The United States’ first out trans state senator is sworn in to office
Sarah McBride is now the highest-ranking transgender elected official in U.S. history.
States & provinces
This archive collects stories where U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and subnational governments around the world are the driving force behind meaningful change. Across 467 articles, you’ll find accounts of state and provincial lawmakers, agencies, and coalitions enacting policies, launching programs, and achieving results that improve people’s lives. From environmental protections to public health wins, these are the places where regional leadership makes a difference.
Nevada retroactively recognizes same-sex marriages
The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that the state must honor marriages of same-sex couples performed before the state legalized marriage equality in 2014.
Raphael Warnock wins election to become Georgia’s first Black senator
As the New York Times eloquently pointed out, the election in Georgia “was also a rare chance for one Senate barrier breaker to pass the torch to another.”
New York enacts legislation that requires single-person bathrooms to be gender neutral
School, restaurants, and state-operated facilities in the Empire State will have to make single-occupancy restrooms open to anyone, regardless of gender.
New Jersey trailblazes with $250m monopile factory to supply U.S. offshore wind industry
New Jersey is creating long-term, well-paid jobs with this huge offshore wind manufacturing initiative that will serve the entire U.S. offshore wind industry.
New York state divests from fossil fuels in historic move
The massive pension fund’s financial portfolio is worth $226 billion. The new plan is to sell off the riskiest gas and oil stocks and be completely divested from fossil fuels by 2025.
Chinese island province of Hainan bans all disposable plastics
Plastic polymer food containers, forks, drink cups, knives, straws, plastic bags, packaging bags, and other items that are not biodegradable are no longer allowed to be sold at major establishments like supermarkets, hospitals, government and state-owned buildings like schools, and tourist attractions.
Nebraska voters say ‘no more’ to 404% interest rates on payday loans
A 400% interest rate on small-dollar loans is the average across the States. Now that 83% of Nebraska’s voters have approved Initiative 428, that won’t be the case in this Midwestern state: Payday lending interest rates will soon be capped at 36%.
Florida votes to increase outdated minimum wage to $15
Voters in Florida tossed their outdated $8.56 per hour minimum wage in this election as the state became the eighth in the country to adopt a $15 minimum wage. Like many other states, Florida will introduce the raise slowly, upping it to $10 next year and raising it by $1 each year until it reaches $15 in 2026.
Prop 17 restores voting rights for 50,000 paroled citizens in California
50,000 more Californians were welcomed back into the democratic process this election as the state celebrates the passing of Prop 17. The proposition, which passed with support from 59 percent of voters, will allow paroled citizens convicted of felonies to vote.