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When the federal government cuts its employment, it affects state budgets too, and not just through the federal funding that ceases to flow into the states. Losing federal jobs can end up affecting state economies.

» Read the full story here.

States continue to struggle with radically transforming public education, which many believe will be necessary to make U.S. students more competitive in the global marketplace. Members of CSG's Deeper Learning Focus Group share their thoughts on where state leaders need to focus to ensure their students are ready for life after high school.

» Read the full story here.

By Sean Slone, CSG Program Manager
for Transportation Policy   

MAP-21, the hard-won federal surface transportation authorization bill approved by Congress in 2012, will expire at the end of September. If Congress can't agree on a successor, the federal Highway Trust Fund will run out of money in 2015. That puts states in a bind as they try to decide how to pay for long-term transportation projects.

» Read the full story here.

By Brydon Ross, CSG Director
of Energy & Environmental Policy  

Many states--especially those that rely on coal-fired power plants--will be paying close attention to the anticipated Environmental Protection Agency rule on greenhouse gas emissions expected to be released in June. The rule, which will require states to set performance standards and develop implementation plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, could set states scrambling to comply.

» Read the full story here.

Although most of the discussion in states about agriculture centered on the farm bill in 2013, food labeling laws are becoming one of the next hotly debated topics. State leaders are increasingly pushing for laws requiring products using genetically modified organisms to be labeled.

» Read the full story here.

What a difference two years and an election can make. More than 1,500 immigration bills and resolutions were introduced in statehouses in the first half of 2011, many of them based on Arizona's Senate Bill 1070. During the first half of 2013, more than 400 laws and resolutions were introduced, although many of those bills gave unauthorized immigrants new rights.

» Read the full story here.

Half of the country's states have opted not to expand Medicaid eligibility to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, as allowed by the Affordable Care Act. As health care providers are pressuring legislators and governors to accept Medicaid expansion and the new federal money that comes with it, many of those states likely will revisit that decision in 2014.

» Read the full story here.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear hasn't second-guessed his decision to run a state-based health insurance exchange as part of the Affordable Care Act. The Kentucky exchange--Kynect--has been lauded as a model even as the website for federal exchange, healthcare.gov, had a disastrous rollout. But while Kentucky and other states operating their own exchanges have marked many successes, the failure of healthcare.gov could impact the long-term sustainability of the marketplace.

The national and regional chairs of The Council of State Government share insights on major challenges facing the nation. 

Ohio Sen. Frank LaRose believes restoring civility in government will improve the success of the federal--and state--governments. 

Just as a mechanic looks into a toolbox to find what he or she needs to get the job done, state policymakers need a toolbox to help them better serve their constituents. The Council of State Governments fills that need for state leaders through a number of valuable programs and publications.