State and Local Politics and Policy
It’s especially hard to get low-income Americans living in multifamily buildings across the digital divide. But states and nonprofits are finding ways to do it.
Last month, the former representative was found guilty of 12 felony charges for lying on federal COVID aid applications while he served in the Kansas House. Capps defrauded banks and government agencies out of $355,550.
The average age of the 181 state lawmakers will be 57 years old compared to 2021’s average, which was 54. Despite some female gains in 2022, there will still be twice as many men as women in the statehouse.
Polls recently showed DeSantis with big leads over Donald Trump in a potential GOP presidential match up as his ultra-conservative moves garner attention. But many think a pivot back to his more moderate ways would be hard to do.
Prosecutors will no longer be able to use rap lyrics as evidence; it will not be a crime to loiter for the purpose of sex work; courts will be barred from disclosing someone’s immigration status; and inmates will be allowed to make free phone calls.
The county program runs images against a database of roughly 9 million mugshots of people who have been booked into detention facilities, but lacks a way to track its outcomes or effectiveness, according to a report.
If pay simply kept pace with inflation since the most recent raise in 1988, state senators would now make more than $30,000. Experts say that increasing pay could help diversify the Legislature, making it more like the people they represent.
Despite making pledges not to support election-denying lawmakers, some tech and telecom firms have restarted their donations, according to a report by Bloomberg News.
Years-long permitting processes across multiple agencies, community opposition and high costs can result in the state taking a decade to build new electrical infrastructure.
The House has approved compromise bipartisan legislation to establish a national standard for data privacy. Lawmakers will also debate antitrust legislation aimed at the tech industry.
New research from the CDC contributes to evidence that COVID-19's toll doesn't always end with a negative test. For many patients, new symptoms of poor health may have unrecognized roots in a previous coronavirus infection.
Jan. 6 deposition transcripts have offered new perspectives on the role several state Republicans played in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including an effort by Doug Mastriano to access voting machines.
The Board of State Canvassers found no evidence of election fraud and endorsed two ballot proposals’ victories, one to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and another to provide nine days of early voting.
Oregon has had an ambivalent relationship with the death penalty for decades. Meanwhile, tackling issues with blanket policies versus case-by-case, a Pennsylvania House dispute continues and odds and ends to close out the year.
South Dakota voters adopted the program last month, bypassing the state’s conservative Legislature. But only two more states have the ability to vote on Medicaid expansion, while the remaining 11 states will need to win over GOP lawmakers.
The state is one of nine with a female governor and has elected its first female U.S. Senator. But women will make up only 17 percent of the Legislature next year. Alabama ranked 47th in female state legislators in 2022.
Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that would have required the Biden administration to let the public health order expire on Dec. 21 after GOP states filed emergency appeals for intervention.
The development of a COVID-19 vaccine was a triumph, but one that only had meaning if enough Americans were vaccinated. A new book tells the inside story of how that challenge was met.
Democrats have pushed relentlessly for policies that would reduce surging rates of gun violence in the state, but lawmakers joined conservatives to kill a last-minute gun control proposal.
Their votes were influential or outright decisive in several close races won by Democrats, such as Nevada’s senate election. Their turnout could signal a possible shift — or exception — in voting trends.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit accusing the city commissioners of dividing the voting map along racial lines to allegedly weaken the political power of Black voters. The lawsuit asks for an entirely new map.
Investment company becomes significant backer in Governing's parent company.
The Washington state governor’s budget proposal for the next two-year cycle will fund a variety of programs across the state, including education, construction, salaries and public safety. There would be $2.6 billion left over.
A bipartisan effort to correct the shortcomings of the 1887 Electoral County Act, which enabled the Jan. 6 insurrection, is likely to pass through the U.S. Senate as long as it receives approval before the lame-duck session ends.
Dozens of state laws that spanned issues involving paid family leave, school air quality, religious vaccine exemptions and the Juneteenth holiday took effect this past year. Here’s a look at some of the major changes.
The Florida governor has promised to hold people accountable for committing “wrongdoing” in regard to the COVID-19 vaccinations, and has said he will ask the state Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury for the investigation.
The U.S. magistrate of New Orleans was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 13 as the first Black female judge for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. All 31 “no” votes against Douglas were from Republicans.
In the final weeks of the legislative session, Republican state lawmakers appear ready to approve a bill that would make it impossible for most residents to vote without a photo ID. Ohio would join eight other states with similarly strict laws.
Georgia’s efforts to discourage voters had an impact in the state’s Senate runoff. Fairness and justice still won out, but we should be making it easier — not harder — for people to register and vote.
In Michigan, Livonia City Clerk Susan Nash handed over hard drives and voting machine data in January 2021, according to new information. Ultimately, Nash did not allow access to the data.
Public-sector technology work is a force multiplier for improving the lives of residents nationwide. That's important to keep in mind, especially in the face of news like unrelenting cyber attacks and workforce woes.
