Posted August 15, 2023 States Search for Ways to Keep Kids Safe on Social Media The risk of real-life harm is prompting states to find ways to mitigate the impact social media can have on kids, from California’s Age Appropriate Design Code Act—which seeks to help protect children’s data online—to... State Legislatures News, Policy, Health, Human Services, Legislative Summit, Technology and Communication
Posted August 11, 2023 To Combat Overdose Crisis, States Bring Tough New Laws to Fight Against Fentanyl Policymakers are taking action to mitigate the distribution, manufacture and sale of fentanyl; investing in harm reduction strategies and awareness campaigns; and using opioid settlement funds to train first responders. State Legislatures News, Policy, Health
Posted August 9, 2023 Some Holidays Make Shopping a Little Less Taxing Policy experts on both ends of the political spectrum tend to agree that sales tax holidays are not the best way to offer impactful tax relief, but consumers like them. This year, 19 states will offer tax holidays on school-related items. State Legislatures News, Policy, Education, Fiscal
Posted August 7, 2023 The Biggest Vote in Ohio Has to Do With Voting Itself In Tuesday’s special election, Ohioans will head to the polls to vote on the legislative referendum Issue 1, introduced by Republicans to make it more difficult for state constitutional amendments to pass. State Legislatures News, Policy, Elections
Posted August 7, 2023 What Borrowers Should Know as Student Loan Payments Restart With student loan payments expected to resume after Sept. 1, borrowers will have access to temporary flexibilities to restart payments, a new income-driven plan that promises more affordable payments, and multiple pathways for loan forgiveness. State Legislatures News, Policy, Education, State-Federal
Posted August 2, 2023 In a Summer Marked by Extreme Heat, Some Suggest It Is Time for a National Cooling Standard President Joe Biden asked the Department of Labor to issue the first-ever Hazard Alert for heat and to ramp up enforcement to protect workers from extreme heat. Beyond enforcement, some would like to see a national cooling standard... State Legislatures News, Policy, Health, Labor and Employment
Posted July 31, 2023 A Dose of Relief: How States Are Spending Opioid Settlement Money As state lawmakers take a role in appropriating some of the funds coming from settlements with opioid manufacturers, they hope to ensure the money is used to prevent opioid misuse and provide treatment for opioid users. State Legislatures News, Policy, Health
Posted July 27, 2023 Legislative Summary: Addressing Disparities in Access to Health Care To better understand and address health disparities in their states, lawmakers within the last year created advisory committees and boards, increased access to health care services and addressed workforce shortages. State Legislatures News, Policy, Health
Posted July 27, 2023 New State and Federal Policies Expand Access to Free School Meals As the federal school meal program gets back on track after the pandemic, states and the federal government are proposing significant new policies that will shape the program’s future. State Legislatures News, Policy, Education, Health, Human Services
Posted July 26, 2023 Plagued by Teacher Shortages, Some States Turn to Fast-Track Credentialing Virginia is just the latest state to turn to for-profit teacher certification companies in an urgent effort to recruit and train more teachers. The states hope the new paths to certification will help ease the shortages, but critics argue those... State Legislatures News, Policy, Education, Labor and Employment
Posted July 25, 2023 States Face Minimal Turbulence as New Fiscal Year Takes Off Because of deadlines built into the budgeting process, most states complete their spending plans well before the start of the new accounting period. State Legislatures News, Policy, Fiscal
Posted July 18, 2023 Supreme Court Fortifies First Amendment, Religious Accommodation Protections In two cases, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of strengthening First Amendment protections in situations some might consider polarizing; in a third case, the court bolstered religious protections for workers. State Legislatures News, Policy, State-Federal
Posted July 17, 2023 Expanded Medical Training Could Help Hospitals in Rural, Underserved Areas Many states are acting to ensure that medical graduates have access to clinical training, which is required for licensure, through statewide collaboration, appropriations, Medicaid payments and other incentives. State Legislatures News, Policy, Health
Posted July 17, 2023 Arizona Lawmakers Find Common Ground on Water With a megadrought threatening the supply of Colorado River water to the West, the Arizona Legislature agreed to invest $1 billion to find new water sources and will ask the federal government to investigate diverting floodwaters from the... State Legislatures News, Policy, Agriculture and Rural Development, Environment and Natural Resources
Posted July 13, 2023 NCSL Continues Tradition of Honoring Military Vets at Summit State legislators and staffers who are military veterans will be saluted at the 2023 Legislative Summit in Indianapolis in August. State Legislatures News, News to Use, Policy, Military and Veterans Affairs
Posted July 10, 2023 Supreme Court Strikes Down Student Loan Forgiveness Program The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the states had standing to sue the Biden administration over its student loan forgiveness program and struck down the plan; the court also ruled that individual borrowers who challenged the plan lacked standing to... State Legislatures News, Policy, State-Federal
Posted July 5, 2023 Paid Leave Continues to Be Big Issue for State Lawmakers Post-Pandemic During the COVID-19 pandemic, paid leave emerged as a critical policy issue in state legislatures all over the country. Now, with the pandemic retreating in the rearview mirror, the paid leave landscape is changing, but the issue remains just as... State Legislatures News, Policy, Human Services, Labor and Employment
Posted July 3, 2023 Bipartisan National Task Force Addresses Workforce Mental Health Massachusetts Sen. John Velis talks about how he and a bipartisan Labor Department task force are responding in face of a national behavioral health crisis. State Legislatures News, Policy, Health, Labor and Employment
Posted June 30, 2023 As Overdose Deaths Rise, so Do Options for Treatment Buprenorphine, one of three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment for OUD, reduces the risk of overdose, illicit opioid use, and the transmission of infectious disease that can accompany... State Legislatures News, Policy, Health
Posted June 30, 2023 Supreme Court Issues Pair of Immigration Rulings The U.S. Supreme Court issued two immigration rulings in its race to finish the final month of its 2022-23 term. The decisions in U.S. v. Hansen and U.S. v. Texas are victories for the Biden administration, which prevailed in both... State Legislatures News, Policy, Immigration, State-Federal
Posted June 30, 2023 Supreme Court Rejects Use of Race in College Admissions Process The U.S. Supreme Court held that admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and that race can no longer be used as a factor in admissions. State Legislatures News, Policy, State-Federal
Posted June 29, 2023 Supreme Court Affirms State Corporate Registration Law in Personal Jurisdiction Case The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a Pennsylvania law requiring out-of-state companies that want to do business in the state to register and consent to appear in a Pennsylvania court if they are sued. State Legislatures News, Policy, State-Federal
Posted June 27, 2023 Supreme Court Unpersuaded by the Independent State Legislature Theory In Moore v. Harper, the justices rejected a reading of the Constitution that would have given state legislatures largely unchecked power over federal elections. State Legislatures News, Policy, State-Federal
Posted June 27, 2023 Roundtable: How Legislative Caucuses Can Power the Manufacturing Sector NCSL talks with lawmakers from Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania about legislative caucuses formed specifically to promote the manufacturing sector. State Legislatures News, Policy, Fiscal