Author: Ballotpedia staff

  • U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims fall to 205,000

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    New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits fell 1,000 for the week ending January 7 to a seasonally adjusted 205,000. The previous week’s figure was revised up from 204,000 to 206,000. The four-week moving average as of January 7 fell to 212,500 from a revised 214,250 as of the week ending December 31. The number…

  • Robe & Gavel: SCOTUS begins second week of January sitting

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    Welcome to the Jan 17 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s the second week of SCOTUS’s January sitting, dear reader, and we have a…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    Following the 2022 elections, more Americans now live in a Democratic trifecta than a Republican trifecta Once all newly elected officials take office, 41.7% of Americans will live in a state with a Democratic trifecta, 39.6% in a state with a Republican trifecta, and 18.8% in a state with divided government. This will be the…

  • 2023 rundown: Public-sector union legislation in the states

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    Welcome to the 2023 legislative session! Forty state legislatures are currently in regular session. Today, we’ll look at bills related to public-sector union policy that have been introduced so far this year. Overview We’re currently tracking 33 bills related to public-sector union policy in the states. Thirty-one of those bills have been introduced for the…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics

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    Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance. In today’s edition, you’ll find: On the issues:  The debate over four-day school weeks In your district: Budgets In Peltier v. Charter Day School, Inc., SCOTUS could decide if charter schools are state actors Extracurricular:…

  • Robe & Gavel: Federal Judicial Vacancy Count released for Jan. 1

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    Welcome to the Jan. 9 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. New year, new court business! Dear readers, we have federal judicial activity from President Joe Biden’s (D) second year in office, with some SCOTUS on the side.…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    By the end of the week, 18 legislatures will be in session By the end of the week, 18 state legislatures will have begun their regular sessions: sessions in California and Maine began in December with 16 more starting this week. Another 27 legislatures go into session later in January, and two more in February.…

  • 2022 recap: Public-sector union legislation in the states

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    Happy New Year! In today’s Union Station, we’ll review public-sector union legislation from 2022. Next week, we’ll look at bills filed so far for 2023. Highlights State legislators either introduced or carried over from earlier sessions 150 bills related to public-sector union policy in 2022. Thirteen relevant bills were enacted. Republicans sponsored three of those…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #43

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    Happy 2023, and welcome back to Hall Pass! We hope you had a restful holiday!  In today’s edition, you’ll find: On the issues: The debate over retesting In 2022, 114 school board members faced recall efforts Extracurricular: education news from around the web Candidate Connection survey Reply to this email to share reactions or story…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    More than 2,500 election-related bills were introduced in state legislatures this year Ballotpedia tracked 2,534 election-related bills in 45 states this year. This comes as part of our Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which keeps tabs on the latest election-related legislation nationwide.  Most of these bills—1,714, or 68%—have had no activity, meaning they were introduced, but…