Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Gloria Sachdev has spent years taking on the health-care establishment in Indiana, working to pull down high hospital prices and make information public to patients. Now, in a newly created position in the governor’s Cabinet, she’s no longer fighting from the outside.
After a two-year investigation into a sprawling donor network, the Fair Political Practices Commission found it did not violate any rules. This finding will make it easier for groups to coordinate fundraising and donations.
They split their tickets in last year’s elections more than they have in the past, and they were more likely to identify as moderates. It’s cause for optimism.
Some programmers and engineers are willing to forego private-sector pay to find meaningful work. But governments need to be more nimble about hiring.
Cities across the country are committed to making it easier to build housing and are taking a variety of promising approaches, note the leaders of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But they must be bolstered by federal investment and flexibility.
Residents of red counties in blue states wish they had a new political home. Also, in Florida, the Legislature is starting to stand up to Ron DeSantis.
The administration rescinded its order for a spending review due to blowback. Republicans had not joined the chorus of critics, even though red states are heavily dependent on federal grants.
The education committees in both the House and Senate approved a $450 million bill, a top priority for Gov. Bill Lee. Legislators are expected to pass it quickly during a special session this week.
A 10-mile park running underneath a rail transit line in Miami-Dade County is expected to be complete next year. The county’s former transportation chief just signed on to lead a nonprofit supporting the project.
John Nolen’s blueprint for Venice, Fla., is legendary among urban planners. But what's interesting about Venice as a place, as opposed to a plan, is how it’s evolved in real life.
The White House ordered a pause on all federal grants, partly intending to target diversity, equity and inclusion and other "woke" programs. A third of states' budgets comes from federal grants.
Finding ways to support teaching as a career, including training, innovation and community engagement, helped a Chicago-area district increase its retention rate by 23 percent in just three years.
The president noted the need to fight Los Angeles fires, but the water would go elsewhere in the state primarily to aid farmers. Environmentalists complained the move was unlawful.
Enjoying momentum thanks to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as federal health secretary, vaccine skeptics are pushing state-level bills to block mandates and give parents and workers greater latitude to opt out.
AI caused less damage through misinformation or election administration than predicted in 2024. New laws meant to combat political deepfakes, meanwhile, went largely unenforced.
It could bring states a lot of revenue. But voters don’t like it, even though few of them would have to pay.
Jeffrey Tumlin oversaw the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency during a period of tumult for public transit and city streets.
Maryland took historic steps to improve its education system. It shouldn't back away from them now, even amid budget shortfalls.
As the Trump administration steps up immigration enforcement, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has sent a request to congressional leaders to be paid back for his Biden-era efforts.
The city’s police department has put a focus on officer mental health and well-being. That’s a big cultural change because officers often feel they need to hide their struggles.
In an era of diminished credibility for traditional media, government leaders can no longer count on it to educate and inform the public. There are alternatives, and leaders should make greater use of them.
The reason is simple: A boom in apartment construction. Developers are pulling permits at a rate nearly triple that of San Antonio on a per capita basis.
The Trump administration has an opportunity to return authority over energy generation and natural resource development to the states.
The Trump White House has ordered a pause on infrastructure spending approved during the last administration, and is promoting new spending on digital infrastructure to support artificial intelligence.
The No. 1 job of urban leaders is to deliver core services. Some of them have forgotten that.
President Trump’s executive order abolishing remote work for most employees will be good for the local economy and transit systems. Twenty percent of the federal workforce lives in the D.C. area.
Voters approved $10 billion in school construction bonds last November. Facing big maintenance backlogs, districts around the state are worried the money could be quickly depleted by the need to rebuild Los Angeles schools after the fires.
Lone wolf attackers can be harder to detect than those who work in a group. But strategies involving police, the public and mental health professionals can help.
The state faced its worst storm in decades with up to 10 inches shutting down roads. States of emergency were declared across the South due to unusual wintry conditions.
As 2024 came to a close, the White House and Congress approved big giveaways to two subsets of state and local government employees and pensioners. There could be political backlash, and for equity’s sake there might be a case for some corrective tax policies.
