Donald Trump (R) sworn-in as the 47th president
On Monday, President Donald Trump (R) took the oath of office as the 47th president. Trump’s inauguration marks the second time in U.S. history that a president has served a second, non-consecutive term. The only other time this happened was in 1883, when President Grover Cleveland (D) returned to office.
Monday was also the third time a presidential inauguration has coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day since 1983, when the third Monday in January was designated as a national holiday to honor King’s life and legacy. President Bill Clinton’s (D) inauguration in 1997 and President Barack Obama’s (D) inauguration in 2013 both coincided with the holiday.
In Monday’s Daily Brew, we reviewed a series of resources we offer to help you stay updated on the new administration.
States approved 36 laws affecting ballot measure processes in 2024
During the 2024 legislative sessions, lawmakers proposed 334 bills related to direct democracy processes, including ballot initiatives, referendums, and recalls. In total, lawmakers passed 40 bills and resolutions, surpassing the annual average of 34 enacted bills between 2018 and 2023. Thirty-six bills from the 2024 sessions have or will take effect in 2025.
Of the 40 enacted:
- Fourteen would make initiative processes more difficult for those attempting to place an initiative or referendum on the ballot.
- Five would make the process less difficult.
- Twenty-one would not necessarily make the process easier or harder.
President Trump signs 26 executive orders on his first day in office
Hours after his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Trump signed 26 executive orders. Trump signed more executive orders on his first day in office than any president since 2001, and more than Bush and Obama signed in their first 100 days.
Neither George W. Bush (R) nor Barack Obama (D) signed executive orders on their first day in office. Trump signed one executive order on his first day in 2017, and Joe Biden (D) signed nine on his first day in 2021.
Trump’s executive orders covered multiple topics, ranging from immigration to the administrative state. We’ve published individual articles on each executive order, which you can review at the link below.
Ohio becomes the 23rd state to adopt what supporters call a Parents’ Bill of Rights
On Jan. 8, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed House Bill 8 into law, making Ohio the 23rd state to adopt what supporters call a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” and opponents call a “Don’t Say Gay bill.” The bill establishes the following rights for parents in state law:
- Reviewing and opting their child out of “sexuality content,” which the bill defines as “oral or written instruction, presentation, image, or description of sexual concepts or gender ideology.” The bill also specifically prohibits this instruction in grades K-3.
- Being notified of any changes to their child’s mental, emotional, or physical health, including “Any request by a student to identify as a gender that does not align with the student’s biological sex.”
- Ability to file concerns with the school district regarding any topic addressed in the Parents’ Bill of Rights.