The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives

Attorneys General Prepare to Defend Controversial Laws

State attorneys general are about to head to court to defend controversial state laws. Are they required to defend laws that might not survive legal scrutiny?

State Officials Seek Help Fighting Invasive Species

State officials want to play a bigger role in fighting invasive species on federal lands, calling on federal officials to better coordinate their efforts.

Foreign Law Bans: Political Statement or Unconstitutional?

State lawmakers are focused on keeping U.S. courts away from the influence of foreign law. But does banning all foreign law go too far?

Pew Finds Post-Recession Boomers and Gen-Xers Are Less Prepared for Retirement than Older Generations

A new study from The Pew Charitable Trusts, Retirement Security Across Generations: Are Americans Prepared for Their Golden Years?, examines the savings behavior of five age groups before the Great Recession. The research also explores how wealth losses during the recession affected each group’s retirement security by calculating replacement rates.

Payday Loans Do Not Eliminate Checking Account Overdrafts

Payday lenders often advertise their loans as a way to avoid expensive checking account overdrafts. Research shows most borrowers end up paying fees for both.

Retirement Security Across Generations

This report explores how the Great Recession affected the wealth and retirement security of baby boomers relative to younger and older age groups.

Online Voter Lookup Tools

How do voters find the information they need on and before Election Day? Many voters turn to online resources, such as state election websites, to find polling locations, the status of absentee ballots, and other key information before casting their votes.

Election Data Dispatches

Election Data Dispatches provides data, research and analysis about election administration in the U.S.

Oklahoma’s “Life-Preserving” Law Raises Questions for Doctors

Oklahoma’s new “life-preserving” law guarantees end-of-life treatment to patients if they wish. It was inspired by the Terri Schiavo case in Florida.

Safety Net Hospitals Won’t Be Docked in States That Don’t Expand Medicaid

Hospitals in non-expansion states feared they would be hit with bigger federal funding cuts than those in expansion states. HHS says that won’t happen – at least for the first two years.

Cheers! All 50 States Embrace the Home Brew Boom

As of July 1, all 50 states will allow aspiring brewers to make their own beer at home. But states are still figuring out how to regulate the popular hobby.

Report: Delaware Has Lowest Business Taxes; Alaska Highest

New report says businesses pay lower taxes in Delaware, Oregon and Utah; higher taxes in Alaska and North Dakota. But what your company pays may depend on the business you’re in.

Who Uses Online Voter Registration in Maryland?

A recent analysis of Maryland’s online voter registration system finds that new voters using the online system are slightly more likely to register as Republicans compared to those registering by paper.

Not So Fast: Tax Revenue Estimates From Legal Marijuana May Not Materialize

Proponents of legalized recreational marijuana touted millions in taxes that could be collected. But don’t count that money yet.

Study: Most States Cut Emissions in Last Decade

Stateline - EIA Study says 32 States Cut Emissions Between 2000 and 2010

Attorneys General Seek Warning Label Cautioning Pregnant Women Against Using Pain Pills

State attorneys general are hoping to protect the littlest victims of prescription drug abuse.

With Vote, Minnesota Is 12th State to Allow Gay Marriage

Minnesota becomes the 12th state to allow gay marriage and the third state to do so this month.

New Opportunities to Expand Home Visiting

More than a decade of bipartisan work in states has led to improved access to learning and health opportunities for children like evidence-based home visiting and high-quality pre-k.

Cities, States Face Off on Mandatory Paid Sick Leave

Stateline - NYC and Portland will require businesses to provide paid sick leave. But many states are less than enthusiastic.

Legislation Would Take State Mineral Revenue off Chopping Block

Proposals in Congress would save tens of millions of dollars in mineral payments to states from sequestration’s sweeping cuts.

Democrats, Voting Rights Activists Strike Back on Elections Laws

In 2012 Democrats were focused on fighting against voter ID laws and other measures that restricted voting. Now they are turning the tables.

State Pharmacy Regulators Back Senate Bill on Drug Compounding

The association of state pharmacy regulators says it’s pleased with a U.S. Senate bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration authority over drug compounders.

Payday Loans Explained

Twelve million Americans take out payday loans every year, but there are still misconceptions about how they are actually used. Follow the story of Jennifer, a typical payday loan customer, who takes out a cash advance on her paycheck to make ends meet, but ends up paying more than $500 in fees.

Long Lines at the Polls in Rhode Island in 2012

In reviewing the November general election, Rhode Island’s House Committee on Oversight found a number of reasons for the long lines voters encountered at several polling places.

Number of Undocumented Children Who Cross U.S. Border Alone Has Tripled

A record number of children from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are being apprehended at the U.S. border. What happens to these kids?

Arizona Pension Challenges

Pension problems, such as those in Arizona, are rooted in simple math, rather than in political ideology. Real pension reform is not easy.

Montana's Pension Challenges

Pension problems, such as those in Montana, are rooted in simple math, rather than in political ideology. Real pension reform is not easy.

As North Carolina Weighs Fracking, Questions Loom on Wastewater

Once a well is fracked, where does the waste go? Coastal communities in North Carolina are worried they’ll become dumping grounds.

Delaware Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage

The Delaware legislature approved a same-sex marriage bill Tuesday, repealing the state’s ban on the unions and making it the 11th state, plus D.C., to approve gay marriage.

States Unleash the Hounds! Sniffing Out Invasive Mussels

Minnesota officials hope man’s best friend will help the state quash its zebra mussel invasion.

Voting Machine Costs in South Carolina

South Carolina’s touch-screen voting machines do not have voter-verified paper audit trails, and adding them would cost the state more than $17 million, found a report released by the South Carolina General Assembly Legislative Audit Council. Glenn McConnell, then president pro tempore of the state Senate, who had concerns about the reliability of the machines and the lack of a paper trail, requested the audit in 2012.

After Years of Defeats, Immigrants Win Big State Victories in 2013

Arizona’s immigration crackdown is a fresh memory for many, but now many states are passing immigrant-friendly laws. Find out what is driving the change.

Road Deaths Climb in 2012, Ending Six-Year Slide

New England and the Southwest top the country in highest rate of increase in traffic fatalities.

Kansas Has Biggest Jump in Casino Tax Revenue, New Jersey Has Largest Drop

New casinos helped Kansas, Maryland, Maine and New York benefit from huge increases in casino tax revenue last year, while Hurricane Sandy took a toll in New Jersey

Obama Administration Poised to Approve Arkansas-style Medicaid Expansions

The Obama Administration is inviting states to apply for Arkansas-style Medicaid expansions in an effort to woo those balking at traditional Medicaid expansion.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Incentives for companies in Georgia sometimes don’t deliver promised jobs

Hungry for jobs, Georgia has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars in the last decade on grants to recruit and retain businesses.

Forest Service Tries to Claw Back Funds from States

The U.S. Forest Service thinks it has found a way to meet its sequester target – by asking states to return money to Washington.

Rhode Island Legalizes Gay Marriage

The Rhode Island legislature gave final approval to a gay marriage bill Thursday (May 2), and Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the measure immediately after the vote.

Rhode Island Legalizes Gay Marriage

The Rhode Island legislature gave final approval to a gay marriage bill Thursday, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the measure immediately after the vote.

States Rush to Fix Capitol Buildings After Years of Decline

In challenging budget times, how much should states spend to preserve crumbling capitol buildings?

Maryland Repeals Death Penalty

Maryland has executed five people since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. But nobody else will be sentenced to death in the Old Line State.

2012 Absentee Voting Rates in Mississippi Vary by County

A 2012 post-election report by the Mississippi secretary of state’s office shows that statewide, 1,285,584 ballots were cast in last year’s presidential election. Of those ballots, 106,722, or 8.3 percent, were absentee. Looking across the state’s 82 counties, however, the report found significant variation in the rate of absentee voting.

Public Safety in Georgia

With unanimous votes in the legislature, Georgia in May 2012 enacted a comprehensive set of sentencing and corrections reforms designed to improve public safety and curb rapid growth in the size and cost of its prison population.

Pew and Casey Applaud Georgia Leaders for Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Reform

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed into law today comprehensive legislation that will improve the state’s juvenile justice system by reducing youth recidivism rates and cutting costs to taxpayers.

Finish Line Fast Approaching on Medicaid Expansion

The Supreme Court gave states a choice: Medicaid expansion or not. It’s time to choose. Here’s where they stand now.

Feds Look to Partner With States on Cybersecurity

Protecting critical infrastructure such as power utilities and the water supply from cyberattacks poses particular challenges because much of it is controlled by the private sector. States have an important role to play in keeping the country safe.

Boston Bombings Show Future Use for Police Drones

The manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers has raised fresh questions about the use of domestic drones by law enforcement.

Mortgage Deduction Rates Vary Widely Among States

The mortgage interest deduction is a tax break that benefits middle-class Americans all over the country—or does it?

Report: Sandy Inundated East Coast With Sewage

Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters last October inundated East Coast with sewage. Researchers have now estimated how much flowed from crippled treatment plants.

The Geographic Distribution of the Mortgage Interest Deduction

The mortgage interest deduction is one of the largest tax expenditures in the U.S. tax code but the rate at which it is claimed and the average amount deducted vary widely across and within states. With changes to tax expenditures