Category: State
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Three Arkansas unemployment insurance laws take effect
Three unemployment insurance laws in Arkansas went into effect on January 1, 2024. Together, Acts 106, 196, and 587 reduce maximum unemployment insurance benefits, establish the contribution rate of employers, disqualify an individual from receiving benefits under certain circumstances of refusing a job offer or failing to attend a job interview, and require benefit recipients…
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State education officials issued the most school board endorsements in 2023
In July and August 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his opponent in that year’s gubernatorial election, Charlie Crist (D), both endorsed school board slates of candidates. NBC News’ Tyler Kincade wrote, “It was unusual to see a sitting governor wade into what are official nonpartisan races that historically have been overlooked by big…
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Let’s Go Washington PAC submitted 2.6 million signatures for six ballot initiatives that could appear on the ballot in Nov. 2024
Let’s Go Washington, a campaign supporting six citizen-initiated ballot measures in Washington, submitted 2.6 million signatures for the initiatives before the deadline on Dec. 29, 2023. At least 324,516 signatures must be found to be valid for each initiative. That’s 1.95 million total signatures between the six initiatives. State Rep. Jim Walsh (R-19) sponsored the…
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California campaign withdraws veto referendum on fast-food employment law from 2024 ballot under new process
On Dec. 29, the Save Our Local Restaurants PAC withdrew a veto referendum from the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot that would have repealed California Assembly Bill 257 (AB 257). AB 257 was designed to establish a 10-member fast food council authorized to adopt a minimum wage for fast food restaurant employees not to exceed $22…
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2023 highest odd-year constitutional amendment election turnout in Texas in almost two decades
Texas registered voter turnout at the Nov. 7 constitutional amendment election was 14.4%—the highest since 2005 when it reached 18%. 2023 was six percentage points higher than 2021, which saw a turnout of 8.8%. This amounted to over a million more voters turning out for the election. Texas voters decided on 14 constitutional amendments on…
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State supreme court vacancy 2023 recap
From January 1 through December 21, 2023, Ballotpedia tracked 20 state supreme court vacancies. This was the second-lowest number of vacancies since Ballotpedia started tracking state supreme court vacancies in 2019. Of the 20 vacancies, 13 (65%) were caused by a justice resigning from their seat. Of the 13 retirements, seven (54%) were voluntary, with…
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State supreme court vacancy count for December 2023
In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and swearing ins of justices from December 1 to December 21, 2023. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts. Announced retirements: No new retirements were announced. Candidates nominated/appointed: One candidate was nominated to fill a vacancy. Nominees…
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Minimum wage set to increase in 25 states in 2024 by an average of $0.86
In 2024, the minimum wage will increase in 25 states. The increases range from $0.23 in Michigan (a 2.23% increase from 2023) to $2.00 in Hawaii (a 14.29% increase from 2023). The 2024 increases come from state laws adopted in the past that provided for incremental increases and inflation adjustments. Twenty-two states have increases on…
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State governors issue 48 executive orders from Nov. 27-Dec. 10
State governors issued 48 executive orders from Nov. 27-Dec. 10. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) led the field with 25, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) with 13. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. The 48 account for 3% of the…
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54.75% of all state legislators in the United States are Republican, 44.35% are Democratic
At the end of November 2023, 54.75% of all state legislators in the United States are Republican while 44.35% are Democratic. There are 7,386 state legislative seats in the country. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under…