A seasoned legislator looks to help newcomers navigate the complex world of lawmaking
As state legislatures across the country prepare for the new session, Washington state Sen. Karen Keiser offers newly elected lawmakers advice in a new book that looks back on a 25-year career.
Strengthening Medicaid should remain a national imperative
COMMENTARY | Congress and state lawmakers should do everything in their power to ensure that anyone who needs Medicaid now and in the future is able to get it.
Child care gaps in rural America threaten to undercut small communities
Communities with child care deserts, or areas with an insufficient supply of child care providers, could see fewer working adults and poorer educational and behavioral health outcomes for children.
States and localities in 2023: A look at the top stories of the year
The first half of the year was marked by the end of pandemic-era benefits. The second half was dominated by the shutdown. All the while, leaders were preoccupied with infrastructure, technology and flags.
In new year, all immigrants in California may qualify for Medicaid regardless of legal status
New enrollees will join more than 655,000 children, young adults through age 25, and adults 50 or over who have already signed up for Medi-Cal through previous expansions to residents lacking legal authorization.
These pandemic-era relief programs expired in 2023
As the federal government rolled up its pandemic-era social safety net, state and local governments stepped in to fill the gaps in housing, child care and food assistance.
The latest youth climate lawsuit tries a novel argument: The unique environmental vulnerability of children
Eighteen California children say the EPA fails to recognize the unique physical and mental impacts climate change has on kids.
Recovery Court: This judicial diversion program converts sweat equity into freedom
COMMENTARY | Recovery Court in Grayson and Carroll counties in Virginia allows some defendants to add a fitness program to their judicial interventions. The program may help some defendants stay out of jail, and the judges behind the initiative hope it will contribute to long-term recovery.
You’re not tripping: State and local leaders give psychedelics another chance
More than 50 years after policymakers started cracking down on the hallucinogenic drugs, states and cities are now embracing them as a way to treat mental health disorders.
Mayors urge ATF to finalize rules to expand background checks
The proposed rules would close the “gun show loophole,” which is one of several loopholes that currently allows one-fifth of all the guns sold in the nation to be sold without background checks.
Feds consider limiting how states can use welfare funds
The Biden administration says that the 1996 welfare reforms gave states too much spending flexibility. Now, it wants to claw back back some of those freedoms.
On the Agenda 2024: State and local issues to watch
Here are the 10 biggest challenges government leaders will confront in the new year.
Why the 14th Amendment bars Trump from office: A constitutional law scholar explains principle behind Colorado Supreme Court ruling
COMMENTARY | Colorado’s Supreme Court has removed Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot. A scholar of constitutional law explains why.
What HUD’s annual homelessness count misses
Rather than relying on a single metric, communities need to develop a data infrastructure they can use to track, reduce and end homelessness.
A court struck down local gas bans—so Seattle and other cities are getting creative
Amid an uncertain legal landscape, lawmakers are finding new ways to electrify buildings.
Homelessness is increasing nationwide, but some cities see significant declines
Many believe they are seeing more people experiencing homelessness than ever before. But in three major cities, the data contradicts that perception.
How to make skills-based hiring work
Now that many public sector jobs no longer require a four-year degree, agencies are reframing how they recruit and train new workers, especially for IT jobs.
Documents show Republican-led states struggling to clean voter rolls after leaving ERIC
Officials encounter new obstacles and costs in trying to replace just some of the data they used to get from the Electronic Registration Information Center, unreleased records show.
How police have undermined the promise of body cameras
Hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars have been spent on what was sold as a revolution in transparency and accountability. Instead, police departments routinely refuse to release footage—even when officers kill.
Mental health funding is fast becoming “the bipartisan issue of our time”
States from California to Texas are increasingly investing in mental health as a recognition takes hold that the status quo isn’t working.
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