The Obama Administration is hoping to address the nation's huge deficits. Neal Peirce looks at how proposed solutions might trickle down to states and municipalities.
Some of the proposed solutions could be a boon to states, counties and cities, but other ideas could have negative implications.
"[T]he bipartisan deficit commission that Obama created, headed by former Clinton White House aide Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), includes one recommendation that states and cities will abhor. It would make bonds issued by state and local governments, today tax-exempt, fully taxable.
That shift would increase the necessary yields on state or local bonds so sharply that roughly 30 percent would be added to the cost of practically every capital investment states or cities make, notes Frank Shafroth, a veteran of positions in the local state and local government field and currently adjunct professor at George Mason and George Washington Universities."
FULL STORY: What Would Mega-Fiscal Reform Mean for States, Cities?

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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