2024 State Sessions Recap: The Most Effective States & Top Policy Issues

Introduction

Activity at the federal level tends to grab the headlines, but most legislative efforts each year actually unfold at the state level, where tight time frames mean advocates must stay on their toes. The broad range of legislative activity adds even more pressure.

Lawmakers cast a wide net once again this year, which in turn kept government affairs and advocacy professionals running hard. Workforce issues were front and center in the 2024 state legislative sessions, along with health care, education, immigration, and technology. 

Now that virtually all state legislatures have adjourned, it’s helpful to take a closer look at where legislative action was happening, and which states were most effective during their 2024 sessions. 

States saw an average effective rate of 26 percent this year, enacting over 21,000 of them. Colorado topped the list with 74 percent of bills passed, and New Jersey claimed the bottom spot with .5 percent of legislation passed. About half the states fell somewhere in between, passing between 10 and 50 percent of their proposed laws.

The United States Congress meanwhile has introduced just over 4,800 bills in 2024, down significantly from 10,300 introduced last year. And only 1.1 percent of those bills were enacted. Congress had a virtually non-existent effective rate, compared to the rate at the state level — which is something to ponder as you lay out your legislative strategy.

• Which State Passes the Most Legislation in 2024?
• Which state introduced the highest number of bills in 2024?
• Which state enacted the highest number of bills in 2024?
• Which state passed the highest percentage of bills relative to the number they introduced?
• All Data
• The Top Policy Issues in the 15 Busiest States

Which States Passed the Most Legislation in 2024?

The overall pace of legislation slowed in 2024, with the combined statehouses across the nation introducing more than 87,500 bills. That’s down almost 52 percent from the more than 132,000 bills introduced in 2023.

This is in part because Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas had no even-year legislative sessions. In 2023 those states together introduced nearly 14,000 bills: More than 10,000 in Texas, over 1,800 in Montana, almost 1,000 in Nevada, and some 990 bills in North Dakota.

Still, some states saw their numbers rise in 2024. Louisiana introduced over 2,300 bills this year, up from about 1,600 in 2023. Kentucky went from over 1,200 last year to more than 1,700 this year. And New Jersey saw a massive jump, from just over 1,430 bills introduced in 2023 to about 8,750 in 2024.

Which States Passed the Most Legislation in 2024?

The overall pace of legislation slowed in 2024, with the combined statehouses across the nation introducing more than 87,500 bills. That’s down almost 52 percent from the more than 132,000 bills introduced in 2023.

This is in part because Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas had no even-year legislative sessions. In 2023 those states together introduced nearly 14,000 bills: More than 10,000 in Texas, over 1,800 in Montana, almost 1,000 in Nevada, and some 990 bills in North Dakota.

Still, some states saw their numbers rise in 2024. Louisiana introduced over 2,300 bills this year, up from about 1,600 in 2023. Kentucky went from over 1,200 last year to more than 1,700 this year. And New Jersey saw a massive jump, from just over 1,430 bills introduced in 2023 to about 8,750 in 2024.

Across the boards, a majority of states (33 of them) introduced fewer bills in 2024 than in the previous session. Montana saw the steepest drop in introduced legislation, down 96 percent, while Oregon and Massachusetts declined in introduced bills by 90 and 86 percent respectively.

New Jersey lawmakers introduced the most bills in their 2024 session, with 8,700+ pieces of legislation. But only 44 of those got enacted. New York brought forth over 7,300 bills and enacted 2,300+ of those. Colorado was most effective, introducing almost over 770 bills and enacting 570+ of those.

Which state introduced the highest number of bills in 2024?

Hover to see the number for each state

Which state enacted the highest number of bills in 2024?

Hover to see the number for each state

Which state passed the highest percentage of bills relative to the number they introduced?

Hover to see the percentage for each state

All data

Hover to see the number for each state

The Top Policy Issues in the 15 Busiest States

In terms of sheer numbers, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee top the list of the busiest states, but other states had busy sessions as well. Minnesota weighed in with almost 4,370 and Hawaii and Mississippi each introduced over 3,880 pieces of legislation.

In Tennessee, school safety was a major focus. A year after a Nashville school shooting in which an intruder killed three children and three adults, the legislature voted to let some school employees carry guns.

With temperatures rising and storms worsening, New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act passed both chambers and will make the fossil fuel industry liable for climate damages. In Hawaii, recovery was a key concern, as lawmakers looked to address Maui’s needs after the deadly Lahaina wildfire. They appropriated $1 billion to cover costs stemming from that disaster, including $500 million for emergency housing and $124 million in rental assistance.

In Mississippi, the legislature made progress on education: It passed the Mississippi Student Funding Formula, which will send $2.95 billion toward K-12 education in the state. But moves on a Medicaid expansion, as well as on a measure to restore voting rights to people who lost them after being convicted of non-violent felonies, failed.

Red and blue divides continued to show themselves this year. In Minnesota, lawmakers continued to fine-tune cannabis rules, passing a bill that adjusts to the cannabis regulatory structure. In Illinois, the legislature appropriated over $290 million to help address homelessness, a $90 million increase and $40 million more than the governor’s proposed amount. In West Virginia, meanwhile, lawmakers raised pay for teachers, police, and other state employees. And in Missouri, the anti-abortion movement held sway, passing a bill that bans Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood.

New Jersey

New York

Tennessee

Minnesota

Hawaii

Mississippi

Illinois

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Virginia

West Virginia

Missouri

Rhode Island

California

Georgia

Louisiana

Oklahoma