On November 3, 2020, Californians will vote on Proposition 15, also known as the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020. The proposition would require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value rather than on their purchase price. This...
On November 3, 2020, Californians will vote on Proposition 15, also known as the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020. The proposition would require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value rather than on their...
On November 3, 2020, Californians will vote on Proposition 15, also known as the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020. The proposition would require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value rather than on their...
Tracy Gordon, senior fellow, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on the Budget for a hearing on “Why Federal Investments Matter: Stability from Congress to State Capitals.” In her testimony she notes that while states and localities are key economic players and service...
This report was updated on August 29, 2019, to correct a citation in box 7. Proposition 111, approved in California in 1990, was incorrectly cited as Proposition 11 with a year of 1991.
Governors, lawmakers, and journalists often decry constitutional and statutory formulas,...
American places are pulling apart from one another—economically, socially, and politically. Declining regional income convergence, increasing geographic concentration of joblessness, and an increasing awareness of the social costs of long-term joblessness and economic isolation have led many...
Cities are where people come together to work, live, and thrive. Cities also face a host of fiscal challenges, many of which were laid bare in the Great Recession. Given these challenges, stakeholders of many kinds have sought more and better indicators of city fiscal health. This paper provides...
To respond effectively to state and federal policy changes, city leaders, non-profit service providers, advocates, and researchers all need accurate data on how federal funds flow to local governments. Unfortunately, those data are spread across multiple sources that are often indecipherable or...
Tracy Gordon, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, spoke before the New Democrat Coalition 21st Century Task Force on October 4, 2017. She shared four things that Congress may want to keep in mind when considering changes to infrastructure policy....
Congress is headed toward a fourth COVID-19 relief package – and arguably the first one directly addressing state and local governments’ pandemic-induced fiscal crisis ...
The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law last week will allocate roughly $200 billion in fiscal relief to...
On January 15, I testified before the House Budget Committee on how to strengthen the federal-state-local government partnership. I urged Congress to revise funding formulas...
The recent feud between President Trump and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) over conditions in Baltimore may have one benefit: it lets us reopen a debate...
Whenever the federal government goes completely nuts , it can be comforting to remember the United States is a highly decentralized country . Fifty states...
Amazon’s decision to build big new facilities in New York City and Northern Virginia prompted a predictable outcry about the reported $2 billion plus in...
Americans appear deeply divided, in part because they are experiencing vastly different economic outcomes based on where they live. What causes these regional disparities? How...
President Trump wants to do something about infrastructure. As a presidential candidate, he decried the state of American roads, bridges, transit, and airports, comparing the...
Congressional plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act have governors worried – and with good reason. Although proposals continue to evolve, states stand...
Last week, the Senate passed and President Obama signed into law the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act ( PROMESA ). The law...
The recently completed US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into Ferguson’s police department highlighted “the City’s focus on revenue rather...
Last week’s federal court ruling in the municipal bankruptcy case of Stockton, CA highlighted the enormous challenge faced by local governments with...
