A year chock-full of budget and redistricting fights has done more than just give state lawmakers heartburn. According to a new study by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), those issues, in conjunction with the wait for a Supreme Court decision on a federal challenge to Arizona's...

By Lou Cannon States and local governments with heavy concentrations of illegal immigrants have long clamored for comprehensive federal immigration reform. But with such reform on the doorstep, many of these states and localities are complaining that they are in line to bear the brunt of the costs...