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The road AHEAD: Maryland to be a test-subject state in new federal hospital model
This story is republished from Maryland Matters original article. Maryland is set to be one of two test-subject states for a new federal program that officials hope will improve patient outcomes and bridge inequities while constraining hospital and medical costs. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced...
$1 trillion a year in tax breaks goes out the door. Are states keeping track?
States routinely give up tax revenue, whether to help build new football stadiums, attract jobs at electric vehicle factories or to help low-income parents make ends meet. But too often, officials don’t keep track of whether those incentives are having the effect they were intended to. The level of...
Did Supreme Court ruling come too late to reverse ‘chilling effect’ on 2024 disinformation?
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling that governments can ask social media platforms to remove misinformation may give state and local officials heart ahead of November’s elections. But some observers say it might be too late. Justices ruled 6-3 last week in Murthy v. Missouri that the states of...
What is your home’s wildfire risk?
This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. A newly updated wildfire risk map could help level the playing field for rural communities who don’t have the resources to conduct their own wildfire risk assessments, according to the independent research group Headwaters Economics.
Biden administration announces new rule to protect workers from heat-related illnesses
WASHINGTON – Senior Biden administration officials announced a proposed rule Tuesday to prevent heat-related illness in the workplace, as climate change brings hotter temperatures around the nation. In a call to reporters Monday, officials spoke on background about the new rule, which the administration sent to the Federal Register...
Is it time to break up with fireworks?
This story is republished from Reasons to be Cheerful. On the Fourth of July, 300 drones will take to the skies above Laguna Beach in Orange County, California. To celebrate Independence Day, they will paint the stars and stripes and giant letters U-S-A in red, white and blue into the sky above the Laguna shores, creating a spectacular light show in patriotic colors. But this year, one thing will be notably different: For the first time, the coastal city will use drones instead of pyrotechnics, and except for the aahs and oohs of the viewers, the night will be fantastically quiet.
Supreme Court sends Florida, Texas ‘censorship’ laws back to lower courts
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sent two state laws designed to prevent alleged “censorship” of conservative viewpoints back to appeals courts for more study on their First Amendment implications. The order kept in place injunctions preventing the Florida and Texas laws from taking effect while they are considered.
Despite what some politicians say, crime rates are decreasing
This story is republished from Stateline original article. Violent crime in the U.S. dropped significantly in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to the FBI’s Quarterly Uniform Crime Report released earlier this month. The FBI’s data, collected from nearly 12,000 law enforcement...
Supreme Court issues rulings on opioid settlement, overturns Chevron doctrine
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.
A swing constituency could help allow more homes
A housing shortage estimated at 4 million to 7 million homes is driving up rents, prices, and homelessness nationwide, spurring cities, towns, and increasingly states to consider passing laws to allow more housing. Many of these efforts are gaining broad acceptance, but others face more resistance. Why? A survey conducted for The Pew Charitable Trusts provides some insights.
The federal government just acknowledged the harm its dams have caused tribes. Here’s what it left out.
This story is republished from ProPublica original article, which was co-published with Oregon Public Broadcasting. The Biden administration released a report last week acknowledging “the historic, ongoing, and cumulative damage and injustices” that Columbia River dam construction caused Northwest tribal nations starting in the 20th century, including decimation of the salmon runs that Indigenous people were entitled to by government treaty.
It’s OK to ban homeless people from camping in public, high court rules
The conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a broad coalition of states and cities Friday, as it overturned a rule in the Western U.S. that prohibited them from banning homeless people from camping on public lands. The six-judge majority, in a decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch,...
Calls for cyber framework harmonization ramp up
When it comes to cybersecurity regulations, businesses and governments must deal with a patchwork of rules and guidelines issued by various agencies, with no one body designated to coordinate the effort overall. That can mean being forced to follow a confusing web of standards that can change at a moment’s...
How states are cracking down on rising prescription drug costs
For many Americans, prescription drugs are too costly. Last year, 28% of U.S. adults struggled to afford their prescription medications. And from 2017 to 2022, state Medicaid spending on prescriptions saw a 47% increase. The rapid rise of drug prices has been the impetus behind growing state efforts to develop...
13 states with Republican governors opt out of summer food program for kids
This story is republished from Stateline original article. A new, permanent summer grocery program will help nearly 21 million kids across 37 states get enough to eat this year while school’s out. But 13 states with Republican governors have opted out of the federal program, citing their opposition to...
Is it time to dig into rainy day funds?
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.
The fuzzy line between sports betting and fantasy games
This story is republished from Virginia Mercury original article. Virginians now have multiple ways to try to make money wagering on sports. Whether the state treats it as gambling or not depends on which app you use. State lawmakers are expressing growing concern about the fuzzy line between sports betting...
Supreme Court rules that government can ask social media platforms to remove misinformation
Amid a frantic end to their term, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Louisiana and Missouri’s request to bar the federal government from asking social media platforms to remove false information. Justices ruled 6-3 in Murthy v. Missouri that the states and the five individual social media users named in...
Biden administration awards $1.8B for urban, rural transportation projects
The Biden administration announced grants of $1.8 billion to fund 148 transportation projects in every state in the country Wednesday. The projects include efforts to expand a highway in Arkansas, make streets in Tampa, Florida, safer for pedestrians, improve access to a Ute Tribe reservation in Colorado, eliminate a rail crossing in Dubuque, Iowa, and better connect residents of public housing in Philadelphia to a rail station and nearby park.
How AI can help and hurt the environment
Information technology’s global use of energy has stayed at around 1% for several years, a surprising statistic given how important the sector and its use of data centers has become. But that may change in the coming years as companies and governments start to rely more on artificial intelligence,...
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