As regular readers of this website know, we generally avoid covering politics or the federal government. That said, we’re beginning this column with a prediction about the federal government, which is tied closely to politics. That will be followed with some thoughts about the impact of each on state government management and policy.
From all we can see in the press, notwithstanding plans of the incoming administration, it’s going to be tough to get much done. That’s attributable to a razor-thin majority margin in the House of Representatives, coupled with a new administration, many of whose members have had little experience in executing significant changes in the way the actual work of government gets done. It seems likely to us – and to others whose opinions we respect – that there’s going to be a while before big alterations are made for some months (maybe years), outside, perhaps, from a few areas that are of particular concern to the new administration.
But just as we learned in eighth grade science that “nature abhors a vacuum,” many Americans want to see forward motion to address the problems that assail them. For a little while at least, it’s likely that much of that forward movement is going to be coming from the states.
In the last year, we’ve been happy to report about a number of advances in programs and management at that level and anticipate that there’ll be a great many more to come. In fact, if the federal government doesn’t move forward quickly to make a mark on pressing issues – like the need to streamline government, health care, housing affordability, homelessness, public safety and so on – the pressure will be greater than ever to move forward.
A fair amount of action at the state level was already taking place in executive orders from the last quarter of 2024, which showcase some of the areas that states are likely to be tackling this year.
In fact, as the federal government begins to consider ways to streamline government, in the fourth quarter of last year this area was often addressed by governors of both parties. Louisiana’s governor, for example, ordered a review aimed at efficiency improvements with an eye to streamlining the granting of permits and licenses to help resolve environmental hazards and prepare for expansion of nuclear energy. A report on reforms was to be due to the governor by July 1, 2025.
As for housing and homelessness, Virginia was just one of a number of states taking action. In fact, housing solutions there were directly tied to economic development through “Catalyzing Housing Development for Critical Workforce and Economic Development Needs with Interagency Collaboration,” an executive order signed in mid-November, which 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.
And those are just the executive orders, which, though quite important, tend to get less attention than do the actions that emanate from state legislatures, and the actions there are already being felt.
In early December, the National Conference of State Legislatures took a stab at predicting a number of the areas that states are likely to address this coming year. As the organization pointed out, “About 137,000 bills have been introduced in state legislatures in 2024. And with every state legislature in the country, District of Columbia and territories meeting in 2025, similar numbers are expected next year.”
A few of the areas that stood out on the NCSL’s List:
· Tax reforms
· Disaster mitigation
· Artificial intelligence
· Behavioral health
· The health workforce
· Energy
· Transportation
· Broadband
· Academic performance
Precisely what the states will be doing is still uncertain, and they’ll surely encounter challenges of their own in making progress. But it’s a sure bet that changes are in the air, and you can follow this website to make sure you don’t miss them.
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