State and Local Government
State, local guaranteed income programs set the stage for federal action
A growing body of research shows that local-level cash assistance initiatives can improve financial, housing and other outcomes for recipients. Federal lawmakers are taking notice.
Congress averts a shutdown, setting up a lame duck fight in December
A stopgap funding bill is heading to Biden's desk as Congress staves off a pre-election shutdown.
A record-breaking number of Native Americans are running for state and local office
Native candidates see holding office as a chance to fight back following several national events that challenged treaty rights, protections for land and wildlife, and even adoption.
What the Federal Reserve’s policy shift means for state and local budgets
The Federal Reserve intended for its first rate cut in four years to stimulate the broader economy, but the decision will also gradually effect state and local budgets.
Policymakers move to get ahead of deepfake political ads
Several states already require that AI’s use in elections and campaigns be disclosed, but adoption is not universal. With the election on the horizon, efforts have increased to make sure voters can identify AI-generated content.
The devil is in the (financial reporting) details
States and localities don’t have the manpower to handle the current load of burdensome financial reporting requirements—let alone the series of new ones announced yearly. They're pushing back.
What is ‘reasonable cybersecurity’?
The term is used in policy after policy. But with no standard definition, networks are often left unprotected and open to lawsuits. That is changing.
Don’t rush into AI experiments too quickly, experts say
Speakers at Route Fifty’s latest Innovation Spotlight cautioned the need to balance innovation in artificial intelligence with good governance, despite the desire for adoption to happen quicker.
How local government fraud has—and hasn’t—changed since the pandemic
We spoke to a leading state auditor about how remote work and artificial intelligence are ushering in new kinds of fraud in state and local governments.
After a 7-year experiment, New Orleans is an all-charter district no more
The closely watched experiment is coming to an end. New Orleans Public Schools will now act both as a charter school authorizer and an old-fashioned school district.
Featured eBooks
Can cash payments reduce childhood poverty?
Money may not be able to buy happiness, but observers say it could help protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable: children living in poverty.
Survey: More college grads want to work in government
COMMENTARY | Compared to 2023, more graduating college students are applying for jobs in the public sector. The survey also found key takeaways that will help governments become employers of choice.
With the rise of AI, workforce planning is critical. But many governments don’t do it.
That’s a problem when state and local government officials are seeing daily evidence that the nature of their workforce is quickly changing.
Celebrating Public Service—and Public Servants
COMMENTARY | Government is asked to solve our toughest and most intractable problems. That’s why we need to celebrate the people who make a difference through government service.
90 years after 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,' are workers any safer?
COMMENTARY | Extreme heat and new technologies have created less obvious but equally potent new dangers in workplaces. State and local governments can address ongoing and new threats.
‘We can’t exist without child care’: Rural towns use state funding to open local centers
State grants are infusing over $3.7 million into helping rural communities build collaborative, innovative solutions to address child care needs across South Dakota.
Justices appear willing to limit bribery law used in corruption cases
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared to be sympathetic to a former Indiana mayor’s argument that the federal bribery statute is vague. A ruling would resolve a disparity in which “gratuities” from outsiders are considered OK in some courts, but not in others.
‘Artificial intelligence is not innovation,’ it’s a tool. How governments use it will vary.
Some state and local governments may embrace AI wholly, while others may take a more measured approach. Either way, experts said, the competition to be first is moot.
Lessons learned from whole-of-state cybersecurity efforts
More than two years into the federal cybersecurity grant program, state and local tech leaders say information sharing between the different levels of government is the most important aspect of the approach.
Congress finally approves spending budget, nearly six months late
The vote in the House and Senate averts a shutdown and brings funding certainty. But several programs significant to state and local governments will see cuts.
