Virginia transportation officials plan to put HOV lanes on parts of the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C. Solo drivers who want to ride in the less-congested lane would pay a fee, and drivers with carpoolers could ride the HOT lane for free. But who belongs in the free lane, and who doesn't? "You have to police the rules," says Jeffrey Caldwell, a Virginia transportation spokesman.

The elusive savings of retirement incentives

Minnesota is the only state to limit gifts drug companies can give doctors, but its cap of no more than $50 a year in free food or other presents may catch on elsewhere. In September, New Jersey created a task force to examine ways to set similar limits. The freebies are seen as unduly influencing prescription-writing and raising costs.

Airports are catering to busy travelers and their animals with kennels fit for Fideaux.

In the $2.5 trillion muni bond market, where states, localities and nonprofits sell debt to finance everything from sewers to spaceports, the Securities and Exchange Commission sets the rules for what the government issuers must disclose to investors. Generally, the standards are much lower than those for corporations because federal securities law gives the SEC less authority over state and local governments than over companies.