House passes spending bills in bipartisan vote
The package of bills provides additional funding for WIC and rental assistance, but drastically cuts funds funds for the largest state and local housing grant program and transit.
The brave new world of local government debt management
COMMENTARY | Market volatility, economic uncertainty and factors like climate change are driving heightened risk, creating a tougher issuing environment and a more complex landscape.
WIC, rental assistance get funding boost in newly unveiled spending bills
But the bipartisan proposals for six bills would cut funding to housing and transit programs.
States move to cut grocery taxes
Amid rising food prices, more states are reducing or eliminating a sales tax that impacts lower-income households the most.
Lawmakers across the U.S. seek to curb utility spending on politics, ads and more extras
At least a dozen states have considered bills to limit how gas, water and electric utilities can spend customers’ money.
Biden administration announces new efforts to boost the nation’s housing supply
Federal officials will extend a program that has helped develop or rehabilitate nearly 12,000 affordable rental homes.
White House beefs up child care block grants
A new rule caps the total amount low-income families have to pay for child care at 7% of their income and directs states to pay child care providers more fairly and on time.
Amid rising costs, states scramble to budget for natural disasters
The U.S. set a new record for billion-dollar climate disasters in 2023. State budgets are increasingly shouldering the costs of more frequent and expensive weather events.
Ending health care’s affordability crisis begins with actions to fix state markets
COMMENTARY | Because states can more easily engage with local employers, health care providers and payers, they are addressing the challenge by analyzing spending, overseeing mergers and reducing the costs of medication.
As millions wait on food stamp approvals, feds tell states to speed it up
To adequately staff safety net programs, some states are boosting workforce funding, and others are investing in new computer systems to speed up claims processing. But food security advocates say recent backlogs are a symptom of long-term disinvestment.
Municipalities taxing stay-at-home workers during pandemic was OK, court says
The Ohio Supreme Court upheld a temporary state law that allowed employers to withhold municipal income tax irrespective of where their employees performed their work. The ruling sets a precedent in the state.
States turn up the heat on ESG investing
At issue is whether mandates about environmental, social and governance investment strategies infringe upon a state fiduciary’s duty to maximize returns.
8 states move to ban utilities from using customer money for lobbying
Utilities have come under fire for lobbying to stall climate policies and keep fossil fuel plants running.
No fare! Free bus rides raise questions of fairness, viability.
The strategy is especially helpful to lower-paid workers, but it might not be sustainable.
City extends police department’s ‘life changing’ 4-day workweek pilot
The decision comes after the data shows that the 32-hour workweek resulted in faster emergency response times and cost savings
More taxpayer money benefits pro sports owners amid ‘stadium construction wave’
Research shows stadium and arena projects are poor public investments.
Federal permitting hampers climate goals and natural disaster mitigation, counties say
Officials, who are calling for reforms, say environmental regulations shouldn’t lead to yearslong waits to build transmission lines or impede their ability to respond to natural disasters.
County officials lobby for internet subsidies
The FCC is currently turning away hundreds of thousands seeking assistance. If Congress doesn’t soon approve more funding, rural and urban county officials warn, millions will be plunged into “digital darkness.”
Corporate tax breaks are costing schools billions
A three-month investigation by The Conversation finds that tax abatements are coming at the expense of critical funding for school districts. But not all schools in a community are sharing the cash drain equally.
House rejects an increase to the SALT cap
Election-year politics derailed an effort to raise the amount in state and local taxes married couples could deduct. Local governments argued an increase in the cap would help “hardworking American families facing higher federal tax bills.”
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