Resource Special Report: A Look at 2024’s Trending Legislative Topics

Training and retaining health care professionals; the pandemic’s role in triggering or exacerbating depression, anxiety and substance use disorders; states’ ongoing review of Medicaid eligibility and services.

More flexible occupational licensing requirements for veterans and their families; funding for military installations; continued efforts to reduce veteran suicides, which have declined slightly but remain unacceptably high.

New greenhouse gas restrictions for the transportation and building sectors;  state and federal efforts to expand technologies that can help attain decarbonization goals while providing clean, reliable energy.

More frequent and costly natural disasters; PFAS chemicals, used in many commercial products, persisting dangerously in the environment; additional authority over the nation’s wetlands for states and private landowners.

Household financial strain as pandemic-era funding for safety net programs ends; the high cost of food, housing and child care; civil court proceedings with a more family-friendly touch.

Ongoing battles against opioids and crimes of opportunity; crisis training and mental health support for law enforcement officers; “clean slate” laws; and juvenile justice reform.

Artificial intelligence, voter list maintenance and complying with the Electoral Count Reform Act join evergreen issues such as poll worker recruitment and election security.

Addressing pandemic learning loss; supporting effective teachers and principals; impact of poor mental health on learning, engagement, behavior and school attendance; the perceived value of postsecondary education.

Apprenticeships, non-degree programs and stackable credentials; more flexibility in degree requirements for some positions; licensing policies that favor worker mobility; better savings plans and portable benefits.

Comprehensive, or omnibus, consumer data protection legislation; the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence; deploying broadband internet services more equitably across the country.

Alternative funding strategies as vehicles that use little or no gas become more common and the gas tax loses steam; roadside screening devices that can detect polysubstance impairment in drivers.

Caution on inflation, which has increased the cost of capital projects and put pressure on state budgets; lowering taxes, expanding credits; workforce shortages and the tax implications of remote work.