What was on governors’ minds at the end of last year? Repeated executive order (EO) topics reveal some of the top concerns at the dawn of 2025. These include a focus on government efficiency, economic development and the support of local businesses, as well as continued interest in housing and homelessness issues.  Underlying the specific topics were frequent calls for interagency and intergovernmental collaboration, improved transparency and new efforts at data collection and the measurement and evaluation of performance. 

Each state has its own EO policies and practices. This and our past EO analyses bypass routine orders that deal with appointments, other individual personnel matters, routine renewals of past orders and a wide variety of weather-related emergencies. (To find executive orders in your own state and link to the executive orders mentioned below, see the clickable executive order map in our resource section, which provides links to individual state executive order websites.) 

In the fourth quarter, streamlining and improvement of permitting was the most common topic covered and included EOs from governors of both parties. In Louisiana, for example, an EO titled “Modernization and Efficiency for Environmental Permitting (signed November 4, 2024) ordered a review aimed at efficiency and effectiveness improvements and a comprehensive examination of current processes with an eye to streamlining the granting of permits, licenses, accreditations and other instruments in the Department of Environmental Quality.  The goal: To advance innovative measures to resolve environmental hazards and prepare for expansion of nuclear energy. A report on reforms is due to the governor by July 1, 2025.

Other executive orders targeted at more efficient permitting included Pennsylvania’s “PA Permit Fast Track Program (EO 2024-04, signed on November 19, 2024) and Virginia’s order, titled “Promoting Transparency and Efficiency in Permitting and Licensing.” (EO 39, signed October 21, 2024).

In Maryland, a December 19, 2024, executive order created the new “Coordinated Permitting Review Council, to be in operation by July 1, 2025. The establishment of the new council was part of a larger executive order aimed at “Strengthening Maryland’s Business Climate to Bolster Economic Competitiveness (EO 1.01.24.39). It also set up the Governor’s Office of Business Advancement to assist businesses with talent and workforce needs, navigate permitting and licensing requirements, maintain a database of resources for businesses and work with Maryland’s Chief Performance Officer to set performance metrics on incentive effectiveness .

Housing and homelessness also continued to be high on governor’s lists for use of EOS in the last three months of 2024. An executive order in Illinois designed “To Promote Housing Development for Working Families (EO 2024-03, signed December 11, 2024), for example, included the appointment of a new director of Housing Solutions. 

Both Illinois and Virginia linked housing initiatives with workforce and economic development issues. As backup, the Illinois EO cited the state’s September report of the Ad Hoc Missing Middle Housing Solutions Advisory Committee. Special attention in that state was targeted at looking for housing solutions for households earning between 80-140% of area median income.

In Virginia, housing solutions were directly tied to economic development through “Catalyzing Housing Development for Critical Workforce and Economic Development Needs with Interagency Collaboration” (EO 42, signed on November 14). It states that maintaining Virginia’s economic growth requires increased housing development and cites negative competitive factors in the pace that Virginia metro areas have created housing compared to metro areas in states that are economic competitors. It also notes that housing development in Virginia has occurred at just half the rate of job growth.

Other governors took action on homelessness and supportive housing, including North Carolina, which amended and extended its Interagency Council for Coordinating Homelessness Programs (EO-327, signed November 26, 2024) and New York’s executive order of November 12 focused on “Requiring an Annual Training for Veteran Designated Supportive Housing Providers (EO 410). 

In addition, 2024 fourth quarter executive orders included actions on a number of public sector workforce issues. These included several that sought to improve worker safety and wellness, such as Virginia EO 39, “Establishing the Office of First Responder Wellness,” signed on October 2, 2024, and Minnesota EO 24-11, “Advancing the State of Minnesota as a Recovery Friendly Workplace,” signed October 4, 2024,  which takes a “public health approach when it comes to substance use” that affects state employees and their families.

There were also several EOs that dealt with changes in leave policy, including North Carolina EO 325, “Providing Enhanced Leave Options for Eligible State Employees”, which dealt with increases to bereavement leave (signed on November 1, 2024) and Utah EO 2024-02, Increasing Military Leave for State Employees, signed on October 25, 2024.

Following similar orders from several other governors in previous quarters, Oklahoma EO 2024-29 (untitled), ends remote work for state employees, with minor exceptions, by February 1, 2025, and was signed on December 18, 2024.  

There were also several issues related to the contracting workforce. These included Massachusetts EO 638-“Promoting the Equitable Participation of Women and Underrepresented Groups in Construction”, signed on December 23, 2024, and Oregon EO 2024-31, “Establishing Project Labor Agreements for State Construction Projects,” signed December 18, 2024, which is designed to “promote economy and efficiency in large-scale construction projects”, the use of well-trained workers, and attention to racial and gender equity. 

Substantive new management and policy-related executive orders between October 1 and December 31 were signed by governors in 26 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota (by new Governor Kelly Armstrong, who took office on December 15), Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia.

#GovernorExecutiveOrders #StateandLocalGovernmentManagement #StateandLocalManagement #StateandLocalGovernmentHumanResources #StatelGovernmentPerformanceMeasurement #StateandLocalPerformanceMangement #StateandLocalGovernmentPerformance #StateGovernmentBudgeting #StateGovernmentData #StateDataGovernance #WomenInGovernment #StateInnovation #StateandLocalHousingPolicyAndManagement #StateHomelessnessManagementAndPolicy #StateEmployeeLeave #StateGovernmentRemoteWork #StateEconomicDevelopment #BandGWeeklyManagementSelection #StateandLocalManagementNews  #StateExecutiveOrderNews #StateandLocalHumanResourcesNews #BarrettandGreeneInc