In this LEVICK Daily video interview, LEVICK’s Lanny Davis and Jessica Lenard examine how the 2014 midterm elections will impact public policy moving forward. While there is no clear consensus on precisely what to expect on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures, and in local jurisdictions across the country, there are pressing issues that will no doubt warrant elected officials’ attention.
Assuming President Obama wants a productive final two years in office, he will have no choice but to work with the Republicans who now run both houses of Congress. At the same time, leaders of the House and Senate likely want to prove they can govern – meaning they need to pass legislation the President can sign. With both parties incentivized to break the gridlock that has ground Washington to halt in recent years, we may see them begin to stand up to their bases – to a certain extent. That’s good news for those who’ve been patiently waiting for legislative action on a host of significant issues.
That said, we see four issues on the federal agenda that could prove to be breeding grounds for consensus and movement in 2015: Infrastructure investment; immigration reform; corporate tax reform; and energy (particularly, the Keystone XL Pipeline).
On the state side, we can likely expect to see more of the same when it comes to policy-making and referenda. Legalization and taxation of marijuana, bridging gaps in federal reimbursement and funding, gaming, plastic bag taxes, and soda taxes are among the issues that will receive top billing. Additionally, if Congress isn’t able to make any tangible progress on the major pressing policy and social issues of the day, we should anticipate a renewed focus on pursuing action at the state and local level.
State action will of course be impacted by the fact Republicans now control 24 state legislatures. This is a fact that many post-election analyses have overlooked; but to put it in perspective, Democrats now control states consisting of just 16 percent of the population – and 12 percent of that is accounted for by California. As such, the states are poised to become major sources of policy and legislative ideas that will undoubtedly percolate to the federal level, especially if state and legislators no longer wait for Congress to pursue major legislative action.
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