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FiscalNote Releases Report Outlining the Top Policy Issues in the 15 States with the Most Legislative Activity in 2021

Consumer Data Privacy is by far the most followed state policy issue 

Almost 3,000 bills among the 15 states were specifically related to COVID-19

FiscalNote Releases Report Outlining the Top Policy Issues in the 15 States with the Most Legislative Activity in 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friday, December 17, 2021 – Today FiscalNote, a leading technology provider of global policy and market intelligence, unveiled its “15 State Snapshot 2021 Report,” a guide to the top policy issues in the 15 states with the busiest legislative workloads this year.

The report highlights 15 states with the most legislation introduced during their 2021 statehouse sessions, the top five most pressing issues of legislative focus in each state, and the top-tracked and most-viewed bills from FiscalNote’s database during the sessions. FiscalNote proactively alerts clients to legislation and regulation from all 50 states and Washington D.C., including bills introduced and enacted, research reports, committees, hearings, lawmaker voting records, and state executive orders.

In the 2021 legislative sessions, statehouses across the United States introduced more than 152,000 bills combined and enacted over 32,000 of them, according to FiscalNote’s prior “Most Effective States” report.

“This report underlines the quickly changing priorities and legislative focus of each state’s government. Both the volume and complexity of policymaking at the state level is likely to increase in 2022, which is why organizations both big and small depend on FiscalNote's products and services to stay on top of the risks and opportunities that will impact them,” said Tim Hwang, CEO and Co-Founder of FiscalNote. 

The FiscalNote 2021 Report: Key Takeaways

  • Health care was the biggest policy issue for New Jersey, Hawaii, Montana, and Connecticut.
  • In total, there were 2,780 bills among the 15 busiest states specifically related to COVID-19 in the health care category.
  • Small Business and Seniors were some of the least active legislative topics.
  • Overwhelmingly, the most followed issue by FiscalNote users was Consumer Data Privacy, showing up in 11 of the 15 states in the report.

The Top Policy Issues in FiscalNote’s 15 Most Active States Report

  • Tennessee:  Biggest policy issue - Education (1,671 bills introduced; 1,196 enacted)
  • Virginia: Biggest policy issue - Labor & Employment (2,267 bills introduced; 1,065 bills enacted)
  • Texas: Biggest policy issue - Legal Affairs (2,385 bills introduced, 490 enacted)
  • Montana: Biggest policy issue - Health (571 bills introduced, 173 bills enacted)
  • Mississippi: Biggest policy issue - Legal Affairs (1,372 bills introduced, 114 bills enacted)
  • New York: Biggest policy issue - Labor & Employment (4,351 bills introduced, 338 enacted)
  • Illinois: Biggest policy issue - Families & Children (6,404 bills introduced, 893 bills enacted)
  • Hawaii: Biggest policy issue - Health (1,231 bills introduced, 175 bills enacted)
  • Connecticut: Biggest policy issue - Health (873 bills introduced, 136 bills enacted)
  • Oklahoma: Biggest policy issue - Crime (2,012 bills introduced, 411 bills enacted)
  • Florida: Biggest policy issue - Budget (1,561 bills introduced, 97 bills enacted)
  • New Jersey: Biggest policy issue - Health (3,433 bills introduced, 175 bills enacted)
  • Pennsylvania: Biggest policy issue - Labor & Employment (863 bills introduced, 38 bills enacted)
  • Minnesota: Biggest policy issue - Budget (2,434 bills introduced, 22 bills enacted)
  • Massachusetts: Biggest policy issue - Legal Affairs (10,198 bills introduced, 46 bills enacted)

All information contained in FiscalNote’s study is effective as of September 22, 2021. For more detailed information about the report, please see the full analysis here.

About FiscalNote
FiscalNote is a leading global technology provider of legal and policy data and insights. By combining AI capabilities, expert analysis, and legislative, regulatory, and geopolitical data, FiscalNote is reinventing the way that organizations minimize risk and capitalize on opportunity. Home to CQ, Roll Call, Oxford Analytica, and VoterVoice, FiscalNote empowers clients worldwide to monitor, manage, and act on the issues that matter most to them. To learn more about FiscalNote and its family of brands, visit FiscalNote.com and follow @FiscalNote.

Media Contact
Nicholas Graham
FiscalNote
press@fiscalnote.com