With all states showing an improvement in health insurance rates, some economists had hoped to see a larger improvement in poverty rates.
Pew Charitable Trusts
States Grapple With Public Disclosure of Police Body-Camera Footage
As police departments across the country equip their officers with body cameras, many are struggling to strike a balance between the public’s right to know and privacy protections.
First Library to Support Anonymous Internet Browsing Effort Stops After DHS Email
Used in repressive regimes by dissidents and journalists, Tor is considered a crucial tool for freedom of expression and counts the State Department among its top donors. But Tor has been a thorn in the side of law enforcement.
Despite Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Gay Adoption Rights Uncertain in Some States
Some states have taken up legislation that would allow taxpayer-funded contractors that oversee state adoptions to refuse to let gay or lesbian individuals adopt children if it conflicts with the organization’s religious beliefs.
Heirs’ Property Challenges Families, States
Across the country, states are identifying family properties passed down without deeds. Some of them are taking action to ensure that property owners can retain their land and its value.
States Limiting Patient Costs for High-Priced Drugs
As more expensive specialty drugs come on the market to treat some of the most serious chronic diseases, more states are stepping in to cushion the financial pain for patients who need medicine that can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Massachusetts Uses Job Training as a Path to Sobriety
Massachusetts began offering career training because extensive research showed that finding and keeping a full-time job was the most important indicator of success in overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.
Religious Freedom, States’ Interests Clash Over Autopsies
When Tadd Johnson got a call in February that a Native American tribal elder in northern Minnesota had died and authorities were preparing to do an autopsy over his family’s objections, the message was simple.
Just How Green Are State Governments?
States have employed a host of energy-saving programs, green-purchase requirements, building efficiency standards and financial incentive arrangements to meet those goals. So how are they doing in meeting targets they have set for themselves?
Labor Battles Heat Up in State Legislatures
Wisconsin was only one of about two dozen states where members of Republican-led majorities in one or both chambers introduced either right-to-work bills, aimed at preventing workers from being forced to pay union dues, or measures to roll back prevailing wage laws that establish workers’ pay on public projects.