The post End of Session Report: Florida 2024 Legislative Session appeared first on Plural Policy.

At Plural, we’ve followed these issues closely. We’ve covered legislation impacting race and education and legislation impacting transgender and nonbinary kids in school. We know that the results of this policy shift have been profound. The NAACP has issued a travel advisory for the state of Florida and advised black student-athletes against enrolling in the state. Across the country, book bans and challenges have surged, and school board meetings have become increasingly combative. 

The most recent policy proposal to emerge from this trend has involved authorizing school districts to bring chaplains into schools. Texas Senate Bill 763, which became law in June of 2023, is one example of such efforts. The new law allows Texas public school districts to employ or otherwise allow volunteer chaplains to provide services in schools.

The law has faced strong opposition, including from chaplains themselves. Despite this, it has sparked efforts in other states to incorporate chaplains into public school resources. Utah, Alabama, Nebraska, and Georgia are among the states to have considered similar proposals. Florida’s legislature just passed its “school chaplain” bill onto Governor DeSantis’ desk.

What Would Florida’s School Chaplain Bill Do?

Florida’s legislature passed HB 931 on March 7, 2024. Governor DeSantis will soon decide whether to sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. HB 931 closely mirrors the Texas law, as well as many of the bills being considered elsewhere. It would allow school districts to adopt policies authorizing volunteer chaplains to provide support, services, and programs in public schools.

Under HB 931, the districts’ policies must clearly define the chaplain’s role. Parents must be informed of and consent to any services provided by chaplains. Like other school employees, volunteer chaplains will be required to pass background checks.

Summarizing Florida HB 931 With Plural’s AI-Powered Bill Summarizer

Plural’s AI-powered bill summarizer generated the following summary of Florida HB 931. Plural distilled hundreds of words into the following summary:

The final version of the bill contains notable differences from the introduced version of Florida HB 931. Plural’s AI-powered version-to-version summarizer provides the following overview:

Differences in Proposed Changes: 1) The previous version requires a vote by January 1, 2025, on adopting a chaplain policy, which is not mentioned in the new version. 2) The previous version specifies that only school districts must publish the list of chaplains, while the new version requires both school districts and charter schools to publish the list.

Plural’s AI-generated summary highlights a few notable differences. The filed version of the bill excludes the requirement for a vote on the chaplain policy. This is particularly notable, since Texas legislators included a similar provision in their law. With this exclusion, Florida legislators may be attempting to avoid political backlash — many of Texas’ largest school districts recently rejected chaplain programs. 

How are Education Advocates Reacting to School Chaplain Proposals?

Proponents of these efforts include conservative and religious groups. Education policy issues of this nature tend to fall along predictable partisan divides. However, it’s notable that five House Democrats in Florida voted in support of HB 931.

Advocates for these measures include the National School Chaplain Association, a Christian ministry aiming to serve spiritual needs in schools. Supporters argue that chaplains can play a role in meeting growing mental health needs and improving school safety. 

Opponents include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and many chaplains themselves. They raise the uncertain constitutionality of these issues, questioning whether they violate separation of church and state. Many opponents have also noted that chaplains are already eligible to volunteer in schools, but counseling and behavioral health support should be left to trained professionals.

Where do School Chaplain Bills Go From Here?

More than a dozen states have considered school chaplain proposals. These efforts have stalled in most states. In Utah, state senators narrowly rejected a school chaplain bill prior to the end of their 2024 legislative session.

In states that do pass bills, it will take some time before new policies take effect. When they do, proponents and opponents alike will certainly be watching their impact. It’s likely that more school chaplain bills to be taken up in 2025. Legislators will look to the experiences of early adopters to formulate their arguments. 

In an unexpected twist for advocates of school chaplain bills, the Satanic Temple has voiced its support. The Satanic Temple does not actually worship Satan, but rather advocates for first amendment rights and religious freedoms. The organization has indicated its interest in participating in school chaplain programs in Florida, Iowa, and Utah.

It’s not hard to imagine how school chaplain policies could quickly lead to litigation and controversy. At Plural, we’re committed to monitoring the newsworthy issues that impact Americans. Stay tuned for more!

Get Started With Plural

Plural is the legislative tracking tool of choice for policy teams monitoring issues related to education. With Plural, you’ll:

• Access superior public policy data 
• Be the first to know about new bills and changes in bill status
• Streamline your day with seamless organization features
• Harness the power of time-saving AI tools to gain insights into individual bills and the entire legislative landscape
• Keep everyone on the same page with internal collaboration and external reporting all in one place

Interested in learning more? Create a free account or book a demo today!

More Resources for Public Policy Teams in Florida

End of Session Report: Florida 2024 Legislative Session

Chaplains in Schools: The Next Fight in the Education Wars?

Public Policy Brief Template

The post Chaplains in Schools: The Next Fight in the Education Wars? appeared first on Plural Policy.

Policy briefs are concise, written documents that provide policymakers with a clear understanding of an issue and suggest policy options based on research, analysis, and evidence.

When effective, policy briefs can be used to advance your organization’s goals, influence decision-making, position yourself or your organization as a thought leader, and more!

Need help getting started? Download our fully-customizable policy brief template and start writing your effective policy brief today!

The post Public Policy Brief Template appeared first on Plural Policy.

Here are four options to access Plural’s 2024 Legislative Sessions Calendar. Choose the one that’s best for you:

1. Google Calendar: Add the calendar directly to your Google Calendar using this link.
2. Outlook or Other Calendars: Add the calendar as a public calendar through Outlook or other calendar applications. (Outlook instructions)
3. View Online: View and bookmark the calendar online here. 
4. Download a PDF: View and download a PDF of session start dates and expected adjournment.

A few things to note:

• The majority of legislative sessions begin within the first two weeks of January and end between late March and mid-May.
• 15 states are scheduled to have significantly shorter sessions than in 2023. Only 4 states are scheduled to have significantly longer sessions.
• Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia will enter 2024 with the most new legislators after those states held regular legislative elections this fall.
• 4 states (Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas) only host regular sessions during even-numbered years, and do not have a regular session scheduled for 2024.
• 4 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Congress meet throughout the entirety of the year and do not generally have a typical end-of-session adjournment scheduled.

More Resources for Public Policy Professionals

2024 118th Congress Report

Guide to Preparing for Congressional Testimony

Upcoming Changes to Party Leadership in Congress

The post 2024 Legislative Sessions Calendar appeared first on Plural Policy.

Analyzing Voting Rights Legislation in 2023

Debates around voting rights have always been central to American political discourse. The 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries saw the expansion of the right to vote to religious minorities, people of color and women. However, the statutory right to vote was never the end goal for voting rights advocates. The civil rights movement, particularly the Voting Rights Act of 1965, drove our nation nearer to fair and equal democratic participation.

Policy impacting voting rights is a priority issue for state legislators, intensified by contentious national elections and imperfect systems.

The 2024 elections are quickly approaching. As of July 2023, state legislators have introduced 1,188 bills impacting voting rights. Eighty bills have made it through the legislative process to become law. Understanding this activity, including how and where it is playing out, is key to understanding democracy. We leveraged Plural’s data analyze legislation affecting voting rights and access so far in 2023.

In our analysis, we focused on legislation that expanded or limited access to vote. For example, legislation increasing early vote time is categorized as expanding, while legislation restricting mail-in voting is categorized as restricting. While important to monitor, legislation unrelated to the ability to vote, like bills that regulate ballot-counting devices, were not considered.

Looking Ahead to 2024

Following the 2020 elections, voting rights became a central issue in 2022 campaigns as well as the 2023 legislative sessions. As we approach another contentious national election in 2024, attention on voting policy will continue to grow. Plural is committed to analyzing the trends in this space to help the public understand our democratic processes. 

Get Started with Plural

Plural helps you get and stay ahead in the complex public policy landscape. With Plural, you can:

• Access superior public policy data
• Be the first to know about new bills and changes in bill status
• Streamline your day with seamless organization features
• Harness the power of AI to gain insights into individual bills and the entire legislative landscape
• Keep everyone on the same page with internal collaboration and external reporting all in one place

How Vote Mama Lobby Empowers Moms By Using Plural for Tracking Policy

Vote Mama Lobby is dedicated to transforming the political landscape for moms. Its team advocates to break the institutional barriers moms face in running for and serving in office, and gives voice to the solutions that allow everyday families to thrive.  Vote Mama Foundation is a leading non-partisan 501(c)(3) entity that provides research and analysis […]

READ MORE →

Here’s Why Leadership Wants Your GR, Legal & Compliance Teams to Use AI

In an era of accelerating regulation, geopolitical uncertainty, and rising stakeholder expectations, the margin for error in corporate governance has never been thinner. For senior leaders — CEOs, GCs, COOs, and Chief Risk Officers — ensuring that their legal, compliance, and government relations (GR) teams are equipped to respond quickly and strategically is essential. Enter […]

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What I Learned from Working at a Startup Company as a College Student

By Jay Oliveira My time at Plural has been transformative.  As a third-year policy student at Suffolk University in Boston, I had already spent hours pouring over legislative websites for my coursework. I struggled to use legislative sources that would open up dozens of unreadable files, or would make it unclear what chamber the bill […]

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The post Legislation Affecting Voting Rights and Access in 2023 appeared first on Plural Policy.

What is ESG Investing?

Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is an investment strategy involving the consideration of a company’s environmental impact, social impact and governance history. These considerations are used to determine whether and where they will invest funds. ESG is also referred to as socially responsible investing or sustainable investing.

Interest in ESG investing has grown in the private sector. As a result, many large investing firms have begun to offer information about the impact of investments. This offers flexibility for investors to put their money towards “better” investments. The European Union (EU) has been the epicenter of ESG investing. The EU has taken steps to improve corporate transparency and aid ESG. For example, the EU increased reporting requirements for financial firms and companies.

ESG Legislation and Regulation

Regulatory action on ESG investing in the United States had been sparse. However, there has been an increase in legislation on ESG investing. This growth has occurred at both the state and federal levels. The trend is driven by recent actions by the Biden administration as well as Republicans’ focus on the so-called “culture wars.”

Over two-thirds of U.S. state legislatures have considered anti-ESG legislation in 2023, and 14 states have enacted legislation restricting the use of ESG factors in public investments and procurements. On the other side of the debate, just one pro-ESG bill has become law and only 11 states have even considered such legislation. While consumer demand for ESG investing has grown, the data in this report shows a wave of anti-ESG legislation rising to challenge that trend. 

The Plural team sought to better understand legislation regarding ESG investing. To do so, we analyzed the 2023 legislative sessions of all 50 states, US Congress and Washington, DC. This data is up-to-date as of July 19, 2023.

Key Findings

ESG investing has become a prevalent topic of discussion in state legislatures across the country. Understanding the state-of-play in these debates will allow you to be better prepared for their next iterations.

Overall, it’s unclear how states will progress in this space as well as how new laws will impact our economy at-large. At Plural, we’re committed to increasing government transparency. This involves shedding light on laws under consideration and analyzing their impact on our communities.

The post ESG Legislation in the First Six Months of 2023 appeared first on Plural Policy.

It can be tempting to tie any legislative trend to a single event. However, mass shootings have become so common in the United States that it’s difficult to identify the exact motivation leading to legislation. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. is on track for over 600 mass shootings this year. 2023 will be the fourth straight year of this high rate of gun violence. With this violence, it’s safe to assume that a desire to save lives motivates much of this legislation.

Gun control laws are a mainstay within U.S. political discourse. Given this fact, the Plural team sought to examine gun control policy in the first half of 2023. We leveraged Plural’s legislative dataset, categorizing legislation according to whether it increased or decreased access to firearms.

Read the full report to see our analysis of legislation impacting access to firearms throughout the first six months of 2023.

Key Takeaways

Data on gun policy shows us how many of the trends of the past decade continue to play out. It should also remind us that state legislatures are constantly introducing and passing new policies.

States like Florida and Washington continue to trend toward opposite positions. At the same time, states like Utah, Michigan and Minnesota have proven to be factories of significant change. Understanding this continuing, heated debate requires an understanding of both the policy being introduced, which may set the conversation, and the policy being enacted, which will affect conditions in our communities.

The post Legislating Access to Firearms in 2023 appeared first on Plural Policy.

A Growth in Consumer Demand for Electric Vehicles

Consumer demand for EVs has grown rapidly. A decade ago, EVs accounted for less than 1% of total car sales. In 2021, they accounted for nearly 5% of total sales. Legislators across the country are racing to enact policy to accommodate this growth.

Plural’s Analysis of Electric Vehicle Policy

Harnessing Plural’s unmatched legislative data, our team analyzed legislation surrounding EVs so far in 2023. Read our report to see our findings.

Electric vehicle policy is a growing trend. These bills may affect the pace of EV transition and the automotive industry’s impact on the environment. Using Plural’s data, it’s clear that the first six months of 2023 have been the busiest for EV policy in history. These changes will drive electric vehicle policy development through the rest of 2023 and into next year. Understanding the state of play at this moment is important to prepare for that activity.

The post A Look at Electric Vehicle Policy in 2023 appeared first on Plural Policy.

If you don’t report it, it didn’t happen, right? And if you can’t find the data you need to document all of your work throughout the session, you can’t report on it. 

Creating a legislative report is key to proving the impact of your role, your team and your organization. It showcases the tangible results of your work to your board, stakeholders and community members.

Need help getting started? Download our end-of-session report template today!

The post End-of-Session Report Template appeared first on Plural Policy.

So far in 2023, the partisan divide over gender identity, especially within education and healthcare settings, has generated a significant increase in legislation impacting transgender and nonbinary communities.

The research team at Plural is committed to monitoring legislative trends throughout the country. As we analyzed the 2023 legislative sessions, we were particularly surprised by the volume of bills targeting transgender and nonbinary rights. We leveraged Plural’s legislative data to better understand this trend. The data presented in this report is up-to-date as of Monday, June 26, 2023.

The post Legislation Impacting Transgender and Nonbinary Rights and Visibility in 2023 appeared first on Plural Policy.