June 11, 2019
Why Illinois' Marijuana Legalization Law Is Different From All Others
It's the first state where the legislature -- not voters -- legalized cannabis sales. But that's not all that makes it unique.
June 5, 2019
How Governments Are Transitioning Their Gender Policies to Nonbinary
A growing number of states and cities are letting residents identify as neither male nor female, setting up a cascade of tough policy questions.
May 28, 2019
Republican Women Watch Their Numbers Decline in State Legislatures
2018 was a bad year for GOP female candidates. The ones that did win elections don't hold as much power as Democratic women.
May 15, 2019
Can Medical Marijuana Get You Fired? Depends on the State.
Less than half of the states where the drug treatment is legal protect patients from employment discrimination. Courts have generally sided with employers -- until recently.
April 24, 2019
A New Gig in Government: Chief Storyteller
Some cities are hiring people to share locals' stories and change the traditional narrative surrounding the place they call home.
April 1, 2019
With Number of Missing Native American Women Unknown, States Seek Answers
States are starting to address the jurisdictional issues that leave so many of these cases unsolved.
March 29, 2019
In #MeToo Era, Cities Train Bystanders to Intervene
Some are targeting bar and restaurant staff to better respond to sexual harassment and violence.
March 18, 2019
As China Builds U.S. Transit Cars, Congress Seeks to Ban Them
The state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corp is building rail cars for some of America's biggest cities, prompting cybersecurity concerns and bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate.
March 8, 2019
For More Citizen Engagement, One Town Turns to Video Calls
A Miami suburb might be the first in the nation to let residents participate in -- not just watch -- public meetings from anywhere they have an internet connection.
February 13, 2019
Anti-Drug Smuggling Policies Are Increasingly Isolating Prisoners
Jails and prisons around the country are replacing in-person visits with video calls, enacting strict mail policies and other regulations that limit inmates' communication with family, friends and lawyers.
January 23, 2019
Financial Literacy Is Becoming a Requirement in Schools
As most Americans struggle with money management, some states are making schools teach kids about personal finance. What's the best age to start?
December 20, 2018
U.S. Police Under Pressure to End Their Relationship With Israel
Police departments have been sending their leaders to Israel to learn about the country's counterterrorism strategies since the 1990s. But growing opposition is pushing some to rethink these exchange programs.
December 19, 2018
Are Cops 'Off the Hook'? How Police Reform Has Changed Under Trump
The Trump administration has shifted away from overseeing police in favor of tackling violent crime.
November 7, 2018
Does #MeToo Matter? Of 19 State Candidates Facing Accusations, Only 2 Lost
On the heels of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s controversial confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, these results raise questions about how alleged misconduct factors into voters’ decisions.
November 7, 2018
The Right to Hunt Is Now Constitutionally Protected in North Carolina
The state is the latest where voters have weighed in on the debate.
November 7, 2018
Slavery Is Still a Legal Punishment in the U.S. But Not in This State Anymore
In 2016, Coloradoans voted against abolishing slavery as punishment for a crime. This year, they had a change of heart.
November 7, 2018
In First Statewide Vote on Transgender Rights, the LGBTQ Community Wins
Massachusetts voted to keep a 2016 law that protects transgender people from discrimination in public spaces.
November 7, 2018
In Wake of Parkland and Pittsburgh Shootings, Washington Voters Pass Comprehensive Gun Control
Washington state, which has a history of letting voters weigh in on guns, now ranks among the states with the toughest firearm laws.
November 7, 2018
'People Want Their Power Back': Voters Approve Redistricting Reforms
In a year with more redistricting measures than usual, voters in several states reduced politicians' role in the process of drawing voting districts.
November 1, 2018
Can Free Money Make Up for Widescale Job Loss?
Faced with the prospect of up to a third of jobs being eliminated by automation in the next decade, governments are taking another look at Universal Basic Income.
October 16, 2018
2 Cop Convictions in 2 Months: Is This a Tipping Point in Police Accountability?
Fatal police shootings rarely result in convictions. In Chicago and Texas, they just did.
October 1, 2018
California's New Marijuana Law Is a First But Likely Not the Last
The unprecedented legislation implements an automatic statewide process to potentially reduce or dismiss sentences and records for crimes that are no longer illegal under state law. Other states are pursuing similar policies.
September 18, 2018
Will Clergy Sex Abuse Allegations Spur Change in Statute-of-Limitation Laws?
Since the Pennsylvania report, several other states have launched investigations into the Catholic Church. But in some of them, laws prevent many child victims from seeking legal justice.
August 27, 2018
Ruling Threatens States' Right to Regulate Toxic Coal Ash
As the Trump administration plans to weaken environmental rules, a federal court has said that some Obama-era regulations didn't go far enough.
August 23, 2018
Where Marijuana Is Legal, Some Cities Help People Still Haunted by It
There's a small but growing movement among prosecutors to automatically reduce sentences and expunge criminal records from before the drug was legal.
August 13, 2018
Is Child Care a Campaign Expense? States Are Divided.
In a year with an unprecedented number of female candidates, the debate is being revisited after the federal government weighed in.
August 10, 2018
Automatic Voter Registration Gains Bipartisan Momentum
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill that places Massachusetts among a growing number of states making it hard to not be registered.
August 7, 2018
'Anti-Union Forces Awoke a Sleeping Giant': Voters Overturn a New Anti-Union Law
In a test of public support for unions following the Supreme Court's Janus ruling, voters rejected Missouri's right-to-work law on Tuesday.
July 31, 2018
Climate Change Has Been a Losing Battle for Governments. Could a New Lawsuit Turn the Tide?
Rhode Island is using new tactics to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for disaster-related infrastructure damage.
July 30, 2018
Colleges, Cities and Pension Funds Pressured to Cut ICE Ties
Public institutions across the country invest in the private prison operators of immigration detention centers and contract directly with the federal immigration enforcement agency.
July 16, 2018
Silicon Valley Is Helping Cities Test a Radical Anti-Poverty Idea
What if everyone got a paycheck that they didn't work for? It's called universal basic income, and with the help of tech entrepreneurs, Stockton, Calif., is the latest city to test it.