COVID-19 Is Leading State Lawmakers To Finally Restrain Governors' Emergency Powers
Even during a pandemic, major changes to laws and policies should be funneled through state assemblies.
State Governments
Tennessee Tries To Limit Residents' Access to Wine From Other States (Again)
After losing at the Supreme Court in 2019, state lawmakers are now targeting fulfillment houses in an attempt to stop consumers from buying what they want.
Federal COVID-19 Bailout Prohibits States From Cutting Taxes
The measure could also make it illegal for states to create new tax credit programs, such as those used for expanding school choice.
Georgia Republicans Aim To Restrict Voting by Mail
The state Senate approved some cynical changes to Georgia's absentee ballot laws under the guise of securing future elections from fraud that no one seems to be able to find.
State Revenue Is 'Virtually Flat.' Local Government Revenue Is Up Slightly. Congress Wants To Give Them $350 Billion Anyway.
The Democrats' COVID bill showers billions of unneeded dollars on state and local governments.
Recall Elections Give California Voters a Needed Check on Governors Who Abuse Their Power
California Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn't committed any crimes, but he deserves to face a potential recall for his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Limiting Mail-in Voting Won't Make Elections More Secure
But it would continue the politicization of the means of voting and make it harder to vote.
Maryland's Legislature Just Imposed a New Tax on Digital Advertising by Overriding Gov. Larry Hogan's Veto
The first-in-the-nation tax is an expensive and regressive policy that's also possibly unconstitutional.
'Incompetent Government Kills People,' Says Andrew Cuomo Unironically
The New York governor should look to his own state.
To Continue Thriving, California Needs New Politicians
California is driving on fumes and living off the residual investments and innovations of past generations. Is it any wonder so many Californians are heading to Texas or Arizona?
States Are Finally Revoking Cops' License To Steal
A recent flurry of legislative activity suggests why forfeiture reform succeeds—and why it fails.
Trump's Attempts To Undo the Election Won't Work
The president's rhetoric and his campaign's actions are corrosive, but even the most powerful man on the planet can't control America's diffuse election system.
California Voters Embrace Uber and Lyft While Rejecting Rent Control and Affirmative Action
Reason's roundup of state races and ballot initiatives
Today's Gubernatorial, Statehouse Races Will Set the Table for Redistricting Fights
Republicans rode an electoral wave in 2010 and used that perch to draw favorable congressional districts in many states. Will Democrats have the same opportunity after this year?
Emergency Coronavirus Orders Upheld in Wisconsin, Rejected in Michigan
Plus: Pandemic brings rise in electronic ankle monitoring, a court rules on stimulus checks for incarcerated people, and more...
States Aren't Getting a Federal Coronavirus Bailout. Most Will Be Fine.
The COVID-19 pandemic will strain some state budgets, but you shouldn't believe the predictions about catastrophic cuts.
Coronavirus Is Devastating State Budgets. Is Leasing Toll Roads to Private Operators the Answer?
Leasing state toll roads could provide the revenue states need to improve their balance sheets.
Tennessee Court Snips High School Diploma Requirement From Barber Licensing
Tennessee's requirement that barbers have at least a high school education is "unconstitutional, unlawful, and unenforceable," ruled the state's Chancery Court.
This Week in Policing Reform: Utah Outlaws Kneeling on Suspects' Necks, Memphis P.D. Ends No-Knock Raids
There's a lot going on. Here's a rundown of significant police reform news from around the country.
Trump Says He'll Use Military Force To Restore Order in the States
Law enforcement, on his orders, violently dispersed nearby peaceful protesters.
A Third Option Beyond State Bailouts and Bankruptcy
John Baker and Robert Miller identify an alternative
Federal and State Governments Have Less Control Over Shutdowns Than They Think
Officials in six Pennsylvania counties say they will allow businesses to reopen without permission from the state government. Expect more of that.
The COVID-19 Economic Collapse Is Absolutely Wrecking State Pension Systems
With some investment returns likely falling as far as 15 percent, states are going to face a cumulative pension debt of between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion by the end of the year.
Trump Claims He Has 'Total' Authority Over When States End Social Distancing Rules. He's Wrong.
Plus: Americans plan to stay home for months, courts block more abortion bans, Amash "looking closely" at presidential run, and more...
No, Trump Cannot Open the Country Back Up Whenever He Wants
The president again insisted that the federal government can open the country by fiat. It cannot.
New York's New Budget: No Legal Weed, No Fracking, No Flavored Vapes, No Police Transparency. But You Get E-scooters!
If only everybody weren’t stuck in their homes.
Virginia Is About To Require a Government License for 'Art Therapy,' Because Glue and Scissors Are 'Potentially' Dangerous
The real motive for laws like this has nothing to do with scissors and glue. It's all about protectionism.
Are California's New Data Privacy Controls Even Legal?
A new paper raises constitutional questions about expansive state-level regulations that reach beyond their borders.
What, Us Worry? California Lawmakers Still Ignoring Dark Pension Clouds.
The guiding principle for California policymakers seems to be: Tell everyone what they want to hear—or at least stick to the rosiest scenarios.
Michigan Lawmakers Overturn a Bad Regulation Restricting Access to Cancer Treatments
They should scrap other Certificate of Need laws too.
Would a Bigger Legislature Mean a Smaller Government for California?
It's probably true that there is no magic ratio of legislators to constituents. Still, do Californians need more representation?
Texas Voters Ban State Income Taxes. Again.
Some 76 percent of Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment that prohibits the state from imposing any income tax.
Californians Are Fleeing the State's Progressive Policies
California's progressive political imperatives are having such glaring real-world repercussions that it's hard to keep ignoring them.
Judge to Charlottesville: You Can Put a Statue Up, but You Can't Take It Down
A judge has ruled that the town's Confederate monuments must stay.
California Might Resurrect Redevelopment Agencies That Were Wasteful Exercises in Corporate Welfare
Milton Friedman famously observed that "nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program." The rare demise of a government program, it seems, is temporary too.
Don't Believe the Hype: Sales Tax Holidays Are Usually a Ripoff
A weekend where a few items are free of sales taxes is a poor substitute for permanent reforms.
Utah Is Letting Lots of Government Employees Work From Home
And it's actually kind of great.
Texas Legalizes Lemonade Stands Run by Children
The state previously required that kids get a permit.
Federal Hospital Regulations Are a Competition-Killing Mess. A New Bill Promises To Fix That.
Consolidation in hospital markets is one cause of rising healthcare costs.
A Texas City Attorney Was Arrested and Detained for Helping Three Young Migrants on the Side of the Road
One of the migrants was gravely ill.
Florida's Republican Governor Vetoes State Legislature's Ban on Straw Bans
Straw banners have sucked victory from the jaws of defeat.
Florida Legislature Passes Moratorium on Straw Bans
The bill represents a win for defenders of plastic straws
California Housing Reform Bill Survives a Crucial Vote, but at What Cost?
SB 50 is starting to look less like a bold reform, and more like a marginal improvement on a dreadful status quo.
FOSTA's First Test Targets Cloud Company Used by Backpage
Plus: a Robert Kraft/spa-sting update, Florida sex-buyer registry nixed, D.C. activist alleges entrapment, and more sex-work and sex-policy news.
Companies Should Avoid States With Huge Pension Debts, Warren Buffett Warns
A candid picture of how investors see the slowly unfolding pension crisis
