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If legislators approve the request, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission would also get $100 million from Washington to address huge Medicaid and food stamp application delays.
Tom Homan, who will lead Trump’s deportation effort, said that sanctuary policies can shield dangerous criminals. Harboring or concealing undocumented immigrants, he said, is a federal crime.
St. Louis voters rejected a $60 million proposal for a new soccer stadium, but the city got one anyway. Here’s how it did that with minimal public funding.
Seven states rely on water from the Colorado River. They’ve split into two camps and have made “zero progress” ahead of current apportionment rules expiring in 2026.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom was referring to a proposed $4.5 billion reservoir in Northern California, which would be the first in decades. Newsom says the reservoir is needed to maintain the state’s water supply and is part of California’s adaptation strategy in response to climate change. The plan will require numerous federal permits. (Sacramento Bee – Dec. 10, 2024)
The model, which has been gaining popularity throughout the U.S., presents an opportunity for direct state investment in affordable housing without relying on uncertain federal funds.
Eight states and the U.S. Justice Department have sued over the practice. The company whose software is used by many landlords says it helps renters as well.
Beset by funding issues and questionable program duplication from predominantly white institutions, too many historically black colleges and universities are struggling. We must ensure that these valuable institutions thrive.
Mayors, state legislators, members of Congress – much of New Jersey’s political class hopes to succeed term-limited Democrat Phil Murphy next year.
The states have trigger laws to end coverage if the feds end funding for expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Other states may make cuts if funding gets rolled back.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Frey vetoed a resolution approved by the City Council that called on the University of Minnesota to drop all disciplinary actions against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian protest in October. A 7-6 council majority expressed support for “nonviolent campus activism opposing war and supporting Palestinian human rights,” but the university says the protest was in fact violent. (Minneapolis Star Tribune – Dec. 9, 2024)
Bird flu is affecting more and more dairy cattle. There’s no sign yet of human-to-human spread, but new dimensions of the outbreak continue to emerge.
A 1998 ban on dual-language courses was repealed in 2016, but they still have not fully bounced back or hired enough teachers. Texas enrolls 40 percent of its English learners in such programs compared to 10 percent in California.
As a new administration takes power in Washington, the work of state and local public officials who champion free and fair elections will become even more critical.
Eleven states belong to the 20-year-old Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which created the nation’s first regional cap-and-invest system for reducing carbon emissions. With the change in administration, RGGI may set more aggressive emissions reductions goals.
Philip Hamburger, a Columbia University law professor. He was referring to Chevron deference, a legal doctrine that held that in most cases courts should defer to federal agencies when it came to interpreting statutes. In June, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine. That ruling has unleashed a flood of legal challenges against regulatory decisions and will provide part of the legal basis for the incoming Trump’s administration’s efforts to cut spending through the new Department of Government Efficiency. (Washington Post – Dec. 8, 2024)
GOP lawmakers want to alter the way state supreme court justices are selected or elected. Some conservative causes in the states, notably abortion bans, have been undermined by court rulings.
The school board is considering a plan to use five of its properties to build 1,000 affordable housing units. It’s a strategy more California districts are pursuing.
Los Angeles County voters have approved changes that include an expansion of the county Board of Supervisors and creation of a separate executive leader. Reform advocates had pushed for such changes for decades and an atmosphere of scandal helped them succeed.
L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. She sponsored a ballot measure, narrowly approved by voters last month, which will expand the Board of Supervisors from five members to nine, while also creating an elected county executive. The county had not changed its governance structure for more than a century. (Governing – Dec. 9, 2024)
Charging motorists to drive in a large swath of Manhattan has been decades in the making, and the idea has had some success elsewhere in the world.
More hybrid vehicles are coming on the market because customers seem to lack the appetite for all-electric vehicles. The Trump administration may cut back on tax credits and other EV support.
Hoboken suffered a “massive” cybersecurity break. Personal information including payroll and health records of city workers – some dating back to 1987 – was stolen, along with information about residents who’d applied for rental assistance.
The Biden administration approved the state’s own plan to offer coverage to 42,000 families. But Gov. Ron DeSantis is worried about its requirement to offer coverage for a full year.
Phelan narrowly survived a primary challenge and lacked the support of a majority of House Republicans. Having angered conservatives with the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, Phelan dropped out the day before leadership elections.
The number of states where adultery is on the books as a felony – Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. In 13 other states, adultery is a misdemeanor, although typically these laws are not enforced. Michigan legislators are attempting to remove this and other “zombie” laws from the books.
It makes sense that the Trump administration is looking for ways to cut spending. But the way they’re going about it is all wrong.
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