Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Mike Madigan, a former state Democratic Party chair, had been the longest-serving chamber leader in U.S. history. A jury has found him guilty of multiple counts in a wide-ranging bribery scandal.
We should hold students to higher expectations and give them the support they need, and we need to give teachers the resources to do their job well. Two state lawmakers who started out as teachers have some insights.
Local officials should go on the offense to protect important initiatives that have benefited all of us. In particular, they can enlist businesses that see the benefits of their own diversity initiatives.
Gov. Landry’s office says he made the move because the state is having trouble finding and keeping qualified employees.
Most red states are looking to reduce property tax burdens, which have increased along with home values. Finding ways of replacing lost revenues for locals remains a challenge.
This outbreak feels different from any other, farmers say. Egg producers and industry groups are begging for a new prevention strategy.
Policing can be reimagined without compromising public safety, argues Minneapolis’ chief of police.
New Mexico stands out as an exception, leading to skyrocketing rents and home prices.
Trump repealed a Biden order calling for protection against bias. While companies welcome deregulation, some are concerned about the administration's six-month timeline to reshape guidelines.
A tense fight over party control of the Minnesota House ended with a power-sharing agreement this week. But hard feelings could remain.
Solutions include funding the federal agency properly, requiring states to share a larger burden of the responsibility and removing barriers to resilience.
GOP state Rep. Rachelle Smit, a former local clerk, continues to spout false claims about the 2020 election. She’s now the chair of the Michigan House’s newly renamed Election Integrity Committee.
A reentry program near Waco, Texas, has proven successful. Not only does every participant come out with a job, but their recidivism rate is 73 percent lower than incarcerated women throughout the state as a whole.
At stake in a case from Oklahoma is whether the court will expand the boundaries of government aid to faith-based institutions. It would be a sea change in education law.
The city was already in the grip of an affordability crisis — last month’s massive fires just made everything worse. What can L.A. learn from other disaster recovery efforts?
It’s an opportunity for state lawmakers. The public hates these surprise charges, and they put businesses that price their services transparently at a disadvantage.
A visa program created under NAFTA allows Canadian and Mexican professionals to work in the U.S. with minimal red tape. But to take advantage of it, states need to look at the Catch-22 situation created by their occupational licensing requirements.
By empowering them to bargain and providing other protections, policymakers can address frustration over flat wages and inflation, while strengthening local economies.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed a new refundable child tax credit and increases in child care and children’s health funding, along with full funding for public schools.
State and local public health departments rely on federal funding to operate. With those dollars at risk amid the Trump administration’s federal funding freezes, they’re bracing for the future.
Fremont is set to pass an anti-encampment ordinance. Its broad language could penalize nonprofit groups that provide services to homeless populations.
Red states are in sync with the Trump administration’s efforts, but some Democratic governors are reminding districts to protect immigrants’ legal rights.
For years, states strictly limited the amount of time people could be institutionalized. With homelessness rising, some policymakers want to do more.
A combined federal and state effort to redesign the boondoggle-prone economic development program could also provide the blueprint for rebuilding devastated communities.
Pregnant women who are incarcerated will move into the facility next week. For now, only women with 18 months or less to serve can participate but the program may expand over time.
Last year, legislators approved funding to fill a coverage gap. The law, however, was overridden by a ballot measure involving pay increases for doctors.
Understaffed police departments and concerns over public safety are spurring greater use of private security guards. But they aren't a perfect substitute.
President Trump, who calls FEMA “not good,” has issued an executive order and established a commission to look at ending the agency. He favors having states respond to their own disasters, but they may not have adequate resources.
South Carolina residents are seeing rates go down thanks to a law passed in 2022, but the state still charges a lot more than North Carolina and other southeastern neighbors.
The Eaton Fire consumed a home and community I had loved for decades. I went from writing about homelessness to living it.
