Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Momentum is building for intercity rail service on Colorado’s booming Front Range. With voter approval required for key funding, it could come down to a question of timing.
The federal space agency is contracting out rocket-making. The results can be alarming.
A lot, says one prominent political scientist. But most of all, they aren’t accountable to anyone.
Lawsuits take years, draining money and frustrating everyone involved. The few cases that do make it to trial generate indecipherable rulings. It all undermines faith in our system, and it doesn’t have to be this way.
World Rivers Day 2023 comes with a push to better understand the health of these life-giving resources.
A range of current and former bills are giving housing developers and local governments more options to reduce red tape for housing projects.
Bay Area Rapid Transit launched a new schedule this month with more frequent service on nights and weekends and less frequent service at traditional peak commuter hours. It’s part of a shift toward round-the-clock service at big-city transit agencies.
Cash grants to get remote workers to relocate may sound like desperation. But they can actually work, generating a buzz and bringing in new blood.
With federal deficits soaring, bond issuers may face higher financing costs. State and local cash managers shine for now, but all eyes will be on the coming congressional budget battle.
Energy efficiency can save customers and utilities money, keep supply stable and reduce emissions. But a new survey finds that utilities are doing less to support it.
The state faces a potential impeachment battle. As in Washington, the battle lines are nakedly partisan.
It’s not enough for public and private employers to simply drop college degree requirements. State governments have a crucial role in matching workers and employers based on consistently defined competencies.
Virginia is one of just two states in which legislative control is divided between the parties. Then, what makes special elections so special, Pennsylvania Democrats' struggle to maintain control and attorneys general keep getting in trouble.
Nearly half of all Americans now live in a jurisdiction where it’s legal to smoke weed. But for some workers, including bus drivers and train operators, drug-testing protocols make legalization irrelevant.
It once was widespread in the U.S. We should try it again, at least in a limited way. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Three years after the first-in-the-nation law was passed, a record number of opioid overdoses, bad press and a growing homelessness crisis could slow the movement to treat addiction as a public health matter.
A first-of-its-kind school construction project will save a Maryland school district hundreds of millions of dollars — and create exceptional learning environments.
An issue that seemed settled has returned, with states considering whether to loosen child labor laws. There might be some argument for revisiting them, but there’s evidence of growing abuse of existing laws.
Randy Clarke, the general manager of the Washington Metro, is a public-transit superfan with lots of support in D.C. How long will it last?
Whatever communities can do to nurture “social infrastructure” — places like movie theaters, libraries and swimming pools where people gather to form social bonds — can have a profound impact on addiction and overdose death rates.
There’s much that state lawmakers can do to prevent it from undermining democracy. Some states are already putting stronger safeguards in place, and more should do the same.
Forces around the country are employing civilian investigators and online reporting to address workforce shortages among armed personnel.
Greater investment is key, enabling smaller classes with better-paid teachers, and most state and local governments have the money. But our public schools also need leadership stability and more parental involvement.
D.C.’s program illustrates the growing promise of "stat" programs, with data and analytics enabling a new era of processes and insights.
They are a key source of funding for transportation infrastructure, but have been shrinking for years. Two new reports explore possible alternatives.
Weakening licensing requirements for high-impact technical professions doesn’t help businesses. They value it in their hiring to maintain service quality and avoid liability and reputational damage.
Demand for nonprofit services is on the rise, and legislators are paying more attention to ways they can support the sector.
Many Americans are at risk of outliving their retirement savings. State pension plans could have a new role: selling longevity insurance. It could even save states money in the long run.
Governments need to balance expected returns on their invested cash with the costs of their bonds and other obligations. Shifting a portion of their long-term debt from fixed to floating rate is a way to hedge interest rate risk.
There’s no reason to think the consequences of dumping water contaminated by a nuclear accident into the ocean would be only local or only short-term. No one's drinking that ocean water, but the sea does feed billions of people.
