Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Many center-city downtowns continue to struggle, but Americans, especially younger adults, still want walkability.
With California facing a serious budget crunch, lawmakers may have to curb their policy ambitions in a variety of areas. Ahead of April tax collections, it's not yet clear if proposed cuts will be deep enough.
Housing used to be primarily a local concern. With millions of units needed, state policymakers are looking for ways to boost supply.
Biden’s budget would provide billions, along with heavy-handed regulation, but it won’t expand the supply. The way to build more housing and tame prices is for states to encourage local innovation.
Texas’ recent unwinding of Medicaid and CHIP has been criticized, dropping more than a million people eligible for the health insurance programs. Decades ago, Texas officials got kids health insurance in record time.
With their numbers up more than 50 percent since 2016, women have achieved near-parity on councils in 15 major cities. Salaries on those councils have climbed an average of 27 percent.
It takes partnerships among school districts, higher education, employers and community leaders to unlock the potential for more students to earn a degree that leads to significantly higher lifetime earnings. States can do a lot to make that happen.
Roanoke lost the headquarters of two Fortune 500 companies. It created a promising future by retooling itself for biotech.
After serving for years as a top prosecutor, Liz Murrill was elected as AG last November. She spoke with Governing about some of her priorities.
Lobbying at the state and federal level is a good investment for all cities, but pays off most for ones that are already wealthy.
The Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore has closed the port and a key access road indefinitely. But many shippers and other companies were already more attuned to supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge collision in Florida, back in 1980, changed the way bridges are built. A civil engineer explains what might change after Baltimore.
Teachers aren't the only educators walking off the job. At least 30 percent of districts in every state have seen superintendent turnover in the past five years.
Proven measures to protect health such as vaccines and even fluoridation are under increasing threat. Misinformation must be combated with facts about the way these interventions save lives.
New federal regulations would force a shift to fuel-efficient hybrids and electric vehicles in the coming years. States such as New Jersey are already raising gas taxes and adopting EV fees.
The data on traffic fatalities and injuries doesn’t account for their needs or even count them. Better data would enable better solutions.
Veterans were once half as likely as the general population to land in prison. Now, they're twice as likely. State and local officials are trying to prevent this from happening.
The country needs a lot of new infrastructure. But we keep putting it in the wrong places.
Congress could enable cities to employ tax-exempt bonds to help stabilize their office tax bases in a way that’s friendly to both taxpayers and the IRS. There might already be opportunities for brave mayors and crafty public financiers.
More than $100 billion in private investment has already been spurred by the federal Inflation Reduction Act, helping to drive advanced manufacturing in many states.
Future in Context
Complete bans, age verification and new online tools are in play as government, the tech industry and parents contend for influence and control in determining how to keep minors safe online.
Health outcomes and life expectancy improve in counties where residents have greater opportunity to engage in civic life.
Canceling the presidential primary cost Florida Democrats in local races. In Ohio, it looks like Jason Stephens will survive as state House speaker after contested primaries.
The Reconnecting Communities program is giving $3.3 billion to help cities address problems caused by highways. But in most cases, the projects stop short of removing highways altogether.
At the canvass of the Gillespie County GOP primary, election workers said poor penmanship, data entry lapses, transposed numbers and simple math mistakes led to discrepancies.
The idea behind the system was to help push candidates toward the broad middle of the electorate. The latest Senate contest exposed its flaws.
States have devoted billions of dollars to replenishing their unemployment trust funds, but many are still short. Fewer states are now prepared for a recession than before the pandemic.
It’s not only because of increasingly common and costly natural disasters. Can other states learn from Florida’s experiences and its lawmakers’ efforts to cope with the problem?
Nonprofit groups have helped preserve access to abortion even in states where the procedure's been banned.
New research finds that Native Americans are more exposed to flood risk than other groups, but Black and Asian communities are less exposed than predominantly white ones. Overall, the risk to property is much greater than depicted in official FEMA maps.
