A free online resource helping local government leaders identify and implement evidence-based strategies to improve upward economic mobility for their residents.

Over 50 high-level strategies and nearly 200 specific programs backed by rigorous research. From early childhood to workforce development, housing to financial security.

Report Overview

The federal government has been slow to pass new laws. So state governments are stepping up to solve important problems. Bloomberg Government's 2025 State Policy Watchlist looks at five key areas where states are making big changes this year.

Why This Report Matters

• States are making new laws to fill gaps when federal government doesn't act

• 88 places (23 states and 65 cities) will raise their minimum wages in 2025

• 20 states now have laws protecting people's online privacy as of January 2025

• When many states do something, the federal government often follows

• Knowing what states are doing helps you plan ahead

In a rare moment of agreement across party lines, parents from all political backgrounds share deep concern about the impact of social media and smartphones on their children. This is not a left issue or a right issue. This is a parent issue.

Why This Matters for Your Community

• For Parents: You are not alone in your concerns. Data showing overwhelming consensus across political lines

• For Schools: Evidence supporting phone-free policies that most parents actually want

• For Policy Makers: Rare bipartisan issue where Americans agree on the need for action

• For Tech Companies: Clear signal that parents want better protections for kids online

• For Communities: A unifying issue that can bring people together across differences

This groundbreaking event returns to Houston Community College for the first time since 2020, inviting you to experience the world through someone else's eyes using the power of virtual reality.

Join HCC Central for a special VR for Empathy event on Saturday, November 15. This groundbreaking initiative was first held at HCC in 2019, followed by a larger, more impactful edition in 2020, and now returns with fresh perspectives on how immersive technology can help us understand one another more deeply.

"This experience is exhilarating. It's like going on a rollercoaster that looks scary, but after you go through the drops and loops, you're like 'I want to do that again!' The Civic Gym is like that but without the long lines."

— Civic Gym Student Participant

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