Safety Net
Top State Stories 8/2
CA: California governor declares a state of emergency over monkeypox outbreak latimes.com California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergencyover the spread of the monkeypox virus to “bolster the state’s vaccination efforts.” WA: Hospitals in Washington struggle with finances despite ease in COVID patients spokesman.com A study from the Washington State Hospital Association found that […]
Top State Stories 8/1
IN: Indiana Senate votes to ban most abortions indystar.com Over the protests of 10 of its own members, Republicans in the Indiana Senate narrowly voted to ban nearly all abortions in the state. The move puts Indiana on track to be one of the first states to pass new abortion restrictions after the U.S. Supreme […]
More States Are Forgoing Extra Federal Food Aid
More than 18 million Americans sometimes didn’t have enough to eat last month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 5 million people often went hungry. Those numbers would have been higher if millions of families hadn’t received extra food aid through a pandemic-related expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as […]
Top State Stories 7/19
WV: West Virginia judge halts enforcement of pre-Roe abortion ban wvgazettemail.com A West Virginia county circuit judge issued a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of a 19th-century abortion ban that she said is “too vague” to apply as is, clearing the way for abortions to potentially resume in the Mountain State. The law criminalizes abortion […]
Top State Stories 7/8
IL: Red flags missed: How July 4 suspect slipped through Illinois system apnews.com Illinois’ red flag law could have stopped the suspect in the July 4 parade shooting from buying a gun or at least delayed the purchase of the weapon he’s accused of using to kill seven people and wound dozens. The episode highlights […]
Top State Stories 6/29
US: State by state, legislatures, governors and attorneys general act on Dobbs decision apnews.com The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overrule Roe v. Wade also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted. NV: Nevada governor signs order protecting those seeking access […]
Top State Stories 6/16
US: Rural Americans keep waiting for internet wsj.com The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars on programs to upgrade internet speeds in rural areas, but many residents are still stuck with service that isn’t fast enough to do video calls or stream movies. Many communities have been targeted for broadband upgrades at least twice […]
Top State Stories 5/27
TX: Texas lawmakers again want to ‘harden’ schools; experts say it won’t work texastribune.org A 2019 Texas “hardening” law has fallen short: Schools didn’t receive enough state money to make the types of physical improvements lawmakers are touting publicly, and many school districts either don’t have an active shooting plan or produced insufficient ones. TN: Tennessee broke its […]
Cities Support Community Land Trusts to Protect Affordable Housing
As housing prices skyrocket in neighborhoods across the country, some state lawmakers and local officials are turning to a decades-old model for keeping homes affordable: community land trusts. Known as CLTs, community land trusts are mostly nonprofit organizations that operate within a specific neighborhood facing development pressure. They acquire and own land while selling homes […]
Top State Stories 5/3
US: Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows politico.com The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by Politico. TX: If Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, […]
Rising Construction Costs Stall Affordable Housing Projects
To start building an 80-unit affordable housing project in Texas, real estate developer MVAH Partners must find a way to fill a $3 million financing gap due to the rising cost of construction. MVAH Partners received federal tax credits in February of last year to build the apartments. Since then, however, building material and labor […]