Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced on April 23, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2026. On his retirement, Durbin said, “The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know…
Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy. In today’s edition, you’ll find: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over Kentucky HB 622 In this section, we curate reporting,…
Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy. In today’s edition, you’ll find: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over artificial intelligence (AI) in K-12 schools In this section,…
Highlights from this edition of Checks and Balances include deep dives into a SCOTUS case focusing on nondelegation and Kentucky veto overrides for REINS and judicial deference bills. In Washington SCOTUS hears nondelegation challenge What’s the story? The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on March 26 heard oral arguments in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) v. Consumers’…
In this week’s Ballot Bulletin, we cover 650 bills state legislatures acted on in the past week. Weekly highlights The big takeaways from the past week’s legislative actions. Lawmakers in 44 states acted on 650 bills over the last week, 196 fewer than last week. Note: In some states, legislators are able to file hundreds…
Welcome to the Monday, March 31, Brew. By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A look at past court decisions in the context of President Donald Trump’s firing of two Democratic Federal Trade Commissioners On March 18, President Donald Trump (R) fired Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners Alvaro…
State Street removed corporate board diversity requirements from its 2025 proxy voting guidelines in a Feb. 28 update. Proxy voting refers to the process through which shareholders who do not physically attend corporate shareholder meetings vote on company issues such as executive pay packages, board membership, and other shareholder and management proposals. Typically, proxy voting…
Welcome to the Friday, March 14, 2025, Brew. By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Maine voters may decide on becoming 22nd state with an extreme risk protection order Here’s an update on our Jan 27 story about an extreme risk protection order initiative in Maine. On March…
In this month’s edition of Bargaining in Blue: Dear Bargaining in Blue Readers, With this edition, we conclude our journey together. Thank you for your loyal readership. Should our work on police collective bargaining agreements continue in a new form, you’ll be the first to know. For any questions about our research, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org.…
Highlights from this edition of Checks and Balances include Trump’s first noteworthy executive orders on the administrative state and states modeling the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In Washington Bills limiting the administrative state reintroduced in 119th Congress What’s the story? Republicans introduced several bills in January and early February that would limit the…