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
Posted June 27, 2023 Scaling Up: State Lawmakers Form Caucuses to Support Manufacturing To help manufacturers deal with supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages and other issues, some states have formed legislative caucuses to develop the workforce, ease regulatory burdens, encourage innovation and educate other lawmakers on... State Legislatures News, Policy, Fiscal
Posted June 21, 2023 Supreme Court Upholds Indian Child Welfare Act The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA, in a case addressing sovereignty in adoption proceedings involving Native American children. State Legislatures News, Policy, Human Services, State-Federal
Posted June 20, 2023 More Withdrawals From Voter Data Group ERIC Likely Eight Republican-controlled states so far have cut ties with the Electronic Registration Information Center, a multistate consortium that helps ensure accurate voter rolls, citing unfounded concerns over privacy and transparency. State Legislatures News, Policy, Elections
Posted June 19, 2023 States Offer Consumer Protections to Buyers Who Opt for Alternative Home Financing Some states are providing consumer protections to home buyers who opt for alternative financing arrangements because they are unable to get traditional mortgages. State Legislatures News, Policy, Financial Services
Posted June 15, 2023 Supreme Court Affirms Section 2 of Voting Rights Act By a vote of 5-4, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a major voting rights decision, ruling that Alabama’s new congressional map likely violates the Voting Rights Act. State Legislatures News, Policy, State-Federal
Posted June 1, 2023 Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis Escape the annual budget bubble with data and expert insights from Fiscal 50, an interactive tool from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Policy, Fiscal
Posted May 31, 2023 Lawmakers Discuss Ways to Make Clearing a Criminal Record Easier A bipartisan group of state lawmakers recently gathered in Miami at NCSL’s Clean Slate Record Clearing meeting to simplify the process of clearing or sealing the criminal records of people who have completed their sentences and remained... State Legislatures News, Policy, Civil and Criminal Justice