Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Deepfake images and videos are just one way AI could disrupt the upcoming election. Experts are highlighting risks that could cause bigger problems and helping election officials prepare for them.
Revenue growth over three years outpaced earlier trends and fueled new spending, but has since pulled back. What does it mean for the future of state budgets?
2020 made police reform “sexy” on a policy level, leading to a significant increase in civilian oversight boards around the country. However, in the years following, many of these boards are still trying to find their footing.
Despite the forces working against fair elections, coalitions and grassroots organizations in several states have achieved a lot for democracy.
Insurers have wide latitude on when and how they can deny mental health care. An analysis of all 50 states shows that some are charting new paths to secure mental health care access.
California is notorious for its lack of affordable housing. Still, it's seen a dramatic expansion of one type of housing over the past five years, known as ADUs, offering lessons for other states.
Courts have upheld some bans but struck down others. Some cities and at least one state have considered restricting panhandling in traffic medians due to safety reasons.
Presidents who used to run states sometimes stiff them when it comes to making policy.
A bipartisan group of more than 350 mayors has committed to ambitious targets for fleet electrification and charging infrastructure.
The U.S. is currently building dense housing at the highest rate since the mid-1980s. Former President Barack Obama noted in his convention speech that “we need to build more units and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations.”
As officers’ salaries increased, so did police killings of Black Americans. Job protections from collective bargaining can make some officers less worried about consequences. We need to rethink union contracts.
A boost in federal highway money has helped states break ground on new projects, some of which have languished due to a shortage of funding.
He hasn’t done as well as other Midwestern Democrats in rural America. It’ll be hard for the Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate to overcome Donald Trump’s appeal to rural sentiments of discontent.
Pandemic money from Washington stimulated the economy but arguably ended up feeding inflation. Before the next downturn, governors, mayors and public financers need to be part of the conversation about how to open the countercyclical aid spigot quicker — and when to shut it off.
The humiliation and ridicule that Fulton County’s prosecutor, Fani Willis, has been subject to after indicting Donald Trump are known all too well by African Americans, as a new report documents.
This nonprofit model for increasing affordable housing supply is seeing success in convincing socially motivated investors to accept lower rates of return on rental units.
For more than a century, a Confederate obelisk stood in front of the DeKalb County, Ga., courthouse. On Saturday, the county dedicated a statue of Lewis, a local member of Congress and civil rights pioneer.
At a historic low for divided government, thousands of state lawmakers are on the ballot, and control of some statehouses hangs in the balance.
Her poll numbers mean down-ballot Democrats have more hope than they would have under President Joe Biden. Democrats will also be supporting abortion ballot measures in at least eight states.
The median Detroit household spends 1 out of every 7 dollars earned on car insurance. In 2019, Michigan passed a law to improve the situation—but the state’s Black neighborhoods still paid the highest prices.
Despite free speech challenges, state legislators have continued passing laws that age gate websites or override platforms' terms of service. Experts say there are ways to protect users without drawing First Amendment lawsuits.
As surveys old and new show, support for it falters when it comes to speech that goes against people’s values or beliefs. But the First Amendment was intended to protect unpopular speech.
Minneapolis just unveiled a $60 million water tunnel to help the city manage runoff. But what about the state’s small rural communities?
They personify the misinformation inundating the political system, targeting Democrats and Republicans alike and reaching tens of millions of people. There doesn’t seem to be much that can be done about them.
Heath Grimes won national recognition for serving the growing Hispanic student population in Russellville, Ala. Then the district showed him the door.
Automated external defibrillators are safe and easy for just about anyone to use, and they could save the lives of thousands of cardiac arrest victims every year. Making them available in public spaces is a job for state and local policymakers.
Americans used to split their votes between parties a lot more than they do now. There are a lot of reasons things have changed, particularly growing cultural tribalism. Can we ever regain a bipartisan consensus?
The Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations and other federal commodity food programs have faced shortages due to reliance on a single provider. For many Native American households, FDPIR is their only food source.
On July 19, the Los Angeles Superior Court detected a security breach that forced it to temporarily close for two days, postponing trials and other essential courtroom work. The public deserves a thorough report on what happened.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits that reimburse governments for clean energy investments. New online resources make the program more understandable and accessible.
