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With Democratic voters already packed into a small number of districts, reducing voter turnout won't really lower the chances of Democrats winning – or help Republicans win.
Ridership dropped by 50 percent last year as stay-at-home orders and COVID-19 concerns kept many people off public transit. Even as the economy begins to reopen, ridership remains still down 45.5 percent.
The bill blocks certain topics in government diversity and inclusion training. Some worry it will discourage discussions on institutional racism and implicit bias.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s new Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will provide $1 billion to improve Internet access for tribal governments, colleges and organizations.
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles has limited the languages available for written driver’s license tests to seven options, removing some of the state’s most-widely spoken languages.
Former Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd, commenting on passage of medical marijuana legislation. Todd had proposed a similar medical marijuana bill in 2013, which was not only rejected but received an award for “deadest“ bill of that year. (Associated Press — May 7, 2021)
The proportion of people who moved during the pandemic to be closer to family — an increase of approximately five percentage points from pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic sped up an existing trend of people migrating out of metropolitan areas into smaller cities. Still, some researchers were surprised to find that more people were moving for reasons other than coronavirus case rates or jobs.
Billions of dollars will be flowing to states and localities from opioid lawsuit settlements and court rulings. They need to set up a framework for dedicating the money to programs that save lives.
Arguments among themselves about concepts like “wokeness” and “cancel culture” are divisive and demonstrate racial insensitivity. A new generation of leaders should be allowed to define and use its own terms.
The U.S. Department of Transportation isn’t considered one of the federal government’s stronger agencies. But change and innovation has happened in recent years and could accelerate under new leadership and with more money.
Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a law that will put limitations on ballot dropoffs, establish ID requirements and restrict the number of absentee ballot drop boxes. Critics argue the law is just another voter suppression tactic.
House Democrats introduced legislation that would establish nationwide EV infrastructure within five years to allow a smoother transition away from gas vehicles, but Republicans argue it’s too much too fast.
The New Jersey Labor Department said the transition to the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program would be seamless for unemployment claimants, but many are still without pay after weeks.
Sharon Hoover, co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), regarding the mental and emotional impact that the pandemic has had on students across the nation. The NCSMH is launching an online course to help train teachers and school staff on how to give support to students’ mental health concerns. (Reuters — May 6, 2021)
The amount of American land and water that the Biden administration has pledged to conserve over the next decade.
President Biden seeks to broaden the definition of a crucial piece of government. It’s part of a debate that's been going on more than two centuries.
Making it easier for professionals to practice across state lines is appealing, but if it isn't done right, it can endanger the public's health and safety.
The state’s four historically Black universities will plan to use the money to increase funding for STEM and certificate programs in an effort to close the wealth gap between Black graduates and other races.
To convert more than 240,000 housing units from gas- to electric-power could cost the city as much as $5.9 billion. Natural gas currently makes up 38 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Only two of Texas’ major companies have spoken publicly about the recent legislation that some are claiming is an act of voter suppression. But some organizations are uniting privately and plan a stronger public stance.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, responding to complaints from motorists who are “appalled” by some of the messages on vanity plates in the state. Lawmakers are considering legislation to ban offensive language from vehicle plates. (Boston Globe — May 5, 2021)
The proportion of Americans that President Biden hopes will have at least one of their COVID-19 shots by July 4. So far more than 56 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one shot, and it is expected that approval will be given to start vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds in the coming days.
In the early years of the Republic, wives of politicians were often helpmates and could wield power despite their gender. Today, spouses challenge traditional gender norms in politics and have broad work portfolios.
In the wake of unproven claims about voting fraud, a record number of bills seek changes in election law. Some could enable legislatures to interfere with election administration.
The state will begin its biennial process of removing outdated voter registrations, starting first with 12,000 voters who have died. This is the first year Georgia will use data from other states to update its records.
COVID-19 forced many companies to increase automation to avoid in-person interactions, a trend that is likely to stay even as the economy continues to rebound. There’s been a 20 percent increase in robot orders this year.
The two-month session ended without lawmakers revamping the state’s unemployment system that has proven inadequate over the last year. However, the Legislature did pass a bill to update the unemployment website.
Khadijah Ali-Coleman, co-director of Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars, regarding the increased number of households of color that are choosing to keep their child in remote learning options. While 52 percent of white fourth-graders returned to full-time, in-person instruction in February, less than one-third of Black and Hispanic, as well as just 15 percent of Asian American, fourth-graders returned to in-person classes. (Associated Press — May 4, 2021)
The proportion of new COVID-19 cases that are in children, an increase from a year ago when children accounted for just 3 percent of all cases.
By building on a decade-old federal effort, the just-launched StateRAMP promises to standardize and simplify procurement of cloud services that have already undergone rigorous security testing.
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