State Governments
California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis
Standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to the state's goat herders, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger. The costs are unsustainable.
In 39 States, People Can Be Sentenced to Life for Murders They Did Not Commit
The Sentencing Project highlights the perverse consequences of the felony murder rule, a vestige of British law that still prevails in federal courts and all but two states.
California's Prison Reform Experiment Worked. The State's Crime Rate Has Fallen by 27% in 15 Years.
Facts don't care about the GOP's "crime wave" feelings.
California's Local Governments Want State Taxpayers To Pay More, More, More
California local governments of every size are crying poor as they struggle with budget shortfalls.
Illinois Will Finally Stop Stripping People of Their Home Equity—3 Years After the Supreme Court Outlawed It
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that promises property owners will receive the surplus proceeds when the government seizes their home to satisfy a tax debt.
States Will Soon Face Huge Penalties for Their Food Stamp Mistakes
More than $1 of every $10 in SNAP benefits went to people who didn't qualify in 2025.
77-Year-Old Florida Veteran Investigated For Sending an Official a Postcard Saying 'You Lack Values'
High-level state officials launched a threat investigation over a harmless postcard to Florida's chief financial officer.
Local Officials Vow To Shield the Public from Virginia's Authoritarian New Gun Laws
A new chapter in the never-ending battle between centralized power and local control.
Buying Beer Is Both Legal and Illegal on Sunday Nights in Minnesota
An unplanned encounter with a silly, arbitrary (and improving) liquor law
Secret Emails Reveal Sketchy Tactics in California Public Health's Tobacco Ban 'Endgame'
Here are the sketchy tactics California’s public health agency is using to convince towns and cities to ban tobacco sales.
Did California's Gubernatorial Race Reveal the Limits of 'Abundance' Politics on the Left?
Matt Mahon tried to chart a reform-minded path, but too often he came across as a mushy moderate in an election that will be determined by partisans.
2 Texas Grandmothers Who Overcame Addiction Wanted To Become Social Workers. The State Wouldn't Let Them.
Now Katherin Youniacutt and Tammy Thompson are taking their fight to become licensed master social workers to the Texas Supreme Court.
Illinois Just Adopted a Half-Baked Scheme to Tax Social Media
A lack of comprehension and sloppy language make a mess of a new tax scheme.
Data Center Wars: North Carolina Resists Innovation While Texas Considers Market-Based Rules
As data centers dominate public debate, two states reveal their approach. Texas has taken a stance in line with market needs, while North Carolina reacts to fear and bad press.
California Conservatives Champion 'Local Control' Until They Dislike the Results
Conservatives want local control over housing policy, but they're happy to let the state restrict when local governments can raise taxes.
After 40 Years, No One Has Produced a Workable Single-Payer Health Care Plan
Vermont passed single-payer legislation in 2011 and abandoned the plan after three years of failure. Why?
This Social Worker Wants To Help Kids With Special Needs. Louisiana Won't Let Her.
The state requires that people prove certain businesses are needed. How to do that is another question entirely.
How the Billionaire Tax Could Make California Poorer
One upcoming ballot measure would expand the state's taxing power. A lesser-known measure would limit it. Which will win?
A Flawed Minimum Wage Study Shows How Bad Stats Get Turned Into Policy Gospel
A 2024 paper claimed higher minimum wages don't kill jobs. It was statistically significant—and almost certainly misleading.
Abigail Spanberger Vetoes Mandatory Collective Bargaining, Defying Virginia Unions
The surprising move saves taxpayers from a steep bill—for now.
A SWAT Team Destroyed an Innocent Woman's Home. She's Been Waiting 6 Years for Justice.
Vicki Baker is more fortunate than several other similarly situated victims. But it took a very long time to get there.
In New Hampshire, a Setback for Second Amendment Rights on Campus
A legislative effort to eliminate gun-free zones on public college campuses has died. But for its student sponsor, the fight isn’t over yet.
Maryland's Energy Crisis Was Created In Annapolis
This week, Wes Moore blamed grid operators for high electricity costs, but the problem has worsened because of his own policies
Mamdani 'Balanced' New York City's Budget—With a Bailout From Albany
The mayor eliminated a $12 billion deficit with an infusion of cash from the state government, as well as by putting off some of today's obligations for tomorrow.
New Jersey's Iconic Diners Are Dying. This Is the Wrong Way To Save Them.
Democratic state lawmakers want to give tax carveouts to certain restaurants. The real problem is New Jersey's tax code itself.
California Spent $450 Million on a Failed 911 System. Now, the State Is Restarting the Project.
The state’s attempt to overhaul its antiquated 911 system resulted in delays and lost calls.
Is the California Coastal Commission Finally Losing Some of Its Regulatory Powers?
The commission has tormented property owners and localities ever since it was created in 1976. Finally, legislative and legal efforts are undoing some of its abuses.
Seattle's Socialist Mayor Laughs at Wealthy Residents Leaving To Escape High Taxes
“Bye!” Mayor Katie Wilson says with a wave to those who want out.
Self-Checkout Is Under Fire Across the Country. Is Theft Really the Reason?
The restrictions are often framed as a crime prevention measure. But the fine print points to a different motivation: adding union jobs.
The Federal Government Once Tried To Restrict Prediction Markets. Now It's Suing States To Save Them.
In a bid to “reaffirm its exclusive jurisdiction” over prediction markets such as Kalshi, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is suing six states for interfering in federally regulated financial markets.
California Lawmakers Are Ignoring History by Boosting Pension Benefits as the State's Economy Teeters
After California made this same mistake in 1999, it took 12 years to dig out of the hole. Taxpayers footed the bill.
Zyn Pouches Are Safer Than Cigarettes. Why Are Some Politicians Targeting Them?
Making less harmful products harder to get pushes people toward more dangerous ones.
Republicans Fumble Away Fiscal Conservatism in Stadium Subsidy Projects
Small-government conservatives are tripping over themselves to give millions of taxpayer dollars to billionaires.
Why Homewrecking in North Carolina Could Cost You Millions
Some states still allow vengeful spouses to sue a third party for destroying their marriages.
Report: High Taxes and Burdensome Regulations Are Killing California
California politicians’ policy choices are making the state unaffordable and unattractive.
California Progressives Want 'Big Oil' To Fix an Insurance Crisis Created by the State's Price Controls
Instead of confronting the problems with the state's heavily regulated insurance market, lawmakers are looking for a scapegoat.
Federal Judge Delivers Due Process Win Against DOJ Registry Overreach
The Justice Department is permanently blocked from prosecuting Californians who fail to register when the state no longer requires it.
Child Care Costs Over $13,000 a Year. Regulation Is a Big Reason Why.
Government rules have made it far more expensive for families.
State vs. Local, State vs. State
A popular revolt against state-led zoning reform in Colorado, Massachusetts' contradictory approach to housing supply, and how municipalities lobby to kill housing.
Wisconsin Reined in Public Sector Unions. Now Those Reforms Are in Jeopardy.
Act 10 saved taxpayers billions and helped government run more efficiently. Fifteen years later, a questionable legal challenge may doom it.
The Labor Department Just Freed Contractors—Again. Congress Still Needs To Act.
The government's new rule reverses a Biden-era anti-contracting directive and returns to a more contractor-friendly posture. But will this tug of war ever end?
Maine Bill Proves States Are Capable of Adopting Bad Data Center Policies Without Federal Intervention
A week after Bernie Sanders introduced legislation to pause AI data center construction indefinitely, Maine is poised to institute the first statewide ban.
The Republican Plan To Nationalize Elections Is Performative Nonsense
There is no voting crisis that demands federal intervention.
Alabama Birthing Center Regulations Are Nearly Impossible To Comply With. State Supreme Court Could Intervene.
"It shouldn't be this hard to give birth safely in the state of Alabama, and it doesn't have to," said the ACLU's lead counsel on the case.
