California State

Washington, DC

Route Fifty

You're reading Route Fifty's State and Local Roundup. To get the week’s news to use from around the country, you can subscribe here to get this update in your inbox every Saturday. In the meantime, be sure to read to the end as we've rounded up headlines from the week.

States, cities consider ‘mansion taxes’ to fund affordable housing

Wisconsin State

Massachusetts State

You're reading Route Fifty's Public Finance Update. This article was originally published by The Pew Charitable Trusts. To get the latest on state and local budgets, taxes and other financial matters, you can subscribe here to get this update in your inbox twice each month. You can find a full archive of these newsletters here.

States could struggle to cut workforce costs in next downturn

Los Angeles, CA

Local and state governments are grappling with a severe shortage of skilled IT workers, particularly in critical areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. With their higher salaries and more attractive work environments, the private sector and the federal government are poaching talent from local and state governments.

Stackable certificates could be a lifeline for governments facing an IT talent crisis

Philadelphia, TN

A key nonprofit that works closely with governments to connect people with essential benefits like food assistance and health care is abruptly shuttering, and the impact could be far reaching. The Philadelphia-based Benefits Data Trust, or BDT, which advocates for streamlined access to government assistance, said last month in a...

A nonprofit’s abrupt closure puts access to public benefits at risk

Oregon State

Two years ago the country’s national suicide lifeline downsized from 10 digits to three, with federal policymakers touting the revamped 988 number as easier to remember for individuals in crisis. Since its launch in 2022, more than 10 million Americans have utilized the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline via...

At two-year mark, federal funding for 988 is running dry. Enter phone fees.

Missouri State

This story was originally published by The Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism in the public interest. Missouri Medicaid began covering teeth cleanings, and almost no other routine dental work, for adults a few years ago. But the bill for the dentist actually peering in your...

Missouri is getting more people to the dentist—for more than a pretty smile

Orange County, CA

Saint Louis County, MO

When St. Louis County, Missouri, kicked off its redistricting process after the 2010 Census, local officials used colored pencils on transparent paper to redraw their legislative boundaries and reflect population shifts. Ten years later, following the 2020 Census, officials in Missouri’s most populous county had traded in their pencils and...

How mapping tech is revolutionizing election administration

Lubbock, TX

LUBBOCK — With the bright sun shining down over them, kids and teenagers in Mae Simmons Park cooled off Monday, zig-zagging through sprinklers at one of the city’s new splash pads. The relief couldn’t come soon enough. Like the rest of Texas, it’s been a hot summer in...

Splash pads make waves across communities, replacing public pools

Florida State

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Uncovering Florida

With hurricane season posing a consistent threat six months out of the year, who would not like a little help getting their home ready for the harsh weather to come? Senate Bill 7028: My Safe Florida Home Program, approved by Governor DeSantis on April 24, 2024, and effective as of July 1, appropriates a one-time total of $200 million from 2024 to 2025 for the purpose of funding hurricane mitigation grants and inspections, as well as outreach and administration costs, to support homeowners in Florida.

DeSantis Signs New Bill Giving $200 Million To Homeowners

California has already seen more than 3,500 wildfires so far this year, in what state officials earlier this week called a “significantly more active [season] than the last five years.”. With an estimated 207,415 acres of land burned—or roughly the length of 150,000 football fields—and 10 wildfires still burning,...

Mapping clean air centers to protect residents against wildfire risks

Polk County, FL

Fort Meade, FL

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

Montana State

This story is republished from KFF Health News original article. Montana is poised to become the latest state to increase scrutiny of how its nonprofit hospitals deliver community benefits in exchange for their tax-exempt status. Under proposed rules, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services plans to collect...

Montana looks to become latest state to boost nonprofit hospital oversight

New Jersey State

Jersey City, NJ

Morristown Minute

NEWARK, N.J. – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) have issued Findings of Probable Cause against six property management companies and owners in various counties for failing to comply with requests for emotional support animals. These actions stem from alleged violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD).

Housing Discrimination Against Emotional Support Animals Targeted

COVID-era unemployment insurance fraud is estimated to have cost state governments up to $135 billion, the Government Accountability Office reported last year. While some states have moved to prevent future waste, fraud and abuse by modernizing their unemployment systems, often taking advantage of federal grants along the way, many state systems still lag behind and remain vulnerable. And although the pandemic and the government aid that accompanied it has ended, multiplying threats from bad actors make benefits fraud an ongoing issue for everyone.

Unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic cost states $135B—and counting

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Maryland State

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recently signed the Gift Card Scams Prevention Act of 2024, creating the country’s first law aimed at curbing a rising form of gift card fraud called card draining. Card draining is a scheme in which thieves remove gift...

The nation’s first law protecting against gift card draining has passed. Will it work?

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

Alabama State

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Los Angeles County, CA

Herbie J Pilato

It's been 21 years since actress/singer Nell Carter, best known for the 1980s NBC sitcom, Gimme a Break!, died of natural causes at only 54. This is her story. Nell Carter was born September 13, 1948, in Birmingham, Alabama. After initially finding fame on and off-Broadway, and via a brief role in 1977 on the TV datime drama, Ryan's Hope, Carter took the lead in Ain't Misbehavin'!, a live stage revue of the works of composer Fats Waller.

The Brief Life & Tragic Death of Nell Carter ('Gimme A Break' & 'Ain't Misbehavin'): 21 Years Later

A new initiative aims to provide housing for vulnerable Medicaid members, enhancing community wellness and support. MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. - In a significant move to tackle housing instability among Medicaid recipients, New Jersey's Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, along with Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez, today announced the availability of $95 million in funding for developers. This initiative, part of the Healthy Homes program, is designed to create affordable housing opportunities for NJ FamilyCare members who are either homeless, at risk of homelessness, or currently living in institutional settings.

$95 Million for Healthy Homes: Housing for Medicaid Members

NewsBreak

After several years of rapid growth, state budgets are downsizing

You're reading Route Fifty's Public Finance Update. This article was originally published by The Pew Charitable Trusts. To get the latest on state and local budgets,...

After several years of rapid growth, state budgets are downsizing

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