#state-funding

#state-funding

With the Trump administration cutting funds to arts and culture - a survey by the American Alliance of Museums found that one-third of U.S. museums have lost government grants or contracts since President Donald Trump took office - the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway in Prospect Heights received a significant financial boost. At a Nov. 20 press conference in the museum's pavilion and lobby, Assembly Member Robert Carroll and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie presented the 200-year-old institution with a $10 million check

The state government allocates transit funding to municipalities under the State Operating Assistance program, which receives dedicated funding through such things as the petroleum business tax or state car registration fees. Alas, that funding has lagged; in the last budget cycle, advocates sought a 15-percent hike, but got just a 3.4-percent increase, bringing total State Operating Assistance funding to $344 million for upstate transit.

Its beneficiaries are expected to feel the impact within one to two weeks. The program in question is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known by its acronym WIC, which has a yearly budget of $8 billion. It provides vouchers for infant formula, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, skim milk, and other healthy staples

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program deployment effort is coming in far under budget. At the highest level, that's a good thing. But good things don't come without their own complexities. In this case, a political battle could evolve over who controls the remaining BEAD funds. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick suggesting that states keep the excess funds and spend them on state-led AI-related programs.

Political and social changes in the U.S. and other Western democracies in the 21st century have triggered growing concerns about possible erosion of academic freedom. In the past, colleges and universities largely decided whom to admit and hire, what to teach, and which research to support. Increasingly, those prerogatives are being challenged. In a new working paper, Pippa Norris, the Paul F. McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, looked at academic freedom and found it faces two very different but dangerous threats.

California will foot the cost of redistricting upfront, an official with the state's Department of Finance told lawmakers on Wednesday. Legislators are continuing to fast-track a package of bills this week to convene a special election in November where voters will decide whether to implement new, partisan congressional maps for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. The full legislature is expected to vote Thursday on the package, Democratic leadership has said.

Homelessness continues to be a major issue in California, but some places are reporting decreases in their populations. Santa Cruz County is the latest: It counted 1,473 people this year, down 20% from 2024. But despite that sign of progress, the number of chronically homeless people increased suggesting the county still struggles to house that high-needs population. That category refers to people who have been homeless a year or more and have a disability.

The U.S. Education Department is releasing more than $5 billion in education grant funding to states, which had been previously approved but withheld by the Trump administration.

De Anza College will undergo a $53 million renovation of its aging physical education complex, marking the first significant upgrades in nearly 60 years.

"With the recent development of additional state funding for the BMT project, and at the request of Task Force Leadership, the vote on the Vision Plan is postponed until mid-July."

The Indiana Connectivity Program continues to award significant funding to enhance broadband access statewide, aiming to support agricultural technology and address connectivity needs.