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Greater focus on crime sparks another wave of juvenile justice bills
For decades, state legislators and criminal justice advocates have worked to change the juvenile legal system, striving to expand access to rehabilitation and keep young people from returning to crime. During this year’s legislative session, nearly every state has considered some form of juvenile justice legislation, according to a National...
Universities try 3-year degrees to save students time, money
With college costs rising and some students and families questioning the return on investment of a four-year degree, a few pioneering state universities are exploring programs that would grant certain bachelor’s degrees in three years. The programs, which also are being tried at some private schools, would require 90 credits instead of the traditional 120 […] The post Universities try 3-year degrees to save students time, money appeared first on Stateline.
Low-wage states with cheap housing dominated the post-pandemic jobs boom
More than half of the nation’s jobs created in the past five years have come in two states: Texas and Florida. They’re at the forefront of a job creation revolution in which states with lower wages and a lower cost of living are gaining the highest share of new jobs, according to a new Stateline […] The post Low-wage states with cheap housing dominated the post-pandemic jobs boom appeared first on Stateline.
An obscure drug discount program stifles use of federal lifeline by rural hospitals
Facing ongoing concerns about rural hospital closures, Capitol Hill lawmakers have introduced a spate of proposals to fix a federal program created to keep lifesaving services in small towns nationwide. In Anamosa, Iowa — a town of fewer than 6,000 residents located more than 900 miles from the nation’s capital...
A bipartisan push to make air travel easier for new parents packing breast milk and formula
As the summer travel season approaches, new parents may be navigating airports with their babies — and the complexities of keeping them fed. Despite federal guidelines for airport agents laying out how to treat nursing moms, stories about problem encounters with security sometimes go viral. In 2023, actress and singer Keke Palmer said she was […] The post A bipartisan push to make air travel easier for new parents packing breast milk and formula appeared first on Stateline.
States shift toward kin-first foster care
When Victoria Gray and her husband took in their grandchild in 1993, there wasn’t a catchall term to explain the difficult task ahead. They just did the work. In the past decade, though, Gray, of Phoenix, has watched as states have worked steadily to recognize the roles of grandparents and other extended loved ones, now known collectively as kinship caregivers, in raising children who otherwise might be in foster care.
Crime victims may get fewer services as federal aid drops. States weigh how to help.
Groups that assist crime victims across the United States are bracing for significant financial pain after the amount available from a major federal victim services fund plunged $700 million this year. Congress recently lowered spending to $1.2 billion from the fund, which provides grants to nonprofit and local programs across the country. This latest round […] The post Crime victims may get fewer services as federal aid drops. States weigh how to help. appeared first on Stateline.
New rules protect pregnant workers, but red states sue over abortion provisions
Natasha Jackson was four months pregnant when she told her supervisor she was expecting. It was 2008, and Jackson was an account executive at a rental furniture store in Charleston, South Carolina — the only female employee there. “I actually hid my pregnancy as long as I could because I was scared about what could […] The post New rules protect pregnant workers, but red states sue over abortion provisions appeared first on Stateline.
States need to keep PFAS ’forever chemicals’ out of the water. It won’t be cheap.
In recent years, Michigan has spent tens of millions of dollars to limit residents’ exposure to the harmful “forever chemicals” called PFAS. And some cities there have spent millions of their own to filter contaminated drinking water or connect to new, less-polluted sources. “We’ve made significant investments to get up to speed,” said Abigail Hendershott, […] The post States need to keep PFAS ’forever chemicals’ out of the water. It won’t be cheap. appeared first on Stateline.
As a key labor union pushes into the South, red states push back
Just days before workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama began voting last week on whether to unionize, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a new law that would claw back state incentives from companies that voluntarily recognize labor unions. Alabama’s move follows similar efforts in Georgia and Tennessee, where GOP leaders also have passed laws […] The post As a key labor union pushes into the South, red states push back appeared first on Stateline.
Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts
Rural children and families are having to skip vital health treatments and even ending up in the emergency room, while already struggling rural clinics are losing more patients, as states cull their Medicaid rolls. The process began in April 2023, when pandemic-era rules that prohibited kicking people off Medicaid coverage expired and states again began […] The post Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts appeared first on Stateline.
As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow
Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that it’s their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption. “It’s not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate,” Edmonston told Stateline. “The law is the law. And it […] The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow appeared first on Stateline.
Medical residents are increasingly avoiding states with abortion restrictions
This story first appeared on KFF Health News. Isabella Rosario Blum was wrapping up medical school and considering residency programs to become a family practice physician when she got some frank advice: If she wanted to be trained to provide abortions, she shouldn’t stay in Arizona. Blum turned to programs mostly in states where abortion […] The post Medical residents are increasingly avoiding states with abortion restrictions appeared first on Stateline.
The number of births continues to fall, despite abortion bans
Births continued a historic slide in all but two states last year, making it clear that a brief post-pandemic uptick in the nation’s birth numbers was all about planned pregnancies that had been delayed temporarily by COVID-19. Only Tennessee and North Dakota had small increases in births from 2022...
Undergrads are unionizing, in a sign of labor’s resurgence
Junior psychology major Erin Green works part time at the children’s preschool at Sonoma State University, caring for university employees’ kids ages 1 to 5. Some of the non-student workers in her center belong to a union. But she didn’t, until just a few weeks ago. Green, a 49-year-old returning student who works 20 hours […] The post Undergrads are unionizing, in a sign of labor’s resurgence appeared first on Stateline.
‘Mom’ legislators see their numbers and influence grow, but barriers to elected office remain
For the second time while serving in the Nevada legislature, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro gave birth last year. And again, she publicly pledged to continue full participation in her duties. As the nation’s groundbreaker when it comes to working moms in a state capitol, Nevada made history in 2019...
Survivors of domestic and sexual violence can break their leases early in some states
New Hampshire state Rep. Ellen Read remembers how trapped she felt as an 18-year-old in her native Tennessee, enduring the physical and emotional toll of an abusive relationship. The abuse Read suffered — which included being held captive in an apartment for days and hit by her abuser’s car — lasted years after she left […] The post Survivors of domestic and sexual violence can break their leases early in some states appeared first on Stateline.
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Stateline provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy. Since its founding in 1998, Stateline has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of nonpartisanship, objectivity and integrity. Its team of journalists combines original reporting with a roundup of the latest news from sources around the country. In 2023, Stateline transitioned from its longtime home at The Pew Charitable Trusts to States Newsroom.
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