Author

Daniel C. Vock

Daniel C. Vock

Daniel C. Vock is a national reporter based in Washington, D.C. He has covered a wide range of public policy, with a particular emphasis on states and local governments. He has been a staff writer for Governing magazine, Stateline and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

State redistricting stumbles amidst familiar partisan infighting

By: - October 22, 2021

WASHINGTON — New political maps will shape elections in state legislatures and Congress for a decade, but this year’s round of redistricting is already crumbling into partisanship and court challenges not just in Ohio, but multiple states. Hopes were high initially. Advocates in several states pushed measures over the last few years that they hoped […]

Democrats’ vision for free community college would boost undocumented students

By: - October 5, 2021

WASHINGTON — The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was included […]

Struggle over tax break for inherited farmland churns below surface in reconciliation bill

By: - September 21, 2021

WASHINGTON — Agricultural groups and farm-state lawmakers notched a significant win when U.S. House Democrats chose not to touch a big tax break for inherited property, avoiding for now a confrontation. But opponents remain wary that the idea could come back at any time as Democrats shape their massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, and search […]

Feds expand Pell Grant program for prisoners working on college degrees

By: - August 30, 2021

WASHINGTON — Prison inmates around the U.S. are getting the chance to do something that was almost unheard of a generation ago: pursue a college degree while behind bars and with financial support from the federal government. Inmates in 42 states and Washington, D.C., can now get federal grants to work with colleges and universities […]

GOP furor over ‘critical race theory’ hits college campuses

By: - July 6, 2021

Professors say the Republican crusade to root out “critical race theory” is taking a toll on college campuses around the nation — places where academic freedom is supposed to encourage thought, discussion and analysis. Much of the “critical race theory” uproar to date has centered on teaching in K-12 schools. But several high-profile incidents, combined […]

Teachers come under pressure as politicians, parents battle over ‘critical race theory’

By: - June 14, 2021

WASHINGTON — Teachers from Tennessee to Iowa to Ohio are swept up in a wave of outrage led by GOP politicians nationwide over how schools teach kids about race in U.S. history. Conservatives have pilloried much instruction about systemic racism as “critical race theory,” even when that academic term has never been mentioned. A half […]

Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.

By: - May 24, 2021

WASHINGTON — From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized by […]

Amtrak Train

With ‘Amtrak Joe’ in the White House, states hope for a passenger rail renaissance

By: - April 30, 2021

Stu Nicholson has been trying for decades without success to get Amtrak — or any other passenger rail service — to come to Columbus, Ohio. As director of All Aboard Ohio, a passenger rail advocacy group, Nicholson helped explore possibilities, like creating a new route from Chicago to Pittsburgh, with Columbus in the middle. But […]

U.S. Senate panel calls on governors, mayor to talk big new infrastructure package

By: - February 25, 2021

WASHINGTON — Senators who could decide the fate of President Joe Biden’s push for a major new infrastructure package seemed open to his priorities at a hearing Wednesday, particularly Biden’s emphasis on replacing vehicles that run on gas and diesel with ones that use electric power. But when it came to the question of who […]

Buttigieg puts greenhouse gas reduction at center of Biden transportation policy

By: - January 27, 2021

Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg offered an unapologetic defense of President Joe Biden’s vision for improved transportation and greenhouse gas reductions during a Senate hearing to consider Buttigieg’s nomination for U.S. transportation secretary on Thursday. “We need to build our economy back, better than ever, and the Department of Transportation can play a central […]

Buttigieg to inherit a crumbling network of roads, subways and rails at DOT

By: - December 28, 2020

Pete Buttigieg as the incoming pick for U.S. transportation secretary would take office at a time when both state and local officials are deeply frustrated that not enough is being done to maintain and improve the country’s transportation networks. But nobody seems to be able to solve the problem. For example, two presidents have vowed […]

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heads for the exits, leaving a legacy of turmoil

By: - December 16, 2020

WASHINGTON — In four years in office, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos failed to broaden her appeal beyond the moment she won a wild Senate confirmation fight by the closest of margins. She didn’t even try. Instead, the billionaire Michigan native and Republican megadonor championed private and charter schools, often trying to funnel federal funding […]