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.
Fearing political backlash, governors use their clemency powers far less than they once did. But it’s a powerful tool for addressing injustice.
In Connecticut, 40 percent say they’re either struggling or just getting by financially.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday in a case contending the ban violates the Equal Protection clause. If the Court upholds the law, Congress could pass a national ban.
Public health experts emphasize the importance of clear and consistent messaging. They may not get that with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as federal health secretary.
Thanks to new funding from the state, county diversion programs for juveniles have increased dramatically. A new report finds that they’re successful more than 80 percent of the time.
Far more seniors live by themselves and can only leave their homes with difficulty than live in nursing homes, yet they receive less policy attention. That can lead to bad health outcomes.
Evidence is growing that participation in art has public health benefits. Rhinelander, Wis., is using it as a remedy for social isolation.
Gov. Kim Reynolds praises districts that have already restricted phones but says a statewide ban will be a 2025 priority. Such policies around the country have run into problems with courts.
The Salt Lake City Public Library's in-house social workers and suite of other services help the unhoused find their way.
Trump and GOP members of Congress are eager to roll back portions of the Obama-era health insurance law. Changes to Medicaid coverage and some patient protections seem likely.
Voters in three states rejected ballot measures promoting school choice. But they didn’t reject the legislators who favor it.
Fitch Ratings issued a report comparing the pension debt in each state to personal income. Connecticut had the highest ratio, at 23 percent, while Tennessee was the best at 1 percent.
Republicans in Congress might force all states to impose such rules. Supporters say they give Medicaid recipients a boost toward self-sufficiency and financial stability. Critics say such rules hurt far more people than they help.
The view of the federal department as a source of malign leftist influence is backwards. Good ideas are out there, and there needs to be a central authority to disseminate best practices and insist on results.
Innovation must come with transparency, safeguards and human oversight. We need to deploy the technology in ways that enhance rather than erode public confidence in the justice system.
A new state law will require public schools to incorporate Native American mistreatment into the Spanish Colonization and California Gold Rush curricula. The state Department of Education will consult with local tribes to make the updates.
Properly trained and integrated into the school leadership team, they can be helpful in some ways, but they cannot fix societal problems and their presence can make students feel less safe.
A 2018 lawsuit claims the level of segregation in state schools violates students’ rights to integrated schools. But a new poll found that most voters don’t know anything about the lawsuit nor do they think the state is segregated.
Sweeping police reforms in 2020 stripped Colorado law enforcement of qualified immunity, a legal defense that previously blocked officers and sheriffs from being sued in their individual capacities in most cases.
State constitutional amendments that voters approved in seven states on Nov. 5 also are vulnerable to federal moves that could essentially override them.
The governors of Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have called on an electric grid operator to take “swift action” on record-setting electricity prices during times of high demand.
Under a new executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, hospitals that participate in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program will be required to ask patients to reveal their citizenship status.
Amid an especially tense and unprecedented cycle, Pittsburgh schools are using the election as a way to energize students about civics education.
Oklahoma City has invested the proceeds of a one-cent sales tax in dozens of projects in and around its downtown for the last 30 years. The 2028 Olympics will hold softball and canoe slalom events there, 1,300 miles away from the rest of the Games.
Major sources of federal support are about to expire. Investing money will save lives, so several states are stepping up their own efforts.
Access to voter registration data varies by state. In California, candidates, committees and researchers can access a voter’s name, date of birth, residential and mailing address, contact information and political party preference.
Voters in Massachusetts have an opportunity to open the door to personal and therapeutic use of plant-based psychedelics.
The AI revolution presents great opportunities for cities with the right combination of strengths. Pittsburgh is showing what’s possible.
There have been 46 lawsuits filed by the Justice Department, Maryland, Baltimore, the families of the workers and businesses affected against the two companies that own and manage the container ship that was involved in the crash.
Five states and Washington, D.C., recently enacted bills dealing with fully autonomous vehicles on public roads. About half of states already have statutes in place for when self-driving cars are actually on the road.
