State and Federal Relations
Inside the first 90 days: The state playbook for modern rural health transformation
COMMENTARY | The Rural Health Transformation Program will require states to completely rethink how they deliver services. Here are four moves they can make right now for long-term viability.
In bid for voter data, Trump’s DOJ lays groundwork to undermine confidence in midterms
The US Department of Justice says state rolls are needed to ensure fairness of elections.
The role of state broadband policy in 2026
State legislatures address federal funding, deployment and affordability.
Experts warn of coming ‘reprioritization’ for cyber funding
A popular federal grant program looks unlikely to be replenished, they said, so states must start thinking differently about how they want to fund their cybersecurity efforts.
Feds pledge beefed up information-sharing amid new cyber strategy
Administration officials also promised a stronger focus on protecting critical infrastructure and bolstering the cyber workforce during a series of talks at a summit this week.
Kalshi and Polymarket are skirting laws on sports betting, states say
States feud with companies, feds over authority to regulate emerging prediction markets.
Michigan House committee hears proposal to restrict state drone purchases
The bill would ban state dollars being used to purchase drones from companies listed as concerns by the federal government, and give agencies a five-year replacement window.
New report and toolkit offers states strategies to streamline HR 1 implementation
A nonprofit recently released guidance for states as they implement changes to their Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems to comply with new work requirements.
As White House blocks Utah AI bill, other chatbot and deepfake regulations advance
The race to develop AI includes a race to regulate it that is dividing Republicans.
E-Verify requirements draw business pushback in some Republican states
Sweeping legal work verification bills have fared poorly in many places.
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‘It’s not over’: Cyber info-sharing center begins ‘next chapters’ after losing federal funding
The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center now has 24 states and 3,000 individual organizations as dues-paying members after losing federal funding, a leader said.
FCC could tighten federal Lifeline program rules
The agency is advancing new eligibility requirements in the face of what it says is massive fraud across several states in the $1 billion-a-year internet and phone low-income assistance program.
The shifting cybersecurity mandate for states
COMMENTARY | Federal retrenchment means states must step up with funding and resources in a more complex environment. Multi-year federal funding can reduce some of those burdens.
Feds want to stop states regulating, blocking prediction markets
The online marketplaces have exploded in popularity, but while state leaders say they are like sports betting, regulators argue they are instead subject to federal oversight and threatened legal action.
Republican governor asserts states’ right to legislate AI
Utah Governor Spencer Cox acknowledged the logic to the Trump administration’s plan for U.S. AI dominance, but not at the expense of state laws ensuring safety.
Republican lawmakers ask GAO to review current AI regulatory landscape
Leaders in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee have asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the regulatory landscape at both the state and federal level.
Red and blue states alike want to limit AI in insurance. Trump wants to limit the states.
A revolt is afoot across states against the use of artificial intelligence in health insurance determinations — and against efforts led by President Donald Trump to tie states’ hands.
California senator dings ‘ham handed’ approach to AI preemption
Scott Wiener, a key architect of major tech legislation in the state, said efforts to stop others doing the same are overly broad, especially as Congress has not legislated on the issue.
Maine advances privacy law amid new immigration data collection concerns
Maine lawmakers are moving ahead with a plan for a comprehensive data privacy law that would amount to some of the strictest consumer protections in the country.
Report: Steps states can take to navigate HR 1 benefit rules
States are racing against the clock to implement changes to their benefit systems under HR 1. New research from the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation suggests cross-agency and resident collaboration can help support their efforts.
