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.
The new unit will be composed mostly of civilian employees. It will publish an annual accountability report that evaluates the department on its policies and training, compared to best practices nationwide.
Effingham County, Ill., has seen a decrease in the number of inmates and a reduction in caseloads just three months after the state ended cash bail. However, the long-term impacts of the end of cash bail remains to be seen.
A U.S. district judge has scolded the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for ignoring complaints of maltreatment and horrible living conditions for foster children with intellectual disabilities.
It’s happening in red and blue states alike: Policymakers and civil servants are increasingly relying on evidence to transform how taxpayer dollars are spent.
Planting trees along small streams is a simple idea with big consequences for watersheds.
The state executed four people this year, while Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama executed a total of 20 others. Forty states have abolished the death penalty, paused executions or have not executed anyone in the past 10 years.
In the wake of the Arkansas gerrymandering case, the state will appeal a federal district court ruling that found the state’s 2021 redistricting plan violated the voting rights of Native Americans.
The proposed legislation, which is waiting for a signature from the Texas governor, could cost taxpayers almost $380 per arrest if unlawful entry into the country by undocumented migrants becomes a state law and is locally enforceable.
The state appeals court has overturned a San Diego Superior Court ruling that would have barred the state from sharing registered gun and ammunition owners’ personal information for research purposes.
Democrats at the local, state and federal levels are all using freedom as a catchall, believing the value helps promote their various policy ideas.
After Gov. Greg Abbott signs the legislation, state and local police will be allowed to enforce a new state crime, illegal entry from a foreign nation, and allows state judges to order migrants back to the country of entry.
The city attorney’s office has said that removing the residents’ amortization rights could save millions of dollars, but advocates want to maintain their right to petition in case officials fail to assist with the initiation process.
For the last three decades, the General Assembly has passed an average of 66 bills each session. So far, the Legislature has only passed 12 bills this year. The least productive year on record was 2009, when only 17 bills passed.
The state was among 25 states that received an “F” grade for gun safety from the Giffords Law Center; of the Northeastern states, Maine and New Hampshire were the only ones to receive a failing grade.
The technology has great potential in the future of data analysis and policymaking. But it will only happen if the right guardrails are in place and best practices are developed and followed early on.
There’s no sensible reason to keep doing it. States could opt out, but most do not. Congress should act, and there’s a 30-minute solution.
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.
