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 effort follows earlier battles over social studies and could spread to other states reviewing academic standards.
The San Joaquin Valley, Calif., school district plans to buy about 20 Flex Farms, a self-contained system that circulates nutrient-rich water to as many as 288 plants, so that students can learn a new way to grow food.
Louisiana’s criminal justice system now treats all 17-year-olds as adults. Lawmakers lowered the age from 18 to curb teen violence, but nearly 70 percent of the 17-year-olds arrested in the state’s three largest parishes aren’t accused of violent crimes.
Proposition 33 would allow cities to limit rent increases. Some economists doubt that’s a good idea.
Many insurance companies in metro Atlanta are denying essential coverage to businesses in “high crime” areas, which are also predominantly areas of low-income residents of color.
Connecticut State Sen. James Maroney is leading efforts to establish a nationwide consortium to discuss policy measures in response to artificial intelligence technologies.
Struggling with addiction, PTSD and other service-related traumas, far too many of them run afoul of the law. States could do more to help those at risk.
The virus that could mutate into the next human pandemic has been found in herds in at least 14 states. Without sufficient testing, we need to be careful about moving cows from one location to another.
The Santa Fe School Board unveiled a plan that will provide teachers with artificial intelligence tools to help in the classroom, in some cases allowing students to use AI on assignments as a “co-pilot to enhance human creativity.”
Future in Context
As the nation nears its 250th anniversary, a longtime broadcast journalist and historian calls for addressing economic inequities, corporate monopolies and restoring effective governance to grow stronger.
As president, Trump signed a sweeping criminal justice reform measure. During the campaign this year, he's returned to his roots as a tough-on-crime politician.
With reductions in federal aid, Texas ended Medicaid coverage for more than 2 million residents, mostly children. State officials acknowledge some errors but people looking to get back on the rolls must now join a backlog of more than 200,000 applicants.
By the time federal crime rate statistics are published, they're already out of date. A new online resource provides a month-to-month view of crime rates.
The former steel capital has already made the transition to advanced manufacturing. Its combination of tech talent, universities and power sources make it well-equipped to be a leader in AI.
In the 2022 general election, just 42 percent of eligible Texas voters cast a ballot, making it one of the worst states in the nation for voter participation.
A new bill asks Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators to overhaul New York’s broken guardianship system. It cites a ProPublica investigation that found the elderly and infirm living in dire conditions while under court-mandated oversight.
Regional library systems provide vital services for small and under-resourced communities. But what happens when political divisions threaten to dismantle them?
They do better in school, parents have to spend less money on food and all households benefit from lower grocery prices.
The emergency declaration would kick off a “public education” campaign about road safety for drivers and pedestrians and would jumpstart the implementation of “quick-build” safety projects.
The public likes what lawmakers around the country are doing, but the industry’s lobbyists are working hard to embed provisions into trade deals that would undermine much of the progress states have made.
Sonoma County officials hope the new policy will act as a guide for how to appropriately use AI technology for emails, reports, job descriptions, spreadsheet calculations and more. But the policy prohibits using confidential or specific county information.
The bill states that Baltimore “shall be entitled to recover for economic loss” from the bridge collapse which stalled the city’s port activity, reallocated emergency services and impacted local workers. But some legal experts are skeptical.
We know what works to prevent tragedies like the recent one at a Georgia high school. Effective gun policies could save thousands of lives.
Other states look to Texas as the state psychology board pushes against the new national licensing requirements.
A poll found that 56 percent of California Latinos see artificial intelligence as “just a new tool,” while the remaining 44 percent said the tech was a bad idea and would cost people jobs.
And how does that overlap with reported deaths from firearms?
While environmentalists say the new rules don’t do enough to protect groundwater, oil and gas operators are contesting stricter requirements for waste pits near wells.
Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order that will require the state Office of Motor Vehicles to compile a list of people who have been issued a temporary license or ID card, which will then be used to cross-check state voter rolls.
Across California there have been concerted efforts to ban or restrict cellphone use in schools to limit distractions from learning. But given the most recent school shooting, some are questioning the safety risk of such bans.
A year ago, state Democrats blocked efforts to combat and prevent retail theft, but now the Legislature has created a select committee to study its cause. Last month, lawmakers sent 10 retail-theft-related bills to Gov. Newsom’s desk.
As they expanded eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, some skirted the law by misclassifying new enrollees to maximize revenue from Washington while doing little to help those who need care. It will take federal legislation to end this behavior.
