Governing: State and local government news and analysis
A new cost-cutting law will move the system toward managed care, likely over a period of about four years.
In recent years, conservatives have championed family-friendly workplace policies as “pro-life” measures.
Funding for a half-dozen tech hubs has been canceled in a setback for promising industrial policies. Local and regional actors must continue the work these valuable projects have begun.
The Oregon state legislature is hoping to raise billions for transportation projects from new sources as gas tax revenue dwindles. Democrats are pushing for a focus on maintenance.
Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis.
No sector stands to lose more from trade wars than agriculture. With the economies of rural communities at stake, states should call for trade policy that supports long-term growth.
President Donald Trump has terminated funding for programs ranging from broadband access to digital literacy. Public officials need to step up to help Americans still trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is proposing a growth-oriented budget for the center of a region on the brink of recession.
Decatur, Ill., has been losing factory jobs for years. A training program at a local community college promises renewal and provides training for students from disenfranchised communities.
The largest affordability gaps are in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts and Montana, where middle-income households can afford fewer than 12 percent of houses on the market. By contrast, they could afford about half the houses for sale in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and West Virginia.
The public health department in New York is one of the largest agencies of its kind. In addition to local health challenges, the city is a place where new diseases can enter the country.
They’re tearing through communities just about everywhere between the Rockies and the Appalachians. The U.S. has seen a broad shift in tornadoes to the east, to earlier in the year and clustered into larger outbreaks.
Conflicting mandates chill innovation and create a compliance nightmare while putting national security at risk. A federal moratorium on state regulation would be a good step toward developing a coherent national strategy.
Washington and the states don’t run the program. Contractors do.
Utah Republicans have sometimes been critical of President Donald Trump, but the state has already enacted several laws that advance “Make America Healthy Again” goals.
We don't just need to fix America's streets and crosswalks and storm drains. We need to think about what — and who — they're for, and bring ethics into the equation.
In Los Angeles, as in other parts of the state, the city and county are failing to cooperate in effective ways.
They must soon decide whether tariffs will push money market rates above or below market expectations — and place their bets. But shrinking tax receipts and federal cost shifting are likely to have a bigger budgetary impact.
In New York, Cuomo's bid for mayor has gone from unlikely to almost inevitable. In other states, more new parties are forming.
A tie vote, with Justice Barrett recusing, upholds an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision blocking state funding for a Catholic-run school.
The plug was pulled five years ago on a Google plan to build a digitally connected neighborhood in Toronto. The innovative opportunities it suggested — and the privacy questions it raised — have not gone away.
A number of states, including Oklahoma, have passed tax cuts that only take effect if future budget numbers are met. That may sound sensible but it hides their true costs.
Many rural districts have adopted shorter weeks, which has been a boon in recruiting teachers. But studies suggest students are missing out.
A congressional proposal would put colleges and universities on the hook when students fail to repay loans. Some experts say that would end up hurting the students themselves.
The vast expansion of private school subsidies is costing states billions of dollars.
Taxing sodas and taking them off SNAP will reduce intake — which in turn will cut down on diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
We should bring housing, drug treatment and research together under one roof to meet affected people where they are.
Overloaded with cases, public defenders often cannot give enough time to each client, and defendants may face long waits to get an attorney.
With so much federal funding going away, states and localities need to identify what’s most important before they decide what to keep. Across-the-board cuts are not the answer.
Maryland has seen its credit rating drop for the first time in decades. It's the latest in a string of challenges for the state's Democratic governor.
