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The 2026 elections will see 6,139 of the nation’s 7,386 legislative seats on the ballot. There will be 146 measures on the November ballot, and including measures voted on earlier in 2026 the total for the year is 165 measures. Voters also will cast ballots for governor in 36 states. We sat down with two NCSL elections experts -- Katy Owens Hubler, director of NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting Program, and Helen Brewer, who tracks statewide ballot measures—to find out where things stand about a month before Election Day. Hubler discussed how the election may affect governing trifectas, where one party controls both houses and the legislature and the governor’s mansion; how many states will still have divided legislative control after the voting; and where supermajorities might be won or lost. Brewer noted that measures related to taxes, bonds and funding are the most numerous, including a number around housing. There also a notable number of measures related to education, and others on election administration, including the ballot measure process itself. Resources 2026 Elections Put Statehouses, Ballot Measures in the Spotlight, NCSL

Our focus on this podcast is cybersecurity at utilities. Electric, gas, and water utilities face billions of automated probes every year. While only a fraction of probes is successful, the cost of such attacks runs into the billions and systems are vulnerable because of aging infrastructure, a large number of small systems without large IT staffs, and sometimes poor cybersecurity culture. To discuss the threat situation, we talked with David Ketchen, the assistant general manager at the Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments in Littleton, Mass. , and Bill Murray, a senior vice president with Dominion Energy, an energy holding company in Virginia. Ketchen detailed a widely reported attack by Chinese hackers at his small utility in 2023 that he and others at the utility became aware of after being contacted by the FBI. Working with the FBI and federal officials from Homeland Security, the utility was able to monitor the hackers and there was no disruption of service. But Ketchen said the utility learned valuable lessons that others, particularly at smaller utilities, can learn from. Murray offered the perspective of large utilities and the systems their organizations use, defend off attacks from attackers, from transnational criminal organizations and nation states. Resources U.S. DOE Resources for State Energy Security

The focus of this podcast is how to use criminal justice data to better understand how a range of programs affect people in the justice system and how policymakers can use such data to decide which programs to support.   Criminal justice data in the U.S. is fragmented. Traditionally, there's been no structure to collect and integrate data in a consistent fashion that would allow policymakers to see trends across the states, regions or the nation.  To better understand the issue, we sat down with Mike Mueller-Smith, an associate professor of economics at the University of Michigan and the director of the Criminal Justice Administrative Record System, or CJARS. CJARS is a joint project between the University of Michigan and the U.S. Census Bureau. The decade-old effort seeks to modernize the data reporting and collection and allow policymakers to track people from their first encounter with the justice system through the eventual resolution of their case.  Mueller-Smith explained how the project came to be and how legislators and others in state government and beyond can use it.  Our other guest is Senator Barry Usher of Montana, who serves as majority whip and is the president of NCSL. Usher, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been a long-time advocate for collecting and using criminal justice data to better inform policy. He discussed legislation passed in Montana and how he thinks it will help the state better evaluate criminal justice programs in the future. Resources Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS) Incorporating Data and Evidence Into Criminal Justice Policy Decisions: Options and Resources, NCSL brief Justice Outcomes Explorer Montana HJR 31, 2021 Montana SB 11, 2023 Montana HB 117, 2025 Policymakers Use of Data to Inform Criminal Justice Decisions, NCSL

This is the second part of a two-part podcast on energy affordability. In our previous episode, we talked with Representative Craig Williams of Pennsylvania and Janine Benner, director of the Oregon Department of Energy.  For this episode, we’re joined by Katherine Jereza, an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Energy who directs the Office of Electricity, and Joseph Pereira, the director of Colorado's Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate.  In the worlds of both politics and policy, energy affordability is a hot topic. The U.S. saw largely flat electricity demand from the late ’90s until just a couple of years ago. Increasing demand from both homes and businesses, electrification of cars and trucks, the growth of data centers and other factors have strained the nation's ability to meet demand. Rates have increased and legislators are increasingly concerned that consumers will face more and larger rate increases.  Assistant Secretary Jereza discussed how energy affordability is affected by challenges in both generation and transmission of energy and how data centers offer promise to help run the grid more efficiently. She also discussed resources for states that are trying to keep down energy costs for their residents. Pereira explained how his office functions as a consumer advocate, how his agency approaches energy affordability, and the concerns he brings to the debate around data centers and how they can affect ratepayers.  Resources Colorado Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate Factors Affecting Electricity Prices, U.S. Energy Information Administration NCSL 2025 State Legislative Energy Trends Report Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

The focus of the podcast is how states are working toward connecting education and training systems with the workforce. State policymakers are keenly interested in measuring the return on investment or ROI that they can see from state investment in education and training programs of all kinds.  Our guests are Mary Alice McCarthy, founder and senior director of the Center on Education and Labor at New America, a nonpartisan think tank; Alabama Senator Arthur Orr and Utah Representative Norm Thurston. All three joined a group of more than 30 legislators, speakers, and staff at a recent conference in Bozeman, Montana convened by NCSL. They discussed ROI and the related issue of career pathways and a variety of other topics and at how to align career and technical education, credentialed programs and apprenticeship opportunities with high-demand occupations.  McCarthy explained the concept of ROI as it applies to assessing the effectiveness of educational and training programs, the types of questions legislators have about this approach and the different types of data most useful to policymakers. Senator Orr and Representative Thurston offered different perspectives from their states and discussed what they saw as the most valuable data to consider in evaluating the success of programs.  Resources Connecting Education and Workforce for Higher Returns: A Scan of State Legislative Approaches, NCSL Enlisting ROI to Better Align Academic Credentials and Workforce Needs, NCSL New America

Our topic on this episode is energy affordability. In the worlds of both politics and policy, energy affordability is a hot topic. The U.S. saw largely flat electricity demand from the late ’90s until just a couple of years ago. Increasing demand from both homes and businesses, electrification of cars and trucks, the growth of data centers and other factors has strained the nation's ability to meet demand. Rates also have increased and legislators are increasingly concerned that consumers will face more and larger rate increases. To offer some perspective, we sat down with Representative Craig Williams of Pennsylvania, and Janine Benner, the director of the Oregon Department of Energy.  Benner discussed how her agency focuses on an energy strategy for the state, how it works with the Oregon Public Utility Commission, and the challenge posed by scores of data centers around Oregon. She also explained how all of these elements work in the context of Oregon's ambitious clean energy goals.  Williams, who has extensive experience in the energy industry as a lawyer, talked about the demand challenge that's hitting the electrical system now and is expected to continue to increase, the effect of data center growth in Pennsylvania and what he sees as the right legislative approach to the problem.  Resources Factors Affecting Electricity Prices, U.S. Energy Information Administration NCSL 2025 State Legislative Energy Trends Report Oregon Department of Energy

The last year has seen an unusual spate of mid-decade redistricting. It was initiated by President Trump in 2025 when he urged the Texas legislature to redraw maps to favor Republicans in hopes of helping the GOP hold the House and the 2026 midterms.  State legislatures are at the center of these efforts in blue and red states. To offer some perspective, we sat down with Erin Covey, who leads coverage of the U.S. House for the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, and Helen Brewer, who tracks redistricting legislation and developments for NCSL.  Covey explained the change to congressional maps in Texas, California, Virginia, and other states and discussed how the Supreme Court decision in a Louisiana case involving the Voting Rights Act could affect numerous districts over the next few elections.  Brewer offered some perspective on the history of redistricting, including mid-decade redistricting. She also discussed the basis and ramifications of the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais. Resources “Changing the Maps: Tracking Mid-Decade Redistricting,” NCSL Cook Political Report with Amy Walter

This episode explored mental health and behavioral health in the workplace, including the role of employers and legislators in helping people facing mental health conditions.  Our guests included Julie Hocker, assistant secretary for Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, and Michigan Representative Curtis VanderWall. This discussion came during Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to take stock of how mental health issues can affect the workplace, communities, and families.  Assistant Secretary Hocker addressed the scope of the problem, noting that despite a growing need, nearly 140 million Americans live in places with a shortage of behavioral health workers. She also discussed ways the federal government, states, and employers can support workers facing mental health-related issues.  Representative VanderWall discussed legislation he sponsored to create a student mental health apprenticeship and internship program in Michigan. He explained why it was needed and his hopes for the program long-term.  Resources Apprenticeship.gov Behavioral Health at Work policy briefs, NCSL. A series of briefs that explore policies and practices related to the behavioral health workforce and ways to remove barriers to employment for people with behavioral health conditions or related disabilities. Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Policy examples highlighted in the podcast : Wyoming SB 112 (2023) provides an employee assistance program for state employees to deliver short-term counseling, legal benefits, financial benefits counseling and work-life benefits consultations. Colorado SB 24-007 (2024) creates a behavioral health first aid training program for educators, law enforcement officers, first responders, military personnel and others. Kentucky HB 505 (2024) to set training and registration requirements for alcohol and drug peer support specialists. State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED) is ODEP-funded initiative that helps states and localities advance disability employment policies through technical assistance, policy expertise, research, and peer learning opportunities. Connect with SEED at [email protected].

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, NCSL gathered a trio of experts to discuss the origin stories of their states.  Our group included Tim Powers, chief technology and outreach officer in the Alaska State Legislature; Paul Smith, clerk of the House of Representatives in New Hampshire; and Pev Squire, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri, and one of the nation's experts on the history of state legislatures.  We discussed the status of each state at the time of the American Revolution, how the state's constitutions were written, and some other unusual history, such as New Hampshire crafting the nation's first state constitution, largely out of necessity, and the remarkable brevity of the Alaskan Constitution. This podcast is part of NCSL's annual Legislative Staff Week, which celebrates the innumerable contributions legislative staff make to the effectiveness of our state legislatures.  Resources Legislative Staff, NCSL

Our focus on this podcast is enhanced wage records and the role they can play in helping states better understand their workforce, evaluate job training programs and show the return on investment for various educational programs.  Collecting enhanced employment data involves asking employers for additional information when they file regular reports with their state unemployment office, such as information about hours worked and establishing consistent coding for similar job types. Joining the podcast to discuss the issue are Dr. Erica Groshen, former commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and now senior economics adviser at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and Paul Famolari, the assistant executive director for unemployment for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Groshen explained how collection of this information in a standardized manner can help policymakers and researchers see trends in the workplace and know which job programs are paying off for workers. They also can show how new technology is affecting workers, such as which workers appear most vulnerable to losing their jobs to AI.  Famolari discussed how the program has worked in South Carolina, what lawmakers were hoping to learn when they passed the enabling legislation and some of the challenges his agency ran into in trying to implement the law.    Resources  Enhancing Unemployment Insurance Wage Data to Better Understand Education and Employment Outcomes, Data Quality Campaign How Enhanced Wage Records Can Show the Value of Jobs Training Programs, NCSL JEDx Value Proposition Research Report, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation  What States Should Know about Education and Work -- But Don’t, Strada

Prehospital blood programs that allow emergency responders to administer blood at the scene to trauma victims are drawing increased attention from state lawmakers. A technique with origins on the battlefield, these military methods have made their way to civilian EMS programs. Research suggests a significant number of lives can be saved with this approach, especially in car crashes.  On the podcast to discuss these programs are Jonathan Morrison, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA; Randi Schaefer, a former career Army trauma nurse who has helped set up programs around the country; and Aneesa Turbovsky, who tracks EMS-related legislation for NCSL.  Morrison discussed why these programs are a priority for NHTSA and how these programs could reduce the approximately 40,000 traffic crash fatalities in the U.S. each year. Schaefer reviewed some of the challenges in setting up prehospital blood programs and the role state lawmakers can play. And Turbovsky went into detail on the steps legislatures are taking to make it possible for paramedics to administer blood and how lawmakers can bring together the various parties needed to make these programs work. Resources EMS Legislation Database, NCSL Prehospital Blood Transfusions Give EMS Crews a Lifesaving Option, NCSL State Legislatures News Office of EMS Prehospital Blood Transfusion, NHTSA   Office of EMS Prehospital Blood Transfusion Infographics, NHTSA    Prehospital Blood Transfusion Coalition   Prehospital Blood Coalition Scope of Practice Map "Removing the Barrier to Prehospital Blood: A roadmap to success,"Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Funding Stat! States Secure Timely Support for EMS Systems, NCSL

Alzheimer’s disease affects a significant number of Americans over 65—more than 7 million—and is the sixth leading cause of death in that age group. It’s expected that more than 13 million people will be diagnosed by 2060. Beyond Alzheimer's, roughly 10% of U.S. adults over 65 have dementia.  On this podcast we talked with Dr. Ronald Petersen, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic and an expert in Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders, and Jennifer Rosen, vice president for state affairs at the Alzheimer’s Association. Joining the podcast to offer the legislative perspective were Senator Laura Murphy of Illinois, a Democrat, and Senator T.J. Shope of Arizona, a Republican.  Dr Petersen explained the remarkable progress that has been made in recent years in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and the importance of early intervention. Rosen outlined the enormous financial impact of the disease on society, and the role state legislatures can play in supporting early detection and treatment.  Senators Shope and Murphy each laid out the legislation enacted in their states and how that legislation will aid both people with the disease and their families.  Resources Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Clinic, Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Association Comprehensive Policy Approaches to Support the Aging Population, NCSL State Policy Approaches to Improving Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care, NCSL State Strategies to Reduce Costs and Provide Quality Care for Older Adults and People with Disabilities, NCSL

The U.S. health care system is massive. It's a $5 trillion behemoth, nearly 20% of the U.S. economy or more than $15,000 per person per year. The cost of health care for consumers, including the cost of health insurance continues to increase.  On this episode, we sat down with two people who pay close attention to the health care market and to how state legislatures are responding to rising costs. Our first guest is Katie Martin is CEO, and president of the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit research group that collects and analyzes data on health care costs in the U.S. Also joining the discussion is Sarah Jaromin, who tracks health care issues for NCSL.  Martin noted that her organization taps into data from employers who provide insurance to about half the people in the U.S. as well as data from Medicare and Medicaid. She pointed out that as of 2023, health care costs had increased more than 50% since 2014, and the trend does not show any signs of slowing.  Jaromin sketched out the legislative landscape and explained how legislatures have tried to slow the growing cost of health care. She noted that NCSL has collected data showing that last year, 48 states, along with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington ,D.C., enacted nearly 500 bills related to health care costs and delivery.  Resources “2025 Legislative Landscape: States Tackle Health Costs, Coverage and Delivery,” NCSL “Annual Health Care Cost Utilization Report,” HCCI  “From Mergers to Market Power: 2025 Legislative Recap on Health Care Consolidation,” NCSL “From Prenatal to Postpartum Care, Total Spending on Childbirth Averaged over $25,000 among ESI Enrollees,” HCCI Health Care Cost Institute “Health Costs, Coverage and Delivery State Legislation,” NCSL “Issue Brief: System-affiliated hospitals associated with higher prices,” HCCI “Most Office Visit Facility Fee Spending is on Internal Medicine,” HCCI Prices in Hospital Outpatient Departments are Consistently Higher than Physician Offices among Site-Neutral Services, HCCI

In one fashion or another, all state legislatures exercise oversight of state agencies and programs. They do this in a variety of ways using standing committees, rules review, auditing offices, sunset provisions, and more.  On this episode of the podcast, we dive into the topic of oversight with three guests who all have different vantage points to observe the process. They include Kade Minchey, auditor general with the Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General; Holly Trice, registrar of regulations in Virginia and on the staff of the Virginia Joint Commission on Administrative Rules; and Will Clark, who works with NCSL's Center for Legislative Strengthening.  Will Clark started our discussion with an explanation of some of the basics of oversight, the approaches used, and the tools available to legislators. Kade Minchey explained how his office in Utah uses performance audits to help agencies improve and how the legislative committee responsible for audits uses the information.  Holly Trice talked about the rules review process in Virginia, how the legislature and executive branch work together, and how they afford all legislators and the public a chance to weigh in.  Resources The Best Practice Handbook: Root Cause Analysis and Driving Results, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor GeneralThe Best Practice Handbook: A Practical Guide to Excellence for Utah Government, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor GeneralA Performance Audit of Utah State Correctional Facility: An Examination of Staffing, Culture, Safety, and Security, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor GeneralA Performance Audit of Utah’s Behavioral Health System: A Case for Governance, Strategic Planning, and Accountability, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor GeneralA Performance Audit of Utah’s Election System and Controls, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor GeneralA Performance Audit of Utah’s Water Management: Ensuring Data Integrity, Program Best Practices, and Comprehensive Water Planning, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor GeneralSeparation of Powers: An Overview, NCSLSeparation of Powers: Legislative Oversight, NCSLVirginia Register of RegulationsVirginia Regulatory Town Hall

SUMMARY Medicaid is the joint state -federal program created in 1965 that provides free or low -cost health care to about 70 million Americans, including low-income elderly people and those living with disabilities. The changes in the 2025 legislation, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill or H.R. 1, affect eligibility standards for the program and changes in the way states can finance their portion of Medicaid costs. On this episode, we’re joined by two policy experts on Medicaid. Kathryn Costanza is a fellow at NCSL who closely follows Medicaid policy and Neda Jasemi is a senior policy analyst at the National Association of Medicaid Directors. They both sat down to talk about the significant changes in Medicaid that were included in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act.  Jasemi discussed the challenges state legislatures will face as they craft budgets for Medicaid in their states while facing significant uncertainty about both revenue and how many people will be signed up in their state. Costanza explained the ins and outs of provider taxes and how that will affect state revenue intended for Medicaid costs. She also talked about what we know about the new rules and how they will affect the number of people who will qualify for coverage.  Resources How Medicaid Provider Taxes Work: An Explainer, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsMedicaid’s Next Chapter, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsMedicaid Road Ahead: Policy Options and Budget Impacts | Webinar Series, NCSLThe Medicaid Puzzle: Piecing Together Policies for a Balanced Budget, NCSL Medicaid Road Ahead: Policy Options and Budget Impacts, NCSL Medicaid Toolkit, NCSLNational Association of Medicaid DirectorsOBBBA Medicaid Policy Timeline, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsWhy did they do it that way? Medicaid Financing, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsMedicaid Financing 101, NCSL