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.
Trump and GOP members of Congress are eager to roll back portions of the Obama-era health insurance law. Changes to Medicaid coverage and some patient protections seem likely.
The Salt Lake City Public Library's in-house social workers and suite of other services help the unhoused find their way.
Fitch Ratings issued a report comparing the pension debt in each state to personal income. Connecticut had the highest ratio, at 23 percent, while Tennessee was the best at 1 percent.
Innovation must come with transparency, safeguards and human oversight. We need to deploy the technology in ways that enhance rather than erode public confidence in the justice system.
Properly trained and integrated into the school leadership team, they can be helpful in some ways, but they cannot fix societal problems and their presence can make students feel less safe.
A 2018 lawsuit claims the level of segregation in state schools violates students’ rights to integrated schools. But a new poll found that most voters don’t know anything about the lawsuit nor do they think the state is segregated.
Sweeping police reforms in 2020 stripped Colorado law enforcement of qualified immunity, a legal defense that previously blocked officers and sheriffs from being sued in their individual capacities in most cases.
State constitutional amendments that voters approved in seven states on Nov. 5 also are vulnerable to federal moves that could essentially override them.
The governors of Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have called on an electric grid operator to take “swift action” on record-setting electricity prices during times of high demand.
Under a new executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, hospitals that participate in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program will be required to ask patients to reveal their citizenship status.
Amid an especially tense and unprecedented cycle, Pittsburgh schools are using the election as a way to energize students about civics education.
Oklahoma City has invested the proceeds of a one-cent sales tax in dozens of projects in and around its downtown for the last 30 years. The 2028 Olympics will hold softball and canoe slalom events there, 1,300 miles away from the rest of the Games.
Major sources of federal support are about to expire. Investing money will save lives, so several states are stepping up their own efforts.
Access to voter registration data varies by state. In California, candidates, committees and researchers can access a voter’s name, date of birth, residential and mailing address, contact information and political party preference.
Voters in Massachusetts have an opportunity to open the door to personal and therapeutic use of plant-based psychedelics.
The AI revolution presents great opportunities for cities with the right combination of strengths. Pittsburgh is showing what’s possible.
There have been 46 lawsuits filed by the Justice Department, Maryland, Baltimore, the families of the workers and businesses affected against the two companies that own and manage the container ship that was involved in the crash.
Five states and Washington, D.C., recently enacted bills dealing with fully autonomous vehicles on public roads. About half of states already have statutes in place for when self-driving cars are actually on the road.
Schools across the nation are encouraging students to use artificial intelligence. In San Diego, Calif., teachers help students learn the benefits and consequences of AI use in daily life.
Texas challenged federal supremacy by creating a state crime for illegal entry into the U.S. The courts will decide whether it's constitutional — and whether other states can follow Texas’ lead.
Insurance companies are increasingly using aerial images instead of human inspectors to analyze properties. But residents are frustrated by the practice as images get misinterpreted or capture the wrong home.
Fear and confusion in the aftermath of disasters create fertile ground for misinformation. Social media and AI can amplify it, but there are ways to weather the storm.
Far too often, family courts award shared custody to fathers accused of domestic violence. Hundreds of children have been murdered. There’s much that policymakers could do to prevent some of these tragic outcomes.
At least 11 states have enacted laws to restrict the use of PFAs in apparel, cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics and menstrual products. Since 2007, 30 states have approved 155 PFA policies.
The initiative commonly known as the Oregon Rebate would increase the minimum tax on large businesses by 3 percent and send the cash to all residents, guaranteeing them a minimum income.
Pittsburgh has a new policy that bars city employees from using generative AI tools with sensitive data from residents. But every state and locality has their own set of rules as there is no federal law to regulate the development and use of AI.
An approved measure was supposed to require Internet providers to offer basic broadband interconnectivity to low-income residents for $15 a month. But a consortium of providers and telecom firms argue that should be the FCC’s job.
Spokane, Wash., Public Schools banned students from using their phones in class at the start of this school year. Teachers have found the new policy to be a “nonissue” that has resulted in better engagement, even when phones are allowed.
The state has opened a handful of gasoline distribution sites, where residents can go to get 10 gallons for free, to help the state recover from the recent Category 3 storm. But lines to get the free gas are long and supplies are limited.
We continue to underfund them, their student bodies are becoming more diverse, and their values are under political assault. We need to preserve the cultural significance of these important institutions.
The Florida Department of Health issued a letter to local TV stations last week, demanding that they remove ads supporting the state’s abortion amendment within 24 hours or the department would seek criminal charges.
