Daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy. Part of @statesnewsroom.com. Suscribe to Stateline Weekly: https://stateline.org/subscribe/
In 38 states, the average cost of childcare outpaces the cost of in-state college tuition. stateline.org/2026/07/28/s...
State lawmakers of both parties say it's time to rethink America’s fragile childcare system • StatelineA bipartisan group of state lawmakers is calling for an overhaul of the nation’s childcare system, which they say is failing children, parents and providers.stateline.orgSuicide among children ages 8 to 12 has risen sharply in the past two decades. The increase has spurred calls for more communication, screenings and tailored care, @nhassanein.bsky.social reports. stateline.org/2026/07/28/r...
Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts • StatelineThe number of preteens — ages 8 to 12 — who die by suicide in the United States each year is relatively small. But the total in 2025 was 194 — the most since at least 2001, according to preliminary da...stateline.orgNew laws in more than a dozen states target not just shoplifting, but also cargo theft, gift card fraud and other schemes tied to organized theft networks. https://stateline.org/2026/07/27/states-expand-fight-against-organized-retail-crime-gift-card-fraud/
States expand fight against organized retail crime, gift card fraud • StatelineFrom hijacked freight shipments to tampered gift cards hanging on store racks, states are responding to new forms of organized retail crime with a fresh round of legislation.stateline.orgAs federal consumer protections shrink, state attorneys general from both parties are taking on a bigger role investigating businesses and high prices. Read more: https://stateline.org/2026/07/27/state-ags-expand-consumer-work-as-prices-rise-and-trump-guts-federal-protections/
State AGs expand consumer work as prices rise and Trump guts federal protections • StatelineSince President Donald Trump has gutted much of the federal government's consumer protection work, state attorneys general are increasingly left to fight high prices and investigate businesses themselves. The change follows Trump’s dismantling of the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau and persisting concerns about the high prices of housing, groceries and fuel.stateline.orgA federal judge ruled the FDA failed to justify key restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, ordering the agency to reconsider its 2023 rules as legal battles over the drug continue. https://stateline.org/2026/07/24/federal-judge-says-certain-abortion-drug-restrictions-are-unlawful/
Federal judge says certain abortion drug restrictions are unlawful • StatelineA federal judge in Virginia ruled Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not sufficiently justify restrictions imposed in 2023 on a drug used to terminate early pregnancies, adding another layer of complexity to a string of legal cases with opposing goals that could affect future abortion access.stateline.orgMeasles cases this year have surpassed all of 2025 to become the worst since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, according to a new federal report. https://stateline.org/2026/07/24/measles-cases-have-reached-a-35-year-high/
Measles cases have reached a 35-year high • StatelineMeasles cases this year have surpassed all of 2025 to become the worst since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, with cases now in 44 states and the District of Columbia, according to a federal report released Friday.stateline.orgHomicides fell 18% in the first half of 2026 across a sample of 30 U.S. cities — helping push the U.S. toward what could be another historic low in killings. Read more: https://stateline.org/2026/07/24/crime-continues-historic-decline-as-homicide-rates-approach-century-lows/
Crime continues historic decline as homicide rates approach century lows • StatelineCrime rates continued falling across a sample of large U.S. cities in the first half of 2026, with homicide rates dropping enough to put the nation on track for another historic low in killings.stateline.orgA major bipartisan housing law is giving cities new tools and new incentives to build more homes. Here’s what the ROAD to Housing Act could mean for states and local governments: https://stateline.org/2026/07/24/landmark-federal-housing-law-tries-new-ways-to-boost-local-building/
Landmark federal housing law tries new ways to boost local building • StatelineChampioned as one of the most consequential and bipartisan federal housing laws in decades, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act enacted this month makes significant changes across federal housing policy. Some of its most notable provisions give local governments greater flexibility in using federal grants while introducing new financial rewards and penalties tied to housing production. stateline.orgStates are shifting from cellphone bans to classroom screen time limits, with new laws targeting younger students. Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira has the latest: https://stateline.org/2026/07/23/states-move-to-limit-classroom-screen-time/
States move to limit classroom screen time • StatelineAfter school cellphone bans passed many statehouses with bipartisan support in recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers are turning to legislation governing how long students should spend looking at screens. This year, four states passed laws restricting or regulating screen time for students from childcare through fifth grade.stateline.orgCyclosporiasis cases have more than doubled in a week, topping 4,100 confirmed infections across 41 states. https://stateline.org/2026/07/22/cyclosporiasis-outbreak-surges-to-over-4173-confirmed-cases/
Cyclosporiasis outbreak surges to over 4,173 confirmed cases • StatelineThe number of cases of cyclosporiasis — a parasitic infection linked to contaminated water or food that causes severe intestinal issues — has more than doubled to over 4,173 cases across 41 states this week, up from the 1,645 confirmed cases in 34 states reported last week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and […]stateline.orgThe U.S. death rate may have reached a historic low in 2025, driven by declines in overdoses, homicides and traffic deaths. But not every state has shared in the progress. https://stateline.org/2026/07/23/as-national-death-rate-dips-some-states-did-better-than-others/
As national death rate dips, some states did better than others • StatelineThe nation’s death rate may have fallen to a historic low last year as many of the killers of young people such as drug overdoses, gun homicides and traffic accidents continued receding in 2025. States have not shared equally in the success, though, according to a Stateline analysis of provisional data by state.stateline.orgA coalition of Democratic state attorneys general has joined a lawsuit seeking to end the Department of Defense's halt of onshore wind projects. stateline.org/2026/07/22/s...
State AGs join legal fight against Trump’s wind farm freeze • StatelineA coalition of state attorneys general has joined a lawsuit seeking to end the Trump administration’s halt of onshore wind projects in the United States. Last week, 18 states and the District of Colum...stateline.orgA federal appeals court covering Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas delivered a rare court victory for the Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy. stateline.org/2026/07/22/t...
Trump administration claims court victory in mandatory detention • StatelineThe Trump administration claimed a rare court victory for its embattled immigration detention policy when an appeals court, covering three states with large detention centers, agreed to stay court rul...stateline.org
Join me, my @statesnewsroom.com colleagues and @kff.org experts for a virtual discussion about #Medicaid spending cuts, work requirements and what's next for states, providers and families. It's Thursday at noon ET and it's free: kff-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Medicaid and the Road Ahead: Spending Cuts, Work Requirements and What's Next for States, Providers and Families. After registering, you will receive a conf...This event is scheduled from Noon to 1 PM Eastern. There will be time for audience questions.kff-org.zoom.usMore than 200 mayors say the federal government should be expanding food access — not cutting it. stateline.org/2026/07/22/c...
Citing a hunger ‘crisis,’ US mayors call for end to federal SNAP cuts • StatelineMore than 200 American mayors are calling on the federal government to reverse changes that will cost states billions and push millions of people off the food stamp program. This week, the United Stat...stateline.org
Here is the actual language from the funding opportunity about the two main modules for instruction. Ovulation is mentioned four times throughout this document, once as a "key indicator of health."
Kelcie Moseley-MorrisThe Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Millions will now be directed toward organizations that focus on body literacy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling,” programming usually meant for youth between ages 10 and 24.
Federal health officials have a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy that's focused on fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling.” stateline.org/2026/07/22/f...
Feds have a new teen pregnancy prevention plan: Fertility and ‘reproductive goals’ • StatelineThe Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Beginning this summer, it will steer millions of dollars toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking,...stateline.orgThe Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is freezing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota in an effort to crack down on fraud. stateline.org/2026/07/21/c...
Citing fraud, feds halt more than $1B in Medicaid money for California, Minnesota • StatelineThe Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is freezing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota in an effort to crack down on fraud. Medicaid is the public health ...stateline.orgSome hoped that the World Cup would boost employment in the U.S., but state unemployment rates remained relatively stagnant in June. stateline.org/2026/07/21/s...
State jobless rates remain stable in June as men's World Cup helps in some areas • StatelineState unemployment rates in June were little changed in a month in which some hoped for a boost from World Cup-related tourism and socializing. That failed to materialize nationally, but some states s...stateline.orgThe EEOC advanced a plan Tuesday to rescind requirements that larger employers report staff demographics — information that’s used to help enforce antidiscrimination laws. stateline.org/2026/07/21/t...
Trump proposal to end employer race, gender reporting advances • StatelineA federal commission voted Tuesday in favor of a Trump administration proposal to rescind requirements that larger employers report the demographics of their workers — information that’s used to help ...stateline.org