News
President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to “finish the job” on a range of economic and social issues in his second State of the Union address.
When it comes to addressing gun violence, local governments are on the front lines. But a successful decades-long campaign by the NRA for state laws preempting localities from regulating firearms is undercutting them.
The practice is more eco-friendly than traditional burial or cremation options and a group of state legislators are working on crafting a bill to, hopefully, get voted upon this session. Five states have already legalized the practice.
The town has a backlog of issues that must be addressed in the coming years, like increased service costs and city vehicle replacements. Officials are considering raising taxes by several cents to offset the costs.
City Council President Paul Krekorian believes that when it comes to establishing a redistricting commission, state lawmakers may not be aware of or understand the nuances of making good policy at the city level.
Alvin Davis, a former lieutenant in charge of recruiting for the Memphis police department, regarding the growing desperation to fill positions in recent years that has driven the department to lowering its standards and increasing hiring incentives. The department will offer new recruits a $15,000 signing bonus and $10,000 in relocation allowances and the only requirement currently is two years’ work experience of any kind. (Associated Press — Feb. 7, 2023)
It’s easy to run against the downtown establishment, but neighborhood revival is a difficult process. Only a few mayors have been able to achieve success as both downtown promoters and neighborhood advocates.
Republican and Democratic legislators can be counted on pulling in opposite directions on ESG investing, police reform and LGBTQ issues, where the focus will be on transgender rights and school curriculum.
By some estimates, the state will have $69 billion of “new money” to spend, but it is still unclear how the funds will be used, if it gets spent at all. This year’s proposed budgets don’t show much deviation from prior years.
The state has ambitious goals to end natural-gas usage over the next several years as a way to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But storms and fires are more routinely causing residents to go days or weeks without power.
The first year of the state’s Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 was marked by billions being pledged on facilities to help the state meet that goal. But there still is a lot of work to be done.
The second-largest appraisal district in the state struggled for 72 days after their computers, emails and website were hacked on Election Day. The district is now increasing its cybersecurity safeguards.
Michele Eberle, the executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, regarding the number of state residents who may lose their Medicaid coverage this spring as the federal government reinstates a pre-COVID requirement. Nationally, Medicaid enrollment ballooned during the pandemic to about 90 million children and adults, approximately 1 of every 4 Americans. (Associated Press — Feb. 5, 2023)
Nine Democratic candidates are vying for Mayor Jim Kenney’s seat and nearly all of them have said they would declare a citywide emergency for gun violence. But what would this local government declaration actually do?
When he addresses the nation, the president will talk about top-down solutions from Washington. But the real progress on the problems we face is coming from 50 state capitols.
With Joe Biden delivering his third State of the Union address this week, our resident humanities scholar set out to make sense of the American presidency. Each president campaigned and governed to suit their respective times with a mix of shared and unique traits.
Almost three years ago, the federal government agreed to send billions of dollars in extra Medicaid funding to states on the condition that they stop dropping people from their rolls. Now the support is ending this year.
The attention highlight the millions of dollars going toward connecting every resident and business, as well as the benefits of broadband for education, the workforce and economic development.
The governor promised to make preschool available to every family in Illinois that wanted it but did not lay out details for the pledge. One report estimates it would cost $505 million to enroll low-income children alone in pre-K.
Lawmakers want to impose new limits on early and mail-in voting to ensure that all ballots are received by the county election office on Election Day to avoid delaying results, which, they claim, sows doubt in the process.
The state Senate passed the “Temp Worker Bill of Rights” after a monthslong saga that included a thrice-delayed final vote. The bill will give temp workers the right to basic information in their native language and eliminate agency fees.
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit has had a good week. Two major financial wins will give the system millions of dollars to come and its ridership continues to rebound, with two days seeing the highest ridership rates since COVID began.
Andrea Zaccardi, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, regarding the Biden administration’s first steps towards ending federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which would open the door to future hunting in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Officials in those states have insisted that any future hunts of grizzly bears would be limited and not endanger the overall population. Several environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, have said that delisting the animal wasn’t based on sound science and that federal protections should be kept in place. (Associated Press — Feb. 3, 2023)
With more than 1,000 civilians being killed by cops every year, mayors and city councils can’t be equivocal about ending the warrior approach to policing.
The pandemic-induced emergency order will end on May 11 and will trigger a variety of changes, including people will likely have to pay more out of pocket for COVID-19 care while Medicaid and CHIP eligibility will be re-evaluated.
The state’s Senate Finance Committee will look at transferring millions in federal COVID-19 funds to the Governor’s Office Gifts, Grants and Donations Fund, which already has more than $17 million.
The program offers companies tax breaks based on the number of employees they hire and where those jobs are located. A report found the program costs more to operate than the tax revenue it generates.
Most Read
