Governing: State and local government news and analysis
State and local governments will be forced to return pandemic relief funds if they aren’t properly obligated by the end of December.
In a pivotal year, governments enacted AI laws, strengthened defenses, bridged the broadband gap, and prioritized accessible, user-friendly digital services. As 2025 nears, most jurisdictions still lack fully mature AI frameworks.
A measure that provided some hurricane relief was a vehicle for taking power away from executive offices that will be controlled by Democrats next year. The GOP’s legislative supermajority overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Prosecutors allege that Mike Madigan, the former Democratic speaker, and associates directed companies to provide campaign contributions and no-show jobs to allies. The defense will begin its presentation at trial next week.
School vouchers, border enforcement and energy infrastructure are on the GOP agenda in Texas. A fight for speaker of the House could determine its prospects.
St. Louis voters rejected a $60 million proposal for a new soccer stadium, but the city got one anyway. Here’s how it did that with minimal public funding.
Incoming GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe campaigned on a pledge to eliminate personal income taxes. Several bills would cut the income tax to 4 percent while imposing sales taxes on services.
If legislators approve the request, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission would also get $100 million from Washington to address huge Medicaid and food stamp application delays.
Tom Homan, who will lead Trump’s deportation effort, said that sanctuary policies can shield dangerous criminals. Harboring or concealing undocumented immigrants, he said, is a federal crime.
The model, which has been gaining popularity throughout the U.S., presents an opportunity for direct state investment in affordable housing without relying on uncertain federal funds.
Eight states and the U.S. Justice Department have sued over the practice. The company whose software is used by many landlords says it helps renters as well.
Beset by funding issues and questionable program duplication from predominantly white institutions, too many historically black colleges and universities are struggling. We must ensure that these valuable institutions thrive.
Bird flu is affecting more and more dairy cattle. There’s no sign yet of human-to-human spread, but new dimensions of the outbreak continue to emerge.
A 1998 ban on dual-language courses was repealed in 2016, but they still have not fully bounced back or hired enough teachers. Texas enrolls 40 percent of its English learners in such programs compared to 10 percent in California.
As a new administration takes power in Washington, the work of state and local public officials who champion free and fair elections will become even more critical.
Eleven states belong to the 20-year-old Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which created the nation’s first regional cap-and-invest system for reducing carbon emissions. With the change in administration, RGGI may set more aggressive emissions reductions goals.
Los Angeles County voters have approved changes that include an expansion of the county Board of Supervisors and creation of a separate executive leader. Reform advocates had pushed for such changes for decades and an atmosphere of scandal helped them succeed.
Charging motorists to drive in a large swath of Manhattan has been decades in the making, and the idea has had some success elsewhere in the world.
It makes sense that the Trump administration is looking for ways to cut spending. But the way they’re going about it is all wrong.
The way to make the federal government more efficient on a permanent basis is not one-time cuts but devolving authority over many programs to state governments.
Future in Context
An expert offers insights on how government agencies, frequent targets online, can safeguard critical infrastructure and future-proof their cybersecurity. Also under consideration: artificial intelligence’s dual role in security.
The program brings together students from four universities. Coming from different backgrounds, they learn how to interact respectfully and absorb challenging perspectives.
There’s a lot of talk in Harrisburg about reducing regulations, but much of the economic development effort still focuses on tax credits. Four different programs meant to draw businesses have little to no participants.
Black and Hispanic high schoolers in Texas who have to drive more than 30 minutes to a community college are more likely to forego college altogether, a new report finds.
Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education in his second term. Even if he stops short, the administration will bring policy changes to colleges and universities and new scrutiny to diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Last month, Massachusetts voters approved a measure ending the requirement that students pass a test to graduate. In 2012, half the states required such tests, but the number will soon drop to a half-dozen.
Cities in California and other states offer unhoused people transportation to somewhere else. But the number of people who can benefit is small, and it’s hard to tell what happens to them where they end up.
A judge has ruled unconstitutional the core of Act 10, the state’s famous 2011 law that ended collective bargaining for most public employees. Republican legislators vowed to appeal the decision.
The Trump administration is likely to reverse some climate policies but local officials are determined to continue addressing impacts on their communities.
Fearing political backlash, governors use their clemency powers far less than they once did. But it’s a powerful tool for addressing injustice.
