MANAGEMENT UPDATE.

THE NCSL: WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2024

As the holidays approach, here’s something for those of us who care about state government to look forward to in the new year.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has announced the arrival in 2024 of a new “nonpartisan series demystifying state legislatures and public policy.” Dubbed “State of Play,” it will offer “explainer-style video content and lawmaker conversations about the significant issues states will address next year.”

The series is being produced by NCSL in partnership with A Starting Point, the civic engagement platform created by actor Chris Evans, actor/filmmaker/playwright Mark Kassen and tech entrepreneur Joe Kiani.

According to a video on YouTube, NCSL’s chief executive officer Tim Story says “State of Play” offers a “fantastic opportunity for NCSL, which has been serving state legislatures for 50 years, to partner with another trusted brand with the same goals and values about getting more people involved in the democratic process and providing education on topics that affect their everyday lives.”

We’ll be watching the monthly episodes here at Barrett and Greene, Inc. and will keep you posted as they roll out.

There’s a good way to predict some of the topics State of Play will be covering, as they’ll doubtless be similar to the NCSL’s list of the most pressing topics facing lawmakers next year. The list tops off with:

Budgets and Fiscal Health – According to Kate Blackman, in an NCSL article by Lesley Kennedy, the end of pandemic-related federal aid to states and overall economic uncertainty has states preparing for economic growth to slow – but that many states are still in relatively strong fiscal positions.”
The Workforce – “Most states will look at workforce issues in the upcoming year,” the article reports noting that “the federal infrastructure bill alone could add up to 800,000 jobs annually over the next decade.
Technology – Artificial intelligence is clearly going to be one of the hot topics in the coming year, particularly as it intersects with other pressing issues like education health and elections. The article notes that according to Blackman, “at least 13 states have introduced legislation related to AI and health care. Some states are trying to prohibit the use of AI to influence elections or demand disclosure of political communication that contains content generated by AI.”
Health Policy – With more than 23,000 bills on health policy having faced legislators in 2023, the “topic will continue to be a focus in state legislatures in 2024,” reports Kennedy, quoting Blackman as saying that “For context, states considered somewhere upwards of 150,000 bills as a whole.”

Other topics that are likely to be on the front burner in 2024 according to the NCSL include criminal justice, cannabis, education, infrastructure, transportation, energy, housing, and elections.