By Eva Herrick and Elizabeth Rosen The opioid crisis is one of the nation’s most significant public health emergencies. In 2023, an average of 217 people died every day from an opioid overdose, straining the economy, health care systems and communities across the country. For legislators, tackling a problem this complex requires diverse perspectives and…
Montana Legislative AI Training and Q&A
From the Courthouse Steps to the Governor’s Desk: Rep. Justis Gibbs Gets Mississippi to Protect Incarcerated People from Toxic Chemicals
By Elizabeth Rosen On a brisk late-winter morning in 2025, Rep. Justis Gibbs, D-72, stood on the steps of a federal courthouse in Jackson. Beside him were women who had survived Mississippi’s correctional system, though not unscathed. Propped around them were photographs of women who could not be there in person. The photos showed what…
NEW: Sen. Darius Brown Announced as New Co-Chair of Delaware Future Caucus
DOVER, Del. – Today, Future Caucus announced Sen. Darius Brown, D-Wilmington, as co-chair of the Delaware Future Caucus, joining Rep. Michael Smith, R-Pike Creek Valley, in leading this cross-partisan coalition of young state legislators. Delaware is home to one of 36 state Future Caucuses nationwide, each launched and led by lawmakers from both sides of…
Lawmakers Finding a Way Forward
How Future Caucus is supporting next-gen legislators. By Joanna Kenty | The Renovator Arkansas is a tough state to have a baby. Compared to the rest of the country, statistics on maternal health and infant health have been poor. In the past, too many pregnant women weren’t getting the prenatal care they needed, especially in…
Lawmakers Hold the Line on District Lines
By Eva Herrick Being a state legislator comes with great responsibility—responsibility to your constituents, your colleagues, your party, and the Constitution. For two state legislators, national pressure to suddenly create a new district map was not a responsibility they anticipated. Last summer, Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-108, House minority leader and vice-chair of the Kansas Future…
A state lawmaker was assassinated last year. Who is keeping others safe?
The rise in threats and abuse is disproportionately affecting women lawmakers. We asked law enforcement agencies in all 50 states what they’re doing about it. By Grace Panetta | The 19th Political violence is on the rise — making the job more dangerous for state lawmakers and posing new challenges for state law enforcement officials. …
On Generational Housing Crisis, Young Lawmakers Chose Pragmatism Over Partisanship
By Eva Herrick As housing costs and demand continue to rise, it has become increasingly difficult for families to buy a home and build generational wealth—and in many metro areas, to even find a rental that is affordable without multiple roommates or side hustles. America is plagued by a housing crisis that disproportionately impacts Gen…
NEW: Rep. Farley Santos Announced as New Co-Chair of Connecticut Future Caucus
HARTFORD, Conn. – Today, Future Caucus announced Rep. Farley Santos, D-Danbury, as co-chair of the Connecticut Future Caucus, joining Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D-Groton, Sen. Paul Cicarella, R-North Haven, and Rep. Seth Bronko, R-Naugatuck, in leading this cross-partisan coalition of young state legislators. Connecticut is home to one of 36 state Future Caucuses nationwide, each launched…
Trump wants to stop states from regulating AI. This Utah Republican isn’t listening
By Nicholas Riccardi | Associated Press RIVERTON, Utah (AP) — When a dozen Republican activists gathered on a back deck in the Salt Lake City suburbs to talk about this year’s elections, the conversation cycled through all the staples of conservative chatter in Utah such as dwindling water supplies, illegal immigrant fraud and chemtrail conspiracy…