Halfway through January, legislative sessions in numerous states across the country are officially underway. Governors were busy this week delivering their state of the state addresses and budget addresses, while lawmakers have started debating important issues like education funding, energy policies, election reforms, and more.
Alabama
State Representative Jim Hill (R) has proposed to split the Alabama Legislature regular session into two parts. The bill, HB 35, would split the session so that lawmakers meet earlier in the year and again in the fall, giving lawmakers more time to react to anything that happens during the session.
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Alaska
The 33rd session of the Alaska Legislature kicked off this week in Juneau. This year lawmakers will confront numerous issues, including education funding, energy proposals, and annual dividend checks.
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Arizona
State lawmakers have introduced two bills this session hoping to prohibit cell-cultured animal products and limit their use in the state. One bill would implement heavy fines against the selling and producing of a cell-cultured animal product, and another would make it illegal to misrepresent cell-cultured meat.
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California
With lawmakers considering a proposal to restrict children under 12 from playing tackle football, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) came out this week saying he would veto any outright ban on youth tackle football.
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Colorado
The Colorado General Assembly returned to Denver this week. Lawmakers are expected to consider legislation on property taxes, the state budget, and the amount of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit matched by the state of Colorado.
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Connecticut
Governor Ned Lamont (D) and Treasurer Erick Russell announced this week that nearly 8,000 children are eligible for the Connecticut Baby Bonds program that was established in July of 2023.
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Delaware
Due to illness, Governor John Carney (D) had to postpone his 2024 State of the State Address that was originally scheduled for January 18th. A new date for the governor’s address has not yet been determined.
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Georgia
Governor Brian Kemp (R) presented his proposed budget this week, which includes $11.3 million for literacy efforts to improve educational progress for students across the state.
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Hawaii
Following last summer’s wildfires, Hawaii lawmakers are making preventing and fighting wildfires one of their main priorities for this year’s session.
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Idaho
The State House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a new bill that intends to ban material that is considered harmful to children from public school and public libraries. HB 384 is a tweaked version of last year’s HB 314, one that Governor Brad Little (R) vetoed.
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Illinois
The Illinois General Assembly reconvened this week in Springfield for legislative session. Lawmakers are expected to focus on a range of issues related to transportation, funding, and much more.
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Indiana
Governor Eric Holcomb (R) signed his first executive order of 2024 to temporarily lift restrictions on commercial drivers’ hours of service. The order aims to assist Indiana residents relying on propane gas for heat amidst frigid temperatures.
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Kansas
Kansas is only one of two states in the country without a Good Samaritan Law for drug overdoses, but some lawmakers have introduced legislation to change that.
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Louisiana
Governor Jeff Landry (R) opened Louisiana’s special session on congressional redistricting this week..
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Maine
Governor Janet Mills (D) sent a letter to President Joe Biden (D) this week asking him to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for Maine. The request comes in the wake of a storm in December that flooded several counties and damaged infrastructure across the state.
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Maryland
Governor Wes Moore (D) is planning to restore $150 million in proposed transportation cuts, which aims to reinstate funding in the transportation budget for the year.
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Massachusetts
Governor Maura Healy (D) has unveiled a new proposal for expanding an existing program across the state that would guarantee that all four year olds have the chance to enroll in high-quality preschool programs at low or no cost.
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Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz (D) unveiled his proposed $982 million infrastructure plan for Minnesota, which focuses on clean water, public safety, safe roads, and more.
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Mississippi
Governor Tate Reeves (R) has called for a special session of the Mississippi Legislature. He hopes to finalize a $1.9 billion economic development project that will create more jobs in the state.
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Montana
Governor Greg Gianforte (R) announced that he is running for his second term as governor of Montana.
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New Hampshire
A pending bill in the state legislature would make new vehicles exempt from safety inspections. Representative Matthew Coker (D) introduced HB 1391, which would allow motorists to skip inspection on their new cars for the first two years after purchase.
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New Jersey
Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill into law lifting numerous restrictions on breweries in the state. The bill will allow towns to reclaim inactive liquor licenses, eliminate annual limits on events, and more.
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New Mexico
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) delivered her State of the State speech this week. In it, she outlined legislative goals, and her upcoming priorities including addressing crime, public education, housing and climate change.
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New York
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) presented her proposed budget this week. The $233 billion budget would include nearly $2.4 billion for the City of New York to manage their ongoing migrant crisis, along with nearly $3 billion for state Medicaid spending.
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Ohio
Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced this week that he wants to ban all Delta-8 products in the state, and called on lawmakers to push this agenda forward.
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Oklahoma
Governor Kevin Stitt (R) has called the Legislature into a special session. Following the first special session that took place last September, this one plans to focus on taxes in the state, specifically looking at a reduction in personal income taxes.
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Oregon
Lawmakers are hoping to pass a “right-to-repair” bill with the legislative session coming up. This bill would make it easier for consumers and repair shops to fix electronic devices sold in the state.
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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has until the end of the year to reauthorize the state law which protects low-income utility cusotomers from shut-offs if they are behind on their bill payments, and lawmakers held a hearing this week to solicit feedback on the issue.
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Rhode Island
Governor Daniel McKee (D) delivered his State of the State Address this week, highlighting successes from 2023 and looking ahead at issues to tackle in 2024.
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South Carolina
A proposal has been floated to change the current legislative process in the House of Representatives. The proposal calls for limiting the hours of debate allowed and would extend the time given to lawmakers to speak on amendments.
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South Dakota
Lawmakers are proposing an increase to phone fees related to the 911 emergency line. This fee would increase from $1.25 currently to $2.00. The funds go to the state to help pay for emergency services.
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Utah
The legislative session began this week in Salt Lake City. One topic of discussion already surrounds changing the deadline for mail-in ballots in the state.
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West Virginia
Governor Jim Justice (R) previously discussed proposed tax cuts in his state of the state address, and has now released further details. Justice is proposing to reform the state’s Social Security income tax, add childcare tax credits, and expand the senior citizen property tax credit.
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Wisconsin
A new bill has been proposed by state lawmakers to alter the way that Congressional elections are run in the state. The Final-Five Voting system would end partisan primary elections and instead require all candidates, of all parties, to run on the same primary ballot. The top five winners would go to the general election, where voters would have a ranked-choice voting system.
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