FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – JULY 13: An abortion rights activist holds a sign at a protest in support of abortion access.
2024 will be a monumental presidential election year. But when it comes to policy, it will be state governments that see the most action over the next 12 months.
When state legislatures kick off their fresh sessions in the coming weeks — 37 will go into session in January and another nine will follow in February — lawmakers will immediately dive into a host of big policy issues.
Some of those areas — like how to tackle artificial intelligence and deepfakes — will be relatively new. For others, like how state governments can best deal with major workforce shortages, legislators will be picking up where they left off last year.
Meanwhile, in areas like abortion rights, it will be organizers attempting to place measures on the November ballot, not lawmakers, who are taking the lead.
“2024 will be an incredibly important year as we think about the progress that can be made at the state level,” said Jessie Ulibarri, the co-executive director of the State Innovation Exchange, a policy shop that helps draw up model state legislation that advances traditionally progressive issues.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com.
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