Corporate tax breaks are costing schools billions
A three-month investigation by The Conversation finds that tax abatements are coming at the expense of critical funding for school districts. But not all schools in a community are sharing the cash drain equally.
House rejects an increase to the SALT cap
Election-year politics derailed an effort to raise the amount in state and local taxes married couples could deduct. Local governments argued an increase in the cap would help “hardworking American families facing higher federal tax bills.”
Counties want more money for elections. Washington is unlikely to provide it.
“I just don't want anybody to walk out of here thinking that all of a sudden a massive flow of funds is going to come forward,” a House committee chairman told county officials.
As pandemic aid winds down, states scramble to fill gaps
COVID-19 left a lasting mark on a few sectors, with schools, public transit and child care providers facing fiscal cliffs as federal funding dries up. State legislators, many already grappling with shortfalls, are looking for solutions.
As concerns over gambling addiction mount, states are set to rake in millions from Super Bowl bets
Sports betting has spread to 38 states and Washington, D.C., over the past five years. In that time, states have also seen massive increases in calls to gambling addiction hotlines. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.
The Senate wants states to recover the billions lost to unemployment fraud during the pandemic
A bipartisan proposal would let states keep a quarter of the funds they recoup. It is similar to a House proposal passed last year.
States’ prescription boards tackle high drug costs
At least 11 states are developing drug cost review boards to identify and address costs of expensive medications.
A Superfund for climate change? States consider a new way to make Big Oil pay.
Vermont joins three others in trying to make the fossil fuel industry finance climate action.
The House has restored the child tax credit. Here’s how it would work.
If the Senate approves the tax package, low-income households would receive between $670 and $730 in benefits per child, much less than during the pandemic.
Surge in syphilis cases leads some providers to ration penicillin
Injectable penicillin is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only treatment considered safe for pregnant people with the disease. But as rates of syphilis increase across the U.S., a shortage of the injectable has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.
House passes bipartisan tax bill
The measure restores some of the popular expanded child tax credit, as well as a credit that helps states build affordable housing.
Private equity’s growing footprint in home health care draws scrutiny
The home health care industry is lucrative—and lightly regulated.
Private schools, public money: School leaders are pushing parents to exploit voucher programs
Voucher expansions have unleashed a flood of additional taxpayer dollars to the benefit of families already enrolled in private schools. In Ohio, some schools are now “strongly encouraging” parents to apply for vouchers, regardless of need or income.
FEMA to overhaul disaster aid to better help those most in need
The changes would address “the inequitable distribution of benefits” and help more low-income and homeless people.
One city’s effort to cancel $2B in residents’ medical debt
New York City joins a growing number of local governments looking to purchase and eliminate residents’ medical debt in a bid to improve communities’ health and economic outcomes.
Federal lawmakers take first steps toward oversight of $50 billion in opioid settlements
The four-page bill lists how states should spend settlement money, but it doesn’t specify consequences for flouting the rules or name who is in charge of monitoring compliance.
A short-term spending deal has been reached that would keep the government open until March
The deal, though, doesn’t include funding for two critical programs for low-income people.
Child tax credit revived under proposal in Congress
Negotiators in the House and Senate reached a deal on a proposal to restore the popular credit, as well as one that helps build housing for low-income families.
How state and local agencies are working together to quell the opioid crisis
Leaders at every level of government underlined the importance of collaboration to effectively leverage funding to address the nationwide opioid epidemic during a recent National Association of Counties event.
WIC program on pace to fall $1B short, says agriculture secretary
Unless Congress budgets more, the program will run out of money in mid-August, forcing states to waitlist those seeking help.
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