Self-government and local control are in jeopardy as never before. Diversity initiatives are engines of equal opportunity, offering a direct return on public investment.
Borrowing to finance infrastructure is now more expensive. Meanwhile, congressional tax writers are toying with the municipal bond tax exemption, scaring both investors and issuers. State and local debt managers have a lot to think about — and worry about.
There are active secession movements in western states where Republicans feel underrepresented. A form of semi-independent home rule within existing states might work better.
Work requirements remain on the table but Congress will not cut the matching rate for the Affordable Care Act expansion or impose per capita limits on states.
The new administration has aggressively pulled back from consumer protection and corporate regulation, leaving it up to the states to protect Americans from abusive business practices.
A bill passed by the state Senate would allow the state attorney general to freeze sales and property tax revenues if a city or county passes laws that don’t conform with state policies.
Counties have relationships with essentially every federal agency. They have to prepare for the biggest policy changes seen in decades.
The administration has a NIMBY problem, facing local opposition to the placement of immigrant detention centers.
Noncitizen voting is extremely rare, and a presidential executive order would create unfunded mandates and unintended consequences, two former Republican secretaries of state argue.
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.
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.
Only 22 states meet recommended security standards. But some states have come up with new approaches on their own.
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.
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.
A new executive order directs the attorney general to identify and stop enforcement of state-level climate laws. The order says such laws hinder American energy dominance.
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