Author Archive
Daniel C. Vock
Public Safety
States Grapple with the Death Penalty
As it becomes harder and harder to obtain the drugs involved in lethal injections, most states are pausing executions and others are turning to older methods, such as firing squads.
Management
State & Local Roundup: Top Counties Return to Pre-pandemic Populations
Plus: Seattle gig workers get paid sick leave; Chicago and Wisconsin go to the polls; California’s insulin experiment hits a bump; Big gaps in electric vehicle ownership; and more news you can use from around the country.
Infrastructure
A Crash in Baltimore Puts Construction Worker Safety in the Spotlight
Industry groups say they’ve been unsuccessfully pushing for worker safety provisions for years.
Infrastructure
All Aboard: Passenger Rail Is Rolling Along the Atlantic Coast
Two Southern states have set record-high ridership numbers and are looking to expand their networks. Here’s how they did it.
Finance
State & Local Roundup: The ESG Debate Hits a New Frenzy
Plus: Medicaid expansion marches on; Utah restricts social media for minors; More kids eat free; Development without displacement; and more news you can use from around the country.
Infrastructure
How to Build a Passenger Rail Network from Scratch
Tennessee wants to expand rail in the state. Routes could be a critical link in a national network built with federal money, but right now service is minimal.
Management
Tips to Ensure Governors Start Off on the Right Foot
A recent report offers new officeholders guidance on how to hit the ground running.
Finance
State & Local Roundup: Bank Collapses Add to Worries for State and Local Officials
Plus: Lawmakers want to tighten SNAP work requirements; Conservatives continue DEI assault; A potential labor strike in L.A.; and more news you can use from around the country.
Health & Human Services
Kids Eat Free! States Push to Make School Meals Available to All
Lawmakers around the country have passed or are considering bills that would make universal free school meals permanent following the end of a similar federal pandemic-era program.
Infrastructure
$700M in Grants for Local EV Chargers Announced
The competitive grants are designed to install electric vehicle chargers in local communities where private entities are otherwise less likely to build them.
Infrastructure
Transit Projects Would Get More Than $4B Under Biden Budget Proposal
The administration’s wish list recommends federal funding for 18 transit projects in 11 states.
Featured eBooks
Finance
State & Local Roundup: The Child Tax Credit Gets a Boost
President Biden this week proposed bringing back the 2021 expanded credit amidst moves by states to enact their own. Plus: A red state pot rebuke; Tennessee restricts Nashville’s city council; Boston transit troubles; and more news you can use from around the country.
Infrastructure
State and Local Officials Press to Increase Rail Safety Regulations
They want railroads to tell local emergency responders if hazardous materials are going through their towns, and have asked the feds to study the proliferation of longer trains.
Infrastructure
White House’s Environmental Justice Tool Still Comes Up Short, Advocates Say
Groups worry that the criteria that determines which communities qualify is too broad and may lead to federal grant money bypassing the people who need it most.
Public Safety
State & Local Roundup: Concerns About Crime Weigh Heavily on Voters in Mayoral Races
Plus: An effort to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution stalls; Illinois tackles mental health in kids; remote work saps revenue in D.C.; states prepare to reduce Medicaid rolls; and more news you can use from around the country.
Infrastructure
$185M in Grants to Reconnect Communities Severed by Highways Announced
Federal transportation officials unveiled the dozens of cities and communities selected for grants under the infrastructure law.
Infrastructure
A Troubling Trend: Pedestrian Deaths Continue to Rise
The number of people killed on U.S. streets in early 2022 was 5% higher than the same period a year earlier, showing a dramatic increase over the last decade.
Infrastructure
Biden Administration Recognizes States’ Role in Highway Spending
A new memo from the Federal Highway Administration that replaces one from last year explicitly acknowledges the role of states in deciding how to use federal highway dollars—allaying concerns raised by Republicans in Congress.
Infrastructure
State & Local Roundup: Offshore Wind Push Expands to the Gulf of Mexico
Plus: The mayors of Chicago and New Orleans could lose their jobs; an “innovative” housing plan is defunded; Boston struggles to recruit transit chief; “right to repair” bills proliferate; and more news you can use from around the country.
Tech & Data