Policy
This coverage will look at how public leaders establish new policies in a range of crucial areas of government – health, education, public safety, for example – and how these policies impact people’s lives through better services, effective regulations and new programs. This will include stories examining how state and local government approaches policymaking around emerging areas, including artificial intelligence.
Universal access to transitional kindergarten in Los Angeles County coincided with more than 150 pre-K centers shutting their doors.
Legislation states passed or enacted in the past 30 days.
Millions of Americans are at risk of losing their health coverage if Congress does not renew ACA subsidies.
At Stillwater, corrections officials are testing an “earned living unit” that trades privileges for accountability and has gone two months without a lockdown.
Cleveland wants to send clinicians to some calls. Here’s how some other cities have done something similar.
Their minority contracting programs and others are under federal attack, and the consequences reach into the tens of billions of dollars. The souls of our communities should not be for sale.
About 338 of every 100,000 women are behind bars in the state. Officials say the new facility could finally curb the nation’s worst record on female incarceration.
With more residents required to work to qualify for SNAP and funding shifting to states, Missouri’s system shows what may await programs across the country.
Over 2,100 schools in 26 states have adopted shorter weeks, mostly in rural districts seeking teacher retention and budget relief.
Higher education battles around the country are beginning to look like a sports competition.
A statewide shift follows new laws restricting intense simulations and growing recognition that realistic drills can confuse young children and trigger unnecessary anxiety.
The only viable path to a national standard is one built on the foundation that our laboratories of democracy are laying. Congressional efforts to freeze state oversight over AI companies would leave Americans exposed.
A near-empty mobile vaccine clinic reveals a growing mistrust of vaccines and public health experts.
A committee of judges and attorneys recommends piloting a program allowing non-attorneys to provide legal support.
After decades of bipartisan reforms that prioritized rehabilitation over punishment, states are moving back toward prosecuting younger teens as adults. It contradicts decades of research, and it doesn’t make communities safer.
States are having doubts about whether their sports betting programs — legalized in a rush of legislation over the last several years — are generating the promised benefits.
State lawmakers are pushing to better measure and improve police efforts to close cases.
The state becomes the largest in the nation to widely adopt Apple Wallet IDs, though physical cards will still be required for law enforcement.
A recent survey finds over a third of households with children lacked enough food as federal support for food programs falters.
The House voted this week to reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program for seven years, while also modifying the program.
Colorado has welcomed autonomous vehicles — but unlike Arizona or California, the state has no agency charged with regulating safety, privacy or accountability.
About 90 percent of federal lands are located in Western states. Dave Upthegrove, public lands commissioner of Washington state, discusses how changing federal priorities are affecting his job.
Denver, Minneapolis and other cities want to avoid paying large sums owed to victims of some types of misconduct. But will the officers pay up?
With hospitals operating on margins as low as 1 percent, new federal policy changes could undercut care access in rural communities.
The Living Donor Support Program will cover up to $14,000 in expenses under a statewide initiative expected to assist up to 500 people annually.
Conservatives backed criminal justice reforms in hopes of driving down corrections costs and state budgets. A lot of violent and repeat offenders would have to be released to achieve real savings.
Gov. Tim Walz halted payments and ordered an independent audit across 14 high-risk programs amid growing political pressure.
Nationally, fourth grade students’ reading scores have been sliding for a long time. But in the past five years, Louisiana has seen strong improvements.
With some counties lacking a single dentist and Medicaid reimbursements covering less than half of costs, Alabama’s pediatric dental-care system depends on a few practitioners stretched to the breaking point.
Proposition 36 — which made certain repeat drug and theft crimes into felonies — did not allocate funding to expand treatment slots or coordinate referrals.
But it doesn’t seem to be working, at least not yet. Pilot programs in Louisiana and Arizona reveal weak participation, limited functionality and risks of widespread coverage loss.
