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.
Investigations revealed communication flaws and unclear lines of authority in the medical response that further hampered lifesaving efforts. Nineteen children and two adults died in the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary.
A freshman lawmaker has proposed a bill that would end the use of college campuses as polling places during elections. In November, more than 18,500 early voting ballots were cast from college campuses in Tarrant County.
Clinton Collamore has admitted that he signed the names of supporters on funding petitions, after previously pleading not-guilty to the charges. But Collamore maintains that he did not want to deceive regulators.
For hard-liners in both parties, aggressive action from Washington at the expense of state and local autonomy is more popular than ever. With both parties’ centrists also in the mix, the presidential election looks to be a four-way battle.
Toxic chemicals, such as PFAS, are found in an increasing number of water sources and can be found in nearly every American’s bloodstream. States across the nation want to limit the use of these compounds to reduce health risks.
Proposed legislation would remove protections surrounding school librarians who allow students to check out books found to be obscene and would, instead, expose them to a misdemeanor of a “high and aggravated nature.”
In bringing its technology functions together, the city is trying to deal with goals often at tension with each other, while finding better ways to serve its residents at an enterprise level. There will be much to learn from this effort.
Even in red states, strong majorities of voters keep passing progressive ballot measures. Republican threats to direct democracy should be resisted to give voters with different party loyalties a way to advance common interests.
The newly established election crimes office doesn’t have the authority to charge the defendant, according to an Orange County judge, who dismissed the case. But a passed bill may change that legal precedent.
Four of the 10 candidates running for the position are women and have viable paths to victory with a city government background. Here’s what the candidates said about their potential to make city history.
Last week, the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine banned minors from utilizing puberty-blocking hormones and gender-affirming treatments, even in clinical trials. The rule must be filed to take effect.
Due to racial bias and other disparities, too often they aren’t “bankable” and struggle to obtain loans essential for their success. Some programs are leading the way in achieving more-equitable outcomes.
The legislation clarifies that statewide prosecutors have the authority to bring voting and voter registration-related charges. Twenty people have been arrested for casting an ineligible vote.
Problem-gambling therapists, researchers and long-term Gamblers Anonymous members are seeing a jump in the number of people, especially young men, seeking treatment for sports gambling problems.
BART, the region's rapid transit rail system, is investing significant time, money and staff into social services. It’s a big departure from the agency's core mission — running the trains on time.
Suicide, overdoses and intake of anxiety medications have all gone up during the pandemic. Counties are having to deal with those challenges and many others, at a time when many of them are losing population and face constrained resources.
More of them are quitting over student behavior than for any other reason. Levels of student misbehavior are rising, but time-tested practices can help teachers minimize classroom chaos.
The declines were concentrated among kindergarten students and in schools that offered only remote instruction. An expert explains where they went and why it matters.
The settlement agreement will pay four former staffers who alleged retaliation after they accused Paxton of corruption in 2020. Paxton has broadly denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a federal crime.
Two state representatives have introduced a bill that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to register as voters starting next year. A similar bill was introduced last year, but ultimately died on the session’s last day.
South Carolina will hold the first primary election but it isn't yet clear when the first five states' primaries will take place. Meanwhile, no one wants to run Seattle and redistricting never ends.
Fast-food companies have collected enough signatures to force a referendum on a state law intended to boost wages for restaurant workers and an effort to overturn an environmental safety law has qualified for the ballot.
President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to “finish the job” on a range of economic and social issues in his second State of the Union address.
When it comes to addressing gun violence, local governments are on the front lines. But a successful decades-long campaign by the NRA for state laws preempting localities from regulating firearms is undercutting them.
It’s easy to run against the downtown establishment, but neighborhood revival is a difficult process. Only a few mayors have been able to achieve success as both downtown promoters and neighborhood advocates.
Republican and Democratic legislators can be counted on pulling in opposite directions on ESG investing, police reform and LGBTQ issues, where the focus will be on transgender rights and school curriculum.
Nine Democratic candidates are vying for Mayor Jim Kenney’s seat and nearly all of them have said they would declare a citywide emergency for gun violence. But what would this local government declaration actually do?
When he addresses the nation, the president will talk about top-down solutions from Washington. But the real progress on the problems we face is coming from 50 state capitols.
Almost three years ago, the federal government agreed to send billions of dollars in extra Medicaid funding to states on the condition that they stop dropping people from their rolls. Now the support is ending this year.
The governor promised to make preschool available to every family in Illinois that wanted it but did not lay out details for the pledge. One report estimates it would cost $505 million to enroll low-income children alone in pre-K.
