State Policy
July 24, 2012 -
As Green, Libertarian and other third-party presidential candidates struggle to overcome restrictive ballot access laws, will they have any impact on the outcome of this year's presidential election, as Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was accused of doing in Florida in 2000?
July 13, 2012 -
History shows that union membership has grown when labor has been on the offensive fighting for all workers. That's why SEIU organizer Rand Wilson argues that the movement's next fight should be for state laws requiring "just cause" before a worker is fired.
July 13, 2012 -
The Affordable Care Act, called "Obamacare" by its opponents, provides for an expansion of the joint federal-state health care program for the poor. But many Southern governors say they will reject that expansion -- even though it would benefit their states' economies.
July 11, 2012 -
A controversial bill that would block North Carolina agencies from considering the science of sea level rise in making planning decisions has gotten a lot of national attention -- but what hasn't gotten much scrutiny are the powerful development interests behind the legislation.
July 9, 2012 -
A new report from OMB Watch finds that most of the states where fracking is taking place that do not require any public disclosure of the chemicals used in the controversial gas drilling process are in the South, and Southern states are also among those with weak disclosure laws.
July 9, 2012 -
A new report from OMB Watch finds that most of the states that do not require public disclosure of toxic chemicals used in fracking are in the South, and Southern states are also among those with weak disclosure laws. Where does your state stand?
June 28, 2012 -
A new report grades states on how effectively they address educational disparities caused by concentrated poverty. It finds that a number of states in the South are not funding public schools adequately or distributing those funds where most needed, with Florida and North Carolina getting overall failing grades.