Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Despite a shift in the definition of the term “smart city” in recent years, the effort to make cities smarter continues, and it has evolved to include new technologies — and even tech-agnostic approaches.
What happened in a Milwaukee courthouse is an escalation of the Trump administration’s assault on the rule of law. And it won’t keep us safer.
Gov. Greg Abbott has brought school vouchers to Texas. It's an achievement that can be studied by politicians of all parties.
A new law allows for removing elementary school children from a classroom, and then assessing the causes of the problematic behavior. Schools may need funding for more counselors to do so, however.
Traditional pensions and 401(k)-style government plans have undergone major changes in portfolio structure since 2000, mostly for the better. But recent market gyrations remind us that there are always opportunities for improvement.
Noncitizen voting is extremely rare, and a presidential executive order would create unfunded mandates and unintended consequences, two former Republican secretaries of state argue.
In contrast to what’s going on in Washington, state and local leaders are leveraging the technology to make government genuinely work better.
New legislation would shield officers from prosecution for acts taken in the line of duty. Critics say no one should be unaccountable.
There are a number of steps that state and local leaders could take to narrow the funding gap by tens of billions, making the most of the money that is available to keep the faucets flowing.
To address the housing crisis, we need to pick up the pace of development without sacrificing commitments to low-income residents and environmental protections.
Starbase, the Texas home of SpaceX, will likely vote to become a city next month. Then the work of creating a government from scratch will begin.
Letitia James and other Democratic attorneys general have emerged as Trump’s leading antagonists, with lawsuits that have been essentially relentless.
Most of Alabama may be covered in forests, but asphalt still reigns on school playgrounds. The Alabama Forestry Foundation wants to change that.
The causes of these alarming gaps in equitable access to emergency care are complex. Fixing the problem won’t come from patchwork efforts or temporary fixes.
By cutting out middlemen and dealing directly with pharmacies, Ohio’s Medicaid system saved money even as it dramatically increased payments to pharmacists.
Programs in Colorado and Illinois home in on finding and supporting health-care practitioners willing to work — and hopefully remain — in underserved rural areas.
These programs align with core American values. Democrats shouldn’t be the only ones defending them.
Voters in three states enshrined Medicaid expansions in their state constitutions. Those states could be on the hook if Congress cuts program funding significantly.
More than 1.1 million college students from other countries inject billions of dollars into local economies and support hundreds of thousands of jobs. Losing them over fears of federal immigration policies would be a blow for cities and towns across the country.
Several governors and legislatures are looking to ban SNAP recipients from using their food stamps to pay for candy and soda.
With federal cuts coming, states, cities and counties need to step up their understanding of the programs they run and the priorities they hope to preserve.
Its electoral system, bolstered by strong economic and social institutions, enables lawmakers to vote their consciences in bipartisan coalitions.
Only 22 states meet recommended security standards. But some states have come up with new approaches on their own.
The Texas House has approved a $1 billion school voucher program. It’s the latest victory for a school choice movement that’s been on a roll in state legislatures.
As momentum builds in Washington to refresh the program, attention needs to be paid to key leverage points. Along with public officials, philanthropy, investors and coalitions have important roles to play.
With bipartisan support, the legislature has passed one of the nation's most expansive bills offering protection to abuse survivors convicted or accused of a crime connected to their abuse. Other states may follow.
A working group of mayors believes climate resilience and economic security go hand in hand.
It’s appealing to say that disaster relief should be left to states and localities. The less appealing reality is that they aren’t up to the job.
The construction industry is short by nearly a half-million workers. More states could emulate Wisconsin's growing apprentice program.
Congress and some red states are pushing for work requirements but most recipients already work. Medicaid and other state programs typically don’t offer job assistance or training.
