Governing: State and local government news and analysis
The expanding legalization of marijuana sales is failing to give entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities a chance to get into the cannabis business. Policymakers should take a new look at licensing, tax and other policies.
A new report analyzes the home and auto energy use of each state and finds that Utah is the most efficient. Investing in energy efficiency can yield long-term savings for individuals, businesses and governments alike.
On Tuesday, Republicans picked up an Iowa House seat long held by Democrats. The GOP isn’t scoring tremendous gains but the party’s hold on power at the state level continues to frustrate Democrats.
Unlike some government jobs, public finance positions often pay better than private-sector competitors. But an aging workforce and departures at senior levels present challenges.
We’ve tried taxing drinkers, smokers and soda-guzzlers. Sometimes it helps, improving the public’s health, even if it doesn’t produce a lot of revenue. But it still raises equity and moral issues.
The Constitution meant for Congress to pass bills by a simple majority. But the process has changed over the decades, turning the Senate’s cautious view on legislation into a major obstacle that can only be fixed by reform.
Most state CIOs expect remote work to continue and for digital services to keep proliferating. That introduces a host of shifting priorities, including a renewed need for cybersecurity enhancements and identity tools.
With the prospect of major federal funding to expand the social safety net, communities need to plan for investing these resources effectively. Big funding alone doesn’t ensure good program outcomes.
Years of budget cuts and lack of political support left public health officials without the resources to rapidly contain COVID-19. Brian Castrucci, CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, discusses what needs to happen now.
Facebook and its ilk bombard us with vitriolic content, and their algorithms help to divide Americans. Local-government leaders need to keep this in mind when they offer up incentives to attract their operations.
Going into next year, the Fed is likely to throttle back policies that have kept rates near zero. That presents opportunities — and risks. Nobody wants to repeat the local government fiscal disasters of not so long ago.
A mobile workforce needs housing options beyond long leases, but regulations stand in the way of short-term rentals.
Fax machines have largely disappeared from private-sector offices, yet remain in many state and local government agencies. Eliminating them will not only save money, but also push forward digital services.
Governing’s humanities scholar in residence lays out four coping strategies for dealing with the troubled state of America. One of them demands something of us for the common good.
Four years after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, federal money to rebuild its electricity system is finally about to flow. But it may not deliver what islanders want.
Artificial intelligence made few gains during the pandemic, Gartner finds, even as more agencies turn to chatbots. Confusion about the technology and anxiety among government workers are among the main hurdles.
At issue is the right to carry handguns in public, not just keep them at home. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Nov. 3.
For nearly 80 years, a small town in Maryland has played host to presidents, world leaders and the media, taking the glamour and attention in stride.
Despite what the pundit/political class says, most Americans agree on a lot more than they disagree on. Partisanship is real, but it doesn’t define us.
The country’s third largest subway system, once a public transit gem, suffered greatly thanks to a fragmented funding structure. Now, a regional effort to save the system is working, but COVID-19 presents a new hurdle.
The pandemic sent municipal revenues into a tailspin. They still haven't fully recovered, but $65 billion from Uncle Sam is easing a lot of pain.
Responses to most diseases don't fall along partisan lines, but COVID-19 has been an exception. Anti-vaccine sentiments used to be bipartisan but now are held mostly by Republicans.
Residents of Sun Belt metros rate quality of life higher than residents of other fast-growing regions. But common concerns suggest that local leaders should pay more attention to the basics of governance.
As attacks on state and local organizations become the rule and not the exception, leaders need to reprioritize their defenses. And they may need to confront a difficult question: Should we pay up?
Methane emissions have an outsized impact on global warming. A public-private partnership uses data from flyovers and satellites to identify where the greenhouse gas can be found, including government landfills.
A new report from the federal government brings urgency to a veteran geologist’s longtime warnings about the crippling of the Colorado River.
The multibillion-dollar proposal would represent a “once in a generation” investment in broadband networks. Here’s what it would do, and what it leaves out.
Issues at every level of the supply chain—from a dearth of truck drivers and warehouse workers to droughts and heat waves—as well as staff shortages in the school lunch workforce have schools asking: How do we feed our kids?
Are stricter privacy regulations a good thing? As more state and local governments look to protect data privacy, a couple of industry experts point out some of the challenges associated with these types of policies.
Republican attorneys general have already filed more than a dozen joint lawsuits against the Biden administration. All presidents should expect to be challenged by AGs from the other party.
