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.
Michigan’s experience illustrates how challenging it can be to stop large numbers of people from inadvertently losing coverage,
Focusing on prevention doesn’t stop us from preparing for disasters, it just makes them less likely. We can and should do the same for mass shootings.
The rule sets new standards on security and privacy protections for AI, with far-reaching impacts on companies. It is also designed to vet technology with potential national or economic security risks, along with health and safety.
But researchers found plummeting inmate totals had no consistent impact on violent or property crime. Local police leaders have pushed back against the findings.
The Carter Center is leading an effort to turn down anti-democratic noise around elections, neighbor by neighbor. Arizona is one of the first stops for their campaign.
Three state-level officials demonstrate the characteristics of good governance, without the chaos playing out in the nation’s capital.
Election officials brace for surge in AI-generated misinformation, and lawmakers face complex challenges in containing it.
A new report from the Urban Institute tracks how a year of infrastructure and housing grants align with federal priorities for equitable spending.
The state’s new law will take effect in 2027 and will prohibit the manufacture and distribution of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3, which are common in processed foods and candy.
The attorney general’s office would participate in regular jail audits alongside a separate group of inspectors working with the County Sheriffs of Colorado, a nonprofit organization.
Cities harness shared data to provide a necessary escape from governing silos as cities and counties face complex problems affecting their regions.
In all, 26 states are concerned about a proposed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule that would push automakers from a fleet average of 44.2 miles per gallon for passenger vehicles to a 57.8 mpg average model by 2032.
Vulnerable homeowners need financial help when flood, fire or dangerous winds strike. But whose job is it to provide the money?
Despite some early missteps, the public management practice is here to stay. More cities are working on collaborative efforts with one another, national organizations and researchers to shape their future policies.
Work that began as a civic hack — a part-time passion project for a group of Google engineers — is bringing corrections operations into the 21st century, helping tens of thousands move out of the system.
State and local government PIOs and social media teams are navigating the drastic changes at what was once Twitter, grappling with unexpected features and shifts in user verification, as they weigh the pros and cons of remaining on the evolving platform.
Up against an Oct. 14 deadline, Gavin Newsom acted on hundreds of bills over the weekend, vetoing some major legislation such as juror pay, caste discrimination, decriminalizing psychedelics and capping insulin costs.
Currently, to become a county sheriff in the state, a person only needs to live in the area where they’re seeking a four-year term and be eligible to vote. But proposed legislation would add a law enforcement or corrections experience requirement.
The court said it will rule on how the First Amendment applies to social media and whether Texas and Florida are allowed to impose fines on Facebook, YouTube and other platforms for allegedly discriminating against conservatives.
The legislation, which goes into effect Sunday, Oct. 1, will implement a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases and makes it easier for victims of gun violence and their families to sue gun manufacturers and dealers.
At first the bill would protect outdoor workers on days with a heat index of 90 degrees, which has occurred about five and a half months out of every year since 1981. The updated version doesn’t kick in until the air temperature hits 95 degrees, a rare occurrence.
Lawsuits take years, draining money and frustrating everyone involved. The few cases that do make it to trial generate indecipherable rulings. It all undermines faith in our system, and it doesn’t have to be this way.
In hopes of luring in chipmakers, states have been increasing their incentives for semiconductor manufacturers so that they may capitalize on the long-term economic development opportunities.
A range of current and former bills are giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.
Kansas’ safeguards for identifying and weeding out problematic officers are incomplete or not enforced. The lack of thorough background checks allows officers to keep troubling details hidden.
But there's no agreement on details, according to Sen. Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. Disagreements arose around licensing, testing and other forms of regulation for artificial intelligence.
Three years after the first-in-the-nation law was passed, a record number of opioid overdoses, bad press and a growing homelessness crisis could slow the movement to treat addiction as a public health matter.
The state law that went into effect on July 1 enacts a series of immigration-related restrictions, which has deterred many undocumented workers from assisting in the debris clearing and rebuilding after a storm.
Demand for nonprofit services is on the rise, and legislators are paying more attention to ways they can support the sector.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced the formation of a safety task force that will be charged with finding ways to improve safety on school buses, including possibly requiring seat belts. Last week an Ohio school bus crashed, killing one student and injuring 23.
Six people died on Feb. 11, 2021, in one of the most destructive crashes in state history when a winter storm caused cars to skid along a two-lane tollway. On Sept. 1, two bills that aim to prevent similar crashes in the future will go into effect.
