Governing: State and local government news and analysis
After a stormy confirmation process characterized by partisan recriminations in the U.S. Senate, Ketanji Brown Jackson appears to be set to take her seat on the Supreme Court. More than three dozen others have been denied over the last 235 years.
The city of Elk Grove uses an app that pushes citizens who participate in citywide housing density discussions to craft their own solutions, not just object to what has been proposed.
Many could quit their jobs because of harassment and burnout, leaving communities at great risk. The public hostility toward the workers has been referred to as “moral injury.”
They’re criticized for failing to solve every problem that affects their constituents. But the discrimination and racism they face must be factored in, and they lack access to institutions that could strengthen their hand.
Nearly one-third of cities and counties would be unable to tell if they were under attack in cyberspace. Many lack sound IT practices, while rigid policies, politics and bureaucracy can hinder better defense practices.
The White House has taken the first step. It’s time for our governments at every level to underwrite a public-private “solidarity bridge” to host many more: up to a million refugees and wartime orphans.
Municipal broadband is booming, growing 600 percent since 2018. These alternatives to private-sector Internet service promise better access and affordability to communities. But are they really cost-effective?
In the 19th century, Franconia Notch, a popular tourist site known for its pristine beauty, came under threat from the logging industry. A coalition of women’s groups started a grass-roots campaign to conserve the region.
Just 51 years old, nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, if confirmed, would join a growing list of relatively young justices who are likely to serve for much longer than was anticipated when lifetime appointments were first codified.
Two platforms are offering another layer of security in the voting process; one offers voters real-time alerts if registration information changes, while another flags unusual patterns of record updates for election officials.
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.
