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 state will spend $75 million moving more people with mental illness from jails to treatment facilities. “You’re not coming out better after three years at our jail,” said one sheriff.
California schools are using more chatbots, and teachers are using them to grade papers and give students feedback. Educators are split on the technology’s efficacy.
Mayor Quinton Lucas alleges that Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft moved a ballot measure to force Kansas City to pay more for its police to a different date than the top state court ordered.
Last year, the state House fell a few votes short of advancing a constitutional amendment to allow the construction of eight destination resort casinos. It is unlikely that the state Senate will have enough votes to pass the measure next session.
The two are intertwined, yet too often they aren’t viewed that way. Aligning them is a strategy for creating strong rural and Native communities.
The passage of the federal DATA Act 10 years ago and its implementation provide a road map for bipartisan reform at every level of government.
The city’s Education Department has directed districts to increase their share of classes in compliance with a reduced size plan by 3 percent. Superintendents can require schools to meet individual targets.
Proposed legislation would allow homeless people displaying mental health issues to be taken to a behavioral center against their will for assessment.
The new state department will be housed at Florida Atlantic University. It seeks to harness public and private research, education, technology and business applications involving fresh and salt water.
Most U.S. states offer Medicare Advantage plans to their state retirees, while 12 states offer Medicare Advantage exclusively.
Florida and Alabama have made it a crime to produce or sell meat grown in a lab, and a U.S. senator has joined what he calls the “pro-bio slop caucus.” Instead, they should be celebrating good old American innovation.
Wealthier families have always had options for educating their children. States have ways to provide options to everyone.
The legislation would bar school districts from adopting parental notification policies that would require school staff to inform a student’s parents if the student shows signs of being transgender.
Too many children die as the result of abuse and neglect. The hard truth is that no one is working hard to count how many of them, or what’s behind outcomes that may be largely preventable.
The state’s Clean Slate Act, approved in 2022, established an automatic record-sealing process for some lower-level crimes to better allow people access to housing, jobs or other opportunities. It will go into effect this summer.
While generative AI has become increasingly popular, its frequency of use is nowhere close to its earlier counterpart, predictive artificial intelligence, which is used in FICO scores, loan applications and health care.
Future in Context
From digital inclusion to AI innovation, we take a look at Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers and how five of these government technologists are making an impact on state and local policies.
Bill author state Rep. Dodie Horton argued that the Ten Commandments are the “basis of all laws in Louisiana” and the legislation honors the country’s religious origins. The bill must be signed by the governor before it becomes law.
The state House Education Committee unanimously approved a measure on Tuesday that would bar protests by any organization funded by a foreign adversary. It would also prohibit professors from imposing their political views on students.
A proposed law would require elected county commissioners to be replaced if they fail to attend three consecutive meetings without “good cause.” The rule mirrors an existing law for local school boards.
A recent study suggests that private schools are slightly more effective than public schools when it comes to boosting student achievement in civics and their understanding of it.
The Biden administration has updated Title IX to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. Officials in red states are suing to block what they call “gender ideology.”
The University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communication has a new prize meant to highlight the best work of journalists covering state and local politics.
A study found that California students who received associate’s degrees were able to recoup their educational costs faster than students who received bachelor’s degrees or certificates.
The state Legislature passed a “first-grade readiness” bill to require students who do not complete kindergarten to take a test to enter the first grade. If signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, the law will go into effect in July.
Admissions offices are trying everything from entrepreneurship programs to hunting classes.
The Senate ended the legislative session with a 23-12 vote to pass a bill that will provide funding for striking workers. However, filibusters ran the clock out on other controversial bills, including those on Chinese-made drones and climate change.
Proposed legislation would prohibit data center development along the 22-mile Beltline trail loop and from within a half mile of transit centers, including MARTA stations and BRT stops. Existing data centers would be unaffected.
A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that a significant majority of religious Americans think abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Stolen and lost firearms are much more likely to be used in crimes, but when it comes to penalties and requirements for reporting thefts and losses, state policies are all over the map — if those policies exist at all.
The guidance that allows states to provide health-care coverage to incarcerated people at least a month prior to their release has gained bipartisan interest. As of last month, federal officials had approved applications from four states.
