State and City Relations

After a Deadly Year on the Roads, States Push for Safety Over Speed

Lawmakers in California and other states are rethinking how they set and enforce speed limits, and they’re proposing to hand more power to local authorities to slow drivers in their communities.

  • By Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News

Pandemic Provokes City vs. State Conflicts

The Georgia legislature approved legislation that would preempt the commission’s powers, after the panel moved toward restricting police funding. State preemption of local powers is increasing nationwide.

  • By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Mayors Want Vaccines Distributed Directly to Cities

The proposal, pitched to the White House on Monday, would mean bypassing states. It’s likely to be a tough sell given the added complications it would involve.

  • By Bill Lucia

The Biden Agenda Doesn’t Run Through Washington

How the president can partner directly with America's biggest cities and suburbs- even in the reddest states.

  • By Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic

Florida Officials to Spring Breakers: Please Try to Not Spread Covid Everywhere

City and county leaders in Florida, prohibited from enforcing local mask mandates, are relying largely on public messaging to keep visitors in line.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Threatened to Sue Austin Over Mask Mandate. The City Isn't Backing Down.

Austin and Travis County officials said they would continue to require masks even after Gov. Greg Abbott ended his statewide mandate.

  • By Reese Oxner, The Texas Tribune

How 18 Million Americans Could Move Into Rural Areas – Without Leaving Home

COMMENTARY | A pending proposal would reclassify dozens of communities from metropolitan to rural, potentially affecting their eligibility for certain federal funding and programs.

  • By Devon Brenner and Jesse Longhurst, The Conversation

New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings

A dozen city and state officials also called for the disbandment of vice, the primary division that polices the sex trade; some want investigations into misconduct allegations against the unit, including withholding of evidence.

  • By Joshua Kaplan and Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica

A New Day for Queer People in the South

North Carolina’s ban on local protections for LGBTQ people expires today. But more fights lie ahead.

  • By Giulia Heyward, The Atlantic

Two Ohio Cities Sue State Over Gun Background Check System

Dayton and Columbus officials announced their lawsuit on Monday, saying the state attorney general’s office needs to fix a system that doesn’t always contain information about people with felony convictions.

  • By Emma Coleman

Florida Lifts Covid Restrictions on Bars and Restaurants, While Prohibiting Local Mask Penalties

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Alaskan wildlife officials responding to more bear calls … Court cases could recognize more reservations in Oklahoma … New York City to allow al fresco dining past the end of October.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Virus Spikes While Local and State Officials Bicker Over Face Mask Mandates

How will state and local officials agree on safety protocols in the months ahead?

  • By April Simpson, Stateline
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Democratic Governors Tell Trump They Don’t Want Military to Deal With Protests

But the Insurrection Act does give the president authority to deploy troops domestically.

  • By Bill Lucia

Testing In California Still A Frustrating Patchwork Of Haves And Have-Nots

County to county, city to city—even hospital to hospital within a city—testing capacity varies widely, as does the definition of who qualifies for testing.

  • By Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Rachel Bluth and Angela Hart, Kaiser Health News

Cities Take Lead on Coronavirus Response At Times, Leading to Friction With States

Debates over state and local authority could come into play going forward as government leaders decide on how to dial back restrictions and restart the economy.

  • By Bill Lucia

One State Becomes First in the Nation to Preempt City Natural Gas Bans

No cities in Arizona have banned gas stoves or other residential uses of natural gas. The state wants to keep it that way.

  • By Emma Coleman

U.S. Population Growing Very Slowly, Census Bureau Says

Ten states lost residents in 2019. But despite the country’s population gains slowing to a crawl, some states are attracting more residents, with Idaho and Nevada growing fastest.

  • By Andrea Noble

Planting a Family of Trees, One Seedling at a Time

A 600-year-old tree fell in New Jersey. Officials will preserve its legacy by sending its seedlings all over the state.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Creating an Agenda for Reform

Experts see the need for a fresh focus on thinking about the big issues in state and local governance.

  • By Timothy B. Clark

A State Agency Scraps Its Paper-Based Licensing System

In adopting a digital licensing system, officials at the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission say they moved away not just from stacks and stacks of paper, but also an old mindset.

  • By Andrea Noble

Customer Service, State and Local Partnerships Key for CIOs

The findings of NASCIO’s 2019 survey of chief information officers highlights areas of concern and evolving priorities among state information technology leaders.

  • By Andrea Noble