State Policy
January 24, 2022 -
Drug overdose deaths are climbing nationally and across the South, driven in large part by street drugs contaminated with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Many of these deaths could be prevented by allowing drug users to test their supply for fentanyl's presence, but some states still ban testing strips as paraphernalia.
June 1, 2018 -
This November, voters in Alabama and West Virginia will weigh in on ballot questions about adding anti-abortion provisions to state constitutions. The legislatively-placed measures are part of a broader effort to limit women's access to reproductive health care that's made dramatic headway in Southern states in recent years.
June 2, 2017 -
As debate around immigration and "sanctuary cities" has flared, Southern states have led the country in enacting policies that ban such local efforts to limit involvement with federal immigration enforcement.
March 31, 2017 -
Immigrant-welcoming local governments in the South are navigating a challenging political terrain as states in the region adopt bans on so-called "sanctuary" policies and as the federal government also moves to crack down on sanctuary communities.
December 16, 2016 -
Immigrant advocates in Southern states say they'll continue to fight deportations and hostile rhetoric under the new administration — just as they have done for years at the state and local level.
July 15, 2016 -
This week North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill that blocks public access to footage from body cameras worn by police. The state joins others across the South that have taken similar action.
June 17, 2016 -
After the June 12 massacre at an Orlando nightclub, some politicians refused to even acknowledge the targets were LGBT people. Could it be because of their own animus toward LGBT people, which has found expression in a record number of anti-LGBT bills introduced in recent years?
