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…
Young Lawmakers Cross the Aisle to Combat Food Insecurity
By Eva Herrick For some Americans, the question of where their next meal will come from is easily answered by a look in the pantry, a shopping list, or a food delivery app. Yet, for many around the country, this question is more difficult. In 2024, one in seven American households experienced food insecurity. As…
Rep. Gray is Encouraging Alabama to Be Biparti-Zen
By Future Caucus This article is adapted from Alabama State Representative Jeremy Gray’s interactive workshop, “Policy in Motion: Yoga, Lawmaking, & Cultural Persuasion,” presented at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas on March 9, 2026. When you hear the word “Alabama,” certain images probably come to mind. When you see State Representative Jeremy Gray—a Black man,…
To Advance Education, Sen. Tobin and Rep. Ruffridge Put Alaskans Over Party
By Eva Herrick Upon first glance, State Senator Löki Gale Tobin and State Representative Justin Ruffridge seem to have little in common beyond their home state of Alaska. Early on in their legislative careers, Tobin and Ruffridge went on a state delegation trip to Arizona, where the air was a dry 106 degrees. Naturally, the…
Mississippi Future Caucus Training with OpenAI Academy
The Mississippi Future Caucus convened bipartisan legislators for a hands-on training on artificial intelligence with OpenAI Academy—the creators of ChatGPT—bringing AI out of the abstract and into the realities of governing. From inside Mississippi’s Capitol, lawmakers explored how AI is already shaping public agencies, local businesses, and daily life—and what it means to use these…
TikTok Legislative Training & Reception
In Georgia, lawmakers didn’t just talk about TikTok, they talked with TikTok. In a live, in-person training, members of both parties and all generations sat down with TikTok’s Atlanta-based government affairs team to better understand how the app works, using it to communicate with constituents, and what’s next for the ever-evolving app. Lawmakers were even able to…