As cities struggle to shelter migrants, calls for federal action grow
State and local leaders have resorted to desperate measures—sometimes circumventing the federal government—to find housing and support for the influx of asylum seekers. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.
An Illinois plan for ending book bans? Republican senators aren’t on board
A tense hearing on Capitol Hill showed partisan divisions over who should decide what books libraries and schools offer.
A GOP bill would ban California’s pig measure and others like it
The proposal, which is part of the farm bill, would block states from passing laws that could change how agriculture is practiced in other states. Critics say it could upend hundreds of state and local laws.
Emergency rental assistance programs do more than provide cash assistance
Beyond covering rent, the federal funding laid the groundwork for improved partnerships with courts and data integration that will help communities continue providing support.
States could use federal money to add Tesla chargers
Kentucky, Texas and Washington might add extra plugs for the popular EVs, as several automakers indicated they would make cars with the same connections in coming years.
CDC to reduce funding for states’ child vaccination programs
Citing the recent debt ceiling deal, the CDC is trimming its funding to child vaccination programs that focus on communities vulnerable to disease outbreaks. The cuts come despite data showing the percentage of children getting vaccinated has dropped in recent years.
More than $42 billion in broadband funding allocations announced
President Joe Biden released how much each state will receive in funding under the bipartisan infrastructure law to expand access to high speed internet in America’s under- and unserved communities.
Amid looming ‘child care cliff,’ states scramble to bolster programs
Billions in federal subsidies for child care providers are set to run out in September, causing as many as 3.2 million children nationwide to lose their daycare spots. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.
Congress Set to Weigh Whether State AGs Can Tackle Airline Complaints
State officials have not been allowed to pursue air carriers for violating consumer protection laws since 1978, but recent airline meltdowns have emboldened state AGs and advocates to ask for a change.
Feds Give States More Flexibility in Medicaid Redeterminations
But, according to federal data, states already aren’t using all the latitude given to them to keep eligible people on the low-income health care program.
To Rebuild Damaged Section of Interstate 95, Officials Will Draw on Past Incidents
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during his visit Tuesday that a 2017 bridge collapse in Georgia may provide a roadmap for how to rebuild quickly. A timetable for building a replacement set to be released Wednesday will depend on many factors, including finding the necessary materials.
A New Map Could Mean Less Money to Expand Broadband for Some States
The revised map that shows where there is little to no internet service in the U.S. comes as the feds are about to distribute nearly $42.5 billion in broadband funding.
Alabama Loses High Court Bid to Rewrite Redistricting Rules
The Supreme Court ordered state lawmakers to draw another majority Black congressional district, in a case that could have a far-reaching impact.
New Florida Law Invalidates Out-of-State Licenses for 'Undocumented Immigrants’
It is not clear how the state will roll out the requirement, or which out-of-state licenses it will declare invalid.
Supreme Court Scales Back Scope of Clean Water Act
Conservatives on the court say the decision preserves state authority to regulate land and water use. But liberal justices worry the ruling will gut efforts to curb water pollution.
Shovel Ready vs. Shovel Worthy
COMMENTARY | As state and local governments receive an influx of federal infrastructure funding, it is imperative that they think critically about future needs.
White House Vowed to Play Key Role in Opioid Settlements But Has Gone Quiet
Billions of dollars are headed to state and local governments to address the opioid crisis. But if the federal government fails to oversee the use of the money, it could lead to wasted opportunities. And the feds could have a claim to portions of states’ opioid settlements.
Tennessee’s Rightward Shift
Long-brewing tensions at the Tennessee Capitol burst into public view Monday, as Republican House members began the process of ousting three of their Democratic colleagues for participating in an anti-gun protest in the chamber last week.
How to Build a Passenger Rail Network from Scratch
Tennessee wants to expand rail in the state. Routes could be a critical link in a national network built with federal money, but right now service is minimal.
We’re Back! Our Grand Return to Live Events
Route Fifty and GCN will hit the road with a new free event series to explore how cities across the country are building their future today.
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Functional Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Performance Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Social Media Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Targeting Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Help us tailor content specifically for you: