Category: State
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On this day in 1956, Alaska voters passed the Tennessee Plan to gain statehood. How is that plan being used today?
On April 24, 1956, Alaska voters passed Proposition 2, otherwise known as the Tennessee Plan Measure, which led to Alaska’s statehood. The measure was approved with 61% of voters supporting the proposition and 39% of voters rejecting it. The Tennessee Plan refers to the strategy of a territory electing senators and representatives to send to…
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Fifteen state AGs ask Business Roundtable to stop DEI
Fifteen state attorneys general sent a letter to Business Roundtable, an organization of chief executive officers (CEOs), urging the organization and its member companies to withdraw their support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Republican state attorneys general are asking the business group to reverse its perceived support of ESG issues. The group…
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Tennessee legislators advance constitutional amendments on crime victims’ rights, bail, and property taxes to 2026 ballot
The Tennessee General Assembly approved three constitutional amendments for the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot on April 21. The amendments address three issues: crime victims’ rights, bail eligibility for criminal offenses, and a ban on state property taxes. Legislators needed to approve the amendments in two consecutive sessions to place them on the ballot. The votes…
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Arkansas enacts ballot title readability law, joining five other states since 2018
A new Arkansas law requires initiative ballot titles to be written at or below an eighth-grade reading level. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed House Bill 1713 (HB 1713) into law on April 14, 2025. The law is one of six enacted since 2018 that address the readability of ballot language. The House approved the…
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Texas Legislature passes state DOGE and judicial nondeference bill
On April 14, 2025, the Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 14 and sent it to the governor’s office. SB 14 was designed to create a new department tasked with promoting efficiency in the Texas state government and prohibit judicial deference to state agencies. If signed into law, the bill would establish a Texas Regulatory Efficiency…
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West Virginia becomes 25th state with a Parents’ Bill of Rights
What’s the story? West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) signed House Bill (HB) 2129 on Apr. 12, 2025, establishing a Parents’ Bill of Rights in state law. The bill states that parents have a fundamental right to direct their minor children’s upbringing in the following specific areas: The bill also stated that it did not…
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Texas House rejects amendment to universal school choice bill that would have placed statutory measure on statewide ballot for first time
In Texas, House Republicans defeated an amendment to Senate Bill 2 on April 16 that would have required the proposed universal education savings account (ESA) program to be placed on the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot for voters to decide. Had it been placed on the ballot, Senate Bill 2 would have been the first statewide…
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Arkansas voters to decide on three constitutional amendments in 2026 addressing the right to bear arms, a citizenship requirement for voting, and the creation of economic development districts
Arkansas voters will decide on three constitutional amendments on Nov. 3, 2026, referred to the ballot by the state legislature. The amendments would expand the constitutional right to bear arms, require citizenship to vote, and allow the creation of economic development districts. Right to bear arms amendment Senate Joint Resolution 11 was sponsored by Sen.…
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New Jersey to see most contested primaries, fewest open seats since 2011
New Jersey has 29 contested state legislative primaries in 2025, more than in any year since 2011 and an increase of 38% from the preceding cycle. Twenty-two of the 29 contested primaries are for Democrats, 83% more than the 12 Democratic primaries in 2023. Seven primaries are for Republicans, 22% down from nine in 2023.…
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Protect Utah Workers submits signatures to the secretary of state for veto referendum
Protect Utah Workers submitted signatures to the secretary of state’s office on April 15 for a veto referendum that would go before voters on Nov. 3, 2026. The referendum would repeal House Bill 267 (HB 267), which is suspended until the election due to the referendum. HB 267, if enacted, would prohibit public employees, such…