Policy

A law intended to prevent inappropriate sexual communication has complicated the ability of coaches, band directors and school mentors to reach students, and gave no specifics on how parents can provide consent.

The City Council will this week consider a proposed bill requiring the police chief to adopt a strategic plan and procedures for “timely release of public information to the media and the public.”

The new federal AI Action Plan aims to secure U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence. Its policies address a range of issues, including worker displacement. Experts have concerns about its impact on state policy.

A new cyber grant program and new cybersecurity regulations for water and wastewater systems, announced Tuesday, aim to support water system resilience and protect public health in the state of New York.

The bill would ban Wisconsin employees from downloading and using apps on state-owned devices that are owned by foreign companies in countries deemed to be adversaries of the U.S.

The approaching end of financial incentives to purchase electric vehicles is expected to have some negative effect on their sales — but ultimately not dampen optimism toward electrified transportation.

The 900-page federal bill is expected to promote private schools at the expense of public ones, reduce student loan options and food assistance, cut into school budgets and heavily tax private university endowments.

The measure, which passed the U.S. House with broad bipartisan support after clearing the Senate, is now on track to become law. President Trump lobbied Republicans to support it.

Unless Lancaster city leaders take action quickly, residents may have little say in the approval process for a planned $6 billion data center announced by AI and cloud computing company CoreWeave.

One bill aimed at increasing energy payments for new data centers did not reach the Senate floor, while another bill aimed at suspended data center tax breaks was vetoed by the governor.

Commenting on a Facebook post asking for their reactions to Alabama's school cellphone restrictions, many parents voiced their support, and some said the policy should apply to teachers, too.

New York law will soon require students to have their cellphones turned off at school and stored in a way chosen by their principals. Gov. Kathy Hochul recommended that parents start preparing their kids for this reality.

Principal Jessiah Gilchrist said Cedar Rapids Taft Middle School has had a policy in place since 2020 restricting the use of cellphones, and he said it's been "so effective."

A Georgia agency has ordered regional planning commissions to pause reviews of new data center proposals because of an unprecedented wave of projects being pitched across the Peach State.

The 2026-27 Ohio budget mandates that K-12 districts create policies to govern the use of artificial intelligence and cellphones, and offers a handful of $100,000 grants to community colleges for implementing AI.

Replika, Kindroid and Character.AI are marketed as entertainment apps or ways to help people develop emotional wellness. But some research shows prolonged interaction can lead to increased feelings of loneliness.

The complaint argues that the Constitution does not give the executive branch power "to unilaterally refuse to spend appropriations that were passed by both houses of Congress and were signed into law."

A new cybersecurity office aims to centralize oversight, align standards and support risk management across state government, and will be supported by the renamed Office of State Technology.