Stateline: Legislative Review 2013

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Stateline: Legislative Review 2013

Stateline's annual Legislative Review looks at policy and politics in the states since legislatures began their work in January. The five-part series will include analytical articles, infographics and interactives.

Part One: Politics

Washington is gridlocked, but state legislators producers a torrent of new laws — especially in the 37 states dominated by a single party. Read the article and view our "50 Ways States Changed America" interactive.

Part Two: Health Care

States prepared for the Affordable Care Act, with debates on Medicaid expansion, health insurance exchanges, and how to increase the ranks of doctors and nurses. Read the article and view our "A Downsized Medicaid Expansion" infographic.  

Part Three: Taxes and Budget

As state revenues finally rebounded, red and blue states pursued starkly divergent paths on taxes and spending. Read the article and view our "No New Taxes? It Depends on Where You Live" infographic.

Part Four: Social Issues

States moved aggressively on hot-button social issues such as gun control, abortion, gay marriage, and immigration. Coming Thursday.

Part Five: Economic Development

States awarded tax breaks to business, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs from each other. Coming Friday.

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States Try to Rev Up Job Machines

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States Try to Rev Up Job Machines

States this year awarded tax breaks to businesses, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs from each other to boost their economies and create work for the nearly 12 million Americans still unemployed.

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Social Issues Divide States

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Social Issues Divide States

Nowhere has the red/blue divide between the states been more apparent than on contentious social issues such as gun control, abortion, gay marriage, and immigration.

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Tax and Spend: Legislatures Did Both

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Tax and Spend: Legislatures Did Both

Resurgent revenues prompted tax-cut talk from Bismarck to Baton Rouge — but in some states, the tax breaks never made it to the governor’s desk. In other states, legislators used newfound money to pay for education, roads, or other areas that got short shrift during the recession

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Majorities Drive Sweeping, Divergent Changes Across States

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Majorities Drive Sweeping, Divergent Changes Across States

Gun curbs? Colorado got it done. Driver’s licenses and in-state tuition for immigrants in the country illegally? Done. A new school-spending plan, an elections overhaul, Medicaid expansion? Done, done, and done.

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View the 50 Ways the States Changed America in 2013. 
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View the 50 Ways the States Changed America in 2013. 

Related Multimedia

How Many Jobs Did Your State Create? One-Party Control Leads to Very Different Agendas Legislative Review Infographic: Power Politics Medicaid Expansion and Everything You Need to Know Gun Actions Since Sandy Hook Shooting

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