All eight new governors took office by the end of January 21, with some of their highest priorities immediately showing up in about 50 newly signed executive orders that focus on state government management and policy, and state government performance. (In the Greenebarrett.com ongoing coverage of gubernatorial executive orders, we do not include those that deal with emergency events and recovery efforts, appointments or other ceremonial or commemorative actions – such as orders to lower the flag in the event of a death.)

This January, the most prolific executive order creators (at their administration’s start) were Indiana’s Mike Braun, with 19 orders signed by the end of his second day in office, January 14, and West Virginia’s Patrick Morrisey, who signed eight by his second day. (By January 27, eight more signed orders had come from Braun.)

 As two of the five Republican governors elected in November, some of their themes paralleled those championed by President Donald Trump nationally. For example, both ordered a cessation or elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in State Government. 

Other themes reflective of current presidential policy showed up in two executive orders that were focused on immigration out of the six signed by Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe. One of these ordered state highway and public safety to collaborate and train with the federal government, and the other requires the collection of immigration status in state uniform crime reports.

Kehoe also focused three other executive orders on crime, with one informally titled “Operation Relentless Pursuit” -- a “coordinated intelligence-led law enforcement initiative to locate and apprehend fugitives subject to felony arrest warrants;” another Missouri order launches a “Blue Shield Program” to recognize local governments committed to public safety.

Another major theme for new governors this January was the pursuit of efficiency in government operations. This included the creation of the Commission on Government Efficiency by New Hampshire’s Governor Kelly Ayotte and an executive order from West Virginia’s Morrisey that requires agencies to review past, present and projected spending decisions.

In Indiana efficiency, “budget discipline” and regulatory reform were the topics of four other executive orders. Braun’s central points hit the need to use “Data and Innovation to Improve Constituent Services and Drive Government Efficiency” and to establish incentives “To Instill Budget Discipline and Sound Fiscal Management by State Agencies.” Two other Indiana orders focused on regulatory reform.

Two related executive orders also came from Washington Governor Bob Ferguson – one that addresses regulatory efficiency and Washington’s affordable housing crisis, and the other that seeks to improve “transparency and building efficiency in the state’s permitting and licensing processes.” That executive order echoed a spate of gubernatorial executive orders reforming permitting processes in the last quarter of calendar 2024.

On Friday, January 23, Governor Matt Meyer, the last to take office – on January 21 – signed his fourth executive order, also focused on affordable housing and streamlining permit processes, with the plan to develop a working group “To Develop Streamlined Permit Processes to Increase Workforce and Affordable Housing.”

In his first two days in office, Meyer had signed an order aimed at preserving Delaware’s independent judiciary; one that committed his administration to effective and transparent government, and a third “encouraging and promoting” an expansion of youth apprenticeships in state government employment as well as for the general workforce.

A few other topics relating to the workforce also received attention from the new governors, including an Indiana order calling state employees back to the office and another calling for reductions in minimum qualifications for state jobs, as well as an elimination of unnecessary rule-based obstacles to employment. In line with his law enforcement initiatives, Missouri’s Kehoe lowered the number of years to achieve the top salary tier from 15 to 12 for employees in the Department of Public Safety and State Highway Patrol.

While many of the orders signed by the new governors reflected bipartisan themes, there were also multiple other signs of the partisan divide. Washington’s Ferguson and North Carolina’s Governor Josh Stein, both Democrats, signed executive orders dealing with reproductive rights. Stein’s was titled “Protecting Access to And Privacy Of Reproductive Health Care Services in North Carolina. Ferguson ordered a “Strategic Convening to Protect Access to Reproductive Health Care.” Meanwhile, Indiana’s Braun signed one to ensure “Faithful Execution of Indiana’s [Pro-Life] Abortion Law.”

A few words of context before we close. In the 2024 election, there were no changes in gubernatorial parties. Five of the eight new governors elected were Republicans in states that had previously had Republican governors. Three were Democrats who replaced other Democrats. The enthusiasm with which governors sign executive orders depends on background and style, as well as on the varied executive order rules in each state. The timing of gubernatorial transitions also varies.

To find the links to orders listed in this article, please use the Executive Orders by State map in our Resource section which links to these websites. We have now also updated our Governor profile pages with the eight new governors.

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