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States find laws against sports head injuries tricky to enact
Ohio State Representatives Michael Stinziano and Sean O’Brien thought they had a bill that would pass with no more than token opposition. It was a youth safety bill — a piece of legislation protecting young athletes who suffered head injuries on the playing field.
GOP govs saying no to Medicaid expansion
n increasing number of Republican governors say they will keep their states out of the federal health care law’s massive Medicaid expansion, a week after the Supreme Court opened the door for states to opt out without jeopardizing federal dollars they already receive.
States’ tax collections up $62 billion in 2011
Is this another sign that states are in a recovery? All 50 states saw an increase in total tax revenue in fiscal year 2011, new government figures show.
Gambling revenue promises rarely met
No state helped the gambling industry come out of a two-year recessionary slump more than Pennsylvania, which has seen more than a $1 billion increase in revenue in the past two fiscal years.
After a contentious year, Republicans across U.S. may moderate their approach in 2012
From the moment he took office last year, Gov. Rick Scott of Florida made clear that a new and unabashedly conservative administration had taken power in Tallahassee — just as it had in state capitals around the country after a historic election haul for Republicans in 2010.
Across U.S., state agency backlogs growing
On the face of it, the backlog the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is experiencing seems a simple matter of supply and demand. Some 11,000 families are on the authority’s waiting list, hoping against the odds that they can get one of only 6,295 public housing units.
Federal health law can cover state workers’ kids
When the national health law was enacted early last year, it contained one seemingly technical provision that few people noticed. It lifted a ban on state employees enrolling their kids in the federally subsidized Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). In fact, that was no small move.
FAQ: When local governments go broke
In this explainer, Stateline examines what it means when a municipality files for Chapter 9 bankruptcy — and why states should care.
State student loan programs look to fill financial aid gap
Cuts to Georgia’s HOPE scholarship nearly put a dent in Shondra Chester’s plan to return to school this fall for a bachelor’s degree. The 35-year-old single mother hopes that completing her degree in business administration at Mercer University in Macon will help her advance in her career working for the secretary of state.
Democrats, Republicans both win key victories
Republican Phil Bryant won the Mississippi governorship by a comfortable margin, while Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, prevailed easily, too, winning a second term.
States retool food stamp, benefits systems
Food stamp applicants in California and Texas no longer have to be fingerprinted, a change both states hope will save money and improve the process of distribution.
States rewrite education rules, with or without Race to the Top
Some of the states rejected for federal “Race to the Top” education grants are proceeding to revamp their school systems anyway — in some cases more ambitiously than states that won.
Top News
- Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case
- Court upholds sex-with-minor report submitted by man’s therapist
- Federal judge rules for students with disabilities in age-cutoff case
- Justices remand Duluth dispute
- Legal education for incarcerated students expands
- Hamline prof dismissed over Muhammad image can proceed with lawsuit
- Supreme Court backs woman’s false-reporting conviction
- Pot smell not enough for search
Expert Testimony
- Perspectives: Recent cellphone ruling recalls high court cases
- The Unfrazzled Lawyer: Supercharge your unfrazzled lawyer efforts
- Understanding the proposal to extend overtime
- Perspectives: Pill case may be a bitter one for abortion rights
