States introduced far more bills and passed many more into law than Congress has, acting in key areas such as tech, finance and health.
Dozens of state laws that spanned issues involving paid family leave, school air quality, religious vaccine exemptions and the Juneteenth holiday took effect this past year. Here’s a look at some of the major changes.
Republican State House Rep. Jared Patterson has introduced a bill that would block residents under the age of 18 from creating a profile on social media sites, citing mental health and self-harm concerns.
A study from the Center for Legislative Accountability found that the state’s legislature voted conservatively in 74 percent of votes the report tracked. The 2023 legislative session will begin in March.
The newly elected Legislature will convene on Dec. 7 for the first time and will immediately face several big issues, including a long-awaited emergency heating and energy assistance package for state residents.
A new bill would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and limit gun accessibility for those under 21. A sweeping federal complaint has been filed in the state court system in the wake of the Highland Park shooting.
The new district lines would center the city in three assembly districts, instead of the current five. The commission wants to create districts with roughly the same population sizes, without unnecessarily splitting cities.
More voters were willing to support both Republicans and Democrats than they had been for years. But while many made different choices for governor and Senate, most voted for one party or the other pretty much down the line.
Black lawmakers started getting elected to the state Legislature in the 1960s, but the General Assembly has been mostly composed of white lawmakers. Next year, at least 83 of the 236 members will be nonwhite.
Nearly one-third of state senators sponsored legislation earlier this year to phase out state income tax over the next 10 years, though the bill is unlikely to pass. The state received $10.8 billion from income taxes last year.
Next year’s election will give Republicans an opportunity to take control of the state Legislature away from the Democrats. But many believe that to succeed, they have to distance themselves from the ex-president.
Ned Lamont and Bob Stefanowski spent more than $30 million, a record-breaking amount. But the high expenditure may trigger a review of the state’s election spending limits.
The “performance credit mechanism” would offer power producers financial rewards to have their plants available at times of highest demand and would take four years to implement. Lawmakers and energy experts are skeptical.
More than two dozen state lawmakers retired or ran for a higher office, creating lots of turnover in the Legislature. While the partisan divide didn’t change much, the election expanded LGBTQ and Muslim representation.
More than 10 percent of the incoming legislative class will be lesbian, gay or bisexual members, marking the proportionally most openly queer state legislature in U.S. history.
In the final session of the year, lawmakers will consider changes to the controversial criminal justice law aimed at improving police accountability and an equitable justice system.
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