Category: State
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34 states require legislative review of all or some executive agency regulations
State legislatures oversee executive agency rulemaking through a variety of mechanisms that vary by state. Legislatures may be tasked with reviewing regulations, or explicitly approving them prior to their adoption. They can also disapprove of or nullify regulations, and hold hearings about proposed or adopted rules. The specific role of the legislature depends on the…
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Incumbent Larry Rhoden, Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, and Dusty Johnson are running in the Republican primary for governor of South Dakota on June 2
Incumbent Larry Rhoden, Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, and Dusty Johnson are running in the Republican primary for governor of South Dakota on June 2, 2026. If no candidate wins 35% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a July 28, 2026, runoff election. Rhoden was formerly lieutenant governor and replaced former Gov.…
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Arizona governor vetoes bill requiring the state to lower SNAP payment error rate to 3% by December 2030.
On Feb. 20, Governor Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed House Bill 2206, which would have required the Arizona Department of Economic Security to lower the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment error rate to 3% or lower by December 30, 2030. This bill was introduced after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA or H.R.1)…
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State executives are retiring in two states where the filing deadline passed in February
In February, the filing deadline passed in five states: Ohio (Feb. 4), Indiana (Feb 6), Louisiana (Feb. 13), Maryland (Feb 24), and Idaho (Feb. 27). Across these five states, 23 seats are up for election. In Ohio, every single state executive office is open, while in Indiana, Maryland, and Idaho, every incumbent is seeking re-election.…
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Idaho Supreme Court upholds state school choice tax credit
On Feb. 5, 2026, the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously upheld the state's private school choice refundable tax credit, rejecting the argument that the program violated the Idaho Constitution and judicial precedent. The petitioners included the Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution, Inc., Mormon Women for Ethical Government, School District No. 281, Latah County,…
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How Often Do Both State Legislative Chambers Flip at Once? Rarely. Only 20 times since 1992.
Since 1992, 160 changes in state legislative chamber partisan control occurred across the country. That includes 20 times both of a state’s legislative chambers changed partisan control in the same year (14%) and 120 times a single chamber changed partisan control (86%). While chambers may have periodic split control, especially chambers with an even number…
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Indiana becomes the 19th state to ban ranked-choice voting
On Feb. 24, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) signed legislation prohibiting the use of ranked-choice voting in the state, making Indiana the 19th state to ban RCV nationwide. Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a system where voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. In the RCV system most commonly used in the United States, a…
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New York Senate passes $1 billion emissions reporting bill
On Feb. 10, 2026, the New York Senate passed Senate Bill 9072A, the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, by a 40–22 vote. The vote fell along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. The bill would apply to companies that do business in New York and generate more than $1 billion in annual…
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Signatures submitted for three Colorado ballot initiatives related to the human trafficking of minors, sex requirements for school sports teams, and surgeries for transgender minors
In Colorado, signatures were submitted on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20, 2026, to the secretary of state for three ballot initiatives related to increasing penalties for the human trafficking of minors, requiring interscholastic sports teams to be designated based on biological sex, and prohibiting healthcare professionals from performing surgeries on minors that would alter their…
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New Mexico voters will decide whether to allow school elections to be held at the same time as state or federal partisan elections
The New Mexico State Legislature voted to send an amendment to voters in November that would repeal the constitutional requirement that school elections be held at different times from partisan elections, allowing them to be held on the same dates as partisan elections, such as statewide and federal elections. The amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 1…