Year: 2025
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After 2023 veto, Arizona legislature sends drug cartel terrorism designation law directly to voters as ballot measure
The Arizona State Legislature approved House Concurrent Resolution 2055 (HCR 2055), placing a ballot measure about drug cartels before voters in the 2026 election. If approved, the ballot measure would define drug cartels as terrorist organizations and require the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to "do everything within its authority to address the threat posed…
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Oregon joins 45 other states in allowing the governor to make appointments to vacant U.S. Senate seats
On June 20, 2025, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed Senate Bill 952 (SB 952), which gives the governor the power to appoint an interim U.S. senator for the state if a vacancy occurs. The bill includes the following provisions: In 36 states, governors appoint individuals to fill vacancies temporarily until a special election. The…
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Sen. Thom Tillis announces he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2026
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced on June 29, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2026. On his retirement, Tillis said in a statement, “In Washington over the last few years, it's become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming…
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Louisiana is the eighth state in 2025 to pass a bill prohibiting foreign national contributions to ballot measure campaigns
Louisiana is the 18th state to pass a law prohibiting foreign spending in ballot measure campaigns and the eighth state to do so in 2025, a record for the most states enacting such laws in a single year. Louisiana House Bill 693 (HB 693) modified existing campaign finance rules, including establishing new rules for political…
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Texas voters will decide on eighth amendment related to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct since its founding in 1965 in November
Texas will head to the polls in November to decide on 17 ballot measures, including Proposition 12, which will be the eighth amendment related to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC), which was established in the constitution in 1965. Proposition 12 would amend the Texas Constitution to change the composition of the SCJC by…
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Maine lawmakers recall RCV expansion from Gov. Mills' desk
On June 25, 2025, both chambers of the Maine Legislature agreed by voice vote to recall LD 1666 from Gov. Janet Mills (D) desk and carry the bill over to the next special or regular legislative session. The bill would have expanded the state's use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) to include general and special elections…
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NC Gov. Stein vetoes REINS-style bill increasing legislative oversight of agency regulations
What’s the story? North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) vetoed House Bill 402, titled Limit Rules With Substantial Financial Costs, on June 27. HB 402 was designed to create legislative approval and agency board supermajority vote requirements for new agency rules with costs above stated thresholds. HB 402 now returns to the legislature, where both…
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States advance ESG-related bills
Four state legislatures took action on six ESG-related bills between June 17-23. Legislation in Ohio and Florida passed both chambers. Legislation in New Hampshire and North Carolina crossed over from one chamber to another. States with legislative activity on ESG last week are highlighted in the map below. Click here to see the details of…
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Seven candidates are running in a special election for Ward 8 of the Washington D.C. City Council
Seven candidates are running in a special election for Ward 8 of the Washington, D.C. City Council on July 15, 2025. Four have received media coverage: Salim Adofo (D), Mike Austin (D), Sheila Bunn (D), and Trayon White (D). On Aug. 19, 2024, federal agents arrested White, a councilmember at the time, after he allegedly accepted bribes to influence government contracts. On February 4, 2025, the D.C. council voted unanimously to expel White. White…