B&G Report

[Photo: Oregon Governor Tina Kotek] Generally, gubernatorial executive orders get scanty press attention. But we’ve found they’re one of the best ways to scope out both management and policy priorities before any new legislation winds its way through legislatures. They’re particularly interesting for the nine new governors as these just-after-oath-of-office actions show what’s top of the mind as their four-year stint in charge begins. By January 25, the new governors had alre

As the federal government hands out money to states and localities for broadband services (and other infrastructure as well), one question has been in the back of our minds: How well are the feds measuring the performance of these investments. We got a partial answer earlier today, with the release of a Government Accountability Office report, that makes it clear that the answer is sometimes “not well enough.” The report focused on the work of the National Telecommunications

Episode One: Data Quality - Over the course of years, as we’ve closely followed the work of state and local performance auditors, a somewhat bleak thought is with us. These people, whose lives are dedicated to state and local government, find themselves repeating many of the same findings over and over again, as they tackle different agencies and different issues. It seems to us that they might well identify with the woes of the character from Greek mythology, Sisyphus, who w

Out of the 36 gubernatorial elections last November, 26 resulted in the return of an incumbent while only one, Nevada’s Steve Sisolak, lost. That left nine new governors taking office, not an earthshaking number, but enough to make us curious about the demographic shifts in the new cadre. Our efforts turned up some interesting facts that we wanted to share. Perhaps most intriguing, the new group is dramatically younger than the governors they’re replacing. This is probably in

​ ​by Thomas P. DiNapoli, Comptroller, New York State Across America, people are facing uncertainty in economic times, with rising inflation and interest rates, and the threat of a recession looming. As New York State Comptroller, I track how these economic forces impact New Yorkers’ financial well-being and our state and local economies. ​ During these difficult economic times, financial literacy is a critical tool to help individuals and families safeguard their money and b