State Legislatures

Decades Of Stigmatization Fueled Threat Of Pregnancy Criminalization

May 7, 2026 Grace E. Howard, Truthout. Educate! Abortion, Criminalization, pregnancy, State Legislatures

In the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, there has been increased movement toward criminalization of abortion. The Fifth Circuit Court recently ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to rescind guidance permitting the use of telemedicine for mifepristone, one of the two medications used for medication abortion. The US Supreme Court on Monday announced a one week stay on the Fifth Circuit’s order, once again allowing the FDA to permit telemedicine abortion.

Unfounded Health Concerns Are Powering A Solar Backlash

April 26, 2026 Anna Clark, Pro Publica. Educate! health, Renewable Energy, Solar, State Legislatures

Kevin Heath had hoped there would be solar panels by now on his family farm in southeastern Michigan, roughly 50 miles outside Detroit. About six years ago, he agreed to lease part of his land for a solar project. It would help him pay off debt and keep the farm in the family, he said. But the opportunity was thwarted when, in 2023, following pushback from some local residents, his township passed an ordinance that banned large solar projects from land zoned for agriculture. In the fight over solar development, Heath said he was bombarded by just about every argument from critics — including claims that solar fields are a health hazard.

The Anti-Science Campaign Nakedly Exposed

March 13, 2026 Robert Hunziker, Counter Punch. Educate! Anti-science, Book Review, Science, State Legislatures

An Associated Press investigation found that more than 420 “anti-science” bills were introduced in statehouses last year, more are expected in 2026. .The world’s anti-science campaign has never been bolder, intentionally clobbering the credibility of climate change and biomedical science with bold-faced lies, and it is winning. In the preface to their new book, Science Under Siege, Mann and Hotez explain in some gory detail their experience of 20 years of personal warfare against an invisible enemy that, at times, threatened their lives and intimidated their families, now fully exposed in the limelight of a very special extremely well-researched book that illuminates the five principal sources of antiscience.

Kansas Invalidates Transgender People’s Driver’s Licenses

March 3, 2026 Raven Raevsky, People's World. Educate! Driver's License, Kansas, State Legislatures, Transgender Rights

Topeka, Kansas—The Kansas Department of Revenue’s vehicles division has begun sending letters to trans people stating that their driver’s licenses are going to be invalidated in the coming days. New licenses will need to be issued to 1,800 people. The licenses were invalidated following the passage of the controversial SB 244 bill in the Kansas legislature. In addition to instigating the recent driver’s license shutdown, it also contained provisions for restricting bathroom access for trans people and for making trans bathroom goers on public properties vulnerable to lawsuits from civilian bathroom goers.

The Reparations Movement: Flourishing Amid Backlash

October 21, 2025 Peter Certo, Institute for Policy Studies. Organize! City Government, Racism, Reparations, State Legislatures

Across the United States, the demand for reparations has moved from the margins of debate to the center of local and state politics. While federal legislation has stalled for decades, cities like Evanston, Illinois, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as states like California, are pioneering concrete steps to repair the harms of slavery, segregation, and systemic racism. From housing initiatives and educational funds to community development projects, these efforts are reshaping how justice can be pursued in practice. In his new report for the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung New York Office, author John Feffer examines the resurgence of the reparations movement at a time when national politics are marked by backlash and regression on civil rights.

Illinois Restores Protections For Press Targeted With Frivolous Lawsuits

September 3, 2025 Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter. Resist! Illinois, Press Freedom, SLAPP Suits, State Legislatures

The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) describes strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, as lawsuits that are “intended to chill and punish constitutionally protected speech, including journalism." Such “frivolous lawsuits” are typically pursued by “wealthy and powerful” elites against speech that they dislike. By forcing individuals or organizations to “spend time and money defending themselves,” elites are able to “chill reporting, activism, and criticism.” In the state of Illinois, several organizations and lawyers worked with legislators to clarify and expand protections for the news media after the Illinois Supreme Court significantly diminished the law in November 2024.

New Immigration Laws 2025: How States Are Criminalizing Migrants And Allies

July 31, 2025 Jill Castellano and Shoshana Walter, The Marshall Project. Educate! Civil Rights, Immigrant Rights, Immigration Law, State Legislatures

When Alabama lawmakers passed a sweeping anti-immigration bill in 2011, backlash was swift. Immigrant advocates warned that Latinos were fleeing the state, fearing arrests for their status or for "harboring" undocumented people. And some business leaders condemned the law after police arrested German and Japanese car executives for not having their licenses on them, a practice intended to funnel undocumented people from police stops into deportation proceedings. Civil rights groups sued, and courts overturned much of the law as unconstitutional. Activists thought the effort was behind them.

Chicagoans Call On Pritzker To Fund Transit, Other Public Services

July 16, 2025 Kobi Guillory, Fight Back! News. Resist! Austerity, Budget Cuts, Chicago, State Legislatures, Transportation

Chicago, IL – “We are here to demand that Governor JB Pritzker live up to his promise of standing up against the cuts and the cruelty of the Trump administration,” Chicago Teachers Union member Jesse Bostic said to the hundreds of people who rallied in Daley Plaza on Saturday afternoon, July 12. Better Streets Chicago organized the protest in response to the Illinois government’s failure to secure funding necessary to prevent 40% service cuts to public transportation. “This fight isn't just about buses and trains, it's about workers having dignity, it's about students being able to get to school. Let's build a system that shows up like we do,” said Jose Manuel Almanza, with Equicity Chicago.

Trans-Led Advocacy Wins Hard-Fought Victory In Colorado Legislature

May 8, 2025 Zane McNeill, Truthout. Create! Colorado, State Legislatures, Trans Rights, Victory

On Tuesday, Colorado lawmakers passed a landmark bill aimed at strengthening protections for transgender people in the state. After the Senate passed the measure, the House quickly approved the amendments, clearing the way for the legislation to be signed into law by the governor. “In a time where trans people are feeling lost, alone, terrorized, and unsafe let this bill be a message. Trans people deserve to live,” Z Williams, co-executive director of Bread and Roses Legal Center, told Truthout. “Trans people can win. Trans people belong.” Named in honor of Kelly Loving — a transgender woman killed in the Club Q shooting — the Kelly Loving Act includes several provisions designed to make Colorado a safer, more affirming place for trans people.

The Need To Protect Direct Democracy

March 12, 2025 Billy Corriher, Governing. Strategize! Ballot Initiative, Democracy, Direct Democracy, State Legislatures

Direct democracy in America is under attack. That development has been underappreciated as we focus on the vibe shift represented by Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. Still, it tells us just as much about the strengths and weaknesses of America’s constitutional system. Direct democracy in some form — through citizen initiatives, popular referendums or both — is an option in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Citizens can petition to place statutes or constitutional amendments on the ballot or ask voters to approve or repeal actions of their legislatures.

Virginia House Unanimously Passes Defend The Guard Act

February 5, 2025 Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com. Resist! National Guard, State Legislatures, Virginia, Wars and Militarism

On Tuesday, the Virginia House of Delegates passed the Defend the Guard Act, legislation that would prohibit the deployment of the state’s National Guard to combat zones without a declaration of war from Congress, as required by the Constitution. The bill passed unanimously in a vote of 99-0, and it now heads to the Virginia Senate. “HB2193 Defend the Guard Act passes the Virginia House of Delegates 99-0. On to the Virginia Senate,” Delegate Nick Freitas, a retired Green Beret who sponsored the bill, wrote on X. “Thank you all and God speed!”

Eight Ways States Can Fight Inequality And Build Worker Power

February 4, 2025 Sarah Anderson, Inequality.org. Resist! Donald Trump, State Legislatures, Worker Rights and Jobs, Working Class

With each passing day, we’re seeing more signs of our federal government becoming on oligarchy that puts the economic interests of the ultra-rich above the needs of ordinary Americans. In the face of this billionaire takeover in Washington, state governments need to step up and fight for the working class. Here are eight ways states can combat inequality and support economic justice. President Trump’s administration and right-wing judges are expected to repeal or block many of President Biden’s new labor protections, including safeguards against working in extreme heat, broader overtime pay coverage, and new organizing rights.

How The Fossil Fuel Industry Helps Spread Anti-Protest Laws Across US

October 1, 2024 Hilary Beaumont and Nina Lakhani, Portside. Educate! Anti-protest Bills, climate crisis, Direct Action, Oil and Gas Industry, State Legislatures

Fossil fuel lobbyists coordinated with lawmakers behind the scenes and across state lines to push and shape laws that are escalating a crackdown on peaceful protests against oil and gas expansion, a new Guardian investigation reveals. Records obtained by the Guardian show that lobbyists working for major North American oil and gas companies were key architects of anti-protest laws that increase penalties and could lead to non-violent environmental and climate activists being imprisoned up to 10 years. Emails between fossil fuel lobbyists and lawmakers in Utah, West Virginia, Idaho and Ohio suggest a nationwide strategy to deter people frustrated by government failure to tackle the climate crisis from peacefully disrupting the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure by enacting tough laws with lengthy jail sentences.

States Are Pushing Back With Anti-Labor Laws As Union Popularity Grows

September 17, 2024 Casey Quinlan, Portside. Educate! Anti-worker laws, Right wing politics, State Legislatures, Unions, Worker Rights and Jobs

Growing union organizing across the country has triggered an anti-labor legislative response in some states, but cities and counties are increasingly pushing back, a new report found. The report, released this month by the New York University Wagner Labor Initiative and Local Progress Impact Lab, a group for local elected officials focused on economic and racial justice issues, cites examples of localities all over the U.S. using commissions to document working conditions, creating roles for protecting workers in the heat and educating workers on their labor rights. In the face of increased worker organizing and Americans’ higher approval of labor unions in the past few year (hitting levels not seen since the 1960s), many states have introduced bills aimed at stopping payroll deduction for union dues and punishing employers that voluntarily recognize a union through the card check process.

Supreme Court’s Grants Pass Decision Fired Up Homeless Advocacy Groups

August 9, 2024 Roshan Abraham, Next City. Strategize! Homelessness, Housing, State Legislatures, Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s momentous June ruling in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case removed a key protection for unhoused people, allowing criminalization even when there is no available shelter. While some Democrats condemned the decision, several leaders on the West Coast, where unsheltered homeless encampments are more pronounced, quickly moved to embrace it. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an order for “hazardous” encampments to be dismantled, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declared that she will launch “aggressive” homeless sweeps that could include criminal penalties.

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