Budget Policy & Priorities / Public News Service

Downtown Hazard, Kentucky, is shown with one of several colorful murals added in recent years. (Austin Anthony for The Hechinger Report)<br />

Monday, May 6, 2024

As some rural states cut higher educatin, Kentucky does the opposite

By Kelly Field for The Hechinger Report.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Kentucky News Connection reporting for The Hechinger Report-Public New…

For the 2023 tax year, the top five Minnesota counties under the state's wind energy production tax received nearly $12-million in combined revenue. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, May 6, 2024

In some MN counties, wind turbines are taxpayers, too

Minnesota is coming off another windy month of April. Those strong wind gusts may have translated into some extra cash for counties with wind …

South Dakota ranked 40th in the country for per student spending, at $12,549 annually. (Robert Peak, Adobe Stock)

Monday, May 6, 2024

Despite increase, SD teacher salary one of the lowest in the country

It's Teacher Appreciation Week, and there's some mixed news when it comes to how well South Dakota is compensating it's teachers. According to the …

While immigrants make up 10% of Oregon's population, they make up 13% of the working-age population ages 16-64, and a corresponding 13% of the labor force. (Natalie Kiyah, Oregon Food Bank)

Monday, May 6, 2024

'Food for All Oregonians' aims to extend food benefits to immigrants

Oregon advocates are shining a spotlight on hunger and related issues ahead of the fall elections. A recent report from the Immigrant Research …

Despite certain barriers to care, New York ranks high on Mental Health America's 2023 Access to Care Report. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, May 6, 2024

NY budget requires insurers to pay rates as high as Medicaid

New York's 2025 budget improves access to mental-health services. Budget legislation stipulates commercial insurers have to pay rates similar to …

Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP reached a record high of nearly 94.5 million in April 2023. The federal government prohibited states from removing people from their rolls during the COVID-19 public health emergency. (Pixabay/192635)

Monday, May 6, 2024

Report: Florida among top states for children losing health coverage post-COVID

After Texas, a new report shows Florida has seen the second-largest decline in the number of children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health …

Nearly two dozen states and Washington D.C. have legalized adult-use cannabis. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, May 3, 2024

When pot and small-town dynamics collide

Petitions are being circulated to get a marijuana legalization question on North Dakota's fall ballot. Some local officials said marijuana laws …

Montana classrooms have seen a more than 12% increase in the number of special education students, according to the latest data. (Adobe Stock)

MT disability advocates sue to stop school vouchers

Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities have joined the Montana Quality Education Association in a suit to stop a school voucher bill in …

A Marist Poll found 31% of rural New Yorkers want increased state funding for developing new homes. (Adobe Stock)

NYS budget bolsters rural housing preservation programs

New York's 2025 budget takes proactive steps to address rural housing. In the budget, $10 million was allocated for improvements to rural housing …

The bill mandates staff to undergo 80 hours of training annually 40 hours on basic school policing and 40 hours on commission-approved school policing curriculum at their own cost. (Rawpixel.com)

Group voices concerns about new TN law arming teachers, staff

Grassroots organizations are sounding the alarm about Tennessee's new law allowing teachers and other school employees to carry guns. Gov. Bill Lee …

Demonstrators appear at a recent Wisconsin rally, where attendees called for making the Social Security program stronger without cutting benefits. (Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans)

WI rallies highlight policy demands that 'retirement be dignified'

On this May Day, Wisconsin groups are rallying in Green Bay to highlight a key issue facing the working class: the ability to retire. Organizers see …

Medicaid expansion in Alabama could help an estimated 283,636 people gain access to health care. (Adobe Stock)

Calls grow for AL Medicaid expansion as legislative session winds down

Alabama is running out of time to tackle Medicaid expansion this legislative session. More than 230 people gathered earlier this month with the …

The 340B rule empowers select safety-net providers by providing discounts on outpatient prescription drugs and in reaching more eligible patients to provide comprehensive services. (Banana Images/Adobe Stock)

Big Pharma uses red-meat rhetoric in fight over drug costs

Access to reduced-price medication is a necessity for many rural Missourians with low income. Rep. Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, the Senate Floor …

Connecticut's 2011 paid sick leave law was the first in the nation to require private-sector employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave. (Adobe Stock)

CT paid sick days bill passes House, heads to Senate

A Connecticut bill would expand the state's paid sick leave law. The initial 2011 law requires 40 hours of paid sick leave for workers at employers …

An estimated 2,700 people identify as transgender in Montana, or about one-third of 1% of the state's population, according to the UCLA Law School. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates ask MT Supreme Court to allow minors gender-affirming care

Advocates for end-of-life care options in Montana have asked the state Supreme Court to uphold an injunction of a bill banning gender-affirming care f…

The U.S. Department of Defense has known about the existential threat of climate change for decades, and wildfires now cost upward of 394 billion dollars in damages each year. But taxpayers invested just 14 dollars in wildfire management. (Adobe Stock)

2023 tax receipt breaks down nation’s spending priorities

As many Wyomingites await their 2023 federal income tax refunds, a new National Priorities Project report breaks down how the money they won't get …

In a new AARP survey, roughly a quarter of respondents 50 and older who are not yet retired say they expect to never retire. (Adobe Stock)

Troubling survey results prompt reminders to save for retirement

A new national survey says one in five Americans 50 and older has nothing in savings for retirement. Wisconsin workers young and old are being …

There are 8,337 solar jobs in the state of Arizona, according to Solar Energy Industries Association. (Adobe Stock)

AZ receives millions of dollars for solar investments

The State of Arizona has received $156 million to invest into solar systems for Arizona families. Adrian Keller, Arizona program director for the …

The Public Lands Rule helps ensure BLM management decisions will continue to be guided by science and data. (Adobe Stock)

Utah opposes BLM's new Public Lands Rule

The Bureau of Land Management recently released its final Public Lands Rule, which is set to put conservation on equal footing with other multiple …

About 6,000 Michigan short-term rental hosts earned roughly $146 million in 2021. (Tada Images/Adobe Stock)

MI short-term rental owners may face new long-term costs

Proposed regulations in Michigan could have a major impact on the state's tourism industry. The series of 10 bills introduced by House Democrats …

Legislation to curtail the union membership rights of about 50,000 public school educators in Lousiana has the backing of some business and national conservative groups. (wavebreak3/Adobe Stock)

Louisiana teachers' union concerned about educators' future

Leaders of a teachers' union in Louisiana are voicing concerns about a package of bills they say would have the effect of dissolving labor unions in t…

Democrats and Republicans sent a letter to the House Agriculture chair urging him not to increase crop subsidies by diverting conservation funding. (Adobe Stock)

New Farm Bill could provide climate-smart investments to VA farmers

The long-delayed Farm Bill could benefit Virginia farmers by renewing funding for climate-smart investments, but it's been held up for months in …

The Iowa Movement for Migrant Justice calls Senate File 2340 a

IA advocates for immigrants push back on Texas-style deportation bill

Advocates for immigrants are pushing back on a bill signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in the last few days of the legislative session, modeled on a …

Some places with camping bans preventing people from sleeping in public areas include Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and the cities of San Diego, Calif., and Portland, Oregon. (Adobe Stock)

SCOTUS homelessness case can have ripple effects in CT

The Supreme Court case Grants Pass v. Gloria Johnson could upend homeless populations in Connecticut and nationwide. The case centers around whether …

Rep. Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, the House Democratic floor leader, called Missouri politicians

Missouri's Medicaid block: denying patients choice in trusted providers

The Missouri Legislature has approved a law to stop its Medicaid program, known as MO HealthNet, from paying Planned Parenthood for medical services …

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, every dollar spent on SNAP generates between $1.50 and $1.80 in local economic activity during a financial downturn. (Irina Mikhailichenko/Adobe Stock)

Advocates rally for 2025 summer EBT funding amid Alabama meal gaps

Alabama is one of 14 states opting out of the 2024 summer electronic benefit program. As summer rolls around, there will be no programs in place to …

Hospitals provided 33% of abortions in 2020, according to data from the Pew Research Center. (Adobe Stock)

Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on abortion access in emergency rooms

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments today in a case about whether patients have access to emergency room abortions in states banning …

It's estimated about 3,400 transgender people, age 18 and older, live in Montana, according to the UCLA School of Law. (Adobe Stock)

Civil rights advocates file suit over MT birth certificate mandate

The Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed class-action lawsuit challenging a measure barring people from listing a gender on…

Five of nine full-time maternal-fetal medicine specialists have left Idaho since the state's strict abortion law took effect, according to a report from the Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative. (Adobe Stock)

Supreme Court hears arguments on Idaho's near-total abortion ban

By Mary Anne Franks for Ms. Magazine.Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Northern Rockies News Service reporting for the Ms. Magazine-Public News …

Trade unions said workers in areas such as construction, meat processing and agriculture need protection from unscrupulous employers who cheat them out of wages and benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Legislation aimed at stopping MN employers from misclassifying workers

Minnesota lawmakers are considering a measure which would force employers to properly classify certain trade union workers and others as employees rat…

Pushback vs. pushback: MN parents respond to political forces in education

Minnesota's largest school district is at the center of a budget controversy tied to the recent wave of school board candidates fighting diversity pro…

Among his recommendations for the coming legislative session, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is asking lawmakers to make recommendations about school safety and

TX educators react to Lt. Gov. priorities for next legislative session

Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick has released 57 "interim charges," the topics he wants Senate committees to study in preparation for the 89th …

Though Connecticut's benefits cliff persists, there are other programs helping people maintain benefits of some kind when their income pushes them over the limit. (Adobe Stock)

CT Day of Action raises awareness on 'benefits cliff'

Today, groups working with lower-income families in Connecticut are raising awareness about the state's "benefits cliff" with a day of action…

In March 1961, Dr. Jack Fishman and Dr. Mozes Lewenstein applied for one of the first patents for naloxone. (oasisamuel/Adobe Stock)

'Lazarus drug' may have competition in MI

After more than 50 years of use, some Michigan lawmakers say naloxone may not be the best choice in an overdose situation. Naloxone is sometimes …

According to Zillow, the typical value of homes in North Carolina is about $329,225. North Carolina home values have gone up 4.6% over the past year. (Adobe Stock)

Rural North Carolina town gets pathway to homeownership

Residents in a rural North Carolina town grappling with economic challenges are getting a pathway to homeownership. In Enfield, the average annual …

Warren, Mich., currently uses only one incinerator in its wastewater treatment system, which processes about 100 tons of sludge per day. (City of Warren)

Michigan mayor seeks multimillion-dollar wastewater upgrade

A new, high-tech wastewater treatment incinerator, used in only a few states, is on the wish list for one Michigan city. Former state …

New York has benefited from the Inflation Reduction Act's Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program which supports transportation projects, and planning to protect against climate impacts. (Adobe Stock)

NY, PA towns benefit from Inflation Reduction Act grants

New York towns are reaping many benefits since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed. Along with funds for larger clean energy projects, the state …

Estimates find 3.4 million New York renters are left out of the state's new

Advocates: NY budget erodes tenant, housing protections

New York State housing advocates say they are furious about the so-called "good cause eviction bill" in the new state budget. It grants tenant …

Maine lawmakers expanded the Dependent Exemption Tax Credit in 2023, allowing an estimated 157,000 dependent adults and children in families with the lowest incomes to receive the full credit for the first time. (Adobe Stock)

ME lawmakers increase aid for families experiencing deep poverty

Gov. Janet Mills has signed legislation to increase temporary assistance payments to families experiencing deep poverty. Payments will increase by 2…

Tax credits for home solar projects have been around for a while and local leaders in Wisconsin noted new federal policies have been more aggressive in helping governments, businesses and homeowners offset costs of installing panels. (Adobe Stock)

A snapshot of federal investments being put to use in WI

City and county governments are feeling the pinch of rising operating costs but in Wisconsin, federal incentives are driving a range of local …

New research from the Episcopal Health Foundation showed the Texas economy could save billions of dollars, simply by breaking the cycle of preventable health disparities. (Colored Lights/Adobe Stock)

New study shows health disparities cost TX billions of dollars

Health disparities in Texas are not only making some people sick, but affecting the state's economy. A new study shows Texas is losing $7 billion a …

128 of the 351 cities and towns in the state have had a change in their local clerk or chief election official since the 2020 presidential election, according to the Massachusetts Secretary of State. (Adobe Stock) <br />

Turnover in MA election officials as presidential election nears

Heightened scrutiny and harassment are helping fuel an increasing turnover rate of election officials in Massachusetts and beyond, according to a new …

A housing package passed in Salem aims to create more housing in Oregon cities of all sizes. (RG/Adobe Stock)

Next steps after OR legislators make 'groundbreaking' housing investments

Oregon lawmakers passed a major housing package in this year's session, but said easing the state's housing crisis will take more work. Bills passed …

Environmental advocates are asking California's next state budget to prioritize climate mitigation and cut tax breaks for fossil fuel companies. (The Climate Center)

Climate groups seek to remove tax breaks for oil and gas companies

As state budget negotiations continue, groups fighting climate change are asking California lawmakers to cut subsidies for oil and gas companies …

Shore Line East train service in December 2023 was 50.5% of what it was in 2019. (Adobe Stock)

CT lawmakers consider bills to boost public transit

Two pieces of legislation in Connecticut could bolster public transportation if they make it through the General Assembly. Senate Bill 277 would …

In addition to consolidating the power of Iowa's nine Area Education Agencies at the state level, House Bill 2612 creates a new process for agency accreditation. (Adobe Stock)

IA cuts historical rural school groups

Educators and public school advocates are pushing back on a measure which would consolidate state-funded services that have been an important part of …

The New York HEAT Act could cut utility bills nearly in half for 1 in 4 energy-burdened New Yorkers. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates want NY HEAT Act in the final budget

The New York HEAT Act might not make the final budget. The bill reduces the state's reliance on natural gas and cuts ratepayer costs by eliminating …

Senate Bill 2019, sponsored by Rep. Shane Reeves, R-Bedford, is expected to be signed by the governor. It would take effect July 1, 2024. (18percentgrey/Adobe Stock)

TN poised to expand access to opioid treatment at Community Health Centers

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Tennesseans struggling with opioid addiction, as a bill has been passed to increase access to treatment …

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