, students and the elderly from voting.
Many police departments moved to 10- and 12-hour shifts to cope with the recession. A new study shows that 10-hour shifts are best to reduce expenses and preserve quality of life.
Making his first speech in his home state since abandoning his foundering presidential run nearly three weeks ago in South Carolina, the governor invoked his alma matter, Texas A&M, saying "all Aggies have a really interesting way of admitting defeat. You know, we've never been outscored, we just ran out of time.
Early implementing states, like Kentucky and West Virginia, are setting an example for others to follow...
President Barack Obama's call to shrink the military, shut bases and cancel weapons to meet the demand for budget cuts tests the resolve of lawmakers who came to Washington determined to slash the deficit.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) represented an unfortunate overstep of the federal government’s role in education, members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce told National School Boards Association (NSBA) attendees Monday.
New York City artists can now earn health credits for doctor visits and more if they offer their time and talents to hospital patients.
Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is looking toward the next states that hold GOP nominating contests as main rival Newt Gingrich brushes aside any talk of abandoning his White House bid -- all but ensuring the battle will stretch into the spring if not beyond.
Traditional defined-benefit state retirement plans no longer are sustainable. Arguments that alternatives are unfair don’t hold water.
"Logic models" aren't a perfect solution, but they can be a useful tool to help governments get the outcomes they want.
They can help governments achieve the outcomes they want. But they have their downsides.
Mitt Romney expects Nevada's caucuses to kick off a month of primary and caucus contests to keep momentum on his side in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
Border Patrol agents have racked up daily overtime at a cost of about $1.4 billion in the past six years while the number of arrests of illegal border crossers has fallen to the lowest level in nearly 40 years, an Associated Press analysis of agency records finds.
States must decide what to use as a benchmark for their health insurance exchanges, but dissimilarities among plan benefits and costs cause concerns.
Plus: No love for committees, and more management news
Economists issue their 2012 forecast for the nation's unemployment rate, a key issue in the November elections.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is staying out of the nomination fight despite his rising stature in the GOP — or perhaps because of it.
Republican Rep. Ron Paul railed against the federal government during campaign stops in Nevada on Thursday, saying states are in the best position to resolve conflicts over the management of wild horses and roads on public lands.
View maps and current political party totals for each state legislative body in all 50 states.
Committee threatens future of transit's dedicated funding stream.
After years of uncovering scandals in the Los Angeles County child welfare system, the media is now allowed in juvenile courtrooms.
Hoping to save money and the environment, a dozen colleges have stopped selling bottled water on campus.
Following up on ideas introduced by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address last week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held an initial hearing Thursday to further explore how to make college more affordable.
State and local officials will spend the upcoming year shouldering more burdens due to lack of effective action from Washington, said speakers at Governing's Outlook in the States and Localities conference this week. But the speakers are more optimistic that local leaders can cross aisles and work together to handle the challenges that states and cities face.
The Washington state Senate passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. The measure now heads to the House, which is expected to approve it.
Glimmers of economic optimism. Deep concerns about jobs and health care costs. These are among the recurring themes as governors across the nation deliver their annual State of the State addresses. And the speeches have this in common, too: a striking absence of grand and costly proposals.
California may be about to find out, if an initiative that’s breathtaking in scope gets onto the ballot.
Indiana is the first Rust Belt state to enact the contentious right-to-work labor law prohibiting labor contracts that require workers to pay union representation fees, after Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the bill Wednesday afternoon.
The cost of the state-appointed receiver and legal fees related to bankruptcy proceedings in the Rhode Island city of Central Falls is nearly $400,000 more this fiscal year than budgeted, and the total spent on the receivership is expected to reach $2.26 million by July.
U.S. Controller Danny Werfel discussed key lessons from the Recovery Act to attendees at Governing's Outlook in the States and Localities conference.
Reflecting on the political climate facing state and local governments in 2012, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and former Michigan Gov. John Engler pointed to a lack of leadership in Washington as a hindrance.
Mitt Romney routed Newt Gingrich in the Florida primary Tuesday night, rebounding smartly from an earlier defeat and taking a major step toward the Republican presidential nomination. Gingrich vowed to press on despite the one-sided setback.
Democrat Suzanne Bonamici has won the Oregon congressional seat left vacant when David Wu resigned in a sex scandal.
The Washington state Senate is set to take a crucial vote on a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill has narrow support in the Senate, but is expected to pass because supporters have secured the minimum required for approval.
New York City streets are getting a little more literary. The city Transportation Department has partnered with an artist, John Morse, to create a series of graphic, pop-art signs encouraging drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to be more careful.
Remarks come on the same day the Congressional Budget Office announces that the Highway Trust Fund is heading towards the red.
House Republicans are proposing to spend about $260 billion over the next 4 1/2 years on transportation programs, as well as substantially increase the size of trucks permitted on highways, according to a draft bill being introduced this week.
Budget holes, public sector benefits and job creation: these are issues everyone governor is grappling with. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has made considerable progress on each of them, explaining his approach during a lunchtime keynote speech Tuesday.
The news comes on the same day House leaders will reveal their surface transportation legislation.
The verbal feud over gay marriage in New Jersey got more personal Monday with Gov. Chris Christie firing a slang term at a lawmaker, and a hero of the Civil Rights movement chastising the governor for a separate remark.
As it did in 2008, Florida went against the national parties this year and set the last Tuesday in January as its primary date. In response, officials in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina moved up their dates too.
The study could be a lightening rod in the ongoing debate about government employee compensation.
Iowa and Nebraska, Midwest states known for their picturesque vistas, are straining to make money for their state parks go as far as it can, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
Lean manufacturing has made Denver Health a model for public health care.
A police chief under fire for his handling of anti-Latino abuse allegations that led to the arrests of four officers last week is retiring from office.
The idea of offering financial incentives to boost services in select areas is common for economic development -- but rarely used to improve health care.
To the delight of many, old streetcars are being restored to their former glory and put back into transit service in New Orleans, Philadelphia and Portland.
Elected officials across the nation from both political parties have begun to examine ways to replace a tough corrections policy with a smart one.
A slew of different players are considering major changes to how federal spending is tracked and all of their efforts will likely impact state and local governments.
The economic impact of the stimulus is unclear and highly debated. But one thing is for sure: it's done more to promote government transparency than any piece of legislation in recent memory.
El Paso began preparing for shortages two decades ago. Now, it's seen as a leader in confronting a crisis that many expect to spread beyond Texas.
Determined not to lose another friendly congressional district because of a sex scandal, Democrats and their allies have pumped more than $1 million into an Oregon special election race that has turned into a vicious exchange of attacks over the airwaves.
A city council candidate in Arizona who was barred from running because she doesn't speak English proficiently is vowing to appeal the judge's ruling.
Done properly, cost/benefit analysis can help governments make better decisions.
A group of states is adapting a successful model to target scarce funds for the greatest return on investment.
Proposed regulations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would save states nearly $18 billion on Medicaid prescription drugs in the next five years, according to estimates released Friday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The price for seats on a closed-door panel with New York Gov. — and noted campaign finance reformer — Andrew Cuomo? $50,000.
The office of East Haven's mayor was blasted with prank phone calls and a delivery of hundreds of tacos Thursday after his now-famous quip that he would address accusations of anti-Latino bias by eating tacos, a remark that left emotions raw in the town's large Hispanic community.
More than a million Hispanic voters are the prize as Republican presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich campaign hard in Florida after a feisty, final debate that served to heighten political tensions with the state's GOP primary just days away.
The Obama administration has introduced a Race To The Top program for College Affordability and Completion, allowing states and colleges to compete for $1 billion in federal grants.
Google has launched an online warehouse for education resources called Google in Education, designed for teachers, administrators and advocates, the company announced Thursday.
They’re expected to improve the city’s finances and carbon footprint.
Some liberal leaders are pursuing a conservative economic agenda.
Some surprising political figures like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have started questioning how effective U.S. drug policy is.
CDHPs are slowly becoming the next big thing in health-care cost control, but studies show that they only save about 1 percent over traditional plans.
Studies have found that SBHCs improve students’ health-care access and school success. Now, the Obama administration is helping more states finance them.
A CIA operative's unusual assignment inside the New York Police Department is being cut short after an internal investigation probed how the NYPD, working in close collaboration with the CIA, set up spying operations that put Muslim communities under scrutiny.
States received more guidance Wednesday from HHS about what the essential health benefits package for plans offered in states’ health insurance exchanges should look like.
Some cities have switched to the cloud with ease, but Los Angeles, for example, had to abandon it for law enforcement because of outdated security policies.
Government efficiency initiatives come and go. But Utah has had continued success with one in particular.
This latest skirmish shows how localities, not the feds, are driving eco-policy.
And it’s looking to tap the secret of other cities’ success in the post-manufacturing age.
One explanation may be our budgeting process.
The fate of Data.gov, which housed hundreds of thousands of public data when its funding got cut, may contain the outlines of a model for sustaining digital records.
Gay rights activists in Maine, the only New England state that doesn't allow gay marriage or civil unions, said Thursday that they are forging ahead with plans to put the marriage question up to a second statewide vote.
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue's campaign committee released a statement Thursday afternoon that she will not seek a second term.
Mayor Jean Quan vowed to quickly reform the scandal-plagued Oakland Police Department after a frustrated judge threatened a federal takeover if it fails to quickly make good on changes agreed to nine years ago.
As the Republican presidential campaign has turned south, into the region that seceded from the Union 150 years ago, old debates about state and federal authority echo anew in phrases used by candidates, their supporters and the news media.
President Obama says it can, but analysts say that's an oversimplification.
The United States has dropped 27 spots in Reporters Without Borders 10th annual World Press Freedom Index, now ranking at 47th in the world for press freedom.
Last year, a handful of states considered changing their school attendance laws without Obama's prodding.
While the new rules aren't as aggressive as the Obama administration had hoped, they mean most meals will come with less sodium and more whole grains, with a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on the side.
Gov. Mark Dayton and a key lawmaker said Tuesday that the team must build on the site of the Metrodome -- its least-favorite option -- or state funding help for the multimillion-dollar project won't happen this year.
Obama proposes states require students to graduate or remain in school until age 18.
Porn industry leaders say the regulation could lead them to abandon the nation's porn capital.
After months of hearing how Jefferson County, which filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in November, is broke, residents are curious about how much local assistance is available to help them recover from recent tornadoes that killed two and wiped out scores of homes and businesses.
America's public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren't performing. A few states have essentially nullified tenure protections altogether.
Wisconsin's polarizing governor is fighting attempts to recall him with money from out-of-state donors, who helped him bring in more than $12 million since last year.
But the National Parks Service director says the agency will “very soon” begin to enforce anti-camping regulations.
Schools are collecting mountains of information on their students. They need to do a better job of using it to improve learning.
New Labor Department figures show unemployment rates declined in 37 states last month.
States differ widely in how many students they designate for special education. Those differences could have a financial impact in the face of possible cuts to federal aid.
A 30-year-old man who grew up in a small town in western Kentucky came to the police station in the middle of the night with chilling news: He told officers that he had just shot the mayor.
A New Jersey Senate Judiciary hearing is scheduled at 11 a.m. Tuesday to hear a bill that aims to legalize gay marriage in the state. Democratic legislators announced earlier this month that making gay marriage legal is one of their top legislative priorities.
North Carolina is achieving big savings with a very different approach.
The mayor of a small western Kentucky town has been shot and killed in his home, and a suspect turned himself in shortly afterward.
President Barack Obama plans to "hang out" in a video chat room to answer questions about his State of the Union address, part of a White House effort to test new social networking tools and the latest evidence of the growing intersection of social media and politics.
Fresh off a big win in South Carolina, Republican Newt Gingrich found himself on defense Monday as the volatile GOP presidential contest shifted to Florida.
Three out of four uninsured Americans live in states that have yet to figure out how to deliver on the president's promise of affordable medical care.
As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver his annual address to Congress, many goals he outlined in previous State of the Union speeches remain unfulfilled. From reforming immigration laws to meeting monthly with congressional leaders of both parties, the promises fell victim to congressional opposition or faded in face of other priorities as the unruly realities of governing set in.
The fiscal challenges facing local governments are an opportunity for innovation and community.
The fiscal challenges facing local governments won't go away soon. Here's why that's a good thing.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that the federal government’s role in the sustained push toward more data-driven decision-making in education was to provide funding and resources to states pursuing those initiatives.
Several of the nation's typically-snowiest cities have largely been spared this winter, resulting in cost savings.
The Obama administration has recommended canceling deportation proceedings for more than 1,600 illegal immigrants in Denver and Baltimore not considered a national security or public threat.
Protesters plan to "occupy" courthouses in more than 100 cities across the U.S. on Friday to protest a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed most limits on corporate and labor spending in federal elections.
The “Financing Program Decision Tool” shows state and local governments their best options for paying for energy upgrades.
How has local government employment changed? View historical data to see employment for various job functions.
Welcome to "democracy in action," as the Wisconsin State Journal called it: the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is livestreaming Thursday morning its efforts to scan more than 300,000 pages of signatures for a petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination and endorsed Newt Gingrich, adding a fresh layer of unpredictability to the campaign just days before the South Carolina primary.
New Jersey Sen. Joseph Kyrillos will seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to run against Sen. Bob Menendez in November.
Cities and counties knew they'd lose CDBG money in 2012. But a quirk in the formula is causing some to see even larger cuts.
Improvements in technology are allowing states to better serve Medicaid and CHIP populations, according to a recent survey.
Just two months after the 2011 gubernatorial contests, things are starting to shape up for 2012's candidates.
Organizers had touted the rally, known as Occupy Congress, as the largest national gathering of Occupy protesters to date and secured a permit that would have allowed up to 10,000 people to participate. By mid-afternoon, the protest appeared to have fallen far short of those goals.
What's missing from government is the kind of "disruptive innovation" that has transformed so many other areas of our lives.
