Policy
This coverage will look at how public leaders establish new policies in a range of crucial areas of government – health, education, public safety, for example – and how these policies impact people’s lives through better services, effective regulations and new programs. This will include stories examining how state and local government approaches policymaking around emerging areas, including artificial intelligence.
The two legislative chambers have passed a bill that would ban diversity efforts and faculty strikes. Critics say the bill's limits on discussions about “controversial beliefs” will stifle academic freedom.
Providing parents with tax credits has mostly been a Democratic priority but the idea has gained traction in Ohio, Indiana and other Republican-led states.
Americans believe that their local governments spend money more wisely than their state and federal counterparts. But forcing localities to do more with less isn’t a recipe for government efficiency.
Discussions with 10 individuals about how their lives changed course as a result of school shutdowns.
Health departments across the country rely on manual processes, like phone calls and fax machines, to get access to crucial data, a new study finds.
Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Arizona are pursuing statewide plans to help find immigrants for possible deportation.
Republicans are promoting private school choice, while Democrats are discussing K-12 funding increases. Most governors, however, are dodging the question of how to boost student achievement through curriculum changes.
Democrat Tina Kotek is backing legislation that would allow the state to take control of a quarter of underperforming schools’ budgets, as well as require those schools to hire tutors.
Legislators are expected to pass a bill this week that would take oversight of the police away from the city. That Civil War-era approach had been ended by state voters in 2012.
Medicaid covers nearly half of all births in the U.S. and 80 million children. But the age and working status of recipients varies widely across the country.
Citizens in half the states have the power to place initiatives or referendums on the ballot. That process is under threat, but in an era of partisan gerrymandering and unresponsive legislatures we must keep it viable.
Local governments and school districts are now forbidden from requiring masks to prevent the spread of disease. Masks can still be required for certain types of jobs such as health care and working with hazardous materials.
Missouri brings more children into foster care than the national average but places some in inappropriate settings. The bill would require more residential care centers along with a set of other protections and tax credits for youth programs.
Police have increasingly adopted drones and ground robots to supplement their work. But departments often lack clear policies on the tools’ uses.
The new law will offer families $7,000 annually per child for costs such as tuition and tutoring. It will also offer funding for pre-K costs, but only to income-qualified families.
GOP Gov. Mike DeWine wants more able-bodied recipients to work to receive benefits. Such requirements in other states have been held up in court but Congress might make them universal.
GOP Gov. Brian Kemp is pushing hard for a civil litigation overhaul, contending that excessive damages are harming businesses and driving up insurance costs. Opponents say it would give too big a break to negligent companies.
Mass culling is expensive, but alternatives, like vaccinating chickens or luring wild birds away from domestic flocks, would also impose logistical and environmental costs. And they may be more expensive, anyway.
Anti-vaccine sentiment was rising even before the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re seeing the ugly results play out in Texas, with dozens of children suffering from measles and one dying.
The Legislature and lieutenant governor threaten to cut $400 million if colleges and universities do not end diversity initiatives.
The plan comes after crime in Downtown Crossing and other areas throughout the city has reached a seven-year high due to drug use, focusing on treating rather than arresting users and dealers.
The bill calls on utilities to meet wildfire protection standards. In return, they'd gain legal protection.
Between 2017 and 2022, the number of Black-owned businesses rose 56.9 percent, accounting for more than half of the overall growth in companies.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state Democrats who frequently invoked the idea of providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrations during Trump’s first term have softened if not changed their tune.
Jeff Landry has secured $42 million to reopen a youth prison in the Baton Rouge area, part of his push to expand juvenile incarceration facilities.
Since 2021, the number of states offering universal eligibility for vouchers has grown from zero to 14.
Idaho lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring counties to get voter approval for wind farms. If they’re rejected, counties must charge an excise tax that could exceed $2.5 million per turbine.
A proposal to set a per-enrollee limit on federal money for the program is gaining traction. But states know how to game Medicaid rules and federal oversight is woefully inadequate.
President Trump signed an executive order to increase federal support for school choice programs, causing debate about the impact on public schools and student outcomes.
Seven individuals received approval to open psilocybin-related businesses as Colorado moves toward a legal psychedelic-assisted therapy industry.
The consequences of sanctuary policies extend far beyond the ideological debate surrounding immigration enforcement. These policies enable criminal networks to make communities more dangerous.
