In the wake of falling test scores, states are looking at pay- incentive plans to encourage teachers to push their students toward higher academic performance.

Florida's legislature has passed what may be the nation's strictest guidelines for long-term-care insurance. "We think this is going to become a model for the nation," says Bob Lotane, spokesman for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation

In the aftermath of drastic reductions in TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid-plus program, the state is once again expanding coverage beyond the Medicaid population.

It sounds like a drama-series finale where the scriptwriters can't agree: Michigan's unusual Single Business Tax is going to die, but how remains a matter of debate.

Cities are starting to use scholarships to local colleges to keep promising young people from moving away.