Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Florida and Texas have passed social media censorship legislation, but both face legal pushback from advocacy groups. If their cases move forward, it could set a precedent for other states to propose similar legislation.
“Teach-ins” were inspired the first Earth Day. Andra Yeghoian of the San Mateo County Office of Education is leading efforts to make environmental and climate literacy top priorities throughout K-12 systems.
A number of states are seeing dozens of lawmakers retire all at once. Reasons differ, but there’s wide agreement partisanship has poisoned the atmosphere.
Failing to invest in the emergency response communication workforce and infrastructure is taking a toll. One important way to bolster call center employee morale and retention is to reclassify these professionals as first responders.
From regulation to restoration, the work of environmental stewardship falls largely on the shoulders of those in government. For Earth Day 2022, Governing asked public-sector leaders how they see the path forward.
Population growth is slowing or reversing just about everywhere in the country. That has enormous implications for our future economy and prosperity.
The AARP Livability Index, which relaunched this week, scores towns, cities and counties for the services they provide based on several metrics, including housing, transportation, environment and health.
The Twin Cities have always been alike in some ways, very different in others. Their mayors reflect the differences and similar monumental challenges.
Private geographic information companies, rich with useful data, have transportation solutions that governments need to start using.
Our system is too open to frivolous lawsuits intended to squelch free speech. There’s a lot that state lawmakers could do to protect Americans’ First Amendment rights.
Federal lawmakers are asking how to better help the critical infrastructure sector defend against cyber threats. The answer may involve tailored, actionable intelligence and minimum cybersecurity requirements.
Kate Wright, the new executive director of the nonprofit Climate Mayors, talks about the ways that mayors from both parties are on climate’s front lines, working for change.
When urbanists gather, too often the bias is to the issues faced by coastal cities and the Sun Belt. The sense of Midwest irrelevance has always been a part of the American psyche.
Weeks after the U.S. and the G7 countries weaponized the global financial system to impose their harshest-ever sanctions on Russia, fissures are becoming apparent. Countries impose but often backpedal on sanctions against bad actors for a simple reason — a reluctance to go to war.
Smaller cities. Soaring water prices. Scorched desert towns. Arizona confronts a highly uncertain future.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill appears to transform how the federal government subsidizes broadband infrastructure. But evidence suggests that big companies may not allow the status quo to change without a fight.
Interviews and surveys with hundreds of teachers and school administrators reveal the effect of persistent staffing shortages on school personnel – and on students.
Shouldn’t being able to live in an affordable, safe and sanitary home be considered a human right? There are several ways local leaders could attack the problem.
Plus a look at how redistricting reduces competition; why Trump remains the price of admission into GOP primaries; and, the trouble Democrats are in ahead of the midterms.
With miles of second-floor walkways, Minneapolis and St. Paul have struggled to make them appealing without hurting retail businesses at the street level. Then the pandemic hit.
Public stairways were originally built by the hundreds into the hills for a walking workforce that has nearly disappeared. But fans praise the role of the unique transportation system and continue to use them today.
Started by Jerry Brown nearly 50 years ago, the CCC is a rock-solid model for programs that combine workforce development, public service and pushback against climate change.
It’s a fast-growing, multibillion-dollar industry that provides lots of jobs and consists mostly of small businesses. But it’s poorly understood by economic developers.
L.A. Metro bucked digital privacy concerns when it turned to technology to monitor and enforce dedicated bus lane rules. The move is a win that places the rights of bus riders above the privacy of offenders.
Performative politics is failing our cities, crowding out the substantive policy debates we need to produce better outcomes. Where are the modern-day “Sewer Socialists”?
Government workers are going to press for wage increases that — at a minimum — catch them up to rising prices. Budgeters and labor negotiators need to be careful not to lock in terms that put them in a fiscal squeeze in the future.
Pilot projects in five communities will test how best to address the health risks that are connected to homelessness. Results could help guide professionals in reducing what has been a chronic problem.
New data from the Governors Highway Safety Association reports an additional 507 people were struck and killed by U.S. drivers in the first half of the year, continuing a decadelong trend of increasing pedestrian deaths.
The elevation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the nation’s highest court will not only make history but help shape America’s future, one case at a time.
The city has become the state’s most watched police department with both a federal monitor and strong civilian oversight. After a scandal exposed abuses, Oakland’s civilians have the power to overrule the police department.
