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.
Our resident historian explores three things – court packing, judicial review and meeting the expectations of the appointing presidents – that are not what you thought they were.
After the Tennessee town's Board of Alderman passed a resolution to keep their 153-year-old charter, the Comptroller has begun a financial takeover, which will limit the authority of the town's elected officials.
Civic engagement consultant Irina Fursman, who lived in Ukraine, has raised more than $20,000 from U.S. gov tech companies to help people there meet their basic needs amid the Russian invasion.
Between pay gaps, the pandemic, growing class sizes and legislative directives, “the pressure on teachers right now is so formidable,” one expert said.
Sen. Clint Dixon said the state’s public health commissioner had approved the Unmask Georgia Students Act, but it turns out Dr. Toomey had not vetted the legislation. But this isn’t the first time an expert was left out.
A bi-weekly tracking of the lead up to the 2022 election season.
Census data revealed that 17.3 percent of residents in the state were uninsured, nearly double the national average. Texas also has eight of the 10 congressional districts with the highest uninsured populations in the nation.
Public engagement can have downsides. Neighborhood participation in the housing permitting process makes existing political inequalities worse, limits housing supply and contributes to the affordability crisis.
After receiving complaints about the quality of care provided, city officials delayed a decision on whether to replace Wellpath LLC with LSU Health New Orleans. The contract could amount to as much as $93 million.
New econometric analysis brings statistics to bear in support of common-sense conclusions that people can’t stay in neighborhoods if they don’t have homes.
The state currently allows county and statewide elections that end in a tie vote to be decided using random choice, instead of by special election or second runoff. A proposed law would apply the same rule to municipal elections.
As medicine quickly adapted to ensure that millions of Americans could still receive care during the coronavirus pandemic, some of the innovations made health-care accessibility more difficult for those with disabilities.
Elected office should be more than a steppingstone to higher office or wealth accumulation. Among other things, elected officials should respect their constituents and side with the underserved whose voices are rarely heard.
The state’s oil producers claim that an increase in oil drilling could help stop runaway gas prices, but, since the price of oil is set by global market forces, it’s unlikely that $5.72 per gallon statewide price would drop.
No Democratic governor has been defeated since 2014. Look for that to change in November.
The systems shouldn’t be diluted in the name of “reform.” Licensing benefits women and minorities, brings higher wages and protects the public.
American farmers are the quintessential do-it-yourself businesspeople. Yet tractor manufacturer John Deere forbids them from attempting to repair their agricultural machinery when it breaks down. But change could be coming.
The CHP, one of California’s largest police agencies, does not provide body cameras for 97 percent of its officers.
Unprecedented federal investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will soon land in state broadband offices. Maryland, Maine and Utah share their plans for putting those resources to use.
A California case involving local sugary-drink taxes demonstrates the value of taking to the courts to push against industry-backed laws that block city and county policies that promote health and equity.
The idea was first included in a campaign pledge during the 2000 election and has been debated ever since. The state will abolish the county’s office and transfer its duties to the county commission, effective in 2024.
After months of changing map boundaries, the state’s primary field is finally ready and a new district could become one of the nation’s most competitive races. The primary is May 17.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the border arrest program will be extended into Webb, Brooks and Jim Hogg counties, all three of which are controlled by Democrats. Two of the counties are not on the state’s border.
The state House passed the bill by just two votes; it was opposed by 21 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Those in favor of the legislation claim that the boxes create risk for fraud because they’re unattended.
Automatic renewal plans have prompted class action lawsuits.
Political leaders, mostly Republican, are calling for increased production of oil and gas in Colorado to reduce reliance on Russia and Saudi Arabia. But environmental advocates see this as further reason to invest in renewable energy.
The city’s task force is developing short-, mid- and long-term recommendations on how best to address governmental systemic racism and is collecting input from the community on who should be eligible.
Democrats continued to struggle in the Lone Star state with Hispanics voting in growing numbers for Republicans. That shift could hurt Beto O’Rourke’s chances of unseating incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott.
The pandemic demonstrated the importance of including everyone in our increasingly digitized society, but once people are connected to the Internet, do they know how to use it?
The Democrat stepped down from his leadership post last year. He faces 22 racketeering counts, becoming the latest in a series of speakers around the country to face corruption charges.
