Year: 2025
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Senator proposes limits on proxy voting in federal retirement plan
On Nov. 25, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proposed legislation affecting the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the retirement program for civilian federal employees and active-duty service members. The proposal would bar the firms that manage TSP assets—primarily BlackRock and State Street—from casting shareholder votes tied to those holdings. Cruz said he wants to stop the…
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Trump signs resolution disapproving of Bureau of Land Management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve
On Dec. 5, President Trump (R) signed a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) into law, disapproving of a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource management plan for land administered by the BLM in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. This resolution is the first time the CRA has been used to disapprove of…
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Supreme Court hears arguments on limits to presidential removal power in FTC case
On Dec. 8, 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Trump v. Slaughter. The case examines whether Congress may limit the president’s authority to remove Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners and whether courts may order reinstatement when a removal violates a statutory protection. During arguments, the justices focused primarily on how removal limits…
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Minimum wage set to increase in 22 states and D.C., raising the nationwide average to $11.51
In 2026, the minimum wage will increase in 22 states and Washington, D.C. The increases range from $0.28 in Minnesota to $2.00 in Hawaii. The 2026 increases come from state laws adopted in the past that provided for incremental increases and inflation adjustments, as well as new state statutes passed in 2025 in Rhode Island…
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Five ballot initiatives filed in California to regulate artificial intelligence and its developers
California voters could be the first in the nation to decide on ballot initiatives regulating artificial intelligence in 2026. Five proposed initiatives to regulate AI and its developers have been filed with the attorney general and are awaiting ballot titles before signature gathering can begin. Jim Steyer, the chief executive officer of Common Sense Media,…
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Referendum to repeal Missouri’s new congressional map submits signatures for 2026 ballot
In Missouri, signatures were filed for a veto referendum against the state's new congressional districts map. On Dec. 9, the campaign People Not Politicians reported filing more than 300,000 signatures. The targeted legislation, House Bill 1 (HB 1), redraws the state's eight congressional districts. HB 1 divides Kansas City, Missouri, between three congressional districts. As…
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Utah State Legislature repeals public sector collective bargaining ban, which was scheduled for a referendum vote in 2026
The Utah State Legislature voted to repeal HB 267 during a special legislative session on Dec. 9, 2025. In Utah, a pending veto referendum is automatically invalidated if the state legislature repeals the targeted legislation. As such, the referendum targeting HB 267 will not be on the 2026 Utah ballot. HB 267 would have prohibited…
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Georgia House seat is the eighth to change partisan control in state legislative special elections this year
Georgia Democrat Eric Gisler won the special election for state House District 121, gaining partisan control of the seat from Republicans. According to CNN’s Ethan Cohen, President Donald Trump (R) won the district by a 12-point margin in the 2024 presidential election. Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said, “Fresh off the resounding victories in…