Government / Politics

Local Government Expect a Pinch After Texas Caps Property Taxes
Texas overhauled its property tax system with two bills in June. The debate about the consequences of that bill continues.

Cities Lost Political Power in that 'Other' Supreme Court Ruling Last Month
On June 27, the Supreme Court didn't just rule on the Census Bureau's citizenship question. It also decided that it wasn't their business to consider how congressional districts are drawn, which will likely reduce the influence of cities.

ICYMI: 12 States Hiked Gas Taxes on Monday
On July 1, Illinois and Ohio increased gas taxes by double digits: 19 cents per gallon and 10.5 CPG, respectively, followed by California at 5.6 CPG, all due to legislation passed this year or in 2017. Diesel tax hikes were even higher.

Trump's Remarks on Homeless Make Cities an Ideological Battlefield
President Donald Trump has low opinions on the state of a few very specific cities.

Scarce National Park Fee Money Will Fund Today's 'Salute to America'
The Trump administration's lack of concern for the National Park Service's growing maintenance backlog will be on display today, along with everything else.

Updated: Census Citizenship Question Officially Cancelled
The U.S. Department of Commerce was not successful in achieving a highly consequential change to the 2020 Census form, after the Supreme Court ruled it needed a better reason to make the change.

All the Places Mentioned in Last Week's Democratic Debates
Candidates drop names for a reason.

A New—and Hopefully Better—Way to Deal with the Homeless Crisis on the N.Y.C. Subway
More homeless people are using the subway as temporary housing, and the delays and disruptions have increased as well. A new city program will replace fines with outreach to provide better access to social services.

What Went Wrong With Oregon's Climate Bill?
The Oregon Climate Action Program, which would have priced carbon emissions by establishing a cap-and-trade program similar to the one in California, was defeated on Saturday, the penultimate day of the 2019 legislative session.

Dublin's Grand Biking Vision That Never Came to Fruition
Dublin’s future as a leading cycling city was once bright, but many plans have stalled or fallen by the wayside.

More Bus Lane Cameras Coming to N.Y.C.
New state legislation will allow the city to expand the network of cameras and step up enforcement.

Disaster Shelters Housing the Homeless in Washington
Structures initially intended to temporarily house disaster victims are serving a new purpose in Tacoma, Washington—sheltering homeless people and getting them on the path to more permanent housing.

Courts May Fine Cities That Fail to Build Housing in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed his first budget, the state's largest ever at $215 billion. Housing activists will be pleased to learn that it has, to use Newsom's terms, both "carrots and sticks" to compel cities to produce more housing.

New York City Agencies Gain Design-Build Authority
Agencies in the city of New York needed to state clearance to win design-build authority. Mayor Bill de Blasio hopes the change will allow more efficient development of capital projects.
Deaths of Seven Motorcyclists Results in Resignation of Motor Vehicle Registry Chief
A pickup truck driver towing a trailer on a two-lane rural road in New Hampshire on June 21 is charged with seven counts of vehicular homicide after colliding with a group of motorcycle riders. Attention has turned to his commercial driver's license.

Updated: Supreme Court Falls Short of Clarity on Census Citizenship Question
Those hoping for resolution of a major controversy impacting the 2020 Census, and all of the governance and policy decisions that depend on it, will have to wait.

New Jersey to Price Carbon Emissions from Electricity Generation
When the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection adopted new rules for power plants on June 17, the Garden State becomes the tenth to participate in a cap-and-trade program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Research Shows Little Consistency in ‘Rules of the Road’ for Micromobility Devices
A new study indicates that cities across the country are defining and regulating personal transportation devices in very different ways.

Sustainable Mobility Goals in Reach in Richmond
As Richmond, Virginia grows, the city’s network of fixed-route transit and shared ride service is evolving to meet travelers’ needs.

Madrid’s Bold Car Ban May Become a Thing of the Past
A new conservative administration says it wants to do away with the ban on cars in the city center.
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