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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, regarding her reason for requesting federal prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into 16 Republicans who submitted false certificates stating they were the state’s presidential electors despite Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in 2020. Nessel, a Democrat, disclosed Thursday that her office had been evaluating charges for nearly a year but decided to refer the matter to the U.S. attorney in western Michigan. (AP — Jan. 14, 2022)
Democrats are skeptical of the plan and it lacks the support of Gov. Newsom. It would require the largest state tax increase in history, estimated at $163 billion. The tax hike would need to be approved by voters.
Boston’s new Mayor Michelle Wu has already added two free bus routes and a new poll finds approval for fare-free transit and especially strong support for giving low-income Massachusetts residents reduced fares.
Ohio’s new redistricting process, which is being used for the first time after voters approved it as a state constitutional amendment in 2015, is totally untested.
If 25 percent to 30 percent of fully paid working days remain at home, that could have implications from how to use buildings to employee diversity in the office, from commuting considerations to who gets promoted.
State prisons quickly adjusted policies and procedures when the coronavirus pandemic hit to ensure the health and safety of the incarcerated individuals and staff. If these pandemic changes become permanent, states could save $2.7 billion annually.
Thousands of people are protesting the state’s Board of Health for a plan to round up unvaccinated people and force them into quarantine facilities. But the plan isn’t real. It was created entirely from misinformation.
The state legalized the use of recreational marijuana in 2016 and agreed to create a pathway to clear or reduce past weed-related convictions. At least 34,000 marijuana records have still not been processed by court.
The New York City mayor has appointed his younger brother, Bernard Adams, as the head of his security detail, a step back from earlier proposals to give him a high-ranking NYPD job. Many are worried about the ethics.
The New York Bight region, off of Long Island and the Jersey Shore, has six ocean lease areas and could power approximately 2 million homes. The states hope to build 16 gigawatts of offshore energy potential by 2035.
Winsome Sears, who will become the first Black woman to hold statewide office when she is sworn in as Virginia’s lieutenant governor on Saturday. Sears, a Jamaican-born Republican, sees her success as proof that the nation is making progress when it comes to race. (NPR — Jan. 13, 2022)
The number of Americans who have signed up for health insurance since the beginning of the 2022 open enrollment period in November, including 10 million people across 33 states who have utilized the federal marketplace exchange. The number reflects a 21 percent increase compared to the year prior.
The relative success of remote work has proved that in many cases government staff are just as, if not more, productive when they work away from the office. More agile structures like holacracy might be ones to model.
The New Jersey governor declared a new public health emergency just as the previous orders were set to expire. Reinstating the emergency orders will allow current safety measures to stay in place.
State Senate President Craig Blair has said that there will be an effort to lift the ban during this year’s legislative session. But many are still wary of the power and its waste.
The Department of General Services will relinquish approximately 767,000 square feet of office space as many state departments continue with remote work. The state expects to save about $22.5 million annually.
The Colorado county election official must agree to the county’s election security protocols before she can resume her duties. Tina Peters has been a supporter of the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen.
Fernando Medina, Hays Consolidated Independent School District’ chief human resources officer, regarding the district’s plea to parents to have them stand in as substitute teachers due to staffing shortages caused by the omicron variant. Some consider having parents and guardians sub is less risky because they are, in some ways, already a part of the school’s COVID-19 bubble through their own students. (KUT — Jan. 7, 2022)
The amount that the Biden administration will award, in grants, to nonprofit groups and state and local governments to better protect low-income families from household health risks, such as lead-based paint, mold and carbon monoxide.
The COVID-19 variant is creating a new round of safety challenges for parents and teachers. Masking can prevent transmission, but some are working to limit its use.
The successes achieved by a Denver program combining housing and supportive services demonstrate what can be achieved — and how to do it without busting city budgets.
Both higher-ranking officers and rank-and-file officers would be held accountable for improper use of force during protests, while the Justice Department would have final approval of body camera policies.
The Department of Job and Family Services hired five companies to contract call center workers to better handle the mass of pandemic-related unemployment claims. Some call center workers were initially paid $59 an hour.
Despite heavy precipitation across the state recently, many experts are still advising water conservation in preparation for drier seasons to come. The past water year was the state’s driest in a century.
Both chambers of the state’s Legislature have passed a bill that would limit police presence and prohibit electioneering within 100 feet of ballot drop boxes on election day, in an effort to discourage voter intimidation.
California Rep. Barbara Lee, regarding the American Women Quarters Program, which will feature trailblazing American women, such as Maya Angelou, Sally Ride, Anna May Wong and Wilma Mankiller, over the next four years on the U.S. quarter. The Maya Angelou design is the first quarter of the program and has officially started shipping to banks. Rep. Lee was influential in the introduction of the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which has helped pave the way for the American Women Quarters Program. (NPR — Jan. 10, 2022)
The number of patients who were hospitalized this week, a new pandemic high driven by the omicron surge. Across the nation, approximately 30 percent of ICU beds are filled with COVID-19 patients.
Over a third of the new money for transit and other infrastructure needs will be awarded in the form of competitive grants. That means cities with the capacity to draft eye-catching proposals will get the most attention.
Too many government organizations cling to legacy ideas about owning and managing their technology. A centralized, enterprise IT environment provides better cybersecurity while creating vast efficiencies.
Turning storefronts into online-commerce fulfillment centers or pop-up spaces for artists isn't likely to bring downtowns back. But even remote workers need places to go when they take a break from their keyboards.
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