Governing: State and local government news and analysis
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.
Their inventor wanted them to be centers of social life. They never really achieved that goal, but the ones that remain are more than just places to spend money.
Milwaukee County has one of the nation’s highest death rates from synthetic opioids. It’s deploying millions of opioid settlement dollars to fund programs across a variety of agencies.
It’s hard to see recent moves by Georgia’s lieutenant governor as anything more than a Republican strategy to win some elections. But there’s an argument for embracing whatever bipartisanship is offered.
Only 116 of the nation’s nearly 7,400 state lawmakers qualify as “working class,” according to a new survey.
Public data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods unaware whether the air they breathe is safe.
The fight over the procedure will come to a head in the November election. A proposed ballot initiative would add abortion protections to the state constitution, while two open state Supreme Court seats are up.
Pay and benefits are important, but a better-trained, more professional workforce is crucial as well. State child-care administrators and agencies are key to making it happen.
Although population losses have slowed in most major cities, they haven't stopped. New York has lost nearly a half-million people since the start of the pandemic.
Future in Context
Faced with increasing traffic and declining gas tax revenue, policymakers and city planners are taking another look at dynamic pricing. If you love buying airline and concert tickets, they have got a deal for you.
Getting rid of personal income taxes entirely, which several states are considering, would gut services and shift taxes onto those least able to afford them.
Gov. Maura Healey called for a blanket pardon on Wednesday. A few contemporary governors have made far more use of their pardon power than recent predecessors.
