Paid Family Leave

Four NCSL members, calling themselves "Carrier Group One," toured the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that's longer than three football fields.

Lawmakers in 2026 will continue to focus on strategies to ensure all students are ready for college and career. Far too many have fallen behind or become disengaged since the pandemic, and legislators are eager to identify solutions.

Lawmakers in 2026 are likely to focus on balancing the state and federal roles in elections, mail ballot voting procedures, citizenship verification and mid-decade redistricting.

Across the country, legislatures are investing in high-value workforce credentials, expanding access to paid leave and rebuilding the public sector to attract and retain skilled employees.

Federal changes will alter the ways states approach several key environment and environmental health issues. Lawmakers continue to monitor "forever chemicals," food safety and foreign ownership U.S. agricultural land.

In their 2026 legislative sessions, lawmakers will be passing cautious spending plans, adapting to cuts in federal funding and finding ways to fund disaster preparedness and recovery.

With federal health policy evolving, 2025 proved to be a landmark year for legislative action in the states. Top policy areas for legislatures in 2026 include Medicaid, private insurance coverage, and public health and vaccine policy.

From housing shortages and rising costs to the child care crisis and sweeping changes in nutrition assistance, states are facing a perfect storm of challenges in 2026.

Safety measures for legislators and staff and the security of capitol buildings will share the legislative spotlight in 2026 with artificial intelligence and government efficiency and effectiveness.

Legislatures are also reshaping the ways they tackle fraud, protect vulnerable populations and help homeowners weather increasingly frequent natural disasters.

As technology continues to transform society, expect more challenges to arise from the complex intersection of innovation, regulation and the public interest.

In this issue of Capitol to Capitol NCSL, Joined by other State and Local Groups call for End of Shutdown, Education Department Moves to Disqualify Certain Employers From PSLF, and more.

The justices will decide whether states can count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received later.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in World War I: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

November edition of the Plugged In Newsletter.

Lawmakers are considering ways to change their statewide initiative and referendum systems, while citizens are more interested than ever in using those processes to create or repeal laws.

On this episode, we talk with Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience programming at AARP, who discussed why the over-50 crowd is such a critical piece of today's workforce.

NCSL, joined by state and local government associations sent a letter to congressional leadership and the White House urging an end to the federal government shutdown.

Turnout for the 2025 elections was high, with Democrats sweeping up wins and voters deciding important ballot questions that will shape their states' policies.

As budgets retreat from the big surpluses of the post-pandemic era, many state legislatures have gotten creative with tax policy.

Policy trumped partisanship for former Kansas Senator and NCSL President Steve Morris, who died Nov. 1 at 79.