Its electoral system, bolstered by strong economic and social institutions, enables lawmakers to vote their consciences in bipartisan coalitions.
School vouchers, border enforcement and energy infrastructure are on the GOP agenda in Texas. A fight for speaker of the House could determine its prospects.
Incoming GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe campaigned on a pledge to eliminate personal income taxes. Several bills would cut the income tax to 4 percent while imposing sales taxes on services.
GOP lawmakers want to alter the way state supreme court justices are selected or elected. Some conservative causes in the states, notably abortion bans, have been undermined by court rulings.
Phelan narrowly survived a primary challenge and lacked the support of a majority of House Republicans. Having angered conservatives with the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, Phelan dropped out the day before leadership elections.
A judge has ruled unconstitutional the core of Act 10, the state’s famous 2011 law that ended collective bargaining for most public employees. Republican legislators vowed to appeal the decision.
State constitutional amendments that voters approved in seven states on Nov. 5 also are vulnerable to federal moves that could essentially override them.
Republicans took control of the Michigan House and will share power in the Minnesota House, blocking the home-state agenda of Gov. Tim Walz.
Chaz Nuttycombe started making election predictions as a kid. He's turned the pursuit into a business that pros rely on.
Once considered a conservative stronghold, new boundaries extending into King and Snohomish counties are altering the political landscape.
Five states and Washington, D.C., recently enacted bills dealing with fully autonomous vehicles on public roads. About half of states already have statutes in place for when self-driving cars are actually on the road.
The November election could boost Native representation in the state’s legislature.
At least 11 states have enacted laws to restrict the use of PFAs in apparel, cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics and menstrual products. Since 2007, 30 states have approved 155 PFA policies.
Nearly 6,000 legislative seats are up but real competition is only taking place in a handful of states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
When residents head to the polls on Nov. 5, they will be voting under new legislative maps that are expected to create near-equal chances that either party will gain control of the Legislature.
Utah state Senate President Pro Tempore Wayne Harper was selected to lead the National Conference of State Legislatures. The bipartisan organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
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