Governing: State and local government news and analysis
As the president honored 14 ordinary Americans who defended democracy, Republicans in Congress engaged in a silly game to elect a speaker of the House. The contrast could not have been greater.
CARES. ARPA. IIJA. These bills and more have put billions into the state and local government market. We break down the major federal funding packages and how they’re being put to use.
Our attention to attacks on political figures fades quickly as we move on, seeing them as the isolated acts of deranged individuals. But we need to face up to the deep problems they reflect in our society.
State coffers are overflowing, but inflation could put a pinch on spending plans and tax cuts. The labor market remains tight just when the demand for more teachers is skyrocketing. And then there are the ongoing culture wars. Welcome to 2023.
They will help fund energy-saving and climate projects for businesses and homeowners. Congress’s approval of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund could supercharge green banks across the nation.
A lawmaker’s change of heart could make North Carolina the 40th state to expand Medicaid.
Nineteen states have never had a woman as chief executive, and only a few have had more than one. What made Arizona such an outlier?
Washington, D.C., like many other cities, has seen a rise in remote work since the pandemic began. The lingering trend is prompting new conversations around how transit agencies and their services must change.
A quarter of adults with health care debt owe more than $5,000. And about 1 in 5 with any amount of debt said they don’t expect to ever pay it off. The country's health care system is pushing patients into debt on a mass scale.
Diversity in who is elected governor is important. In a time of decreasing trust in democracy, women governors send a message to all Americans that their government is representative of all its people.
People love to be close to a lake, a river or an ocean, and waterfronts can be a major urban achievement. Why have so many cities done a poor job of cultivating this amenity?
From public health to climate change to immigration, there will be plenty of challenges for our federal system to contend with. But the tensions will be more about social policies and regulation than about money.
Illinois is the latest state where voters have supported employees’ efforts to organize and bargain collectively. Across the country, unions enjoy record high approval, and research shows they’re good for economic growth.
The nation's longest-serving attorney general was denied an 11th term. In an exit interview, he reflects on how he and other state AGs changed the way tobacco, tech, drug and finance companies operate.
Disinflation and economic deceleration will dominate state and local budgets and investments. Cash is king, at least for a while. Payroll costs will outrace revenues. It’s going to be a year for muddling through.
Polls recently showed DeSantis with big leads over Donald Trump in a potential GOP presidential match up as his ultra-conservative moves garner attention. But many think a pivot back to his more moderate ways would be hard to do.
Only 59 percent of homeless students in Washington state graduate from high school in four years. But North Thurston Public Schools has their more than 600 homeless students graduating at nearly the same rate as their peers.
The county program runs images against a database of roughly 9 million mugshots of people who have been booked into detention facilities, but lacks a way to track its outcomes or effectiveness, according to a report.
If pay simply kept pace with inflation since the most recent raise in 1988, state senators would now make more than $30,000. Experts say that increasing pay could help diversify the Legislature, making it more like the people they represent.
Years-long permitting processes across multiple agencies, community opposition and high costs can result in the state taking a decade to build new electrical infrastructure.
The House has approved compromise bipartisan legislation to establish a national standard for data privacy. Lawmakers will also debate antitrust legislation aimed at the tech industry.
The city's Red Line project was canceled by Gov. Larry Hogan in 2015 after 12 years of planning. As Hogan leaves office, the project may be back. But advocates still want to change the way transit decisions are made.
Oregon has had an ambivalent relationship with the death penalty for decades. Meanwhile, tackling issues with blanket policies versus case-by-case, a Pennsylvania House dispute continues and odds and ends to close out the year.
South Dakota voters adopted the program last month, bypassing the state’s conservative Legislature. But only two more states have the ability to vote on Medicaid expansion, while the remaining 11 states will need to win over GOP lawmakers.
In the 19th century, Americans sought a more sentimental way to honor their dead. The unintended result was a rise in green spaces within urban areas, as well as the creation of the first suburbs.
Its popularity is growing so fast that cities need to scramble to keep up with demand for facilities and to take advantage of its economic potential. They also will have to consider its racial and class implications.
Some Global South cities are using escalators and cable cars to connect their hill slums with city centers, showcasing how imaginative infrastructure can improve life for residents in isolated areas.
The development of a COVID-19 vaccine was a triumph, but one that only had meaning if enough Americans were vaccinated. A new book tells the inside story of how that challenge was met.
You can make the case that it is, and not just in size. Every city is distinctive in some way, but nothing comes close to New York in the breadth and depth of its demographics, neighborhoods and culture.
Inflation punished Wall Street and Main Street, and public financiers who ignored it squandered billions. Congress passed two bills important to states and localities. And pensions took a hit, but taxpayers won’t feel that pain for years.
