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.
An investigation found that suicides in 2025 were tied to isolation, substance use and inconsistent clinical care.
As several states propose child marriage bans, Missouri state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder hopes that she can use her experiences to encourage a shift in her state’s legislation.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides comprehensive support for Americans who face acute mental health challenges. Congress is considering ways to tailor services more strategically.
A lot of communities are experimenting with this costly, ineffective approach to fighting poverty that disincentivizes work. Iowa lawmakers are right to ban localities from creating guaranteed income programs.
A variety of factors make Latinos less likely to have health insurance, including language barriers, types of occupations and immigration status. Coverage problems extend well beyond undocumented individuals.
Currently, the state controls the local speed limits but a proposal folded into the state budget would change that. The current speed limit in New York City was set in 2014, the first citywide reduction in a half-century.
Ethics Commissioner Freddie Figgers didn’t submit his 2021 financial disclosure statement until the day after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to the Ethics Commission. The commission voted 4-1 to waive the $1,500 fine.
Pharmacists are convenient, accessible and trusted. Improving reimbursements and making permanent the authority they were given for the pandemic will increase immunization rates and save lives.
The tech giant’s announcement is pushback against pending legislation that would require companies such as Google to pay a “journalism usage fee” when they sell ads next to new content.
Detection of avian flu in dairy cows and one sick worker don’t add up to imminent danger for lots of people. But public health officials say the threat shouldn't be taken lightly.
Federal tax cuts may be in jeopardy, but some states are reducing the tax burdens on their citizens and businesses. It’s not surprising that millions are moving to states with robust free-market policies — and leaving those that don’t have them.
On Thursday Gov. Tate Reeves announced federal approval for the second part of his 2023 proposal for increased reimbursements to state hospitals from Medicaid.
There’s a movement toward cracking down again on minor offenses. It raises larger questions about what transgressions we should be punishing — and why we should.
Legislation that would have legalized and regulated autonomous vehicles in Kentucky was vetoed on Friday, April 5, by the governor who claimed the bill was moving too quickly and the state needed a testing period first.
The state’s gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida is expected to bring in $750 million annually, totaling $6 billion through 2030. Currently, 96 percent of the funds are committed to water-quality projects.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and GOP legislators have agreed to reduce the state’s top income tax bracket, starting at $30,000, from 5.7 percent to 5.5 percent. The proposal would cost $1.4 billion over the next three years.
Officials at Laguna Beach High School in Orange County, Calif., have launched an investigation after a student allegedly created and circulated inappropriate AI images of other students.
Housing used to be primarily a local concern. With millions of units needed, state policymakers are looking for ways to boost supply.
Texas’ recent unwinding of Medicaid and CHIP has been criticized, dropping more than a million people eligible for the health insurance programs. Decades ago, Texas officials got kids health insurance in record time.
In the 2021-2022 school year, 76 percent of public schools across the nation banned non-academic use of phones during school hours. After some North Carolina schools banned their use, kids are less distracted and getting into less trouble.
Lobbying at the state and federal level is a good investment for all cities, but pays off most for ones that are already wealthy.
The governor’s office helped write legislation that will ban offshore wind turbines in state waters and will delete the majority of references to climate change found in state law, according to email records.
Proven measures to protect health such as vaccines and even fluoridation are under increasing threat. Misinformation must be combated with facts about the way these interventions save lives.
Legislators in 27 states have proposed bills this year that could harm libraries or limit the books and services they provide. But a new law in Washington state aims to prevent such efforts.
Veterans were once half as likely as the general population to land in prison. Now, they're twice as likely. State and local officials are trying to prevent this from happening.
State lawmakers are determined to host a convention to rewrite the state’s constitution, but they have not agreed on which aspects they want to address or who should be in attendance.
The unanimous vote will allow the city to exchange some of its own land for a parcel that is currently owned by the state. If the mayor and state commissioner approve, city hall and the Civil District Court will relocate.
Failures were due to a communication breakdown between the Democratic co-chairmen of the General Assembly’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee. It was the first time that a legislative committee failed to approve any legislation.
Health outcomes and life expectancy improve in counties where residents have greater opportunity to engage in civic life.
The legislation would require a person to have “personal knowledge or information other than hearsay” to file a complaint with the state’s Commission on Ethics. It would also bar local ethics commissions from self-initiating investigations.
It’s not only because of increasingly common and costly natural disasters. Can other states learn from Florida’s experiences and its lawmakers’ efforts to cope with the problem?
