Category: State
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Nevada Governor vetoes drop box bill
On May 22, 2025, Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) vetoed AB 306, a bill that would have increased the availability of mail ballot drop boxes and added new security requirements for maintaining them. Under current law, county clerks must make a ballot drop box available at every polling location while that polling place is open, including…
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Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces 2026 run for governor of Alabama
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) announced on May 28, 2025, that he will run for governor of Alabama in 2026 rather than another term in the U.S. Senate. The seat is open since incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey (R) is term-limited. As of May 28, 2025, independent race forecasters The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections have…
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Anti-ESG bill dies in Texas House
A Texas bill that sought to shift the legal burden in shareholder lawsuits involving ESG policies failed in committee last week. The House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee voted it down 9–1. If enacted, the bill would have been the first to make it easier for shareholders to challenge ESG-related decisions by requiring companies to…
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North Carolina House passes bill to increase legislative control of rulemaking
What’s the story? The North Carolina House passed House Bill 402, named the NC REINS Act, on April 16, 2025, by a vote of 68-44. The bill would increase legislative oversight of proposed agency regulations. It was scheduled for a May 21 hearing before the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee. HB 402 would make any regulation…
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Florida enacts law changing initiative process requirements; legal challenge filed in federal court
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed HB 1205 on May 2, 2025. Changes included requirements for paid signature gatherers, such as registration, training, and residency requirements, voter signature requirements, limitations on ballot initiative sponsoring committees, and petition form standards. HB 1205 passed the legislature with unanimous support from Republicans and unanimous opposition from Democrats. The one…
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Four states enact cellphone bans in May so far
Four (4) states enacted cellphone bans in May so far: All of the state policies prohibit unsanctioned cell phone usage from the beginning of the school day to the end of the days. Each policy does not apply to school-issued or school-used devices and have exemptions for use by students with medical or academic needs…
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Montana passes legislative oversight bills
The Montana legislature passed two bills which would modify the rulemaking process for state administrative agencies. Both were supported by bipartisan majorities. House Bill 126 was passed by a vote of 100-0 in the House on January 29, 2025; the Senate voted 48-0 on April 9, 2025. Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed it on May…
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Montana Gov. Gianforte (R) signs bill banning the use of extreme risk protection orders
On May 8, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed HB 809 into law, banning local governments in the state from enacting or enforcing extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs). The Republican-sponsored bill passed the legislature largely along party lines, but two Republicans in both the Montana House of Representatives and Montana Senate voted against the bill. With…
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Indiana becomes 17th state to pass universal private school choice
What’s the story? Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) signed the state budget bill—House Bill (HB) 1001—on May 6, 2025, which included provisions to remove income eligibility requirements from Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program. This action makes the program universal, where all students are defined as eligible to participate in the private school choice voucher program in…
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North Dakota Legislature sustained governor’s veto of universal school choice bill: analysis of rural vs urban/suburban votes
What’s the Story The North Dakota House sustained Gov. Kelly Armstrong‘s (R) veto of the universal school choice bill House Bill 1540 on April 25. The veto was sustained in the House by a 45-48 vote, with the 45 votes supporting the veto override coming from Republican members. The 48 votes opposing consisted of 37…