Governing: State and local government news and analysis
The Biden administration wants to help remove all lead service lines in the U.S. within the next decade. A new report from the Center for American Progress highlights progress in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
As the nation’s housing crisis continues, many cities are altering their policies for affordable housing developments. But some states are trying to rein in the incentives.
In places as varied as Tucson and Bangkok, ways are being found to replenish shrinking aquifers. It’s a matter of “water consciousness.”
An analytic tool known as a long-term budget assessment can help states anticipate the fiscal challenges that lie ahead and change course in time to avoid them. Unfortunately, only a minority of states do this.
Do cameras on our porches, at traffic lights, in our parks and along our streets really contribute to our overall security? The data are unpersuasive.
About a dozen states have passed legislation to promote sales of water and wastewater utilities. Although private money can fund upgrades, environmentalists say drinking water shouldn't be a for-profit enterprise.
What you need to get up to speed in terms of how state lawmakers are addressing education, energy, health, housing and even international affairs.
There are millions of them, many of them still want to work, and they have a lot to offer. It’s time to rethink laws and pension rules that prevent them from contributing.
Tech entrepreneurs make the case that government and big tech will both benefit by sharing a focus on the public good.
They’re a complex tangle of technology and services with multiple stakeholders, so regulation is messy. There is a particular decision-making process that could help.
On the heels of a recent report from the state’s AI Task Force, Gov. Kevin Stitt is advocating for the removal of human workforce redundancies in favor of artificial intelligence systems.
Washington provided $800 billion in pandemic relief. With most of that money spent, states now face major funding gaps for Medicaid, while school districts, child care providers and transit agencies are also struggling.
Future in Context
Mental health, climate and workforce are at the core of a complex cluster of issues confronting lawmakers this year.
A few states are proposing massive cash infusions to help struggling transit systems. But most aren’t — at least not yet.
Tens of billions in federal funds are on the way to spread high-speed Internet across the countryside. States should structure their grant programs to make sure markets are competitive.
Almost half of working Americans are underpaid. Wage standards for companies that receive government funding could help change this.
Culture-war conflicts obscure our neglect of a responsibility for holistic, constructive legislative oversight of public higher education. Lawmakers should hold governing boards accountable for meeting the needs of their students.
Urban downtowns are navigating a “doom loop” of office vacancy, retail decline and lower transit ridership. Things look both a bit different and somewhat similar in the suburbs.
Legislatures and governors are not afraid of undermining — or even downright repealing — citizen initiatives that win at the ballot box.
Long-term financial incentives for investment success are commonplace in the private sector, but tricky to design in public retirement plans. The implementation challenges are structural, operational, methodological and, yes, political.
The Ogallala Aquifer, which spans eight states along the Great Plains, is the only reliable water source for parts of its region. Farmers have pumped its groundwater for decades and, as it dwindles, rural towns need to preserve their sole water source.
Swatting — falsely reporting a serious emergency to provoke aggressive police response — is on the rise. Fighting this dangerous and distracting trend remains challenging, both legally and technologically.
Public universities are under siege in too many places as elected officials move to install new leaders and limit what can be taught. Educational institutions should be safe for learning and as incubators for democracy.
Last year was one of the Missouri Legislature's least productive sessions in decades. Meanwhile, the Assembly speaker in Wisconsin faces a recall attempt.
Fifteen states are not participating in a program to provide meals to school-age children over the summer, due to administrative costs or ideological opposition.
There are 42 homeless shelters in Maine with a total of about 1,170 beds run by various nonprofits throughout the state.
There’s a big audience for it. But people listening to police radio creates serious privacy challenges. They can also hamper law enforcement.
Changes in state laws are making it easier for drug users and responders to test drugs for additives that can prove fatal.
Chases have cost the lives of thousands (half of them innocent bystanders), but sometimes they’re the only way to apprehend violent criminals. Police agencies need nuanced policies to guide their officers.
Providing guaranteed cash with no spending restrictions is massively expensive, and the public doesn’t support the idea. Policymakers should focus on reforms that maximize labor-force participation and make work more worthwhile.
