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State Prison Partnerships Can Improve Public Health and Safety
Anamosa State Prison, Anamosa, Iowa. Iowa is one of the states where corrections departments are partnering with health care agencies to make it possible for offenders’ conditions to be treated when they re-enter the community. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images Nearly all people in prison eventually leave, many of them with chronic diseases or […]
Legal Judgments Can Add to Local Government Distress
In this photo from Feb. 2, 2017, a city block is seen in downtown Beatrice, in Gage County, Neb. When six people went to prison for the 1985 rape and murder of a 68-year-old Nebraska woman, county officials figured they had put the gruesome high-profile case behind them. But after DNA evidence exonerated all […]
Public Authorities: Essential to Services Though Some States Question Oversight
The George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River. The bridge is maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. © Getty Images The iconic George Washington Bridge across the Hudson River is one of the longest, busiest structures in the world. It is part of a network of tunnels and bridges […]
Energy States Weigh Options in Spending Wealth Funds
The Grand Teton Range in Wyoming. Gov. Matt Mead signed legislation on March 13 that will lower a spending cap placed on the investment earnings from Wyoming’s billion mineral trust fund. © Getty Images A discussion that recently took place in Wyoming underlines the policy choices energy states face when deciding how much to […]
‘Service Insolvency’ Could Help States Intervene in Troubled Cities
Downtown Petersburg, Virginia. Virginia officials have provided technical assistance to the city of Petersburg. © Getty Images The second of two parts. The first part can be found here. When a city, county or other government cannot pay its bills, it is considered to be insolvent. In rare instances, the crisis may trigger a Chapter […]
‘Service-Delivery Insolvency’ is Changing Municipal Bankruptcy
Detroit, Michigan. Service-delivery insolvency, which means the government is facing a crisis in managing police, fire, ambulance, trash, sewer and other essential safety and health services, contributed to Detroit filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in 2013. © Getty Images First of two parts. The second part can be found here. A new twist on the […]
Budget Deal, Improving Economy Could Buoy State Budgets Though Risks Remain
© Getty Images Senate chambers in Minneapolis. Stephen C. Fehr, a senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts, researches and analyzes the fiscal health of states and localities As governors begin preparing their budget proposals for the coming fiscal year, the federal budget deal and growth in the U.S. economy may provide an extra boost […]
Detroit Seeks to Rebound from Bankruptcy
© Getty Images/Bloomberg A worker smoothes wet concrete during construction on a section of the M-1 Rail line in Detroit on August 11, 2015. Stephen C. Fehr, a senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts, researches and analyzes the fiscal health of states and localities Kate Davidoff, a senior associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts, […]
Wyoming Lawmakers Consider How to Use Rainy Day Fund
Stephen C. Fehr, a senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts, researches and analyzes the fiscal health of states and localities. Jonathan Moody, a senior associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts, researches and analyzes the fiscal health of states. Wyoming will mark its 125th birthday this year in a better position than most states: Its […]
Atlantic City Takeover Shows New Jersey’s Resolve to Help Its Troubled Cities
Stephen C. Fehr, a senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts, researches and analyzes the fiscal health of states and localities. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s appointment of an emergency manager to oversee financially distressed Atlantic City is among numerous state efforts to intervene in troubled communities to help them recover. Christie last week named […]
Governors Share Ideas on Pot Revenue Uses, National Guard Cuts, Job Creation
Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., left, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington. Immelt offered governors ideas for job creation. (AP) They sat a foot apart. One a conservative governor from the Deep South and a harsh critic of President Barack Obama. The […]