8 states move to ban utilities from using customer money for lobbying
Utilities have come under fire for lobbying to stall climate policies and keep fossil fuel plants running.
No fare! Free bus rides raise questions of fairness, viability.
The strategy is especially helpful to lower-paid workers, but it might not be sustainable.
City extends police department’s ‘life changing’ 4-day workweek pilot
The decision comes after the data shows that the 32-hour workweek resulted in faster emergency response times and cost savings
More taxpayer money benefits pro sports owners amid ‘stadium construction wave’
Research shows stadium and arena projects are poor public investments.
Federal permitting hampers climate goals and natural disaster mitigation, counties say
Officials, who are calling for reforms, say environmental regulations shouldn’t lead to yearslong waits to build transmission lines or impede their ability to respond to natural disasters.
County officials lobby for internet subsidies
The FCC is currently turning away hundreds of thousands seeking assistance. If Congress doesn’t soon approve more funding, rural and urban county officials warn, millions will be plunged into “digital darkness.”
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.”
How trusted are state and local governments?
Confidence in lower levels of government may be better than in the federal government, but it’s still not nearly good enough. And that stands in the way of state and local leaders’ ability to get things done.
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.
Border deal dies in the U.S. Senate, despite pleas from mayors
State and local leaders called for Congress to pass the proposal, but Republican Senators acknowledged it did not have enough support after House Speaker Mike Johnson declared it “DEAD on arrival.”
Halfway through ‘unwinding,’ Medicaid enrollment is down about 10 million
While many beneficiaries no longer qualify because their incomes rose, millions of people have been dropped from the rolls for procedural reasons like failing to respond to notices or return paperwork.
Power outages leave poor communities in the dark longer
Evidence from of a study of 15 million outages raises questions about recovery times.
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.
Senate proposal commits billions to cities for migrant crisis
The proposal would speed up the process of determining if a person qualifies for asylum in an effort to put an end to “migrants who can't work sleeping on the streets or crowding homeless shelters.”
FCC will start turning away hundreds of thousands seeking internet subsidies
The program serving 23 million low-income households will begin winding down this month. It is set to run out of money in April unless Congress can reach an agreement to increase funding.
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.
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