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Khanika Harper, on how it feels to be a wedding officiant for inmates at the The Missouri Department of Corrections. Harper is a former psychiatric nurse; through her work, she met the partners of incarcerated men who wanted to get married but couldn’t find an officiant who would perform the ceremony inside a prison. She decided to get ordained, and has since married more than a dozen couples inside the state’s correctional facilities.. (The Marshall Project — Feb. 14, 2025)
The approximate number of people with autism who have jobs that align with their skill level and offer competitive salaries, according to Amy Wetherby, director of the Florida State University Autism Institute. On Tuesday, the Florida Senate Committee on Education PreK-12 unanimously backed a bill designed to create more work opportunities for individuals with autism during its first committee hearing.
The Supreme Court has made public corruption cases more difficult. The Justice Department's actions in New York suggests they may turn into political weapons.
Safety net systems should be integrated with workforce support programs. Mostly they aren’t. More states should implement the kind of “One Door Model” that Utah has proven effective.
Texas lawmakers are exploring tax incentives to help businesses provide affordable child-care options, aiming to address the state's child-care shortage and support working families.
Flooding in Eastern Kentucky over the weekend caused widespread damage in Hazard, affecting homes and businesses. Recovery efforts are underway, but many will face weeks of cleanup.
Arkansas state Sen. Mark Johnson. He represents Conway, which is home to Arkansas PBS, but he voted in favor of a bill abolishing its board in part because the Arkansas PBS Foundation lobbied him to vote against it, objecting to its potential mix of public and private funds for the purpose. The state Senate voted in favor of legislation to eliminate both the PBS board and the board that oversees the state library, citing concerns about mismanagement. (Wisconsin Examiner — Feb. 16, 2025)
Number of people being held in Wisconsin's state correctional facilities, which have an official capacity of 17,638. Gov. Tony Evers wants to dedicate over $325 million toward a plan that would update the state’s aging correctional facilities, close the Green Bay Correctional Institution in 2029, and spend more than $40 million to help "stabilize" the prison population through programs aimed at reducing recidivism, including workforce training and substance abuse treatment.
We profiled eight women leading the way in state and local government.
We profiled eight women leading the way in state and local government.
Women remain significantly underrepresented in public-sector leadership. However, proven strategies can help boost women's representation and create a more inclusive workforce.
Women weigh in on barriers they've experienced in the public-sector workplace, what they want training in, and more.
Mentorship programs can provide the guidance, support and opportunities needed to help more women grow in leadership roles.
In organizations where AI has the potential to significantly impact women's roles, women can offer the deepest understanding of how it can enhance their work.
Wichita, Kan., has been reeling since a flight carrying residents crashed outside Washington last month. Mayor Lily Wu talks about leading her city during this difficult time.
They just might be. They’re doing a lot of things that don’t have much to do with books but do have a lot to do with community. And you don’t hear “Shhh” much anymore.
Important federal deposit insurance rules and possibly its entire regulatory apparatus could come into play in Washington this year. State and local treasurers need to focus on vital public and fiduciary interests.
In the wake of recent wildfires, L.A. officials are exploring a self-certification program for building permits to accelerate the reconstruction of homes, aiming to streamline bureaucracy and cut down on approval wait times.
Georgia’s prison system sees a spike in violent deaths and severe staffing shortages, prompting urgent calls for reform and funding to address the escalating crisis.
Governor Josh Shapiro pushes for recreational marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, estimating over $1 billion in revenue within five years to help address the state's budget shortfall.
The estimated amount a judge has ordered Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to seek from the federal government in unemployment benefits. Like other Republican governors, DeWine opted out of a federal pandemic program that provided enhanced unemployment payments before it ended in 2021. A judge has ordered DeWine to obtain those funds, which would be distributed to about 300,000 people. The state intends to appeal the ruling.
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. Wu leans libertarian and notes that there are always going to be more demands on government than it can provide. With her city facing a structural deficit, Wu says the city must prioritize its most urgent needs before it can consider funding programs that would be nice but not necessary to have. (Governing Feb. 18, 2025)
Mandatory processes and detailed rules have increasingly constrained officials’ discretion, leading to endless lawsuits, decadeslong project delays and multibillion-dollar cost overruns. There’s a better way.
Abbott is in Washington this week to lobby Congress for $11 billion to compensate Texas for money spent on immigration enforcement.
The proposed measures include a bill allowing incarcerated individuals to register and another that would require ID verification.
Republicans are exploring cuts to Medicaid in an effort to pay for the president’s priorities. But public opinion, a divided Senate, and state governors worried about the impact to their budgets could dash those efforts.
Sen. Patty Murray after the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to his post as Health and Human Services secretary on Thursday. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, becoming the only Republican to vote against Kennedy. Sen. Murray cautioned Republicans that accepting Kennedy's nomination could lead to compromising their principles. (TNS — Feb. 13, 2025)
The amount the U.S. House GOP raised the U.S. debt limit in their budget resolution, released Wednesday. The resolution, if adopted, would extend Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and boost border security spending.
GOP legislators and governors around the country are borrowing Trump's ideas and language on a host of issues. Separately, red states are looking to put up barriers against ballot initiatives.
Tools are available to not only count people experiencing homelessness more accurately but also to provide them with individualized services. More municipalities should use them.
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