State Governments
The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Medicaid fraud has been endemic at the state and federal levels for decades. Focusing on a single official or state misses a deeper lesson.
The Minnesota Welfare Fraud Story Is Really About a Broken Medicaid Bureaucracy
Federal Medicaid policy creates little incentive for states to stop potential fraudsters. Fixing that should be the priority, not demonizing Somali immigrants.
MAHA Republicans Are Imposing New Food Labeling Mandates
New Louisiana and Texas laws will require businesses to disclose the use of seed oils, certain dyes, and many other ingredients.
Donald Trump Tries To Override State AI Regulations via Executive Order
Only time will tell if the president's order achieves its stated purpose of checking state laws that threaten to stymie innovation.
Sweating the Little Things
The freedom to build in-law suites and home additions is crucial, even if it doesn't get us all the way to housing "abundance."
Virginia's New Blue Trifecta Puts Right-To-Work on the Line
Democrats retook full control in Richmond and are already advancing right-to-work repeal, testing whether incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger will stand by her campaign promise.
Texas Governor Strips 2 Muslim Groups of the Right To Buy Land in the State by Calling Them Terrorists
You don't have to like the Muslim Brotherhood or the Council on American-Islamic Relations to think the government should be required to prove accusations before punishing people.
Leaving AI Regulation to the States Could Strangle AI
Without federal preemption, a regulatory thicket of state AI laws threatens to slow the technology's development.
Self-Driving Cars Will Make the World Safer for Cats—and Humans Too
The accidental death of one cat in San Francisco is triggering calls for banning Waymo. That would be a huge mistake.
Why DOGE Mattered
It didn't meaningfully cut spending or reduce the size of government, but the DOGE project proved that politicians shouldn't be scared of doing those things.
Thanksgiving Traffic Shows the Highway Trust Fund Is Running on Empty
Federal gas taxes no longer cover the cost of highways, leaving taxpayers to fill a growing multibillion-dollar gap.
California Clears Path for Gig Unions
Even after the Prop 22 rebuke, California is pushing a system that could standardize schedules and undermine gig work.
New Jersey Becomes First State To Bar 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' Testimony at Trial
Dozens of "shaken baby syndrome" convictions have been overturned over the years, but until now, no state court system has limited its use in criminal prosecutions.
California's Fast-Food Minimum Wage Hike Is Killing Jobs
You can’t legislate your way to prosperity.
California's Aggressive Regulations Put Burgeoning AI Industry at Risk
Overly strict or poorly designed rules could slow beneficial uses of AI in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and public safety.
Washington's State Capital Just Voted Against Increasing the Minimum Wage, Unemployment
Olympia residents apparently learned from Seattle’s experience that minimum wage hikes do not improve the welfare of the worst off in society.
Abigail Spanberger Wins Virginia, Offers Democrats an Alternative to Mamdani's Socialism
"I don't care that much about what happens in the city of New York," Spanberger said on the campaign trail. Other Democrats should listen.
Oklahoma's Obscenity Bait and Switch Could Ban Pride Parades and Public Drag Shows
These lawmakers expect local authorities to ban "obscenity" before it happens—a recipe for chilling a wide variety of legal speech.
About 1 in 5 Kids Are at Risk of Losing SNAP. Centralized Control Keeps Failing Low-Income Families.
The best way to ensure healthy outcomes and protect children from the partisan crossfire of D.C. politicking is to break the federal grip on nutrition programs.
Don't Panic Over Federal Cuts for Homeless Programs
The federal cuts amount to little more than a rounding error in most state or big city budgets.
When the Government Censored Dracula, Frankenstein, and King Kong
Remembering a monstrous era of American history
Maybe AI Therapists Will Suck. That Doesn't Mean We Should Ban Them.
It is possible to be both skeptical of the supposed effectiveness of AI therapy and wary of sweeping state regulations.
Is Oregon Proof That Drug Decriminalization Will Fail?
The Drug Policy Institute's Kevin Sabet debates Reason's Zach Weissmueller.
Utah's New Union Law Faces a Ballot Box Battle
Lawmakers passed sweeping limits on public sector union power, but opponents have gathered record-breaking signatures to attempt to overturn it in 2026.
How Josh Hawley Is Empowering Unions in New York and California
Some blue states are trying to set up their own versions of the NLRB, and Hawley is inadvertently (or deliberately) helping the cause.
How Trump Triggered California's Redistricting Fight
Don't believe the GOP's 'principled' opposition to Prop. 50
California's Fast Food Minimum Wage Hike Cost the State 18,000 Jobs. That Shouldn't Surprise Anyone.
Lawmakers made an exception for smaller restaurant chains, implicitly acknowledging that the law would come with costs.
States Are Banning Retail Sales of Dogs and Cats. It's Doing More Harm Than Good.
"By [activists'] own measurements, these bans aren't successful," says lobbyist Alyssa Miller-Hurley. "What they are successful at is fundraising."
Alligator Alcatraz Was Built on Secrecy, Expansive Emergency Powers, and an Unprecedented State Power Grab
Shadowy deals and unilateral powers created Florida's notorious immigration detention camp.
Why a Trump Appointee Ruled That His National Guard Deployment in Portland Was Illegal
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut concluded that the president's description of "War ravaged Portland" was "simply untethered to the facts."
Whoops—Ohio Accidentally Excludes Most Major Porn Platforms From Anti-Porn Law
Ohio lawmakers set out to block minors from viewing online porn. They messed up.
Tennessee Alcohol Wholesalers Are Grabbing Control of the State's Hemp Market
A new law hands hemp distribution to the same powerful middlemen who dominate liquor sales and block out-of-state suppliers.
SCOTUS Will Consider a Challenge to Hawaii's Default Rule Against Guns on Private Property Open to the Public
The law is one of several attempts to override the right to bear arms by making it impractical to exercise.
How Oregon's Drug Experiment Backfired
The lesson isn’t that decriminalization can’t work. It’s that Portland-style governance is broken.
91-Year-Old Pennsylvania Woman With Dementia Loses $247,000 Home Over a $14,000 Tax Debt
Gloria Gaynor had almost finished paying off her house in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. But she will not see a dime in equity.
California's Tech Regulations Could Strangle AI Innovation for the Whole Country
Federalism works best when state-level policy experiments stay contained.
Florida Applies for Federal Reimbursement for 'Alligator Alcatraz' Costs Despite Court Warning
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised that the federal government would reimburse the state for the costs of "Alligator Alcatraz," but doing so would make the detention facility subject to environmental reviews Florida ignored.
The Feds Own Half the Western U.S.—and Can't Take Care of It
Selling just a fraction of the land would reduce our enormous debt.
States and Landowners Are Key to Recovering Rare Species. Stop Penalizing Them.
Federal rules under the Endangered Species Act often treat landowners as adversaries. Recent court victories suggest a better way forward.
Judge Dismisses RICO Charges Against All 'Cop City' Defendants
Two years after the state attorney general charged dozens of protesters with racketeering, a judge found the case unconvincing.
Walz's Gun Plan Wouldn't Stop Shootings, but It Might Shred Civil Liberties
Minnesota's proposed firearm restrictions raise serious constitutional questions—and offer little in return.
Raw Milk Debates Are Turning Sour in Florida
Florida officials can’t agree on whether unpasteurized milk is a health threat or benefit, leaving consumers more confused than if they were left to decide for themselves.
Report: 28 States Now Recognize Occupational Licenses From Elsewhere
Despite improvement, significant barriers remain to working many jobs.
Should We Take More Kids From Their Homes or Fewer?
When children are abused, we want government to step in. But Child Protective Services sometimes goes too far.
Few Americans Trust the Federal Government
Perversely, distrust may encourage the government to grow bigger and more intrusive.
Colorado's AI Law Is a Cautionary Tale for the Nation
A rushed attempt to regulate artificial intelligence has left lawmakers scrambling to fix their own mistakes.
