Category: State
-
Colorado voters will decide on 14 ballot measures in 2026
On Nov. 3, Colorado voters will decide on 14 ballot measures, including seven state statutes, six constitutional amendments, and one combined constitutional amendment and state statute. Of the proposed state statutes, six were led by citizen initiatives, and one was a legislative referral and would require a simple majority vote to be approved: Of the…
-
Nevada attorney general's role in suing the federal government a major theme in election between Nicole Cannizzaro (D) and Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R)
Nicole Cannizzaro (D) and Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R) are running in the general election for attorney general of Nevada on Nov. 3. Incumbent Aaron Ford (D) is term-limited and running for governor of Nevada. A major theme heading into the election is the attorney general's role in suing the federal government. The Nevada Independent's Eric…
-
ISS sues to block Oklahoma proxy advisor law
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a proxy advisory firm that provides voting recommendations to institutional investors, sued to block an Oklahoma law requiring proxy advisors to provide additional financial analysis when recommending votes against company management. ISS filed the lawsuit against Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) over HB 4429, which Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed…
-
Federal judge blocks New York climate superfund law
Chief Judge Brenda Sannes of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York blocked New York's Climate Change Superfund Act on Aug. 31, ruling that federal law preempts the state's effort to require fossil fuel companies to help pay for climate-related infrastructure and adaptation costs. New York enacted the law in 2024…
-
California loosens first-year climate reporting requirements
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released new guidance on Sept. 2 giving companies additional flexibility as they prepare for the state's first greenhouse gas emissions reporting deadline on Nov. 10. California's SB 253 requires companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue that do business in the state to report their Scope 1…
-
North Carolina enacts bill restricting judicial deference by administrative law judges
North Carolina became the fifth state to restrict judicial deference through legislation in 2026 when Gov. Josh Stein (D) signed Senate Bill (SB) 445, the Regulatory Review Act of 2026, into law on Aug. 11. The new law prohibits administrative law judges (ALJs) from engaging in the practice of judicial deference to state agencies’ interpretations…
-
Missouri voters to decide amendment requiring voter approval for certain legislative changes to initiative process and voter-approved laws
On Sept. 3, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that an initiative related to the state's initiative process may appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. The initiative would amend the constitution to establish the citizen initiative and referendum process as fundamental rights and prohibit the state legislature from “weakening citizens’ initiative and referendum powers.” The…
-
Michigan voters to decide measure that would prohibit certain entities from political spending
In November, Michigan voters will decide on a ballot initiative that would prohibit certain organizations and individuals from making campaign contributions. The campaign supporting the measure, Michiganders Out of Money in Politics, submitted enough valid signatures earlier this year to qualify for the ballot. The initiative was then sent to the legislature to consider—in Michigan,…
-
Voters in six states to decide eight income or wealth tax ballot measures in 2026
In 2026, voters in six states will decide—or have already decided—nine statewide ballot measures related to income or wealth taxes. On August 4, voters defeated Missouri Amendment 5, which would have required reductions in the individual income tax until the tax was eliminated in the state. The remaining eight measures will appear on the ballot…
-
16 Republican attorneys general question Big Four climate commitments
On Aug. 24, a coalition of 16 Republican state attorneys general sent letters to Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) — collectively known as the Big Four accounting firms — raising concerns that the firms' climate commitments may conflict with professional accounting standards and state consumer protection laws. The attorneys general focused…