Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Consumers are feeling pain at the pump and demanding solutions. Some politicians are pushing gasoline tax waivers – but that means less money to fix roads, and often not much economic relief.
It’s killing tens of thousands of Americans every year. Expanding access to highly effective medication-assisted treatment and empowering nurse practitioners to provide primary care are key to meeting the challenge.
In the 1970s, the city created a new generation of homesteaders by practically giving away vacant homes. Now, the idea has been revitalized by a city councilor. But not everyone is convinced it will work.
In seeking support for a plan aimed at easing traffic with vehicle tolls, cities need to reach out early on to those who would be affected and address their concerns.
Congress’ “advice and consent” to the president on appointments to the judiciary has become sharply partisan — and the numbers prove it.
A new study highlights innovative state-level strategies driven by data that emerged during the pandemic to address social factors undermining the well-being of too many Americans.
Revenues are robust enough to allow for increased spending, and tax cuts on top of it. But current flush conditions might not last long enough to turn permanent cuts into a good idea.
Small experiments for solving social problems may seem to work, but at least half of them fall apart when they’re expanded to a larger constituency. Costs are the main explanation, although not the only one.
An annual report from the K12 Security Information Exchange says ransomware has surpassed data breach attacks as the largest category of cyber attacks on schools, often coming from sophisticated criminals overseas.
Legal scholars argue the “independent state legislature doctrine” is a radical theory that could disenfranchise voters.
Case counts and deaths have dropped dramatically from their January highs, but politicians and the public are giving up protections even as another wave starts forming.
Kansas is just the latest: States keep throwing money at corporations, a practice that does little to improve their economies. What if they all decided to end this wasteful and ruinous arms race?
Bicycle and transportation researchers in Nashville, Tenn., are pointing to the growing phenomenon of electric bikes as the Music City develops its multimodal approach to transportation.
Our resident historian explores three things – court packing, judicial review and meeting the expectations of the appointing presidents – that are not what you thought they were.
After the Tennessee town's Board of Alderman passed a resolution to keep their 153-year-old charter, the Comptroller has begun a financial takeover, which will limit the authority of the town's elected officials.
Civic engagement consultant Irina Fursman, who lived in Ukraine, has raised more than $20,000 from U.S. gov tech companies to help people there meet their basic needs amid the Russian invasion.
Between pay gaps, the pandemic, growing class sizes and legislative directives, “the pressure on teachers right now is so formidable,” one expert said.
Congress is considering a flurry of proposed revisions to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, but some experts say reforms must be nuanced and carefully researched to avoid unintended consequences.
The stimulus program that followed the Great Recession was a model for tracking projects and spending down to the ZIP code level. We don’t have that with the American Rescue Plan, dooming us to fight about what matters most.
Public engagement can have downsides. Neighborhood participation in the housing permitting process makes existing political inequalities worse, limits housing supply and contributes to the affordability crisis.
Housing costs were rising faster than income before historic inflation made things worse. The CEO of Habitat for Humanity blueprints what local governments can do to ease the current crisis.
New econometric analysis brings statistics to bear in support of common-sense conclusions that people can’t stay in neighborhoods if they don’t have homes.
It’s not a household name, but it’s a place with a distinct culture and a raft of economic opportunities.
Elected office should be more than a steppingstone to higher office or wealth accumulation. Among other things, elected officials should respect their constituents and side with the underserved whose voices are rarely heard.
Houston, Texas, has started deploying digital kiosks throughout the city. In addition to offering wayfinding services and municipal resources to residents and visitors, they also serve as Internet connectivity hubs.
Many want to sanction Putin and Co. at every turn, but it’s a mistake to move too quickly. Pension funds actually don’t hold that much in Russian assets, and they're sitting ducks for crafty, amoral traders.
No Democratic governor has been defeated since 2014. Look for that to change in November.
The systems shouldn’t be diluted in the name of “reform.” Licensing benefits women and minorities, brings higher wages and protects the public.
The radicalization of a congressional clerk in the 1800s and the introduction of the telegraph set a young country on a new trajectory.
American farmers are the quintessential do-it-yourself businesspeople. Yet tractor manufacturer John Deere forbids them from attempting to repair their agricultural machinery when it breaks down. But change could be coming.
