GOVERNING

The study tracks state and local government employee compensation over the last 15 years by comparing things like wages, pension benefits and retirement healthcare coverage for comparable jobs in the public and private sectors. It shows that public workers’ compensation has fallen relative to their private-sector counterparts around the country, with declines in all 50 states.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that several large companies are now offering their workers a pension, after 40 years of migration away from traditional defined benefit pensions toward 401(k) defined contribution plans. In most cases, the impetus for this change of heart is for the companies to strengthen their labor-market competitiveness and workforce loyalty.

That's the share of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administrative costs that states must now cover, up from 50 percent. The increase took effect Oct. 1, when major changes to the program under the One Big Beautiful Bill took effect. For Colorado alone, the shift reduces the...

Internet Explorer 11 is not supported For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, in the subject line of a Tuesday fundraising email, a striking turn for a four-term incumbent who has never won by fewer than 10 points. Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by an average of 2.3 points in polls, down from the double-digit margins he has posted in every previous race. Abbott had $67 million in his campaign account as of June 30.

The six measures across California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the highest number in a single election year in at least two decades, according to Ballotpedia, a nonpartisan election research organization. The ballot issues include approving billions of dollars in bonds for new housing and to help finance home purchases, loosening minimum lot-size rules, speeding environmental reviews and funding infrastructure needed for new development.

On Aug. 7, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) signed into law Public Act 104-0772, making his state the first in the Midwest to address pollution from plastic pellets—microplastics that are the building blocks of plastic materials and products. The new law, which takes effect on Jan.

Assembly Bill 2222 will create refundable tax credits for California local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ. It passed through both houses. It marks an innovative yet controversial attempt to slow the decline of local journalism. The bill, called the Community Newsroom Employment and Workforce Sustainability Act, works by assigning a “job retention credit” of $20,000 per journalist for up to five positions, and after that $15,000 for every additional journalist.

This article originally appeared in Governing’s Inside Politics newsletter. Subscribe here to get the latest state and local politics news and analysis right in your inbox. It’s that time in the election cycle when the question must be asked: Can a Democrat finally win in Texas? In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat James Talarico is leading Ken Paxton, the Republican state attorney general, in most polls. They’re running to replace incumbent Sen.

Proposed changes to the 2030 census represent a significant break from the way data has been collected in years past. These changes could have major consequences for cities and states, from federal funding to planning for services of every kind. Robert Santos, the former director of the Census Bureau, spoke with Governing about what the changes could mean if enacted. Who is “America”? Every 10 years, the Census Bureau attempts to answer this question.

The Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Requirements (FAIR) in News Act passed both chambers of the Legislature in June and awaits action from the governor. The bill requires that any news content “substantially” created by generative AI carry a conspicuous label at the top of the page, image or video. For audio content, a spoken announcement at the start of the recording is required. Such a mandate is as unworkable as it is constitutionally suspect.