Some form of marijuana is legal in more than half the states, but cannabis businesses -- medical and recreational -- are still running into a cash problem.

Since the drug is illegal under federal law, any bank that handles marijuana money can be charged with money laundering, which forces the industry to deal with large amounts of cash, making them targets for violent crime.

To alleviate the problem, the notion of creating a state-run public bank to handle cannabis business accounts has been floated in several states, including California, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey and Washington.

Residents in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have some of the highest tax bills in the nation. They also pay thousands more in federal taxes than their state receives back in federal funding.

In total, 10 states are so-called donor states, meaning they pay more in taxes to the federal government than they receive back in funding for, say, Medicaid or public education. North Dakota, Illinois, New Hampshire, Washington state, Nebraska and Colorado round out the list.

The cost of retiree health care is spiraling out of control. In just two years, according to a recent S&P Global Ratings report, unfunded retiree health-care liabilities across the 50 states increased by $100 billion to now just under $700 billion.

As the federal government shutdown wears on, millions of low-income families are increasingly at risk, and state and local governments may not have the resources to pick up the tab.

On Tuesday, Trump administration officials announced that food stamp recipients are guaranteed access to their benefits only through the end of February. But beyond that, funding for the nutrition program run by the now-shuttered U.S. Department of Agriculture is questionable.

The same is true for WIC, the women, infants and children program.

The federal government has been shut down for 12 days, and there is no immediate end in sight. The longer it goes, the more disruptive it will be to state and local governments that have to pick up the tab for services.

Democrats are taking control of the U.S. House next month and have promised that infrastructure will be one of their top priorities. In what seems like an unlikely pairing, public pensions could play a role.

Despite going into special session, lawmakers still don't have a solution for the least-funded pension system in the nation.

A new survey reveals how little the public knows about their state government. Media coverage is partly to blame.

Observers thought the federal law would stifle the sale of municipal bonds -- and in effect infrastructure projects. But it hasn't been that bad.

The bulk of the funding boosts are going toward education and rainy day savings.

Economists say the unprecedented period of economic growth may be coming to an end.

Governments in the U.S. are starting to accept cryptocurrencies, a controversial method of payment that got its start on the dark web.

Platte County, Mo., is being punished for its resistance to bailing out a retail center that opened during the recession and has struggled to make bond payments.

This is the first holiday season since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to tax online shopping.

State and local officials devoted thousands of hours, and put other projects on hold, to lure the company.

Budget directors are still figuring out how much of the tax law's impact on state revenues was a one-time boost.

Efforts to raise state taxes largely failed. That wasn't the case at the local level.

An unprecedented number of female candidates ran for state or local office this year.

Ballot measures in California and Louisiana sought to protect homeowners from huge property tax spikes.

Businesses wanted voters to protect exemptions, loopholes and tax breaks that collectively cost the state more than $12 billion a year.