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.
Though the idea of vaccine passports has attracted criticism, the state of New York has taken the plunge as the first state in the U.S. to create one, saying it will help facilitate economic activity. Here’s how it works.
The economy has proven to be more resilient than could have been imagined a year ago. Making future growth more equitable is a priority without obvious solutions.
State Sen. Pat Spearman’s proposed legislation would create an Emerging Technologies Task Force that would focus on bringing new blockchain technology, robotics and artificial intelligence businesses to the state.
The California city has proposed a ban on paid travel for city employees to states with restrictive voting laws. The city already prohibits paid travel to states that restrict LGBTQ rights and abortion access.
Even with $30.5 billion to help it dig out of a huge financial hole, public transit's future remains unsettled as commuters and workers change their work patterns. Will ridership return to normal?
The American Rescue Plan includes almost $40 billion for community colleges, four-year schools and universities. It’s less than the sector says it needs, but there are options with how the funds can be used.
Partisan lawmakers are moving to block cities and counties from managing their own police budgets and redirecting funding as they see fit. Decisions about public safety are best made close to home.
Legislators have proposed a ban on a series of oil extraction methods, including hydraulic fracking, as well as a well-operation buffer zone. But with Gavin Newsom facing recall, some worry the bill may get shut down.
Several bills have been proposed by the state Legislature that would restrict voting times, discourage absentee voting and may deter poll workers from volunteering, which could significantly impact voter participation.
Californians aged 50 years and older are now eligible to receive the COVID vaccine, and in two weeks the eligibility will expand again to everyone 16 years and older. Officials worry the demand will outpace the supply.
The multitrillion-dollar plan addresses infrastructure, education and health care and could reduce poverty rates and income inequality. But many expect it will face heavy challenges in Congress.
In too many places, law enforcement can still seize cash or property without proving a crime. States have begun to enact protections, but there's more that policymakers can do to rein in policing for profit.
The CDC recently warned of an impending fourth wave of coronavirus cases; the next day California announced further reopenings. Some are worried that the state will slide backward while others are cautiously optimistic.
The stimulus increases the federal matching rate and offers other incentives to encourage holdout states to expand Medicaid. Most of the holdouts will still take a pass.
The American Rescue Plan will bring more than $130 billion to K-12 schools to help them reopen safely, make up for lost learning and address inequities made worse by the pandemic.
For many, the Minneapolis trial is about more than just the death of George Floyd. It’s a reckoning on the nation’s racial justice, racial equity and police reform. The trial’s outcome will have massive impacts.
The state has some of the worst power outages in the nation, both for frequency of occurrence and for duration. Officials are working to ensure that residents have more reliable electricity and Internet.
It's been a decade since earmarks in congressional appropriations were mostly ended. A little pork-barrel spending could get Congress' wheels turning again.
The federal government will soon provide $15 billion in aid to arts organizations. Few economic sectors have been hit as hard, but the money is contributing to a renewed sense of optimism.
A new report says the Department of Health’s contact tracing lacked sufficient data to be useful to municipal leaders and was hindered by outdated technology. The report also critiqued the department’s lack of transparency.
The recent Senate confirmation of the first Indigenous American, Deb Haaland, to lead a Cabinet department gives us reason to rethink our assumptions about First Nations’ relationship to power. A new book can help.
Five people involved in the Capitol insurrection have been banned from going on social media sites or online at all to prevent further attacks and disinformation. But some worry it’s an infringement on free speech.
Whether it is California or Texas, the homeless struggle to find emergency shelter when the temperature drops, sometimes with tragic results. But state and local governments need to move beyond short-term solutions.
Gun violence has increased during the pandemic. Recent mass shootings have intensified calls for reform, but state legislators have very different ideas about the way forward.
While it does seem as though a special election will be held, Gov. Gavin Newsom likely won’t be ousted by the recall efforts. A survey shows that only 40 percent of voters would cast their ballot for a replacement.
The new website is intended to supplement vaccine scheduling information for small or new vaccination providers that is inadequate or non-existent. Soon the new website will allow users to book inoculation appointments.
New data from the CDC reveals an increasing number of Americans die from firearms each year. Both the rates of death and total death count are growing.
Videoconferencing has served us well during the pandemic, but it shouldn’t become the standalone “new normal” for public hearings after the crisis has passed. There’s a different dynamic when people are physically present.
The funds paid for research into reallocating police department funding to community programs. The $3 million contract is one of the most expensive of its kind in city history.
Voting is a sacred right. For African Americans, effort by state lawmakers to make it harder evoke memories of the violence, pain and dehumanization of the Jim Crow era.
