What a policy does after the press conference ends

Passing a law is the start of the story, not the end. This section follows policies into practice: the regulation an agency writes, the budget line that funds it, and the data that shows whether it did what supporters promised.

We cover budgets and taxation, public safety policy, health and education programs, and civil liberties questions. For each, we separate four things: the text of the law, its documented effects, the political arguments for and against, and the questions still unresolved.

You'll see fiscal impact statements, agency reports and audit findings cited by name. When studies disagree, we say so and explain why. Coming up: a beginner's guide to reading a fiscal note, and how to tell a policy's stated goal from its measured result.