Governing: State and local government news and analysis
A draft plan for co-management of Bears Ears National Monument comes after years of advocacy from native organizations, but federal policies don’t go far enough. Co-stewardship of public lands is Indigenous peoples’ inherent right.
Lacey Beaty came into office as mayor of Beaverton, Ore., with less power than her predecessor. That hasn't stopped her from taking on the city's biggest issue.
Climate and weather disasters are more frequent and more costly. What can be done to keep insurers viable and property owners protected?
Many positions on ballots across the nation for the 2023 General Election had one or fewer candidates. Of the nearly 28,000 unique positions up for election last year, over 17,000 were uncontested.
Local government finance officers can employ revenue, procurement and other tactics that disrupt the status quo to finance important initiatives.
Most government employees at the state and local level have returned to their respective offices at least part time, but some legislators and other officials want to make in-person work mandatory.
Federal mandates that steer contracts to unionized companies exacerbate the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage. Taxpayers lose when responsible contractors that do a quality job at the best price are frozen out.
A new order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeks to prod longer-term planning to address growing power demands and the transition to renewables.
With most public retirement systems seeing improved actuarial funding levels, there’s an opportunity to offer options that could make government compensation more competitive. But any impetus for change should come from pragmatic public employers, not partisans or lobbyists.
Enterprisewide systems enable efficiency and community engagement. With its application of GIS, the city-county government is showing the value of that approach.
Some conservatives want Washington to stay out of disaster zones, leaving the job to states and localities, along with private insurance. This won't fly politically or practically.
The two are intertwined, yet too often they aren’t viewed that way. Aligning them is a strategy for creating strong rural and Native communities.
Future in Context
Eric Goldman, associate dean of research at Santa Clara University School of Law, assesses concerns around the impending TikTok ban or buyout. It faces significant First Amendment challenges, he said.
The passage of the federal DATA Act 10 years ago and its implementation provide a road map for bipartisan reform at every level of government.
Prevention, harm reduction and treatment all depend on data collection. It’s even more important now, as new substances and mixtures find their way into the drug supply.
American Indians were not granted citizenship by Congress until 1924. A prominent attorney discusses civil rights progress since then.
Her prosecution of Trump has drawn controversy and legal challenges, but it hasn't hurt her at home. The speaker of the Texas House, however, faces serious challenges to his leadership.
A new report tracked pedestrian fatality rates in the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Almost all of them are becoming more dangerous.
They’re resolved through bizarre, often comical procedures, involving everything from coin tosses to cowboy hats to ping-pong balls. But nothing is as bewildering as the way a tied presidential election is decided — an exercise in nonsense.
There are powerful arguments against cities spending lots of money on professional sports. On the other hand, the prestige of having home teams carries some tangible benefits.
Unions have recently enjoyed some success in both recruitment and labor actions. They now face resistance from lawmakers in red states, particularly in the South.
The movement to build tiny houses has gotten a lot of attention, but it hasn’t gained much traction in the market. Still, there may be some applications for homes of just a few hundred square feet.
Future in Context
The assessment and educational tool offers insights and solutions for improving government web performance. Based on its criteria, many state and federal agencies have updated their sites.
Election skeptics haven’t taken their eyes off Georgia since the last presidential election. Officials there are working to make sure 2024 outcomes are as bulletproof as its 2020 results have proved to be.
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation awarded Safe Streets for All grants to 99 communities this month. The grants help fund planning and demonstration projects to reduce dangerous conflicts between road users.
Tuberculosis has reclaimed from COVID-19 the title of the world’s deadliest infectious disease. We have no excuse not to succeed in ending it.
Florida has a reputation as a low-tax state, thanks to its lack of a personal income tax, but top earners get bigger breaks than low-income individuals.
Most U.S. states offer Medicare Advantage plans to their state retirees, while 12 states offer Medicare Advantage exclusively.
The numbers don’t seem to support the need for new state laws cracking down on illegal occupancy. There are better things policymakers could do to deal with the larger issues around housing.
Transit agencies are facing overlapping crises, including a shortage of maintenance workers. They’ll need new recruiting and training regimens to hire more workers and transition to zero-emission fleets, per a new report.
